Deals from Hell

Whether you are an investor or dealmaker, corporate executive or aspiring MBA looking for a career on Wall Street, you are sure to find this book both troublesome and inspiring...it cannot be otherwise when you carefully examine a series of M&A 'train wrecks' through the same lens as Prof. Bruner, a creative teacher in the field of M&A, who has been able to extract the hard, instructive lessons from these disasters.-From the Foreword by Arthur Levitt, Jr., former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and author of Take On the Street: What Wall Street and Corporate America Don't Want You to KnowDeals from Hell is a fresh and interesting look at the M&A game written by Prof. Robert Bruner, a leading authority on the topic. He studies failures and from this unique perspective, teaches us the pitfalls to avoid as well as the positive actions for success. The case histories illuminated herein are worthy instruction for all CEOs and their top management team.-Tom Copeland, Managing Director of Corporate Finance, Monitor GroupThere is a very fine line between M&A heaven and hell-and it is no surprise that the devil is in the detail. Contrary to conventional wisdom, mergers work, on average, as Bob Bruner documents-and the reasons why are often worthy of more careful study than appears beneath the headlines of the popular press. Bruner drills down on disasters and successes like no one else-and leaves investors and M&A dealmakers with a truly balanced scorecard of important lessons to ponder.-Charles D. Ellis, author of Winning the Loser's Game and Capital: The Story of Long-Term Investment ExcellenceWhile the average return to M&A acquirers is a matter of some controversy, it is beyond question that many acquisitions work well and many work badly. This landmark book is the finest available for separating the likely successes from the likely failures.-Bruce C.N. Greenwald, Robert Heilbrunn Professor of Finance and Asset Management, Columbia Business School, and coauthor of Value Investing: From Graham to Buffett and Beyond