The purpose of this petition is to add the Acquisition and Divestment course to the Fall 2014 schedule at the Katz Graduate School of Business.

Course Information:
Given the frequency and magnitude of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, most Pitt MBAs can expect their careers to be impacted by M&A transactions sooner or later—whether as analysts in the pre-merger phase, as managers or consultants in charge of implementing the merger, or simply as professionals whose career trajectories are inevitably shaped by the event. In order to help you prepare for these roles, Managing Post Merger Integration will address the strategic and organizational challenges of integrating companies so as to realize the promise of value creation. Building on the premise that the real work of M&A begins after the deal is signed, this course will utilize current research findings, case studies, and practitioner experiences to equip you with a working knowledge of effective post-merger integration. At a time when most companies realize that M&As have a poor track record of success precisely due to poor post-merger integration, the educational experience in this course will provide you with a valuable skill set.

Please note: This course will not duplicate discussion of the financial aspects of structuring M&A transactions that are very well covered by elective courses in finance and accounting. Instead, we will address topics such as planning the integration effort, putting an implementation team together, integration approaches that work pitfalls to watch out for, integrating functional strategies (e.g., IT, marketing) dealing with political and stakeholder issues, etc. The course should be of special interest to students interested in management consulting careers, or who expect to have significant general management responsibilities in their jobs, or who want to be knowledgeable about M&A events that are likely to affect their careers sooner or later.