Mergers and Acquisitions: Strategy, Execution, and Post-Merger Management
- Dates: 07–12 JAN 2024
- Format: In-Person Learning takes place on the HBS campus or a designated location.
- Location: HBS Campus
- Fee: $17,000

"Our overall goal was to show that the negotiation is bigger than just the bargaining table."

"The professors and participants shared insights that underpin the human aspects of M&A."
Summary
Across the globe, mergers and acquisitions are reshaping the corporate and competitive landscape. To help companies gain a strategic advantage and expand market share, this M&A program takes you inside the process—from strategy and valuation to execution and post-merger management. Whether your company is private or public, or looking to buy or to sell, you will emerge with new ability to broker powerful deals and create shareholder value.
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Summary
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Across the globe, mergers and acquisitions are reshaping the corporate and competitive landscape. To help companies gain a strategic advantage and expand market share, this M&A program takes you inside the process—from strategy and valuation to execution and post-merger management. Whether your company is private or public, or looking to buy or to sell, you will emerge with new ability to broker powerful deals and create shareholder value.
DetailsExpand AllCollapse All
Enable growth through an effective M&A processEnable growth through an effective M&A process
- Build stronger M&A strategies
- Identify the right targets, assess business value accurately, and perform meaningful due diligence
- Negotiate complex multi-party, multi-issue deals that boost corporate performance
- Integrate new acquisitions efficiently and effectively
Expand your personal and professional networkExpand your personal and professional network
- Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
- Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions
Enable growth through an effective M&A process
- Build stronger M&A strategies
- Identify the right targets, assess business value accurately, and perform meaningful due diligence
- Negotiate complex multi-party, multi-issue deals that boost corporate performance
- Integrate new acquisitions efficiently and effectively
Expand your personal and professional network
- Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
- Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions
Who Should Attend
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Senior executives in the C-Suite -
Directors of public and private companies -
Board chairs and directors -
Heads of strategy and corporate development -
Key executives involved in integration, such as heads of human resources or information technology -
Founders and CEOs of established startups -
Investment bankers, transactional lawyers, and private equity investors

Program for Leadership Development participants earn 5 PLDA Points on completion of this program.
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Senior executives in the C-Suite -
Directors of public and private companies -
Board chairs and directors -
Heads of strategy and corporate development -
Key executives involved in integration, such as heads of human resources or information technology -
Founders and CEOs of established startups -
Investment bankers, transactional lawyers, and private equity investors

Program for Leadership Development participants earn 5 PLDA Points on completion of this program.
Learning and Living at HBS
When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.
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Learning and Living at HBS
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When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.
Admissions Criteria and Process
Answering Your Questions
Application Submission
Application Review
Fee, Payment, and Cancellations
Answering Your Questions
Application Submission
Application Review
Fee, Payment, and Cancellations
What You Will Learn
This mergers and acquisitions program provides a holistic view of the M&A process—from front-end target selection and search processes to approach strategies and execution to post-merger integration and management. Your rich learning experience will include faculty presentations, global case studies, valuation exercises, negotiation simulations, small group projects, and dynamic discussions.
In the process, you will delve into the challenges and opportunities presented by hedge fund activism, hostile takeovers, cross-border deals, corporate inversions, earn-outs, spin-offs, restructurings, and corporate governance. You also will examine different strategic approaches suited to private versus public companies in developed, emerging, and distressed economies.
Participants should expect to spend at least 9-12 hours on self-paced case preparation prior to attending the program. Case materials will be made available approximately two weeks prior to program start.
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What You Will Learn
-
This mergers and acquisitions program provides a holistic view of the M&A process—from front-end target selection and search processes to approach strategies and execution to post-merger integration and management. Your rich learning experience will include faculty presentations, global case studies, valuation exercises, negotiation simulations, small group projects, and dynamic discussions.
In the process, you will delve into the challenges and opportunities presented by hedge fund activism, hostile takeovers, cross-border deals, corporate inversions, earn-outs, spin-offs, restructurings, and corporate governance. You also will examine different strategic approaches suited to private versus public companies in developed, emerging, and distressed economies.
Participants should expect to spend at least 9-12 hours on self-paced case preparation prior to attending the program. Case materials will be made available approximately two weeks prior to program start.
Key TopicsExpand AllCollapse All
NegotiationNegotiation
- Building a negotiation toolkit around interest and option generation
- Using the Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) assessment to achieve a better bottom line
- Managing the complexities and cultural aspects of negotiation in cross-border deals
- Considering the ethical and legal repercussions to ensure a win-win outcome
Post-merger managementPost-merger management
- Ensuring the best operational and cultural fit
- Managing the integration of accounting systems
- Structuring reporting lines and responsibilities
- Selecting the right person to lead the integration team
Valuation 101 (Optional)Valuation 101 (Optional)
- Understanding financial accounting principles and valuation techniques
Valuation
- Considering valuation through the lens of a consumer rather than a producer
- Understanding the discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation
- Applying comparable company analysis (CCA)
- Analyzing financial statements and financial plans
- Evaluating corporate and management performance
Negotiation
- Building a negotiation toolkit around interest and option generation
- Using the Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) assessment to achieve a better bottom line
- Managing the complexities and cultural aspects of negotiation in cross-border deals
- Considering the ethical and legal repercussions to ensure a win-win outcome
Finance
- Optimizing tax benefits
- Structuring earn-outs in private company deals
- Identifying the right context for using earn-outs
- Examining government influence and legal issues
- Exploring regulatory and cultural barriers
Strategy
- Achieving strategic clarity
- Understanding deal process design
- Managing auction processes
- Using sell-side and buy-side strategies
- Stress-testing the business model
Post-merger management
- Ensuring the best operational and cultural fit
- Managing the integration of accounting systems
- Structuring reporting lines and responsibilities
- Selecting the right person to lead the integration team
Valuation 101 (Optional)
- Understanding financial accounting principles and valuation techniques
The HBS Advantage
Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe.
H. Douglas Weaver Professor of Business Law
Joseph Flom Professor of Law and Business
Senior Lecturer of Business Administration
Steven R. Fenster Professor of Business Administration
Senior Lecturer of Business Administration
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The HBS Advantage
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Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe.
Faculty ChairHarvard Business School:H. Douglas Weaver Professor of Business Law
Harvard Law School:Joseph Flom Professor of Law and Business
HBS Unit:Negotiation, Organizations & MarketsFacultySenior Lecturer of Business Administration
HBS Unit:Organizational BehaviorSteven R. Fenster Professor of Business Administration
HBS Unit:FinanceSenior Lecturer of Business Administration
HBS Unit:Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
Your Peers Expand Your Learning
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Your Peers Expand Your Learning
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Global PerspectiveExperience the world in your classroom.Global PerspectiveExperience the world in your classroom.2%Africa9%Asia Pacific20%Europe10%Latin America14%Middle East45%North America2%Africa9%Asia Pacific20%Europe10%Latin America14%Middle East45%North AmericaTop Industries RepresentedInsights from a range of industries ignite your thinking.Insights from a range of industries ignite your thinking.14%Financial13%Professional Services10%High Technology8%Manufacturing8%Transportation6%Health Care5%Communications5%Raw Materials / Energy5%Real Estate / Construction4%AgricultureTop Industries RepresentedInsights from a range of industries ignite your thinking.14%Financial13%Professional Services10%High Technology8%Manufacturing8%Transportation6%Health Care5%Communications5%Raw Materials / Energy5%Real Estate / Construction4%AgricultureExperienceExperienceYears workedYears workedExperienceYears workedLess than 10 yearsLess than 10 years10-14 years10-14 years15-19 years15-19 years20-24 years20-24 years25-29 years25-29 years30-34 years30-34 years35-39 years35-39 years40 years or more40 years or moreLess than 10 yearsLess than 10 years10-14 years10-14 years15-19 years15-19 years20-24 years20-24 years25-29 years25-29 years30-34 years30-34 years35-39 years35-39 years40 years or more40 years or more

"Our overall goal was to show that the negotiation is bigger than just the bargaining table."
