Columbia Southern University Merge and Acquisitions Essay

Instructions

Evaluation of a Merger or Acquisition

For your final essay, you will be applying the concepts learned throughoutthis course to an analysis of a merger or an acquisition. Much of theinformation you will need to complete this analysis can be found in thecompany’s annual report. You may choose any recent merger or acquisition(within the last 5 years). Using the concepts from this course, you willanalyze the success of the merger or acquisition.

The completed project should include the information listed below.

• Provide an introduction to the companies involved in the mergeror acquisition. Include the companies’ background information and thereasons for the merger.
• Evaluate the financial statements of both companies (balancesheet, income statement, cash flow statement).
• Evaluate the potential and actual risks that occurred during themerger and what the companies could have done differently to mitigatethese risks.
• Discuss the companies’ management of human capital in the mergeror acquisition.
• Evaluate the soundness of the company’s financial policies afterthe merger (e.g., capital structure, debt, leverage, dividend policy,enterprise risk management, and others.) based on the materialcovered during class.
• Include a synopsis of your findings, including yourrecommendations and rationale for whether the merger or acquisition wasbeneficial to both companies and your recommendation on best practicesfor moving forward.

This analysis should be at least four pages in length, not counting thetitle and reference pages. Support your findings and recommendations withevidence from the annual report and at least five scholarly sources, such asthe textbook, industry reports, and articles from the CSU Online Library. UseAPA 7th Edition format to cite and reference all sources, including any websites that wereused to access company information.