Mergers & Acquisition Support

A reality of business life is that most mergers, acquisitions and other forms of “strategic partnership” either fail, or limp along. Relatively few prove to be nearly as effective as anticipated. Fewer still can be considered highly successful.

This problem persists in spite of the apparently comprehensive, and often expensive due diligence work undertaken by the parties involved before making a firm commitment.

KappaWest can help to increase both the probability and level of success of a proposed strategic relationship in several ways.

Prior to Initiating a Search
KappaWest can assist by helping to ensure the reasons for considering a proposed merger or acquisition are strategically sound. It can also assist in defining the terms of reference for a search and in establishing search and selection criteria.

Pre-Commitment
KappaWest can support other, more financially-focused due diligence efforts by investigating the intelligence, planning and action level operations of a proposed acquiree or merger partner. This information can be critical to establishing a fair price and terms for the proposed deal, and in determining what needs to be done to increase its success.

Implementation Planning
Once a commitment to proceed is made, KappaWest can assist by facilitating workshops designed to develop the strategic and operational level plans needed to ensure the effective and efficient execution of the acquisition or merger. These sessions might deal with, for example, establishing a new organization structure and charters for each key component within it, or rationalizing marketing strategies, product/service lines, production facilities, reporting systems and sales organizations. They might also involve developing contingency plans to deal with the inevitable problems and crises that will arise during the execution of the deal.

Post Execution
It is usually critical to begin overcoming the “we – they” mentality early in the execution of a new partnership. KappaWest can help to break down barriers and to create a strong sense of the new venture by conducting joint planning and team-building workshops. It can also undertake responsibility for facilitating special team sessions focused on specific problem areas encountered in making the new relationship work.

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