Two likely options you’ll need to consider are merging or acquiring other companies.On the surface, mergers and acquisitions appear simple, but they are complex business transactions that require meticulous planning and execution to realize growth.
According to a Harvard Business Review report, between 70% and 90% of mergers and acquisitions fail mostly because of inadequate due diligence.These statistics might discourage you from proceeding with your plan.But what if you knew what to consider to significantly increase the success rate of your planned M transaction?Here is an M and Due Diligence checklist: the most important items to confirm before proceeding with a merger or acquisition.1.
Hence, the first detail you should be concerned with is financials.Seeking financial documents, even before the discussion begins, is a great way to start.Browse the internet for news articles, and equity analyst reports.
Interview experts, major customers, and competitors to get a good view of what its financials are like.In negotiations, M and due diligence analysis of the company's financial statements go hand in hand.Examine documents including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements which enlighten you on the profitability and operation costs of the company.Review both historical and predicted financials, as well as related financial metrics to see how the company has performed before, and how it is expected to perform in the future.All these statements provide critical data that will help you make informed decisions.You can identify areas that provide the best return on investment and ascertain whether you are okay utilizing the opportunities if the transaction goes through.In addition, if there is inaccurate data notable through inconsistencies, you can avoid falling trap into a bad business transaction.HP's acquisition of Autonomy resulted in a writedown of $8.8 billion, making it one of the biggest blunders of mergers history.It turned out that HP did not conduct a comprehensive review of Autonomy’s financial data, which had grossly misrepresented and inflated numbers.2.
This includes patents, copyrights, and trademarks, among others.Data also falls under intellectual properties which makes Data Privacy a priority in your IP considerations.Due diligence of IP helps determine whether there exists any transfer pricing and task risks associated with the intangible properties.Here are some questions to ask yourself:Does the company have any domestic or foreign patents?Has it taken any measures to protect its intellectual property?Is the company intruding into any third party's intellectual property or vice versa?
So you want to invest time and resources in these due diligence considerations for mergers and acquisitions.Small changes, such as cafeteria options and expense policies can disorient employees, leading to poor business performance.In anticipation of the resistance, you’re likely to receive, you ought to make a compelling case for change in your target company.You can consult with an employment lawyer to review employee contracts, benefits, and policies, and use Content Intelligence Platform to analyze contracts and discover sensitive clauses that could potentially affect the transaction.Without an extensive review of management issues, you can fall victim to the many unsuccessful mergers reported yearly.One of the costliest acquisitions ever took place in 2004 when Time Warner acquired AOL.
