Seize the competitive advantage with today’s most powerful strategic tool—M&A

Given the influence of technology, globalization, and regulatory change, M&A will continue to shape our industries. For most companies, therefore, the consideration of M&A in strategy is now fundamental.
–from the Introduction to Part I

The Art of M&A Strategy is exactly what you need to build mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures into your overall business strategy—to make M&A a competitive advantage and avoid landing on the long list of M&A failures.

Experts in the field of M&A, Smith and Lajoux demystify this otherwise complex subject by taking you through the types of M&A strategy and the key steps to successful M&A strategy development and implementation. The Art of M&A Strategy is conveniently organized into three sections:

  • Part I presents a range of possible corporate strategy situations and provides the role and rationale for M&A in each, such as building and managing a portfolio, participating in industry consolidation, spurring corporate growth, and using acquisitions to create “real options.”
  • Part II outlines how to determine the role of M&A in your strategy—taking into consideration industry context, competitive imperatives, and strategy options—and explains how to find and screen partners, decide whether to buy or sell, and engage the board of directors in M&A decisions.
  • Part III covers M&A as a sustained corporate program, particularly in the context of international growth, outlining the most strategic aspects of post-merger integration, describing how to use advisors throughout the process, and examining core competencies required for successful M&A programs.

The authors illuminate the purpose and process of applying M&A with real-world success stories involving Cisco, GE, Google, and many other companies that have leveraged M&A for strategic success. Use The Art of M&A Strategy to create a powerful strategy position for success in today’s changing business environment and to seize and hold competitive advantage.


Valuation is not just a critical step in buying or selling a company, it’s an instrumental tool for measuring and managing the successful growth of any business. If you are an advisor, investor, business owner, or board member, this comprehensive guide from the authors of the bestselling “Art of M&A” series provides the essential information you need to:

* Master the fundamentals of business valuation
* Understand the difference between price and value
* Analyze business potential using valuation multiples and DCF
* Avoid the pitfalls of valuation “rules of thumb”
* Use contingent consideration to bridge value expectations
* Unlock value using tax structure
* Build a transaction model that evaluates multiple forecast scenarios
* Know when to buy and sell—and succeed

Regardless of a company’s particular industry, financial condition, or stage of development, this book arms you with a full range of valuation methods and downloadable finance models suitable to any situation. You’ll gain not only a rigorous understanding of quantitative financial models, but also the qualitative drivers that make a business more valuable in the eyes of a buyer. Unlike most other M&A texts, the Art of M&A Valuation and Modeling also explains how to enhance valuation using deal techniques learned only through the authors’ decades of hands on, practical experience.

As an added bonus, the book features sample models and real-world examples so you can see the valuation process in action. This practical guide makes it easy for you to chart the course of your own company’s growth, diversification, progress, efficiency, synergy, and more. For what it’s worth, The Art of M&A Valuation and Modeling could be the best investment you’ll ever make.