The first book based on a holistic analysis of successful and unsuccessful M&A transactionsIdentifies the key causes of failures and successes in mergers and acquisitions and offers prescriptions to increase the odds that future transactions will deliver all the anticipated synergiesOffers practical advice to help managers and boards ensure that target companies are properly valued, potential synergies and risks are identified in advance, and checks and balances are installedGathers decades of research alongside in-depth interviews and case studies of more than a dozen executives from around the world, all of whom have hands-on experience with successful (and sometimes unsuccessful) mergers and acquisitions