Assignment 4: Merger, Acquisition, and International Strategies

Choose two (2) public
corporations in an industry with which you are familiar – one (1) that
has acquired another company and operates internationally and one (1)
that does not have a history of mergers and acquisitions and operates
solely within the U.S. Research each company on its own Website, the
public filings on the Securities and Exchange Commission EDGAR database (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml),
in the University’s online databases, and any other sources you can
find. The annual report will often provide insights that can help
address some of these questions.

Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you:

1. For
   the corporation that has acquired another company, merged with another
   company, or been acquired by another company, evaluate the strategy that
   led to the merger or acquisition to determine whether or not this
   merger or acquisition was a wise choice. Justify your opinion.
2. For
   the corporation that has not been involved in any mergers or
   acquisitions, identify one (1) company that would be a profitable
   candidate for the corporation to acquire or merge with and explain why
   this company would be a profitable target. 
3. For the corporation
   that operates internationally, briefly evaluate its international
   business-level strategy and international corporate-level strategy and
   make recommendations for improvement. 
4. For the corporation that
   does not operate internationally, propose one business-level strategy
   and one corporate-level strategy that you would suggest the corporation
   consider. Justify your proposals.
5. Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be
  typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with
  one-inch margins on all sides; references must follow APA or
  school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional
  instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the
  assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title,
  and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in
  the required page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Identify various levels and types of strategy in a firm.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in business administration.
• Write clearly and concisely about business administration using proper writing mechanics.