This is it!

Last class of the term was yesterday. The block week (ie: 5 intensive days of class on the same subject) in "Mergers Acquisitions and Alliances" was very interesting. There was a different teacher each day and external speakers almost every day. Did you know that on average, 70% of the M&A end up destroying value... In the end, only bankers, lawyers and consultants are making money :) Of course, the keyword here is "on average" since some deals are hugely successful. We studied in detail how Microsoft is integrating start-ups in its environment (the Vermeer case from HBS); we looked at alternatives to M&A such as Alliances and how you should design and implement them to make sure they are useful; we had the Director of Strategy from WPP in class to explain us the approach of the group to acquisitions...

But that's history now. I have a 6am flight tomorrow for Douala and I can't wait to spend 2 weeks in Africa. I'll try to write on the blog during my stay there but don't expect too much.

I'll be back in January for the Brand Management block week, another class I'm looking forward to. In the meantime, best wishes to all my readers for Xmas and the New Year.