Strategy Session

I bet many of you reading this have been through an acquisition during your professional life. Maybe you spearheaded the acquisition; maybe you were acquired. What goes into a successful acquisition? Are there distinct warning signs you should watch for that an acquisition may not be in your company's best interest?

The Wall Street Journal ran a story on this topic in its April 28 weekend edition ("Bad Deals: Eight warning signs that an acquisition may not pay off"). The author, Freek Vermeulen, an associate professor of strategic and international management at London Business School, said his warning signs should make "insiders and outsiders question their support for the deal." The signs ranged from deal-eager executives and a preoccupation with size to a lack of acquisition experience to investment bank initiation.

Clearly some acquisitions are hugely successful; others are disasters. And the electronics industry has certainly had its share of both, as our recent stories, "Lessons learned from four failed electronics mergers" and "M&A lessons learned: electronics industry executives share success stories," show.

Have you been a player in a successful acquisition? One maybe you were involved in one that didn't turn out so great? Perhaps you have some advice in general you'd like to share concerning the M&A world. What do you think makes a good acquisition?

We'd like to hear from you and learn from your experiences.