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WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Man-agement is offering a new Executive Education Program titled “Mergers and Acquisitions in Practice Program” in June 2017. During the three-day program executives are equipped with the necessary tools and methods to manage the main challenges related to mergers and acquisitions.

A high share of mergers and acquisitions transactions (M&As) fails because opportunities and risks are not analyzed and managed rigorously. Additionally, prior studies indicate that a large number of mergers and acquisitions fail to generate the expected return for acquirer shareholders, and that some of them even lead to substantial value destruction. Nevertheless, M&As are an important growth strategy for firms. Since opportunities and risks are closely connected, M&As need to be strategically planned and carefully executed. Mastering the mergers and acquisitions process from the idea origination through post-merger integration is therefore key to achieving the projected synergy value.

The program philosophy is rooted in the why? how? do! learning approach. “The focus is first on understanding why it is important to implement M&As, and in which contexts M&As are a value-creating response to a firm’s growth challenges. The next step is to understand how to effectively and efficiently implement M&As,” explains Professor Dr. Nihat Aktas, who holds the Chair of Mergers and Acquisitions at WHU and is the program’s director.

Discussions and exchanges of ideas with WHU faculty, top-notch industry experts and a select group of peers allow participants to gain experience in handling the M&A process from the initial idea to post-merger integration. Course participants will be put in a real business situation with the help of case studies and computer applications. Designed to improve the partici-pants’ M&A performance in particular, the Mergers and Acquisitions in Prac-tice Program will teach them strategies and tools that are ready to use in order to help participants to better implement and assess their M&A strategy. “A failure to observe essential M&A principles could be highly disruptive for the firm’s ongoing business and for the careers of senior executives involved in deal-making”, says Dr. Rebecca Winkelmann, Managing Director Executive Education at WHU. “This is why managers in this field should aim for targeted continuing education opportunities with a practical orientation.”

The program is specifically designed for young talents and experienced managers who aim at working in positions with a greater focus on strategy or corporate development in their firms. Further, the program is conceptualized for senior executives whose firms are potential acquirers or targets for acquisition by another firm.

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