Telco – CEO and Corporate Development Team
How was the fourth-largest telephone company in North America to take advantage of its national footprint and lack of Consent Decree restrictions on its service offerings? What would be the value of acquiring one of the world’s leading long distance, Internet, and international service providers? Outcome: An acquisition and post-merger integration strategy was developed for MCI. Ultimately, WorldCom outbid both the company and British Telecom for MCI.

UK Technology Firm – Board of Directors, Corporate Planning
Could the United Kingdom’s most profitable technology company expand beyond its traditional customer base by undertaking a hostile acquisition that doubled its size? How could it justify such a move to shareholders and raise sufficient debt and equity to pay for the deal? What guarantees were needed to satisfy both companies’ respective governments? What post-acquisition strategy and organization would deliver success? Outcome: Over a nine-month period, an acquisition and post-merger integration plan for the U.S.-based target were structured and approved by Board of Directors. A banking syndicate reviewed and approved the financial structure. The Ministry of Defence and Department of Defense approved the supporting foreign trust structure. Last minute concerns about leverage saw the abandonment of the deal.

Canned Food Cooperative – EVP, Operations
How could a food processor use its strength as the world’s largest private label canner to increase profits? Could a new premium-priced brand be developed or acquired? What pricing differential was possible and what would happen to production economies of scale? Outcome: The project identified a small but well-known premium brand. By using this brand for both retail and institutional food markets there would be substantial opportunities to extend new product lines under a premium price. The acquisition was completed and the strategy has been a success.

UK Chemical Company – General Manager, International Paint
Could one of Europe’s largest specialty chemicals companies diversify into higher margin inks and coatings? Would the company be better off with a single large or several "string of pearls" acquisitions? Outcome: The project evaluated several candidates and reviewed their fit with the company's operations. Ultimately, in an acquisition contest, the firm lost the candidate to a competitor.

Aerospace Firm – Special Projects Team
Could one of the world’s leading defense contractors diversify into an unrelated technology business? Would the printing and graphics equipment business provide fertile ground? Outcome: The selected candidate did not pass final Board approval for acquisitionand the company chose not to diversify from aerospace and defense.

Kuwaiti Holding Company – CEO and EVP, Operations
Could a Kuwaiti holding company successfully invest in automotive distribution in the United States by acquiring and integrating 11 companies and 22 warehouses over a three year period? Could it also launch a retail product strategy to compete with AutoZone® and Pep Boys? How could store design, location, and systems be developed to permit higher service levels than competition? Would a brand identity program create greater loyalty among independent jobbers? Outcome: The project scope extended over five years from initial concept on a kitchen table through the last company purchase and integration. Independent operations were integrated under the Bumper-to-Bumper® identity program with unified information and point-of-sale systems. Upon the project’s completion, the company was the third largest automotive parts warehouse distributor in North America.

Oil Company – Corporate Planning Department
Could one of the world’s largest oil companies reduce its dependency on Middle East oil production by diversifying? What were the most important requirements for industry and company targets? How would the merged company be organized? Outcome: The project produced reviews of several targets (including Cargill, Weyerhauser, and Archer-Daniels-Midland). The candidates were presented to the Board of Directors. The firm was acquired by a competitor before a target was selected.

UK Conglomerate – General Manager, U.S. Operations
How could one of the U.K.’s largest resellers of automobiles and parts successfully merge two recently acquired automotive warehouse distributors in California? Could overlaps in customers and competitive product lines be resolved without major losses? Would new marketing and identity programs help increase market share and customer loyalty? How could "share of wallet" be used to establish the best customers and help focus resources? Outcome: Over a four year period, various projects and programs supported the integration of the two operations. Customer analysis indicated that customer profitability was directly linked to percentage of business. Various loyalty/retention programs were developed to increase this percentage, including: computer ordering systems, brand identity, cooperative advertising, private label products, and purchase incentives. Over the four years, market share increased by 50% and net profit margins grew from 4% to 7%.