article thumbnail

3 Common M&A Pitfalls, and How to Avoid Them

Harvard Business

Experience has taught me that the art of good M&A requires a combination of careful research, emotional intelligence, and attention to detail that might otherwise get overlooked; due diligence requires more than a scan through boxes of contracts and reviewing the balance sheet. Sponsored by Accenture Strategy.

article thumbnail

Research Shows That Smaller M&A Deals Work Out Better

Harvard Business

Sponsored by Accenture Strategy. Walter Thompson Company for $566 million in 1987 and Ogilvy for $864 million in 1989 — big acquisitions that stretched the company’s balance sheet. You meet the bar on this lever if you are among the top 20% in your industry in your ratio of capital spending to sales.

article thumbnail

What the Companies That Predict the Future Do Differently

Harvard Business

No wonder, then, that executives have placed predictive analytics at the top of the executive agenda since 2012, according to a recent Accenture survey. The ultimate goal is to treat information as a tangible flow rather than an intangible asset stuck on the balance sheet.

Company 28