Assignment

One of the hottest topics in the business press are rumors of major corporations merging together. Just like the entertainment press likes to report on rumors of celebrities who are dating, the business press likes to speculate about "corporate match-making". Recent rumors of mergers (which may or may not have already occurred by the time you get to this module) include AT&T merging with Time Warner, Kroger merging with Whole Foods, and Disney merging with Netflix. Of course there are probably more recent rumors.

Go to Google news or other news search engines and see what the latest merger rumors are. Pick one of the merger rumors that seems the most unusual to you - one that makes you wonder why these two companies think they are a good match for each other. Share the link to the article with your classmates, and discuss the following issues:

1. Is this merger horizontal? Vertical? Related diversification? Unrelated diversification?

2. Why do you think these companies would or would not make a good match?

Do you think this merger will actually go through? Or won't get beyond the gossip stage?

• Identify one substantive topic in the course that you will use in your job in the future. Specify the topic, your job, and how you will use this knowledge to make better decisions.

• Looking back at the analytical tools you used throughout the course, name one specific instance when you could use one of these tools to better understand your organization, the market, or the environment in which your employer operates.