M&A and Corporate Development Strategies

Identify, evaluate, and execute deals for growth
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What You Will Learn

The scenario-based learning and practical frameworks will help you develop a comprehensive understanding of the M&A process. You will:

  • Gain an understanding of strategically selecting the right growth mode for your organization

  • Learn to navigate various acquisition strategies, including asset-purchase agreements and post-closing formalities, and enhance your decision-making strengths

  • Acquire due diligence best practices, ensuring effective management of the due diligence process

  • Equip yourself with a leadership strategy plan for organization-level changes

  • Craft an appropriate integration strategy, ensuring successful post-merger outcomes

  • Identify the hidden value-creation potential of divestitures to make informed decisions in uncertain times

Who Is This Program For?

The M&A and Corporate Development Strategies program is ideal for business leaders who desire to use M&A to meet strategic goals and steer their organization toward long-term growth. This program is also for business unit heads engaged in corporate finance and investment who are looking to deepen their skills in M&A strategy to help their organizations grow.

The program is particularly beneficial for:

  • M&A decision makers looking to navigate challenging market conditions and bolster the strategic and financial goals of their organizations using M&A

  • M&A managers looking to deepen their knowledge on strategic acquisitions and improve their deal-making skills, valuation, and divestments

  • Senior advisors and consultants who need to maintain client confidence during a period of reduced deal activity

Curriculum

Program Highlights

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Live session with faculty

Experience a live online session with the faculty.

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World-renowned faculty

Glean insights from renowned faculty who are at the cutting edge of innovation.

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Self-paced learning

Learn at your own pace with a weekly commitment of four to six hours of sessions and activities.

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Global peer group

Interact with accomplished peers from around the world and gain new perspectives.

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Try-it activities

Learn from real-world case studies and try-it activities that will elevate your strategic impact.

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Scenario-based assignments

Consider solutions for real-world challenges and apply the concepts to your organization.

Frameworks and Tools

These frameworks will help you develop a comprehensive understanding of the M&A process to enable you to identify, evaluate, execute, and integrate M&A.

  • Attractiveness, better off, and cost of entry (ABC tests)

    Identify the right opportunity to pursue M&A by understanding the structural attractiveness of the acquired business, its competitive advantage, and whether the cost of acquiring will allow the business to use the acquiring organization’s profits.

  • Better-off and ownership tests

    Understand which type of acquisition to pursue and whether the present ownership of the acquired business has a competitive advantage over an alternative arrangement.

  • Due diligence best practices

    Define the scope of the due diligence process by selecting the due diligence team and set the benchmarks for developing the customer, competition, and capabilities.

  • M&A deal-making and negotiations framework

    Identify the objectives of the acquisition; match acquisition needs to target sources of value; avoid pitfalls in bidding and negotiation; select an appropriate acquisition target; and make implementation planning decisions related to focus, scope, and strategy​.

  • Building blocks for successful post-merger integration strategies

    Learn how to address post-merger integration strategies related to asset and employee retention, adoption of processes, degree and speed of integration, and knowledge transfer.

Meet the Faculty

Faculty Member Emilie R. Feldman, PhD
EMILIE R. FELDMAN, PHD

Michael L. Tarnopol Professor and Professor of Management at the Wharton School

Emilie R. Feldman’s research focuses on corporate strategy and governance, with interests in the role that divestitures, spin-offs, and M&A play in corporate reconfiguration; ...

Case Studies

The program makes effective use of examples and case studies that allow you to understand the mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures of organizations, including:

Amazon

Analyze Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods to determine why the organization chose that corporate development strategy.

Star Alliance

Gain insights into how Star Alliance achieves the four key success factors for pursuing an alliance.

JetBlue Technology Ventures

Review JetBlue Technology Ventures to appreciate their approach to corporate venture capital.

AT&T

Apply the ownership tests to AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner to reflect on why the vertical acquisition was risky.

General Electric and Johnson & Johnson

Review the financial disparities of GE and J&J to understand when to pursue diversifying acquisitions.

Walmart

Learn to apply the M&A deal-making process using the hypothetical scenario of Walmart entering the e-commerce space in 2015.

Coca-Cola

Research Coca-Cola's acquisition of Costa Coffee to learn how to identify sources of value and ex-ante M&A challenges.

Marathon Petroleum

Analyze Marathon Petroleum's sale of Speedway to 7-Eleven to gain insight into how to identify value creation.

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Certificate

Upon successful completion of the program, you will earn a digital certificate of completion from the Wharton School.

Note: After successful completion of the online program, your verified digital certificate will be emailed to you in the name you used when registering for the program. All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of the Wharton School.

This online certificate program does not grant academic credit or a degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

FAQs

Early registrations are encouraged. Seats fill up quickly!

Flexible payment options available.

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