Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to examine the human elements involved within Merger and Acquisition activities and the importance of recognising employees and consumers are part of the overall process to ensure the merger or acquisition is a success. Merger and Acquisitions are on the rise following reports from The Institute for Merger, Acquisition and Alliance reports the M&A statistics and in 2015 they announced over 44,000 transactions worldwide with a value of 4.5 trillion showing an increase in the number of M&A deals of 2.7% since 2014 but yet the Harvard Business Review (January 2015) reported a failure rate for merger and acquisitions between 70% and 90% due to issues such as effective project management and open communication between stakeholder groups and the processes need to be realistic and involve all areas of management.
The paper is a case study based on the acquisition of Print and Finishing Equipment Ltd by Neopost Ireland Ltd in 2012 which has proven to be successful as the organisation still continues to supply products and services to the newly acquired graphics business.
The paper will examine the literature surrounding Merger and Acquisitions and discuss the various themes covered such as integration, communication and culture. Moving on from the literature, the paper will present the findings from interviews conducted with employees, customers and the Managing Director of the organisation with an aim to reflect on their experiences to support the literature and with a hope of gaining new primary data to help support the integration process of Merger and Acquisitions.
The findings indicate how important the human dimensions are to ensuring the success of the any merger or acquisition through the retention of key personnel and communication with consumers is vital to ensuring they will continue their relationship with the new organisation.
