Today's corporate deal makers face a conundrum: Though 70% of major acquisitions fail, it's nearly impossible to build a world-class company without doing deals. In Mastering the Merger, David Harding and Sam Rovit argue that a laserlike focus on just four key imperatives--before executives finalize the deal--can dramatically improve the odds of M&A success. Based on more than 30 years of in-the-trenches work on thousands of deals across a range of industries--and supplemented by extensive Bain & Co. research--Harding and Rovit reveal that the best M&A performers channel their efforts into (1) targeting deals that advance the core business; (2) determining which deals to close and when to walk away; (3) identifying where to integrate--and where not to; and (4) developing contingency plans for when deals inevitably stray. Top deal makers also favor a succession of smaller deals over complex megamergers--and essentially institutionalize a success formula over time. Helping executives zero in on what matters most in the complex world of M&A, Mastering the Merger offers a blueprint for the decisions and strategies that will beat the odds.

Four purrfect stories for animal-loving, newly independent readers

Florence the dog goes on vacation with her family in Florence Takes the Lead, and Ben finds that a vacation can involve a little bit of work, especially when the work involves giving animals a better life! Lost in Translation finds Cassie and Ben organizing a dog-washing fundraiser for the RSPCA, at which a student vet helps with an emergency four-legged patient. Cassie and Ben are looking after a cat whose owners are away when the cat falls ill. For Cassie, Ben, and Dr. Joe, the hunt is on to find what has caused her illness in Ruby's Misadaventure. In A New Home for Cocoa, the friends lend a hand to a classmate who is getting a new kitten and must choose where to get the kitten, what to look for, and more.

Daniel and Jaydon have been given the chance of a lifetime to be mentored by Australian rugby union star, Israel Folau--but can they make it count?

Daniel and Jaydon come from very different backgrounds, but both boys eat, sleep, and breathe rugby union. When they are selected for a junior representative rugby team, Daniel and Jaydon's worlds collide. At first the boys are awestruck meeting Israel Folau, the team's famous mentor, but soon they come to see him as a friend. Unfortunately, things on the field don't go as smoothly. Will Daniel and Jaydon learn how to adapt to their new team? Or will their big break turn into a missed opportunity?

Daniel and Sione can't believe they're in the Top End. On arrival, the boys realize that everything is different--the weather, the culture, the people--and no one seems to play rugby! The team is faced with the temptation to thrash their inexperienced opponents but soon find that winning that way isn't as fun. Izzy urges the boys to give the newcomers a chance. Will Daniel and Sione be able to surrender the scoreboard for the love of the game?

Daniel and Sione have landed in Sydney for the State Championships. This is the biggest stage they have ever played on and the boys are full of nervous excitement. Valley will meet their toughest opponents yet and have the weight of family expectations on their shoulders. Can the team remember all they have learned on their training trip around the country?

The Valley rugby team is traveling to southern Queensland, but will the boys first trip be a great feat or a great failure?
Both Daniel and Jaydon miss home, but finally the boys feel like they are training well. On arrival in Queensland, the Valley team play a match against some locals and get soundly beaten. The team, who believed they were destined for big things, come crashing back down to earth. Things no longer seem that sunny in the Sunshine state. Can Israel Folau show Daniel and Jaydon how to go back to basics and do the little things right? Their future as a team might depend on it.

Passport to Travel Security. A guide to staying safe when travelling overseas for business or leisure.

Nimbus was a young Wandering Albatross returning to the colony for the first time, after
roaming the world's oceans for five years, to find the rookery in turmoil; Whitewing, the colony
leader, had failed to return thus leaving the position open to all, including him despite
the fact he still wasn't old enough to mate.
But if he took part in the flight to see
who could get the highest and stay there an hour could he survive the nasty
tactics of some other birds, especially Whirlwind, trying to put him out of
the competition?

From 'David Harding Art', an art book that shows the progression of paintings like no you have ever seen. From colorful splashes of Venice, to abstract details of the American Buffalo, and finishing with impressionist studio paintings of wine, this book is a delight.

Cassie and Ben are introduced to the controversial world of greyhound racing

When Ben befriends an older boy named Craig whose father races greyhounds, he is invited to come and see one of their dogs race. Cassie is much less enthusiastic about greyhound racing, and Ben can't understand why. But when a greyhound is brought to the RSPCA shelter after having been abandoned, Ben realizes that in the world of racing dogs, the greyhounds are never the real winners.

Culture has returned to the poverty research agenda. Over the past decade, sociologists, demographers, and even economists have begun asking questions about the role of cul-ture in many aspects of poverty, at times even explaining the behavior of low-income populations in reference to cultural factors. Unlike their predecessors, contemporary researchers rarely claim that culture will sustain itself for multiple generations regardless of structural changes, and they almost never use the term pathology, which implied in an earlier era that people would cease to be poor if they changed their culture. The new generation of scholars conceives of culture in substantially different ways. In this latest issue of the ANNALS, readers are treated to thought-provoking articles that attempt to bridge the gap between poverty and culture scholarship, highlighting new trends in poverty research. This volume is vital reading, not only for sociologists but also for researchers across the social sciences as a whole.