[Career Planning: Mergers & Acquisitions] What Do You Do When the Rumors Start?

Nothing’s guaranteed except change, and in business (as well as more than just a few non-profits) that means a churn of possible mergers, consolidations, and acquisitions. Across the country biotech companies, financial services firms like asset managers, hedge funds, venture capital and private equity firms, and any number of companies in other sectors are all scrambling – some to stay alive, others to grow by acquisition.Read the rest

[New Rules] The Name Game: What Job Title Should You Ask For?

Mike Latham, who I know through my work at Barclays Global Investors, is a good guy and a good

Job Titles

manager:

He gets things done, is transparent in his dealings, is funny, works hard, knows the business, and is respected and liked by the people with whom he works.

His job title – CEO of United States iShares – looks like a great example though of “paying” people with a title in order to retain them.Read the rest

[The Barclays iShares and Genentech Acquisitions] Deals Are Done – Now Comes the Fun

Business and organizational observers in San Francisco and its environs will get a first hand view of how smart – or not-so-smart – the buyers of Genentech and Barclays Global Investor’s iShares unit are in getting real value for their acquisitions. [Update: See Kathleen Pender’s good overview column Net Worth from the April 12th  San Francisco Chronicle here ]

While the buyers are different, the name of the game is the same: get value equal or greater to your purchase price.Read the rest