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The applicationsin the ideal position to ask the CEO, ‘What was the intended gain of thisacquisition?’ and ‘How will this structure support our goals?’It is important that promotion opportunities provided by merger oracquisition activity are seen as golden opportunities for communicatingthe goals and values of the new company. Feldmann and Spratt (1999)warn against ‘putting turtles on fence posts’. They emphasize theimportance of providing good role models, and encourage seniormanagers to promote only those who provide good examples of howthey want things to be. They say ‘do not compromise on selection byindulging in a quota system (two of theirs and two of ours)’. And do notbe tempted to fudge roles so that both people think they have got thebest deal. This will only result in arguments and friction further downthe line.In public sector mergers a decision-making vacuum should be avoidedby making it clear who is responsible for each phase, even if officers arenot finally in position.Tackle the cultural issuesIssues of cultural incompatibility haveoften been cited as problem areas whenimplementing a merger or acquisition.Merging a US and a European companycan be complicated because managementstyles are very different. Forinstance US companies are known to bemore aggressive with cost cutting, whileEuropean companies may take a longerview. Reward strategy and degree of centralization are also areas of difference.Jan Leschly, CEO of SmithKline Beecham, says in ‘Lessons for masteracquirers’ (in Carey, 2000), ‘The British and American philosophies are sofar apart on those subjects they’re almost impossible to reconcile.’David Komansky, CEO of Merrill Lynch, made over 18 acquisitionsbetween 1996 and 2001. In the same HBR article (Carey, 2000), he says:It’s totally futile to impose a U.S.-centric culture on a global organization. Wethink of our business as a broad road within the bounds of our strategy andour principles of doing business. We don’t expect them to march down thewhite line, and, frankly, we don’t care too much if they are on the left-hand234