Applied Mergers and Acquisitions, University Edition

Bruner's book, while pricey, is an excellent textbook on M & A. His bibliography and command of the literature are encyclopedic. His coverage of topics and focus on process are thorough and smart. He provides an admirably pragmatic perspective that combines theory - such as it is - with practice and case studies. The exhibits are detailed (almost overwhelming) and his summary takeaway stances (of often contradictory study results from the literature) are well-reasoned, plausible, and very helpful. All in all, a very impressive guide to a complex topic.

Some might think the title of this review is an overstatement. It's not. This is the best book I have ever read in terms of education, usefulness, ease of use, and fun. Anyone considering investment banking or who is interested in finance must read this book. Because the book without the cd is significantly cheaper, I originally bought the book without the CD. Dont make that mistake. After reading about the contents of the CD in the book, I bought the version including the CD. Although the CD is wonderful, and is easily worth the $100 extra charge, it leaves room for improvement. First, there is no formatting applied. Second, there is no comprehensive model that incorporates all the valuation methods into one workbook. (There is a four worksheet model that is very good however). Third, the due diligence checklist is not included on the CD. That said, this book-CD combination is a must have for anyone who is even remotely interested in finance.

This is the most complete book on M & A. I got the CD version that costs alot more. The content on the CD is good. But, if you dont want to spend money on the cd, the no-cd edition will make your day anyways

After attending an executive program in mergers and acquisitions, I decided to purchase this book after reviewing a variety of books on the subject. I also own Arzac's book, but it is only applicable to valuation. This book is simply the best text on M & A and it has served as a nice supplament to program that I attended. Between the program and reading this book, I now feel like I am an expert on the subject. Arzac's book on valuation provides the final topping on the subject manner.

very nice overview on MnA. Good introduction and provides references for those who wanna dig into specific topics. However, this is a general overview for a wide range of MnA topics, you will not gain a specific expertise from this book. For me, the most useful way of learning a topic like MnA is by actually looking at spreadsheets and exhibits instead of reading bunge of writings. This book has many nice exhibits/tables to demonstrate the calculations, so after the reading, I can look at the exhibits/spreadsheets to see if I understand how the numbers are calculated. this should be the first read, arzac should be followed up to gain a more solid background in valuation. No comments on the CDROM, I didn't buy it.