everything.study
AP/ADMS 4545

Case Studies in Mergers & Acquisitions and Capital Markets

3.0 credits

Fall 2026

Topics

  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Acquisition synergies
  • Private equity
  • Venture capital
  • Initial public offerings
  • Scaling and exit
  • Divestitures
  • Activist hedge funds
  • Hostile takeovers

Readings

  • Required Harvard coursepack: https://hbsp.harvard.edu/import/1444156
  • Named cases: Xero: Evaluating Acquisition Opportunities; 19B 4 txt app WhatsApp…omg; Exotel: Achieving Merger Synergies in a Dynamic Technology Landscape.
  • Named cases: Carmichael Roberts: To Create a Private Equity Firm; Venture Capital Deal Sourcing and Screening; Square, Inc.: Financing a Unicorn.
  • Named cases: TRX, Inc. Initial Public Offering; Mercado Bitcoin—M&A, IPO or Series B; Motorola’s spinoff of its cell phone business.
  • Named cases: Showdown at Cracker Barrel; Mindtree Limited: Defending Against a Hostile Takeover.
Sources