Despite all the studies and articles regarding M&A activity eroding shareholder value, the reality is that companies are improving their M&A planning and execution. M&A activity is as old as dirt and dates back to the early years of the Industrial Age. Andrew Carnegie reportedly scribbled a number on a napkin while playing golf that was later accepted by J.P. Morgan and created one of the more visible mergers of that time thus forming U.S. Steel. Of course, thanks to Hart Scott Rodino, senator Paul Sarbanes and representative Michael Oxley, and many regulatory organizations such as the SEC and (more…)