10 truths about merger and acquisitions

'Two tigers cannot live on one mountain' - a Chinese proverb, which means there can only be one winner in a battle.

A truce, the Chinese say, merely delays the inevitable and what I am thinking is...someone ultimately has to be put in charge.

Here are 10 truths about merger and acquisitions digged out from a book on surviving M&A...

won't be long till I can testify the truth behind them all!

1. The truth of mergers: There are no mergers, only acquisitions
2. The truth of addition: 2 companies combined will not equal to the sum of their individual businesses
3. The truth of division: it's always Us vs. Them
4. The truth of politics: Political alignments, rather than business strategies, will drive all decisions
5. The truth of reconciliations: There are too many products, something has to go
6. The truth of attrition: Rightsizing is the first victory of all mergers
7. The truth of loyality: Old boys never die, they just network
8. The truth of trust: The root of trust is us, and you are them
9. The truth of fear: The primal instinct of fear will decide who will be ostracized
10. The truth of denial: The right way is our way

By Far The Most Nifty Feature

Attracted by its lavender colour, the latest SAMSUNG Anycall C3110H’s matte material gives it a softer look, easier grip and a prettier entry-price of HKD1,080 than its predecessor.

What comes with it though, is a nifty fake call feature that is...unheard of.

Pressing the bottom navigation 4 times will grant the user an incoming call which can also be pre-recorded with a custom message.

I wonder if this handset designer is constantly on the run. I mean, would you find that feature practical?

Better Late Than Never

NASA told us that our average temperature on earth today is between 13-14 degrees Celsius and when it reaches 16, our Earth will be virtually inhabitable. That D-day sounded terribly close doesn't it?

Here's another alarming fact. As of April 2009, the earth's total population is estimated to be around 6.77 billion. Hong Kong, though only represented by a tiny little dot on the world's atlas, consists of a thousandth of our planet's total population.

In other words, the inhabitants living in Hong Kong, are responsible for 1/1000 of the Carbon Dioxide produced by human beings on Earth and that gave us that amount of accountability for global warming.


Been observing trees in the territory over the weekend, witnessed many areas where we human kind has indeed destroyed the nature endlessly to an extent that I believe our planet Earth we are living in, is about to be terminated by our own hands, very soon.


Pleased to know that the Hong Kong Government has recently established a Register of Old and Valuable Trees to ensure that the trees in the territory can be well preserved and maintained. I supposed it is better late than never as trees truly are our heritage and precious natural resources.

To enquire about the Register or any tree recorded on it, you can call the Leisure and Cultural Services Department at 852-2601 8962 or 852-2601 8892 during office hours, or contact the Department by fax at 852-2691 7264 or by email at lmarb@lcsd.gov.hk ( mailto:lmarb@lcsd.gov.hk ).

Apart from documenting on paper, I really hope they can act fast enough to make an impact.