PSI Net, one of the world's leading internet companies, is contemplating the acquisition of Metamor Worldwide, an IT consulting firm of equal size. PSI has grown at breakneck speed via 71 acquisitions in three years, mostly through the acquisition of small ISPs. Post-merger integration was mostly a matter of hooking up to existing networks and customer bases. By contrast, Metamor is a "human capital" firm, itself the product of many acquisitions. The purpose of the case is (1) to illustrate the evolution of corporate strategy (via M&A) in a high velocity environment and (2) to address issues of merging with a same-size firm that is totally different from previous acquisitions. Students are asked to prepare their due diligence for the acquisition. PSI Net (B) provides the story of the one-year follow-on disaster

Six months into the merger of two global money-center banks, Megan Richards, the new bank's foreign exchange sales manager, is trying to retain her client base in light of the bank's inability to deliver foreign currency in a timely manner. The target banks' inferior systems were chosen for political reasons, major corporate clients are calling Megan with their demands and complaints about breakdowns, and Megan is denied support from her boss, vice chairman in charge of Global Capital Markets. Purpose of the case is to introduce operational and political challenges of post-merger integration, especially as they confront front-line middle managers. (We use the case to open our PMI course.)

The ready-to-eat cereal industry had been flat for five years, and Kellogg's share had been shrinking. Now it had acquired Worthington and a new management team was in place. A new vice president must figure out how to integrate the new company. The case is appropriate for use in a series on postmerger integration, as the students must craft an integration plan de novo. It can be followed by the "Note on Acceleration Transition" and "Albany-Geschmay Merger" to illustrate the application of PWC's integration methodology.