Mergers, Acquisitions, Alliances and Synergies Case Study

Case Title:

Lenovo's Acquisition of IBM's PC Division - The Making of a Legend?

Abstract:
The case discusses the mega acquisition of the world’s third largest Personal Computers (PC) manufacturer – IBM, by the world’s ninth largest, PC manufacturer- the China based Lenovo, creating one of largest PC manufacturers in the world. After providing a brief note on Lenovo, the case discusses the details of the IBM PC business – its entry, rise and decline. The case discusses the rationale behind the acquisition and the benefits which Lenovo was expecting from it. The case then explains the acquisition deal in detail. It finally discusses the possible challenges which Lenovo could face in the near future. The case also provides a detailed note on the structure of the global PC industry, its major players and the recent trends.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To understand the growth strategy through acquisitions
• To analyse the rational behind any M&A deal
• To analyse framework for successful merger, blueprint for integrating acquisitions
• To discuss strategic reasons for M&A value creation.

Keywords : Mergers,Acquisitions,Alliances Case Study;Lenovo; IBM's personal computer (PC) division; Acquisition; Personal computer; Legend; Wintel; Di-verticalisation; Liu Chuanzhi; China; Acquisition synergies; Global PC market; Chinese PC market