Harding and Rovit, both partners of a global consulting firm that assists companies in developing corporate strategies, offer business students and high-level business professionals a strategy for completing and surviving a merger. There are four critical decisions involved in closing a deal, say the authors, and they advise on choosing targets; knowing which deals to close; prioritizing aspects of the business to integrate; and knowing what to do if the deal goes off track. Drawing for examples on various studies and the experiences of actual companies, Harding and Rovit walk the reader through the decision-making process. An additional chapter offers a post-merger strategy for repeating deal-making success. An appendix details the studies used for the book. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)