2019年青海ACCA报名条件

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(d) Many academic studies, together with actual managerial experience, point to the post-acquisition integration phase as being
the key to an acquirer achieving their acquisition objectives. In particular, the creation (or destruction) of shareholder value
rests most heavily on the success of the integration phase, which in turn helps determine whether the acquirer has chosen
the ‘right’ target company and paid the right price for it. One source strongly argues that the capability to manage the
integration of the two organisational sturctures, in particular the conversion of information systems and retention and
motivation of key employees, determines how much value can be extracted from the combined entities. The ability to manage
the integration process will therefore affect the success of the prior phases of the acquisition process – the search for and
screening of potential candidates, the effective carrying out of due diligence, financial evaluation and successful negotiation
of the deal.
Unfortunately, the failure to develop the necessary integration skills dooms many firms to continued failure with their
acquisitions, though some firms are conspicuously successful in developing such a capability and they gain significant
competitive advantage over their less successful competitors and create value for the stakeholders. One explanation for this
conspicuous inability to learn from past acquisition experience, compared with other activities in the value chain, lies with
their infrequency and variety. ‘No acquisition is like another.’ Much of the difficulty however lies in the complex

interrelationship and interdependency between the activities being integrated and a consequent difficulty of knowing what is
causing performance problems. Thus, it is no good communicating all the positives to the customer if there is a failure to
retain and motivate the sales force. To this complexity of integrating different processes is added the problem of developing
appropriate measures of and accurate monitoring of the integration processes. In one study of US bank acquirers, only 40%
had developed specific performance measures for the systems conversion process, despite the critical importance of systems
integration to efficient operation of the combined banks. Key performance indicators need to be set in the areas previously
identified as offering major opportunities for synergies. These synergies will affect both the cost and revenue side of the
business. Real cost reductions are clearly a major reason for the proposed acquisition in view of the competitive environment
faced. Equally relevant are appropriate measures of customer service. Each area will need appropriate key performance
indicators showing priorities and relevant timescales for achievement.
Therefore, there is a critical need to learn from previous experience and the relationship between decisions made, actions
taken and performance outcomes. This knowledge and experience needs to be effectively recorded and shared. It can then
influence the earlier phases of the acquisition referred to above, thus leading to a virtuous circle of better integration and
acquisitions that actually enhance value. In so doing, acquisitions can lead to faster growth and better performance.

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(b) Supaserve, through its electronic point of sale system (EPOS), is already likely to have useful information on the overall
patterns of buying behaviour in terms of products bought frequently, peak periods, etc. It is less likely to have detailed
information on individual customer purchase patterns, though it may be monitoring where its customers are living, travel
patterns, etc. The introduction of the new online system has the potential to have a major strategic impact on the company
and its relationship with its customers. Impact can be measured by assessing the significance of the change on the company’s
operations and the likelihood of its occurrence. In Michael Porter’s words, ‘the basic tool for understanding the influence of
information technology on companies is the value chain . . . and how it affects both a company’s cost and the value delivered
to buyers’.
Clearly the investment in Internet based technology will affect both the cost and revenue sides of the business. In terms of
operations the company will need to decide the way in which to integrate the new method of customer buying with its
traditional methods. Does it create a separate ‘dedicated’ warehouse operation solely involved with the online business or does
it integrate it within its existing operations? The customer will have immediate access to information on whether goods are in
stock or not, and this may have a significant impact on the procurement systems Supaserve has with its suppliers and the
inbound logistics which get the products to where they are needed for dispatch to the customers.
Online shopping will have a major impact on outbound logistics in that a totally new distribution process will have to be
created. The extent to which this new service is provided in-house by setting up a new activity within Supaserve, or
alternatively is outsourced to specialist distributors is a key decision affecting costs and efficiency. Supaserve’s delivery
performance will be both measurable and potentially available to competitors and a real source of competitive advantage or
disadvantage.
The new online system will have an immediate impact on marketing and sales. Can customers pay over the Internet?
Opportunities for direct marketing to individual customers are opened up and customisation becomes a real possibility.
Customers can link into after-sales services and provide insights into customer satisfaction. On the support side of the value
chain the impact on human resources may be profound and technology lies at the heart of the change. Above all there is a
key need to link the new strategy to the operational systems needed to deliver it.
Clearly, the introduction of the online shopping system offers an opportunity for Supaserve to differentiate itself from its
aggressive competitors. The online service, as suggested above, is likely to appeal to a limited but growing segment of its
customers. In strategic terms it is a focus differentiation strategy enabling Supaserve to provide an improved level of service
to its customers. For this customers are willing to pay a small premium. Perhaps the more significant impact on its profit
margins will be derived from improved levels of customer retention and the attraction of customers who formerly shopped
with its competitors. The ability to sustain its competitive advantage will be measured by the impact on its competitors and
their ability to introduce a similar service.
There are a number of useful models for assessing the impact of an IT related change. These could include the five forces
model and the frameworks developed by Michael Earl assessing the strategic impact of IT. Michael Earl argues persuasively
for the correct alignment between business strategy and IT strategy. Indeed he sees a need for a ‘binary approach’ with the
alignment of IT investment activities in existing ways of doing business as having to be accommodated with the IT investments
associated with more radical change to the ways business is conducted.