Is there an Alternative

Sometimes the right partner for a merger, acquisition, or alliance just does not exist, or it exists but its size is intimidating. As mentioned before, some mediumsized and small players are reluctant to enter into potentially attractive deals with their larger competitors for fear of losing control over their affairs. In the absence of any truly attractive alternative, the temptation for them is to pursue leadership in their regions or customer groups of choice. 

While it is outside the scope of this chapter to discuss the virtues and problems of such strategies, they could obscure substantial, now-or-never value-creating opportunities. If most of the industry consolidates, capturing the available synergies, the competitive position of the remainder may be substantially weakened. 

To avoid this situation while preserving corporate control, small or mediumsized players could consider smaller deals with partners of a similar size, followed by a larger deal with a leading player. This is not a simple solution, and some time may be necessary between the two deals because of the difficulties of postmerger management (see Chapter 15). 

There are many possibilities, though their value-creating potential is much smaller than for deals at the business unit level because there are fewer synergies in polyolefines, for example, traditional agreements and alliances below the business unit level can achieve no more than 30 percent of the full potential for improvement. Moreover, organizing a set of deals with a number of heterogeneous partners may prove extraordinarily complex. 

Nonetheless, and subject to anti-trust considerations, some types of deal below the level of business units could be attractive, particularly to petrochemical players. Such alliances or deals may also appeal to potential partners who would like to get to know each other better before they enter into a full merger, or to players who lack exciting merger, acquisition, or alliance options at the business unit level. Three examples are given below  

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Are sufficient general exit and escape routes available for employees Is there an alternate means of escape from the roof Is protection provided to individuals along tlie line of the escape routes ... 

Is there an alternative to this deterministic view One of the alternatives would be to invoke a miracle, as the one described for example by Hoyle in a famous metaphor (Hoyle, 1983) the accidental building of an airplane by atomado whirling through a hangar full of spare parts. Rejecting this conjecture, then, de Duve (1991) claims ... 

Leber, P. Is there an alternative to the randomized controlled trial PsvchophannacoL Bull.. 27, 3-8, 1991. 

Okita, T. 1992. Is there an alternative pathway for starch synthesis Plant Physiol. 100,560-564. 

Q7 Is there an alternative medication for Dean s persistent symptoms ... 

Is there an alternative or more plausible explanation (e.g. natural history of disease, concurrent conditions, other therapies, other exposures) ... 

Is there an alternative way to achieve these aims at a lower cost (or to a greater extent for the same cost) ... 

Problem 2.26. Is there an alternative method of writing the electronic configurations of the elements ... 

Is there an alternative explanation (What s another way to look at this )... 

In step 5, check your answer. Is it the right order of magnitude For instance, commercial distillation columns are neither 12 centimeters nor 12 kilometers high. Does the answer seem reasonable Have you avoided blunders such as plu ng in the wrong number or incorrectly punching the calculator Is there an alternative solution method that can serve as an independent check on the answer If you find errors or inconsistencies, recycle to the appropriate step and solve the problem again. 

Is heating needed Is there an alternative to open flames Are heating mantles in good condition ... 

Sechrest, L. and Sidani, S. (1995), "Quantitative and qualitative methods Is There an Alternative ," Evaluation and Program Planning, 18 (1), 77-87. 

Is there an alternative compound for synthesis that provides similar information (i.e., a compound that has an intrinsic advantage or tests the same hypothesis with an easier synthesis) ... 

Reaction 1 is fairly energy intensive, slow and expected to produce only a moderate yield. Is there an alternative ... 

Is there an alternative to Reaction 2, which has a very low atom economy owing to the generation of an unwanted gaseous byproduct ... 

If the component is not RoHS compliant is there an alternate component ... 

Sheridan, P. J., 1975, Minireview Is there an alternative to the cytoplasmic receptor model for the mechanism of action of steroids . Life Sci. 17 497. 

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