Mergers and Acquisition

UNIT FIVE WORKBOOK

This unit covers the following textbook chapters:

Create a three-paragraph summary of the main concepts and ideas appearing in the chapter.

Create a three-paragraph summary of the main concepts and ideas appearing in the chapter.

Create a three-paragraph summary of the main concepts and ideas appearing in the chapter.

Your assignment is to create a 15-page multiple source essay deconstructing a peer-reviewed journal article on Mergers and Acquisition.

This assignment requires two separate submissions:

End of Week 1. Submit a document containing APA formatted references and an OUTLINE of the essay.

End of Week 2. Submit the completed essay.

The objective is to deconstruct the framework of an article and analyze it using the concepts found within the class. Your critique will likely expose conflicting concepts and meaning, biases, and other weaknesses detracting from the ability of the article to help solve a problem. For example, if you read a Depression-era journal article about bank regulation, you will find its framework’s outdated assumptions will not help you address the problems facing twenty-first-century banks. (In fact, the framework may be the cause of current problem observed within the banking industry!) Thus, it is important to understand how to deconstruct an article, grapple with its utility, and possibly transform it into a relevant modern study or perspective.

You may be asking, Why do I need to learn about deconstruction? The ability to deconstruct an argument or article is an important skill for understanding whether research findings, conceptual frameworks, basic concepts, and conclusions remain relevant to your research. Determining whether a finding, concept, or other element of an article remains relevant offers a chance to build sound arguments using previous research, find research topics, and wrangle with decision and policy processes relying upon a mixture of concepts and data. Such opportunities avail you to the argument and its counterarguments surrounding research, business, and academic problems while enhancing your critical thinking skills. In essence, you will have the chance to develop a skill allowing you to see more than one side of an argument.

Are you ready? If so, continue reading!

Take a moment and search for the concise statement of the problem and keywords embedded within the article. Take careful notes regarding the problem and keywords as to ensure that you may clearly articulate the problem and the jargon allowing a researcher to explore the problem.

It is highly recommended you read approximately five related papers at LIRN as to broaden your understanding of the topic and problem discussed within the article. You should consider citing them as to support your multiple source essay.

Deconstruction requires you read the literature from two perspectives—as a supporter believing the framework and as the critical thinker skeptical of the framework. Thus, you have two reading tasks:

· Read the article given the assumption that the framework is able to resolve the problem. Take careful notes on how the framework resolves the problem.

· Read the article given the assumption that the framework is unable to resolve the problem. Take careful notes on how the framework fails to resolve the problem.

Compare the sets of reading notes and denote where they:

· Agree or disagree on findings, historical events, or other aspects of the problem.

· Converge or diverge concerning assumptions, concepts, and other important elements.

· Offer differing perspectives or worldviews regarding the problem.

· …offer other potential relationships!

Your goal is to compare and contrasts both sets of notes as to uncover potential weaknesses within the framework.

Step 2 should have revealed a few potential weaknesses within the framework. These weaknesses should lessen the ability for the article and its framework to resolve the problem. This step requires you make a choice and determine which of the weaknesses you want to discuss within your essay. Chose the weakness you believe has the most potential for your essay assignment. Clearly articulate the weakness using a few simple statements illustrating how the weakness appears within the framework and how it fails to address or supports the existence of the problem. For example, you may encounter common weakness such as:

· The presence of keywords or variables possessing multiple meanings as to obscure or confound the framework. Often this trick conceals an agenda or bias within a study.

· The presence of conflicting concepts or worldviews leading to a confused framework. This appears in articles grappling with new and difficult problems because the research community lacks consensus on how to view such problems.

· Ideologically motivated logic or ideological stances substituting for clearly defined concepts. Ideologically motivated logic appears when the writer has a personal agenda or bias driving their worldview of the problem, data, and analysis.

· The presence of an oppressed group, marginalized concept, or neglected opposing perspective that may help resolve the problem. This commonly appears in political science and marketing research papers because researchers in these fields may promote one perspective, group, or concept as critical to a proposed solution to the problem.

· The appearance of historical or social biases trapping the framework within a particular historical event or period. Although most researchers are cautious about this weakness, it is a natural component of studies relying upon social, cultural, and community experiences as part of data collection efforts. For example, a survey only captures opinion at a particular point in time given the culture, legal environment, and cultural norms of a small geographical region.

· Faulty assumptions underpinning the credibility and construction of framework. All studies have assumptions and it is important to check whether they are acceptable. If an assumption appears confused or incorrect, then you should expect weaknesses to appear in the framework.

· The appearance of concepts or assumptions supporting the existence of the problem. This problem often appears in journal articles supporting failed regulatory efforts. A simple example is the economic frameworks used to assess the safety of resecuritized mortgage products leading to the recent market collapse.

· …any conceptual mistake leading to weakened framework and its inability to resolve the problem!

Clearly identify and articulate the weakness, where it appears within the article and framework, and how it weakens the ability of the article to tackle the problem.

Step 4 begins the writing process exposing the articulated weakness. There is no correct method for writing a deconstructive essay, but most deconstructive essayists tend to follow these steps:

· One introductory paragraph serving to introduce the essay while concluding upon the thesis statement stating the weakness.

· One paragraph explaining the utility and appropriateness of deconstruction while seeking a solution to the problem.

· Several pages dedicated to explaining the framework’s components and their interactions as a constructed system. This portion should also discuss how the framework facilitates a solution to the problem.

· Several pages dedicated to the deconstruction of the framework exposing the weakness. This portion should also discuss how the framework, with its weakness, enables, amplifies, or supports the problem. The five related papers from LIRN should help you with this task!

· A segment dedicated to a single modification of the framework transforming it into a more effective framework for tackling the problem. The five related papers from LIRN may help you with this task.

· A reflective discussion of the novel results you uncovered while deconstructing the essay and the evolution of your perspective while engaging the assignment.

On average, expect the first two points from the first page of your essay. The bulk of the essay appears as the construction and deconstruction tasks. Usually the recommended modification and reflection segments take two or three pages.

The analysis requires the additional components:

· Three APA formatted short quotes used to support the paper.

· Two APA formatted figures representing the initial and revised framework.

· APA formatted paper including:

· Font: Times New Roman, 12 point, and double-spaced.

· Margins: One-inch margins, all around.

· Indents: One-half inch indent as to begin a paragraph.

· Proper APA citations and references.

· Proper use of Level 1 and Level 2 headings.

· A proper title page.

· A reference page utilizing hanging indents and alphabetized by the last name of the first author.

· Free of spelling errors and minimal use of passive voice.