Two strengths distinguish this textbook from others. One is its presentation of subjects in the contexts wherein they occur. The other is its use of current events. Other improvements have shortened and simplified chapters, increased the numbers and types of pedagogical supplements, and expanded the international appeal of examples.

This is a reprint of a previously published book. It deals with providing a rationale as to why some companies that appear to be on the brink of corporate collapse are taken over rather than entering into receivership. Do not put Lightning logo on cover.

This volume presents six alternative approaches to studying second language acquisition – 'alternative' in the sense that they contrast with and/or complement the cognitivism pervading the field. All six approaches – sociocultural, complexity theory, conversation-analytic, identity, language socialization, and sociocognitive – are described according to the same set of six headings, allowing for direct comparison across approaches. Each chapter is authored by leading advocates for the approach described: James Lantolf for the sociocultural approach; Diane Larsen-Freeman for the complexity theory approach; Gabriele Kasper and Johannes Wagner for the conversation-analytic approach; Bonny Norton and Carolyn McKinney for the identity approach; Patricia Duff and Steven Talmy for the language socialization approach and Dwight Atkinson for the sociocognitive approach. Introductory and commentary chapters round out this volume. The editor’s introduction describes the significance of alternative approaches to SLA studies given its strongly cognitivist orientation. Lourdes Ortega’s commentary considers the six approaches from an 'enlightened traditional' perspective on SLA studies – a viewpoint which is cognitivist in orientation but broad enough to give serious and balanced consideration to alternative approaches. This volume is essential reading in the field of second language acquisition.

How can acquisitions help improve a firm's competitive position and lead to value creation? * Why do many acquisitions fail to live up to expectations? * Why do many managers think that integration means "make the other firms like us," rather than build on the complementary elements that were the original justification for the acquisition? * How can a management team improve its success with acquisitions? * How and what can firms learn from their acquisition experience? These persistent questions are addressed in this important book by Philippe Haspeslagh and David Jemison. Though much has been written about hostile takeovers, megamergers, and corporate restructuring, little attention has been paid to strategic acquisitions that firms throughout the world are using to accelerate the renewal of their business. After eight years of research in 20 companies in the United States, Europe, and Japan, Haspeslagh and Jemison offer a welcome antidote to an overly financial view of acquisitions. Real value, they show, is created only after the agreement is signed -- through managerial actions, not financial engineering. Against their innovative theory of how acquisitions create value, the authors examine the reality of acquisition decision making in most firms. Ironically, they point out, less effective acquisition decision making does not stem from a lack of analysis, but from problems in the acquisition process itself. The importance of their message manage the acquisition process -- becomes more vivid when Haspeslagh and Jemison address integration, identifying common problems and challenges. In addition, they offer a powerful framework for managers to think through their integration approach.

This edited volume focuses on specific, crucially important structural measures that foster corporate change, namely cross-border mergers. Such cross-border transactions play a key role in business reality, economic theory and corporate, financial and capital markets law. Since the adoption of the Cross-border Mergers Directive, these mergers have been regulated by specific legal provisions in EU member states. This book analyzes various aspects of the directive, closely examining this harmonized area of EU company law and critically evaluating cross-border mergers as a method of corporate restructuring in order to gain insights into their fundamental mechanisms. It comprehensively discusses the practicalities of EU harmonization of cross-border mergers, linking it to corporate restructuring in general, while also taking the transposition of the directive into account. Exploring specific angles of the Cross-border Mergers Directive in the light of European and national company law, the book is divided into three sections: the first section focuses on EU and comparative aspects of the Cross-border Mergers Directive, while the second examines the interaction of the directive with other areas of law (capital markets law, competition law, employment law, tax law, civil procedure). Lastly, the third section describes the various member states’ experiences of implementing the Cross-border Mergers Directive.