The Global Human Capital Journal

Reports of "Character Building" Market—Significant Parallels with High Tech Bust—Plus, the Emerging Web 2.0 Vein

The sub-prime induced correction of the U.S. financial sector has changed the context around M&A during the last year, and mergers and acquisitions experts met last week to share success stories, lessons learned and admonitions at the Alliance of Mergers & Acquisition Advisors Summer Conference July 22-25, 2008 at Chicago's Wyndham Hotel. I was asked to present a new talk, "Leveraging a Web 2.0 Ecosystem to Grow Your Business," and I had the opportunity to attend some of the other sessions. I'll summarize their key points before adding some thoughts on the promise that Web 2.0 and social networks bring to deal marketing due to significantly decreased transaction costs.

AM&AA members hail from all parts of a rich ecosystem of investment bankers, attorneys, private equity, brokers, intermediaries, CPAs and others who specialize in every aspect of architecting, researching, negotiating and executing deals. To make money consistently in M&A, one needs to know how to identify and manage a wide range of risks. The financial system's painful correction is changing many of the metrics around M&A, but those who can adjust their strategies can do quite well. It's necessary to accept the new conditions and to play by them.

"Practice" Will Highlight Behind the Curtain Enterprise Innovation with Web 2.0

I am pleased to announce the creation of "Practice," an exciting new Category on the Global Human Capital Journal. Practice is the first new category I've created since launch in 2005. It will give you behind-the-scenes insights into the innovation I am conducting with clients in my consultancy, CSRA. For example, the new CSRA Social Network Roadmap is attracting extensive attention from Fortune 1000 executives in many industries: utilities, consultancies and market research firms to name three. We will begin using the roadmap to assess, test and scale their companies' use of social networks and Web 2.0.