Scenario

You are a business development manager reporting to the vice president (VP) of business development at one of the largest life sciences organizations in the Midwest. The owners are ready to sell the organization and have identified a potential buyer.

You have been working with the strategic planning team to ensure that the acquisition process is as smooth as possible and all necessary documentation is in place. You have also been asked to recommend strategies to help lead the organization through the changes that will occur after the acquisition.

Last week, while planning was underway, your VP called a meeting to share that the potential buyer is showing signs of reluctance and the deal may not go through. It has been decided that you will research an alternative buyer and develop a contingency plan. This contingency plan is an important part of your strategy and your final acquisition report to the board of directors.

You and your team did preliminary research into competitors in the life sciences industry to identify alternative buyers. Based on the research, the VP has shortlisted a few alternative buyers. You have now been asked to choose and evaluate the best option from the list and create a report about this organization’s current situation.

You and your team have also been asked to formulate an acquisition road map that lays out the action steps and timelines necessary for the execution of the acquisition process.

Prompt

Alternative buyer research report: Recommend one potential buyer for the organization in the scenario from the alternative buyer options list provided and justify your choice. Visit the company’s website and research its market and financial situation.

Explain your recommendation by addressing the following selection (and rubric) criteria:

1. Current market: Describe the current market of the selected organization.
   1. What types of products does this organization manufacture?
   2. Who are its customers?
   3. In which industry does it compete?
2. Financial situation: Analyze the organization’s financial situation, including revenue, expenses, and profitability.
3. Recent developments: Visit your selected organization’s website and review its news and announcements over the past year. What notable recent events has the organization experienced that might make it more or less attractive to your organization as a buyer? Explain your reasoning.
4. Buyer rationale: Justify why this potential buyer is the best option for the life sciences organization. Use data from your research to support your rationale.

Acquisition road map: Develop an acquisition road map as a tool for sharing the project with the strategic planning team and the guiding coalition.

Specifically, you must address the following criteria:

1. Acquisition-related tasks:
   1. Describe the tasks and steps that have already been taken toward an acquisition since you were appointed to the strategic planning team.
   2. Recommend the tasks and steps that would need to happen over the next one to two years to evaluate and complete an acquisition. For each task and step, provide estimates for how long it will take to accomplish it, the responsible parties, and any dependencies.
2. Gantt chart: Using the provided template, create a Gantt chart that visually illustrates the tasks and steps that you’ve indicated above. Cells A1, A2, H2, B3, C3, D3, E3, F3, G3, and H3 have instructional comments embedded that will assist you in completing the template. These comments are visible when you select these cells. To use the template, replace the bracketed text and Xs with the relevant information. (Note: You can copy the chart to include it in the road map document.) Your chart should include the following:
   1. Indicate tasks and steps that have already been completed since you were appointed to the strategic planning team. For example, be sure to include guiding coalition, industry, and competitive research aspects.
   2. Indicate “in process” tasks and steps that are currently being performed.