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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.09.14 00:01:00 -
[1]
Edited by: Butrus on 14/09/2003 00:38:19
I'm fascinated by the potential of organisations to grow via mergers and acquisitions, yet don't see much evidence of corporations taking this serious around me in Gallentean space.
I successfully negotiated a merger between Global Spanning Corporation and Terran Industries earlier this year, and would like to hear from other CEO's or directors interested in discussing their own experiences or opinions and theory.
My private goal is to futher increase the numbers of my current corporation by merging with similar minded Gallentean groups of approximately the same size, but happy to hear all views and perspectives to stimulate a topic that I believe is underexploited in our current political and economic system.
P.S. If anyone is contemplating a merger and wants an impartial facilitator I would be delighted to help out.
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Couch Monkey
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Posted - 2003.09.14 02:38:00 -
[2]
We just completed a merger with Terradyne and had nothing but success. In fact we are looking for more mergers or aquisitions.
Our merger was a vertical merger. We are primarily a mining company and they were a massive ship builder. We combined our two expertice and have gone from there. This also increased the quality of our corp by easily getting us all in better ships for a fraction of the cost. This in turn bolstered our security force. So we do about everything now and are loving it.
Be carefull though. M and As take time. Dont rush into them. Have your corp member meet and talk to the other side. Also, once merged try to create synergies between the two corps. Remember, you are one corp now, all rules and responsibilities pertain to all.
Thanks just my insight.
Look us up if you are interested.
Good luck to you.
-CM
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Ashton Black
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Posted - 2003.09.14 10:58:00 -
[3]
How do merger's work in the game then?
Does one CEO have to step down? Does someone buy 51% shares etc etc?
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.09.14 17:00:00 -
[4]
Couch Monkey - glad to hear of another success story and I certainly echo your advice to take your time.
I'd be interested to know what initial barriers or objections you encountered from members of the respective corporations, and how you overcame them? Would you mind sharing a couple of examples so others can avoid (or manage) the same pitfalls?
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.09.14 17:03:00 -
[5]
Ashton Black - I don't think the game mechanics force you down any particular route. In our case we simply agreed on which named corporation should survive, and everyone migrated to that one. We also agreed that there would be an equal number of directors from each former corporation, with elections for CEO after the first month. For good measure we issued equal shares to all directors, but this is by no means required.
We did also consider forming a totally new corp, but the practicalities of moving our joint inventory, renting facilities (offices, labs, factories) something we wanted to avoid, and so the only "compromise" was that one of the old corporation names was lost.
Were you just asking out of curiosity, or are you contemplating a merger yourself? Let us know if you'd like to discuss more...
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Couch Monkey
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Posted - 2003.09.14 19:02:00 -
[6]
Butrus is right, the Eve interface does not allow for simple mergers. It is just a matter deciding if one corp will join another or if you are going to form a new corp (which brings with it problems). I know that my members did now want to give up the name of MUC. We have a good reputation and our members are proud to fly under our banner.
As for potential barriers. Well, their arent to many if all the members on both sides agree on the MA. What we did is opened up a chat room and had members of both sides get in there and talk to each other for about a week. That way there was some familiarity before the process began. It was the jobs of the CEOs to talk to skeptical members and note their positions and solve them. Also hangars and hangar accesses were a problem. The corp we merged with had almost full privilages to all its members. We got burned early on in the game so we restricted them quite a bit. Also look at your Blueprint properties. We make all the ammo and low level stuff free for all our members to use and keep the ships and whatnot safe for our builders to make. Yours might be different. Also does the aquiring corp officers want positions of authority in your corp? What do yor members think of taking orders from "new" people.
The list goes on and on. It is up to the CEO and the higher up to deal with them as the deal goes on.
Lesson:
Dont rush it
Make sure your corp doesnt get screwed (i.e. hangar access)
Prepare to make some tough descisions
Prepare to releive some of your higher ups
People might leave because of this merger
and finally:
is this merger good for the corp as a whole?
Keep these in mind.
A good merger can make your corp special, a bad one can ruin it.
-CM
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Saladin
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Posted - 2003.09.14 20:48:00 -
[7]
A merger is something that sorely needs support from in game mechanics. I would hope that CCP makes it an in game option. I'd like to see the ability for two corporations to merge and not have to manually move the assets and slots from one corporation to another. I believe that this feature will benifit the community as a whole. If merging is made easier, we will see fewer struggling small corporations, and the office space situation will become much better
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(c) Copyright Saladin, 2005.
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Couch Monkey
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Posted - 2003.09.14 21:15:00 -
[8]
I whole-heartedly agree. There are a LOT of corp functions that need to be worked on. I know it makes my job as CEO very difficult to work around these features. I think CCP needs to take the time and dedicate a patch to corp functions. I dont really care if a gun gets tweaked as much as I do if we could get half the stuff that was promised (i.e. taxes, stocks, a way to get rid of all the damn applications in the corp window, and the recognization of a corp hierarchy). Sorry if this strays from the topic of this post but I needed to rant  .
I agree though, mergers take weeks and some of the nitty gritty stuff like the merged corps assets are an issue.
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DREAMWORKS
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Posted - 2003.09.14 22:11:00 -
[9]
So far the only offer i have received are from corporations who seek for a quick merge, these are the corporations who demand you to give up everything you own and become some manager without any end vote in large things.
Sure merging can be a very good thing to let your corporation grow and combine a force and experience, however people must be willing to give certain rights up. I am not such a person.
I am not and not even willing to consider a merge with a complete strange corporation since you dont know what you will get into your corporation, christ maybe you get some thieves in your corporation.
If i would ever merge with a corporation, this would have:
- Vote of corporation members agree to this merge.
- No loss of rights for me, no sharing of rights.
I wouldnt be interested in a merge with a corporation that wants more rights than regular members of mine, so basicly a corporation that would join mine will get same rights and same vote in everything the other members have a vote in.
Too many bloody thieves in this game, that a merge is a thing with risks. Therefor a CEO who would join gets the same as every member, rights to the hangars he can use and no way to withdraw money from the corporation.
And a equal vote as everyone, including me. (1 share system works if voting wouldnt be bugged.).
__________________________
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iconoclast
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Posted - 2003.09.15 00:44:00 -
[10]
Blackguard is seeking merger discussions with another small and newbie player corp! However you would have to use our corp name and webs. CEO positions rotating. Blueprints are secure. Nothing else to steal except some cheap frigates and slotablez.... and we can make those back if we have to in a week or two. We use up minerals so fast on items and munitions we don't have a surplus. : ) Only one person in a cruiser so far. That level of same corp, yah know? Read our webs using the link below for corporate model information. We can grow larger... 
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Couch Monkey
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Posted - 2003.09.15 01:02:00 -
[11]
You might want to post that in its own thread. Its not really the point of this one. But good luck to you none the less. M/As are fun but a lot of work.
-CM
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.09.15 11:28:00 -
[12]
Edited by: Butrus on 15/09/2003 11:36:22
Dreamworks - thanks for an interesting and alternative perspective. I think what this suggests is that a merger of equals can be a very good thing, but a takeover where one group is disadvantaged is not a recipe for a productive and long lasting partnership.
I think mergers are similar to normal relationships - if there's a genuine win/win opportunity where both parties come out with more than they had individually, this is a great basis to start discussions. The key then is to check that neither side is being forced to give up something that is really important to them (a "core value"), while at the same time offering as much flexibility as possible.
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.09.15 11:31:00 -
[13]
Couch Monkey - many thanks for sharing your experiences and for you summary of lessons learnt.
I particularly like the way you went about getting the two teams to meet and get to know each other. After all, if the individuals in each corporation can't "click" or "gel" then there's no way the management team can force things through (even if they wanted to).
Do you think you would consider merging again, or in retrospect was it a once in a lifetime kind of change?
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Butrus
|
Posted - 2003.09.15 11:33:00 -
[14]
Edited by: Butrus on 15/09/2003 11:38:21
Iconoclast - thanks for your post. If name etc. are your core values it's good to be up front about that before going too far down the road. My current corporation doesn't seem to be what you're looking for by way of partner, but I'd be happy to get involved in any way as a facilitator if you'd find that helpful. Couch Monkey obviously has good experience too that you might want to tap into (if you ask nicely!).
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Couch Monkey
|
Posted - 2003.09.15 15:49:00 -
[15]
DRAMWORKS,
I agree that most people do not want to lose rank and permissions. Hell I would want to. But the fact is that when M/As take place it does happen. There is no way around it. Some people say you can rotate CEOs, thats not very practical. The thing that must be considered is what is best for the situation. When we had our big merger, I had to ask that a couple of my directors step down from their positions to make way for incomming personnel. One thing to consider is, are you promoting the new guy for the benefit of the deal or the benefit of the corp? The directos that stepped down recognised the fact that this was better for the corp and were more than glad to do it. That is a true sign of a good corp, when people beleive in a cause. Alternatively, The old CEO is now a VP in MUC. He heads up the manufactuing wing of the corp. Manufactuing is what their old corp did so he is old hat at it. The only thing that has changed is his title, he still has all the privilages.
The point is that a merger is supposed to make the corp stonger, not necessarily bigger. Make that your goal.
-CM
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iconoclast
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Posted - 2003.09.15 18:22:00 -
[16]
I think a merger just for the purpose of increased headcount is a fine idea for newbie corps like us... Primarily because the neophyte players we wish to attract at this point mainly bring their behavior (personalities) to the corp and little else at that stage. When you have the same people after a while everything starts getting a little too routine. We want a more diverse player base. More "stuff" in the corporation that will result from an increased employee base is just the icing on such a cake... The more headcount, the more ônotesö to compare and more likely people you know and enjoy playing with will be online when you are...
-iconoclast |
DREAMWORKS
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Posted - 2003.09.15 20:44:00 -
[17]
 Quote:
DRAMWORKS,
I agree that most people do not want to lose rank and permissions. Hell I would want to. But the fact is that when M/As take place it does happen. There is no way around it. Some people say you can rotate CEOs, thats not very practical. The thing that must be considered is what is best for the situation. When we had our big merger, I had to ask that a couple of my directors step down from their positions to make way for incomming personnel. One thing to consider is, are you promoting the new guy for the benefit of the deal or the benefit of the corp? The directos that stepped down recognised the fact that this was better for the corp and were more than glad to do it. That is a true sign of a good corp, when people beleive in a cause. Alternatively, The old CEO is now a VP in MUC. He heads up the manufactuing wing of the corp. Manufactuing is what their old corp did so he is old hat at it. The only thing that has changed is his title, he still has all the privilages.
The point is that a merger is supposed to make the corp stonger, not necessarily bigger. Make that your goal.
-CM
Good suggestion, however i havent seen any corporation that is serious thinking about a merge.
All think to light about it, they think it is a quick way to increase size and power. Most corporations dont see themselves as less than the other corporations, who would? In all cases, they wanted people to step down from their possition.
I started my corporation to get equal rights and shared fun in a corporation, i made my corporation because i am not a person who can accept directions easy. Therefor all members in my corporation are equal in important mathers that has the time to be judged upon.
We got a vote system for that (everyone 1 share), this system is copied now by some corporations.
I couldnt imagine to be in a corporation where there is a guy who's telling people what to do, sure my corporation isnt a wild bunch together who rage like savages. But still they are all independant and free to do what they want at any given time.
Also there are alot corporations like this, and maybe their power isnt merging, growing or evolving into a mega power. Maybe a merge is more for people who have a very organized structure, with departments and divisions.
Most corporations in eve arent like that, like our corporation we have people who do tasks in favour of the corporation. Maybe those corporations arent seeking for a merge, i know i ain't. However i must add that the internal discussions and structure that evolves fascinates me, but does a "possible" bounty hunter corporation or "free lancer" alike corp need a merge really?
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Couch Monkey
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Posted - 2003.09.16 03:17:00 -
[18]
It looks like a pretty cool system. Most people use a hierarchical approach though. That is what we use. However there are different severities to this. For instance, we are pretty laid back. I dont force anyone to do anyhting. Most people are motivated and do things without effort on my part. If a descision needs to be made though, it is nice to have a man at the top to take ont the responsibilities. Some people are a little forecfull about orders and whatnot. Some people might have a problem with this especially when they are not used to it. Also as people progress they tend to be a little more rebellious. Thats just my observations.
-CM
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.09.17 20:42:00 -
[19]
Interesting reading - keep it coming!
On a positive note, the recent patch has improved the Corporation menus a bit which is making life a little easier now:
- Better layout of applications screen
- Functioning list of assets and locations
- Impounded assets view (when you close an office and there's still equipment in the hangars).
Regarding the point about CEO's and leadership style, my first checkpoint in our recent merger was to understand the personal motivations of the two incumbent CEO's - why did they setup their Corporations in the first place? If their goals and interests align, and won't be diluted by one of them stepping down, then things might just work. Otherwise frankly the deal's off before it even starts.
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Zaphod Robotnik
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Posted - 2003.09.17 22:55:00 -
[20]
For the BSC's part, we don't believe in subsuming a corporations identity in our own. As such, we offer a satellite scheme (detailed here).
In essence, we and the satellite corporation act as independant organisations, but work together extremely closely - joint operations, joint defense/offense and construction at cost only.
By keeping independance, we and the satellite corporation are able to act with a great degree of flexibility.
So far, we have two satellite corporations, and one prospective - it seems to work well for everyone involved!
--
Zaphod "Zaprobo" Robotnik
President, Royal Communication Department
http://eve.britishspacecorps.co.uk/http://eve.britishspacecorps |
Civil Deity
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Posted - 2003.09.18 02:20:00 -
[21]
Everlasting Vendetta has successfulled "merged" with many corporations. But yes the delema comes with old CEO's who wish to retain power. But we have come across numerous corps who's CEO's either left them high and dry or no longer wishes to hold the responsibilities of CEO'hood... Trust is a hard thing to gain in this game and so having a stranger or anybody for that mater come in and immediately get director status is never plausable. But what I often tell old CEO's who wish to merge is that there are plenty of leadership opportunities within my corp and you will have to earn them, but if you are a leader by nature you will earn these responsibilities quickly and advance quickly. Which is often the case and i think from our 5 "merges" most of those old CEO's are now officers within my organization. So its all about finding the right people. But merges where both CEO's wish to retain power, very unlikely to pull it off well unless there is mutual gain..
Hope this info helps from the 200+ megacorp view point :)
Civil Deity
Wanna kill pirates? Join EV! Join SA! check us out:
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.09.18 16:15:00 -
[22]
Civil Deity - many thanks. Always good to hear a megacorp perspective. I'm kind of surprise we haven't made more mention of "trust" in this topic so far - thanks for mentioning and reminding us how key that is!
I also really like your "naturual selection" idea about leadership. It's like a polite challenge - "If you're as good as you say you are, you'll naturally end up where you want to be. If you're not, then maybe you shouldn't be leading the newly merged megacorp...".
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.09.18 16:17:00 -
[23]
Zaphod - many thanks - I had problems accessing your server but will try again later. The topic of alliances and how you breathe life into them is one the plagued many of us in Anarchy Online.
Maybe we need a separate conversation of some strong space-coffee for this one? Would be great to understand how you've tackled this problem...
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Couch Monkey
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Posted - 2003.09.18 17:02:00 -
[24]
You all make very good points. The last big merger we did was with a company we have been doing business with since about a month after retail. So we knew each other rather well. THat is why I was able to promote the CEO to a director position. That would never happen with someone I am unfamiliar with. Trust is something that is earned, especially in Eve where it is way too easy to screw someone over. The officers from our little aquisitions have become regular recruits and most are happy with it. Like Civil said, the cream will rise to the top. And they have in my organization.
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.09.20 09:35:00 -
[25]
So is that it? Are we the only 10 people in the whole of Eve who have an interest or opinion in Mergers/Acquisitions?
Apparently it's true what they say about space being lonely...
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iconoclast
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Posted - 2003.09.20 19:28:00 -
[26]
many corps already in alliances, possibly? almost as powerful as a merger... and allows different corporate models to work together without one having to give up it's style of play. will only draw more to alliances if new alliance features are added 2 |
Mar vel
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Posted - 2003.09.21 04:40:00 -
[27]
I believe that M & A's have the potential for much success. As someone who has invested my time excluusively in the development of my corp's assets, though, I am always, always wary. I have a distinct idea of what I want to do, so in essence, I need to be able to run my own corp. What I think would be highly interesting is if a small corp like my own could come under the "umbrella" of another, yet maintain its identity and leadership/goals. Once the Shares and Stock Market features are developed, this may well become a reality. Cheers!
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.09.21 10:45:00 -
[28]
Edited by: Butrus on 26/09/2003 16:25:57
Thanks Mar Vel and Iconoclast - good to hear from you.
Regarding alliances... I think you're right. Alliances are similar to mergers in many ways, but obviously not so final. This may suit some corporations much better, for example where they share common values but have differences they wish to preserve. This kind of cooperation can bring great benefits, but the downside (or upside, depending on the circumstances) is it's not final and binding. In other words, you never really now if the other party will honour the alliance. Mergers on the other hand tie the incentives of the two organisations firmly together.
Regarding umbrella organisations... What an intriguing idea. I guess you're thinking about groups of companies where share ownership binds them together? E.g. XYZ corporation, a subsiduary of ABC Group? As you say, this could be tricky without the right game mechanics, but nothing to stop some of the mega-corporations effectively owning an interest in smaller ones by investing (e.g. lending isk or resources for an agreed purpose or financial return).
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Butrus
|
Posted - 2003.09.26 16:24:00 -
[29]
Edited by: Butrus on 26/09/2003 16:25:04
Just in case any of you were thinking this is a purely hypothetical thread... Terran Industries is now in an advanced stage of negotiations with another similar sized Gallente corporation (whom we cannot name for due dilligence reasons).
We are putting into practice many of the suggestions and lessons mentioned by contributors to this discussion - for which we thank you - and we look forward to sharing the outcome of this latest endeavour with you in the very near future.
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Couch Monkey
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Posted - 2003.09.26 22:02:00 -
[30]
Do I get a consulting fee? 
j/k, good luck to you.
-CM
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.09.28 12:34:00 -
[31]
Edited by: Butrus on 28/09/2003 12:34:23
Lol - thanks Couch Monkey.
The merger is definitely ON
I am delighted to formally announce that by the end of September, Terran Industries and Triad Inc. will be merged into one corporate entity, retaining Triad's name.
I'll post a brief report after the dust has settled...
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.09.28 12:39:00 -
[32]
If you see any associated discussion threads on the board, please post them here. Here are two I found recently:
Request for Merger
Potential Merger Partner
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.10.04 13:10:00 -
[33]
Here's an established corporation looking to merge:
STK Scientific
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.10.05 21:28:00 -
[34]
I'm happy to report a second successful merger under our belt! As of today at 21:00 Eve Time, Terran Industries was folded seemlessly into Triad Inc.
We are looking forward to some exciting times ahead with a greater combined pool of resources, including some very complimentary Blueprints.
It's still early days and the real transition has yet to happen. But all logistical arrangements are now in place - equal number of directors with full access to corporate funds and hangars, and all assets (liquid and tangible) have now been transfered and placed into storage.
Time will tell the fit is as good as it looks - but initial signs are promising and it has been a fun process so far.
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Samis
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Posted - 2003.10.06 02:11:00 -
[35]
I'm currently working a merger as well. I think that this is an excellent thread because it is quickly becoming more relevant. In the earlier days it was not so dire for coroporations to consider, but with many corporations losing members, and decreasing in productivity, and enjoyment as a result it is becoming necessary to think about mergers.
I haven't seen a mention of a merger of a warrior corporation, and a mining corporation. I think that this is a tough situation that may need some attention. It's awkward because a combination of warriors and miners can be very beneficial, and often necessary. At the same time it is hard to get the members to gel correctly. How are the members supposed to gel when they don't actually play together because of a drastically different skill tree?
There is also the consideration that short term gains may be had, but what about the long term stresses. People need to take a good long look at the goals of the people that are involved. If goals to come together correctly then it could cause a small gap that could widen into a chasm, a split, and eventually the demise or total rending of the corporation.
I want to know what people think about merging despite time zones. It would be nice to get play time all around the clock for your corp. There are also many new and interesting conversations that can arise from cultural differences, etc... The problem is that there are some times when players can play together, but generally these times don't pop up... so how do you make your members feel more included?
The last thing I wanted to ask is if after merging you have found it to be a good idea to schedule a time that a majority of your members plan to play each week, or whatever the timetable might be. This seems to me like it could be a good idea. Of course you can't expect everyone to be there all the time, but if everyone trys to be there as much as possible it would not only allow for better profits for that time, but it would help people talk to those they might not see very often.
I guess I'm really concerned about the interpersonal aspects of the merging, and the communications necessary to thrive afterward. Any ideas on how this works would be great. I plan on adding my 2 cents to this more as well. This is one of the most intelligent posts I've seen on the forums so far. Thank you for starting it.
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Temerlyn
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Posted - 2003.10.06 11:20:00 -
[36]
We at STK have merged 2 corps into our ranks over the time of the game. So far each corps hasn't had any hassles with us and are equals in running the corps and such.
Aye just take time and think about the benefits of merging to become bigger and stronger.
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Malikon
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Posted - 2003.10.06 15:00:00 -
[37]
say you have 2 companies; one survives the other, what happens to the absorbed corp's offices/labs? do the leases automatically cancel and you lose that office without the hope of keeping it?
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.10.06 17:15:00 -
[38]
Samis - thanks for your enthusiastic and thoughtful reply. Regarding timezones, our latest merger has hit that issue head on - Triad Inc. are mainly US folk, and Terran Industries was mainly European. I'll let you know if I change my mind but so far it seems to be working well, giving greater coverage for operations and recruitment, a bit of cultural diversity as you say, and actually helps retain some of the "character" of the two previous organisations.
As you allude to, we do also have a suggested meeting time - usually about 18:00 Eve time on a Sunday - where the whole corporation gets together for some decent mining and socialising.
In terms of communications and keeping the interpersonal things going, this is a challenge in any corporation, not just newly merged ones, but I would say we placed great importance on getting people talking PRIOR to the merger and that's an investment I think which will pay off several times over.
Please keep us informed about your progress with your merger project - good luck and have fun!
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.10.06 17:22:00 -
[39]
Temerlyn - thanks for sharing a tantalising insight into your recent merger experiences. Are you at liberty to share more details, e.g. size of groups involved, how you organised pre-and post- merger, whether there were any merger conditions, how you chose your merger partner, and whether you would do anything different in retrospect?
Thanks!
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.10.06 17:28:00 -
[40]
Malikon - I don't know exactly what would happen if you simply left your organisation. I went through the following wind-down steps that might be a good CEO checklist for you to tailor to your own needs:
1) Ensure all members of your corporation have joined the new organisation and have appropriate powers and positions.
2) Clear out all corporate hangars*.
3) Un-rent all offices*.
4) Un-rent all research and production facilities*.
5) Tranfer all remaining funds from corporate wallet.
6) Resign as CEO.
7) Join new corporation.
8) Delay final transfer of money and valuable assets until any transitional conditions have been fully met.
* Very useful tool exists now from the Corporation toolbar icon. Go to Offices and Production to see all stations where you have corporate resources.
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Samis
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Posted - 2003.10.07 17:34:00 -
[41]
I've seen alot of talk about taking time. I agree it does take time, but I was wondering what the average time for a merger was for everyone else. I'm not sure how long this current merger is going to take just because the corps. aren't used to talking in the new chat I set up. They still talk in corp. chat like thier conversations are secret even when they are everyday conversations. I find that I have to remind my people that they could talk in the other chat, and then they go to that chat. I think I am going to discuss that everyone plat at a certain time idea well before we complete the merger because that will force people to communicate, and I think once they start getting to know eachother these two corps. will merge very well.
I find that the closer I get to the actual merger the more excited I get, and the more I have to get myself to make sure it goes smoothly. What other issues are people running into? Any trouble figuring out where assets go? Any merging corps. worried about BP security because of past corp. theft? Etc. Can't wait to check back and see what else is posted.
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Couch Monkey
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Posted - 2003.10.07 17:57:00 -
[42]
Well on the time issue: it really depends. How big is your corp? If it a large corp, I invited the officers of my corp to talk to the members of the smaller corp. There was more dialogue that way. I am concerned that some of your members are not interested in the merger. If that be the case, you need to find out why. Are they opposed to it or just dont care? If the other corp is a lot smaller than yours it might not make a big difference. But in my oppinion, sopprt from both sides is crucial.
As for the assets, yes it can be a problem. The key is to make sure your officers know the rules behind them. Also make sure permissions are set up correctly. One idea is to make a hangar with the valuable items. And only let directors have access to them. After everyone settles in then slowly release the assets. Thats what we did and it seems to work prety well.
Thats just my 2 isk worth.
-CM
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Yangja Isuko
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Posted - 2003.10.07 18:24:00 -
[43]
Edited by: Yangja Isuko on 07/10/2003 18:29:21
A while ago, Endless corporation and Prometheus Prime merged, mergers are not unheard of, even among the large conglomerates such as ours.
In doing so, under the Endless name, upper management at prometheus were once again granted upper management level roles, and so it was a true merger, not one corp absorbing the other just for the numbers.
the merger ended up not only strengthening the corporation with numbers and weapons, but also technology and so on. the merger was precipated by a long period of co-operation in a small allied form.
the merger allowed us to increase our ship production facilities, particulary that of various battleship classes.
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.10.08 16:53:00 -
[44]
Edited by: Butrus on 08/10/2003 16:59:20
Samis - Both mergers I've been involved with have taken about six weeks from initial contact. By no means a formular to be followed slavishly but here's how it panned out for us:
Week 0: Met a nice chap, got talking, discovered his corp was rather similar in size, shape, and philosophy.
Week 1: Held tentative discussions with my contact, then involved his CEO and my CEO.
Week 2: Things still looking good. Involved the management teams of both corporations to draft a straw man merger proposal. Presented it to the members of both groups.
Week 3: Held open discussions and joint mining events with members of both sides, formalised our decision with some internal voting, agreed a target date to start and complete the transition.
Week 4: Confirmed the merger was a GO! Started shuffling equipment, offices, and facilities. First members left old corporation and joined new one.
Week 5: All members except CEO have now joined the new corporation. Shares issued to directors, access to hangars and equipment sorted out, "get to know you" events coming thick and fast. All merger agreements honoured, time for the old CEO to pack up his bags, decommission the old corporation, salute the flag and restart his life in the new corp.
Week 6: First proper board meeting and general election of the new CEO.
P.S. To get everyone talking together I don't think you can do much better than lead by example. If the two CEO's and their management teams agree ONLY to talk on the shared channel in the lead-up to merger, other members will probably feel they're missing out on the fun and move there too.
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.10.08 16:57:00 -
[45]
Yangja - many thanks for sharing your experience too. Good to know things can work out at the mega-corp end of the spectrum too...
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Samis
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Posted - 2003.10.09 21:48:00 -
[46]
Yep... People are starting to talk there more. I think it's just a general discomfort leaving the safety of a corp. chat channel where nobody else can know your inner secrets. I think a large part of it is that my corp. consists of all people that live in the same RL area so we know things about eachothers lives outside of EVE to a fairly high degree. That level of personal relations can get in the way of meeting other people. It's the idea of a cligue. At any rate I think we are getting passed that.
I really liked your breakdown of weeks, and really appreciate that. On the moving week I had a question, or perhaps suggestion. You don't give details, but I was thinking that if you wanted to maintain the offices you'd have someone from both corps travelling around and when one unrents his office the other can then rent an office at the same area. That depends on where you want your offices etc., but it seems like that might make the move a bit easier.
Refering back to the RL knowledge of eachother the corp. that is talking with me is a similar corp. we are both small, and a group of friends mostly living in the same area. They have some that aren't, but the higher ups are RL friends. I find that this can make it hard for trust to be formed, but that is coming around as well. What I run into is that it's much easier to trust someone when you know where they live, even though you know people won't stab you in the back, it's always a possibility.
Again I liked that breakdown of weeks, and I was wondering if anyone else had a similar style, or could compare the steps of their mergers?
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.10.10 23:50:00 -
[47]
Samis - thanks. Yes, interesting dynamics when your corporation mates are real life acquiantances too... I'm not a psychologist but it does add a whole new dimension.
Good idea regarding office handovers. We were lucky in our last merger and actually wanted to move area anyway, but worth discussing between both groups so you don't miss an opportunity.
Good luck with YOUR merger - hope you'll be posting the details of a successful transition very soon.
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.10.12 09:52:00 -
[48]
For those actively seeking a merger partner, or just wanting background information on existing corporations, I can recommend the following in-game websites:
The Gallente Portal
Eve Corporation Registrar
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Butrus
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Posted - 2003.10.19 21:09:00 -
[49]
Edited by: Butrus on 20/10/2003 18:00:35
OK several weeks on from the merger of Terran Industries and Triad Inc. and I'm happy to report we're still going strong.
Some feedback we received might be relevant to other people considering mergers too:
* Management team seemed to disappear in endless meetings after the merger, slow getting normal life started again.
* Would have been better to have first board meetings etc. prior to the merger so on Day 1 the Directors would announce a shared vision (goals, responsibilities, immediate priorities etc) rather than leaving this a few weeks.
* We should have organised more corporate events in the early days to help people get to know one another. Weekly corporate mining events are a great success now but should have been started earlier.
* CEO should have sent out more regular updates to all members via eve mail to let them know how things were progressing.
* Share allocations and permissions are still a bit messy. Advice would be to start very simply and make sure the CEO thoroughly understands the game mechanics of the corporation menus prior to merger.
My current project is a much looser kind of merger - promoting Gallente Unity with some wizzy in-game tools and resources.
That's all for now - I probably won't post any more until someone else decides to share their experiences. I don't want this to become a monologue!
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