Please answer the following discussion on this post. After 20 minutes of research, I was able to find an article from Nasdaq regarding the acquisition of Morgan Stanley and E*Trade. In February 2020, Morgan Stanley announced the acquisition of E*Trade for approximately $13 billion. Morgan Stanley expects to increase its wealth regarding the management business. Morgan Stanley plans to incorporate E*Trades 5.2 million client base totaling $360 billion in assets to their 3 million client base with approximately 2.7 trillion in client assets. The deal is expected to close at the end of this year.   Based on what we learned in chapter 7, I DO feel this acquisition will result in competitiveness when they come together. I think the two companies combined will eliminate entry barriers. The companies avoid R&D by not having to spend millions in R&D. Both companies avoid increased diversification. Both companies seem to have lesser learning curves when addressing new capabilities. I think both firms have enough assets and resources that complement each other and the faster they integrate the lower the premiums they will both endure. These are just a few examples of why I think this acquisition will increase competitiveness.   Of the problems that affect the success of an acquisition, which one do you believe is the most critical in the global economy? Why? What should firms do to make certain that they do not experience such a problem when they use an acquisition strategy?   This is an interesting question based on all the problems that affect the success of an acquisition. What’s even more alarming is the statistics provided in our textbook claiming  “research suggests that perhaps 20 percent of mergers and acquisitions are successful, approximately 60 percent produce disappointing results and the remaining 20 percent are clear failures; evidence suggests that technology acquisitions have even higher failure rates.”   The odds of an acquisition becoming successful is approximately 1 in 5. Based on the last five years of college and knowledge gained, I think that “Integration Difficulties” would be the most critical in a global economy. This is key based on 15 years of military service and the importance of integrating our warfighting functions across all domains. The military must answer the Nations call when asked. To do this, all branches must effectively integrate using multi-domain operations through the land, air, sea, space, and now cyberspace. I believe the same concepts transition into the corporate domain/sector. Integration affects "both” companies on a global scale. Shareholders, managers, leaders, employees, and vendors must consider different cultures, beliefs, religions, ethics, and politics. In some countries, building a relationship is the most important thing before conducting business.   In America, “Time is Money”, talking and building relationships only deters from making the almighty dollar. How people are treated is critical. We live in a world today where anything can upset an individual. For example, BLM, Antifa, defund the police, looting/rioting, medicare for all, socialism, and taking the time to count legal votes. Employees in the corporate world are passionate, and sometimes corporations need to tread lightly. Not only are you trying to please the masses, but you must consider control systems, fair salaries, effective teams, different leadership styles, and who will be in charge of whom. Great leaders are also great followers. There is no getting around that, but some leaders have hard times adjusting to taking orders, resulting in toxic environments or firings. These are just a few reasons why I think “integration” is the most critical during acquisition on a global scale.      Source: 1. https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/the-biggest-acquisitions-of-2020-so-far-2020-08-03 2. Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson. 2020. Strategic management: Concepts and Cases: Competitiveness and Globalization (13th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. (page 219, 221, 226).