Professor Triglia’s Mergers and Acquisitions Students Negotiate in Hands-on Exercise
Students in Professor Teresa Triglia’s Mergers and Acquisitions course at John Cabot University recently stepped into the high-stakes world of corporate deal-making through a dynamic negotiation simulation, published by Harvard Business School Publishing and designed to mirror real-life merger and acquisition (M&A) processes. The exercise gave students a unique opportunity to experience firsthand the intricacies of strategic transactions.
The course is led by Professor Teresa Triglia, who brings deep expertise in management, valuation, and financial advisory. Throughout the simulation, she guided the teams in applying theoretical concepts to practical scenarios, encouraging critical thinking, strategic analysis, and effective communication.
By replicating real-world corporate negotiations, the M&A course offers students a rigorous and immersive learning experience that prepares them for careers in investment banking, strategic consulting, and corporate finance.
Students were divided into teams representing four fictional firms: East Coast Strategy Consultants (EAST), West Coast Strategic Management Advisory (WEST), Ocean & Whistle Accounting (OW), and LeDosh (LD). Over several class sessions, students engaged in multiple rounds of negotiations to hammer out the terms of a simulated acquisition — determining company valuation, payment method, deal structure, closing conditions, and post-merger leadership arrangements.
The scenario was crafted to reflect the strategic, financial, and interpersonal complexities of actual M&A activity. EAST and WEST, portrayed as rival consulting firms, competed to acquire one of the two accounting firms – each with distinct financial profiles, market reputations, and operational risks. Students assumed the roles of either buyers or sellers, engaging in tactical discussions, revising offers, and working to achieve favorable deal terms while managing competing interests and shifting priorities.
“The simulation was not just about numbers — it was about understanding people and priorities,” said one of the students. The hands-on project emphasized the importance of negotiation skills, emotional intelligence, and adaptability — key attributes for success in high-stakes finance environments.
