A Harvard Business School Case: Allen Lane's Plans to Purchase a Company in the Distribution of Mechanical or Electronic Parts Essay

The present Harvard Business School case is about a man, Allen Lane, who wished to purchase a company in the distribution of mechanical or electronic parts. The early portions of the case outline Lane's early career in the manufacturing industry, starting with a job as vice president of operations in a small firm to a job as an industry consultant (pg. 1). After several years working as a consultant or in management Lane decided to buy a company, preferably with a partner. The case outlines several deals that were attempted by Lane starting with Spectronics in about 1980 and culminating with PTI in early 1982. The case follows Lane through his process of choosing the right company to purchase, including a number of lessons he learns along the way regarding the practice of company acquisition. The case as a whole reflects Lane's personal character and background by including his personal insight as an experienced member of the industry.Overall, the idea of acquiring an existing companygoing concernover starting a business from start is definitely the right choice, especially given Lane's age (45). As Lane outlines himself, starting a business creates a lot more risk and requires substantially more work than pursuing a going concern. On the subject of risk it was also the right decision to seek a partnership rather than go with a sole proprietorship. Lane's business decisions, as to what companies to pursue and in what capacity, were heavily fueled by his personal character as opposed to a strict focus on profits. Lane personalized his choices based on his background as a consultant and was heavily influenced by his moral character. His commitment to do what is right is both a good and a bad thing. On the one hand it is safe and somewhat admirable. On the other hand it highlights a concerning issue regarding Lane perhaps he is too safe. It is certainly important to obtain information about a company prior to...

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