Gibson, R. (2006). Small business (a special report); package deal: UPS’s purchase of Mail Boxes Etc. looked great on paper; then came the culture clash, The Wall Street Journal. May 8, 2006, R13.

Mr. Gibson highlights some of the issues that come along with a merger. He discusses the problems that have been occurring with the UPS-Mail Boxes Etc. merger. Most of the problems relate to franchises that went along with the merger. Promises made were not fulfilled, projected profits were not met, and lines of communication broke down.

The issues discussed in the article are relevant to any corporation facing a merger. I have to question how often a merger unfolds as this one did. I would think that it does not happen that often, but I know of least one other similar merger (the HP-Compaq merger) that went awry.

The article merely reports the events as they are, and offers no insight into how to solve the problems, either in hindsight or for the future. I would have liked to see how an information center would have impacted this merger, and how it might impact future mergers.