Case Study: Strategic Acquisitions and Accelerated Integration
of Those Acquisitions are a Vital Capability of Cisco Systems.
CH7

1. Of the “Reasons for Acquisitions” section in the chapter,
which reasons are the primary drivers of Cisco’s ’ acquisition
strategy?

2. Of the acquisitions Cisco has completed, which ones are hor-
izontal acquisitions and which ones are vertical acquisitions?
Which of these acquisitions do you believe have the strongest
likelihood of being successful and why?

3. Explain John Chambers’ ’ views about acquisitions. How have
his views affected the nature of Cisco’s ’ acquisition
strategy?

4. Describe the core plan Cisco has in place to guide the inte-
gration of an acquired firm into its operations. What are the
strengths of this plan, and what are its potential weaknesses?