This acquisition is fascinating. HP is changing in that it has made decisions to acquire companies rather than to develop technologies in house to give them faster time to market.

We only acquire companies that put us in a position where we can grow,

The joint acquisition by ONGC and CNPC is a pace setter for both the companies. ONGC and CNPC have been working together in Greater Nile Oil Project in Sudan, but it is for the first time that they have joined hands to acquire an oil asset together.

The most important part of any acquisition is your ability to culturally integrate the people in the companies you acquire and your company.

We do acquire when we need to complement whatever we've got ... but we aren't one of these companies that is, to a large extent, acquiring technology from outside parties, ... If there are opportunities, we may pursue them, but it's not a priority goal within Alcatel these days.

The acquisition of Goodall Rubber Company marks a continuation of our strategy to acquire industrial rubber distributors in geographic and industrial markets that provide diversification opportunities for our company. This particular transaction expands [our] scope into much of the Canadian market as well as the Gulf Coast, the Midwest and the West Coast of the U.S.