| Course | BUSI 536 Mergers & Acquisitions (BUSI536) |
|---|---|
| Credit hours | 3 |
| Program | MBA |
| Length | 8 Module/Weeks, online |
| Weeks with written work | 4 of 8 |
| Samples on this site | 4 week sample papers |
| Sources | Liberty's 2026-2027 catalog and the published BUSI 536 course guide |
| Updated | October 2026 |
What BUSI 536 covers
Gaughan's Mergers, Acquisitions, and Corporate Restructurings is read two chapters a week, from the history and legal framework of mergers and merger strategy through antitakeover measures and takeover tactics, buyouts and private equity, restructuring and governance to joint ventures, valuation and tax issues, with Bible readings in several weeks.
Four open-book exams of 30 questions in 90 minutes and four homework sets built on Gaughan's experiential exercises carry much of the grade; the group forums ask for two peer-reviewed sources and a biblical integration in the thread and in every reply, and the research paper topic is submitted in Module/Week 3.
This course explores the concepts of mergers and acquisitions from a financial resources need perspective, determining appropriate acquisitions, and analyzing the restructuring of companies.
BUSI 536 week by week, with the sample for each
| Week | Written work in the course guide | Points | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Integration of Faith and Learning Paper (Course Requirements Checklist and Class Introductions also due) | 50 | Read the Week 1 sample |
| Week 2 | Homework 1 and Exam 1 | No written paper this week | |
| Week 3 | Group Discussion Board Forum 1 (research paper topic also submitted) | 50 | Read the Week 3 sample |
| Week 4 | Homework 2 and Exam 2 | No written paper this week | |
| Week 5 | Group Discussion Board Forum 2 | 50 | Read the Week 5 sample |
| Week 6 | Homework 3 and Exam 3 | No written paper this week | |
| Week 7 | Individual Research Paper (Group Discussion Board Forum 3 also due) | 125 | Read the Week 7 sample |
| Week 8 | Homework 4 and Exam 4 | No written paper this week |
Where BUSI 536 papers lose points
BUSI 536 work is marked down when a forum post strays outside its word range, when a reply carries fewer than two peer-reviewed sources or no biblical integration, when Scripture is attached at the end rather than argued, when the research paper summarizes sources without a thesis and when merger motives are described without the evidence that tests them.
Using a BUSI 536 sample well
The samples draw on research about the resource-based view, CEO overconfidence, poison pills and staggered boards, hostile bids, shareholder activism, management buyouts, private equity, buyout pricing and financial distress, spinoffs, synergistic gains, free cash flow, hubris, misvaluation and acquirer losses, with Gaughan and Scripture.
BUSI 536 questions, answered
What are the BUSI 536 group forums?
Three 50-point group forums in Module/Weeks 3, 5 and 7, each a 500- to 750-word thread and replies of 450 to 600 words to two classmates, with two peer-reviewed sources and a biblical integration in every post.
How long is the BUSI 536 research paper?
Ten to 12 pages in current APA format on a topic related to merger and acquisition theories, with at least five scholarly sources, due in Module/Week 7 for 125 points.
What textbook does BUSI 536 use?
Patrick Gaughan's Mergers, Acquisitions, and Corporate Restructurings, which covers merger history and strategy, takeover defenses and tactics, buyouts, restructuring, governance and valuation.
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