article thumbnail

The Stakeholders You Need to Close a Big Deal

Harvard Business Review

Every high-growth enterprise can name a moment of affirmation that changed everything – that first big win that established credibility and created the launching pad for what followed. While a champion has influence over the decision, he is not the ultimate decision maker. The decision maker at AT&T was CEO Randall Stephenson.

article thumbnail

Why Mergers Like the At&T-Time Warner Deal Should Go Through

Harvard Business Review

Last Wednesday, government sources claimed the Department of Justice’s antitrust division was demanding that AT&T sell Turner Broadcasting channels, including CNN, as a condition for approving the deal — and that AT&T had refused, setting up a possible court challenge. Rosch notes that U.S.