Corporate merger is a means through which one firm

(the bidder) acquires control of the assets of another firm (the target). During 1995 there was a frenzy of bank mergers in the United States, as the banking industry consolidated into more efficient and more competitive units. The number of banks in the United States has fallen from a high of 14,496 in 1984 to just under 10,000 at the end of 1995 (Fortune, Oct. 2,1995).

a. Construct a brief questionnaire (two or three questions) that could be used to query a sample of bank presidents concerning their &inions of why the industry is consolidating and whether it will consolidate further.

b. Describe the population about which inferences could be mad;from the results of the survey.

c. Discuss the pros and cons of sending the questionnaire to all bank presidents versus a sample of 200.