As with strategic partnering, by becoming a US public company a firm is now in a much stronger position to engage in mergers and acquisitions, because:

1. They now have a "second currency" in their stock that they can transact with, and

2. As a US public company, they have a much stronger platform for raising capital.

In addition, through AAI's global network we are uniquely positioned to assist companies in identifying and then, as necessary, funding strategically important acquisitions to assist in the growth of their business.