41.   Others say the merger has made it more difficult for Kroger to focus on its Internet strategy.

42.   Paul M. Tellier, president of Canadian National, told the board that this merger would not inevitably lead to others unless those mergers also made economic sense.

43.   Q. Does the merger make sense?

44.   Sandford Smith, president and chief executive of Repligen said the merger will make Repligen a product-driven company rather than one based on science.

45.   She added mergers often make good business sense for companies.

46.   Some employees, however, questioned how the merger makes sense, since they viewed Wachovia and First Union as having two different business strategies.

47.   Sometimes the mergers made sense, but yielded bittersweet outcomes for workers.

48.   The merger made sense for both companies, Kimball said.

49.   The merger makes AirTouch a dominant wireless player west of the Mississippi, and brings it a giant step closer to building a national system.

50.   The merger makes Honeywell the leading seller of controls and services for pulp and paper plants.