It's in the headlines nearly every morning: the urge to merge. Each day heralds a new marriage between colossal companies - creating a merger- and-acquisition frenzy unrivaled in history.

Conventional wisdom explains these deals in terms of strategy, scale, and globalization - and stops there. We invited 10 influential thinkers and leaders to peel back the merger issue by answering three different questions: Will these megacorporations really work and succeed over time? Who will want to work with them? And will they work for us - what does this new cast of corporations mean for business and society?

The 10:
Ralph Nader
Karen Stephenson
Peter J. Solomon
Joanne Lawrence
David Dorman
Charles B. Ames
Tim DeMello
Clive Meanwell
Peter Senge
George Gilder