For public institutions, state funds are sometimes tied partly to their success on metrics such as graduation rates and student retention - so better grades can, by boosting figures like those, mean more money.
But consumer advocacy groups like the Coalition to Protect Patient Choice say these mergers haven't gone well in the past and that patients wind up paying more money and having less choice when it comes to medications.
But in the end, Louis B. Mayer started the awards to flatter stars into working in his movies, and today's studios will spend more than ever to do just the same.