I haven't had my interview yet, still at the phone stage. But, my answer would be a little different. I would ask what their strategy was. The announcement is really the last step. If they don't have a strategy, point person within both organizations, software, hr compatibilities you have issues. The very first thing necessary is to understand the culture, needs, plan and goals of the merger / alliance. This obviously leads to a very lengthy answer but to net it out, a fast look at articles about strategic alliances development would help alot.