Creating Value Through Corporate Restructuring: Case Studies in Bankruptcies, Buyouts, and Breakups [Hardcover]

Stuart C. Gilson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Wiley Finance | Publication Date: July 20, 2001

A collection of case studies illustrates real-world techniques, implementation, and strategies on corporate restructuring
Over the period 1981-1998, public companies with combined assets of over half a trillion dollars filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Over the same period, over 400 public companies underwent corporate spin-offs, divesting businesses valued at more than $250 billion. Each of these companies, and all of these dollars, were in some way or another involved in corporate restructuring. Gilson's cases studies have been used extensively in executive programs and are perfect tools to refer to when faced with real-world corporate restructuring issues.
Stuart C. Gilson (Boston, MA) is an Associate Professor at Harvard University and a widely acknowledged expert on corporate restructuring. He has studied and published on the intricacies of both domestic and international corporate restructuring.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With the number of corporate bond defaults up sharply over the lows of the middle-to-late 1990s, Creating Value through Corporate Restructuring: Case Studies in Bankruptcies, Buyouts, and Breakups (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) is reaching the market at an apt moment. The book, which is written by Harvard Business School Professor Stuart Gilson, employs the case study method to examine the restructuring of the claims of creditors, shareholders, and employees. Of greatest interest to high yield and distressed investors is the section on financial distress, which studies such familiar companies as Continental Airlines, Flagstar Companies, The Loewen Group, and National Convenience Stores. Gilson also provides a market survey of distressed investing, exploring such nuances as prepackaged bankruptcy, "bondmail" (gaining control of a class of debt to block approval of a reorganization plan), exit strategies, tax issues, and disqualification of votes on a bankruptcy reorganization plan. Creating Value through Corporate Restructuring also addresses company overhauls that occur outside the context of potential or actual bankruptcy. Techniques include issuance of tracking stock, spin-offs, layoffs, plant closings, revisions of employee retirement benefits, and mergers. Gilson maintains a global perspective, incorporating cases not only from the United States, but also from Germany and Thailand."-- High Yield, a Merrill publication by Marty Fridson

"... Stuart Gilson, of the Harvard Business School, has managed to write a book important to everybody in the distressed market that is also quite enjoyable. His prose is fluid and succinct and a pleasure to read. . . The text covers 13 corporate restructurings focusing on debt workouts, vulture investing, equity spinoffs, tracking stock, asset divestitures, employee layoffs, corporate downsizing, M & A, HLTs, wage give-backs, employee stock buyouts, and the restructuring of employee benefit plans. . . . this is an especially valuable text for anybody working in the distressed market." (Turnarounds & Workouts Magazine, Review by David M. Henderson)

Gilson's book provides a meaningful framework for analyzing any restructuring and a guide to various tools and additional references....Detailed exhibits at the end of each chapter provide the hard, quantifiable financial and industry data that management and stakeholders must interpret to plan, negotiate, and execute a restructuring. The exhibits are especially insightful and provide examples of alternatives for presenting relevant factual information on complex restructurings. (The Journal of Corporate Renewal)

Review

"Gilson reminds readers that the devil is truly in the details, filling the 516-page text with real and specific financial data, flow charts, and statistics to illuminate each case. A portable version of Gilson's course, Creating Value through Corporate Restructuring gives readers the chance to learn the intricacies of this increasingly critical management process in today's volatile business climate." (The Harvard Business School Bulletin, December 2001)

?The information provided in Gilson?s book is the next best thing to being there. For those of us who are outside the major industrial and business centers and deal with smaller corporate bankruptcies, the book provides a useful source of information for creative solutions. The level of detail in the book is exceptional. . . . Gilson gives a sense of the maneuvering that occurs behind the scenes in every workout and bankruptcy case.? (American Bankruptcy Institute Journal)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (July 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471405590
• ISBN-13: 978-0471405597
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #832,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book but needs a companion text, February 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Creating Value Through Corporate Restructuring: Case Studies in Bankruptcies, Buyouts, and Breakups (Hardcover)

This is a very good case book, complete with intricate case studies illustrating numerous aspects of challenges often faced in restructuring in bankruptcy. However, the book assumes a level of knowledge about M&A concepts that many readers may not have. Consequently, I would recommend using this book in conjunction with another excellent text by DePamphilis entitled Mergers and Acquisitions: Integrated Approach. There are two editions. The second edition is more complete and up to date. It also tackles some of the problems illustrated in this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely a must read, July 31, 2002

By 

Aaron Wu (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creating Value Through Corporate Restructuring: Case Studies in Bankruptcies, Buyouts, and Breakups (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book on understanding the framework used to analyze corporate restructurings and how corporate restructurings are playing an increasingly important role in creating shareholder value. Using recent case studies from various industries, Dr. Gilson effectively illustrates how companies restructure debt, contracts with shareholders, and contracts with employees. Topics such as Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, out-of-court restructurings, corporate spin-offs, equity carve-outs, tracking stocks, and layoffs are covered. The case study method is extremely helpful in providing the ever important management's viewpoint of the restructuring process. With input from executives, investment bankers, attorneys, investors, and other key participants, readers have access to the inside scoop of various transactions that is generally not available to the public. Based on my experience executing various "Corporate Clarity" transactions with the M&A group at J.P. Morgan, I can say Dr. Gilson has done a fantastic job explaining why companies restructure and how it impacts market valuation. This book is a must read for anyone seriously interested in understanding the rationale behind mergers and acquisitions from a strategic, financial, and legal perspective.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable Reading for the Seasoned Professional and Novice, May 26, 2002

By 

Victor G. Caruso (New York New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creating Value Through Corporate Restructuring: Case Studies in Bankruptcies, Buyouts, and Breakups (Hardcover)

Having spent most of the last 20 years in the financial/corporate restructuring world, I have continued to search for useful and interesting literature on the subject. Having read many of Professor Gilson's prior published papers, combined with endorsements for the book from many of the "Deans" of the restructuring world, the "purchase decsion" was an easy one. I was not disappointed!

The book is useful and refreshing for restructuring industry participants at all levels from seasoned executives to novices. I have drawn on the concepts and problems outlined in a variety of situations, including brainstorming about particularly difficult issues concering client matters to assisting in the development of objectives for some of my firm's internal training materials.

I found the chapter on "Investing in Disressed Situations" combined with the two appendices on technical analyses (some of which I had previously read as journal papers) to be excellent summaries. These would prove useful to any reader and especially helpful to newer participants or students of financial restructuring.

Coporate Restructuring is designed as a case study text book. To some, including myself having received an MBA from the University of Chicago, this approach can be somewhat awkward. The advantage of the approach, especialy in restructuring, is that it does emulate the real world situation faced by turnaround/crisis management practitioners and investment bankers. The devolpment of the "theory" or "solution" is left to the reader. This is the correct approach since each restructuring case tends to be "unique and hand crafted"---"cook book" approaches can lead to incorrect answers and disastrous results for clients.

Coporate Restructuring is a "must read" for students of restructuring. It belongs in the library of all practitioners, principals and agents, in this area.