Restructuring
Restructuring is the
corporate management term for the act of partially dismantling and reorganizing a
company for the purpose of making it more efficient and therefore more profitable. It generally involves selling off portions of the company and making severe staff reductions.
Restructuring is often done as part of a
bankruptcy or of a takeover by another firm, particularly a by a
private equity firm such as
KKR. It may also be done by a new
CEO hired specifically to make the difficult and controversial decisions required to save or reposition the company.
The selling of portions of the company, such as a division that is no longer profitable or which has distracted management from its core business, can greatly improve the company's balance sheet. Staff reductions are often accomplished partly through the selling or closing of unprofitable portions of the company and partly by consolidating or
outsourcing parts of the company that perform redundant functions (such as payroll, human resources, and training) left over from old acquisitions that were never fully integrated into the parent organization.
Other characteristics of restructuring can include:
*Changes in corporate management (usually with
golden parachutes)
*Sale of underutilized
assets, such as patents or brands
*Outsourcing of operations such as payroll and technical support to a more efficient third party
*Moving of operations such as manufacturing to lower-cost locations
*Reorganization of functions such as sales, marketing, and distribution
*Renegotiation of labor contracts to reduce overhead
*Refinancing of corporate
debt to reduce interest payments
*A major
public relations campaign to reposition the company with consumers
A company that has been restructured effectively will generally be leaner, more efficient, better organized, and better focused on its core business. If the restructured company was a leverage acquisition, the parent company will likely resell it at a profit when the restructuring has proven successful.
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Infoworld - "HP to slash 14,500 jobs in major restructuring move"*
CBC News - "Stelco unveils restructuring plan"*
Adelphia corporate restructuring
