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This paper examines how firms respond to performance declines by implementing changes in financial strategies, restructuring, and divestitures. It analyzes the impact of these turnaround strategies on subsequent performance.
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Discussion ofPerformance Shocks, Turnaround Strategies and Corporate Recovery- Alfred Yawson By Vidhan K. Goyal Hong Kong University of Science & Technology
What is the paper about? • Examines how firms respond to performance declines. • Changes in financial strategies • Leverage, dividend policies, operating expenses, revenue growth, working capital • Restructuring • Divestitures (asset sales), employee layoffs, new CEO appointments • Impact of these turnaround strategies on subsequent performance
Comments - Sample • Understanding the sample firms • Paper’s methodology: • Firms are included if their industry adjusted operating performance goes from positive in one year to negative in the next year. • The sample probably includes firms that are profitable but underperformed the industry in a particular year. • Is restructuring an optimal response for these firms? • Are these transitory declines in performance?
Comments - Sample • Provide a better understanding of what caused the performance decline. • Absolute performance measures • Stock returns and Market/Book ratios • Case-studies or a brief descriptive table indicating what caused these firms to suddenly under-perform their industry.
Comments – Financial Strategies • Would earnings management be a concern? • Median differences in Table 5 shows that • Revenue growth increases while operating expenses go down. Consistent with improvement in EBITDA. • However, working capital increases. • Could also explain why financial strategies have short term impact. • Examine sub-samples of firms that do not divest.
Comments – Corporate Restructuring Activities and Firm Performance • Some questions: • Regressions include both asset sale and divestiture. How does one distinguish between asset sale and divestiture? • It is not clear why asset sales result in a decline in performance. • Would year 0 EBITDA reflect the performance of the combined firm while year 1 EBITDA reflect performance of the remaining firm (following the asset sale)?
Comments – Interaction Effects • Motivation for Table 10 interaction effects. • For example, a one percent revenue growth should have the same impact on performance regardless of whether the firm has a new CEO or an old CEO.