Voluntary Corporate Liquidations

The text is an invaluable guide in evaluating the suitability of liquidation as a corporate strategic planning tool. Factors such as taxes, regulations, market forces, cessation of business and government intervention are some of the reasons why firms decide to liquidate. The book also explores the mechanics of liquidation including severance agreements, employee stock options, and the use of legal, accounting and other experts in the liquidation process. Entrepreneurial Manager's Newsletter

Voluntary liquidation entails selling all of a firm's assets for cash, paying off all outstanding debts, and distributing the remaining funds to stockholders as liquidating dividends. Kudla's book, which is the first systematic examination of the subject, will enable corporate executives to evaluate the suitability of liquidation as a corporate strategic planning tool. The author begins with an explanation of the rationale for liquidations and looks at the reasons why a firm may be worth more dead than alive, examining such factors as taxes, regulations, market forces, cessation of business, and government intervention. He describes the mechanics of liquidation; severance agreements for employees; employee stock options; and the use of legal, accounting, and other types of experts in the liquidation process. He discusses the major tax aspects, including the impact of the 1986 Tax Reform Act, and shows how corporation liquidations may benefit common stockholders. To illustrate the diversity of liquidation scenarios, Kudla offers case studies of three firms that found voluntary liquidation to be the most appropriate strategic alternative.

RONALD J. KUDLA, Professor of Business Administration at the University Wisconsin-Eau Claire, has done extensive research on corporate restructuring and financial management in U.S. corporations.