Situation-
Albert Dunlap was known for turning around badly shaped companies into profitable companies. Through his radical restructuring and downsizing methods, he created shareholder value. At Scott Paper, Dunlap fired 35% of all the employees and 71% of the corporate staff raising the stock price from $38.00 to $120.00 and sold the company to Kimberly Clark for more than $6B. Due to his past success, Al Dunlap was hired to turn around Sunbeam. Sunbeam had a long period of management and financial instability. In other words, Sunbeam needed a “savior.” Many believed this was Al Dunlap. Unfortunately, through his tenure at Sunbeam, stock price fell from a high $53.00 to $16.00 on the day that he was fired. Were his “rightsizing”
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Barron’s published an article accusing Sunbeam of using “creative” accounting to make the company look more profitable through the “bill and hold” program for gas grills and other seasonal products. Although the case does not directly accuse Al Dunlap to have been part of this, it is still a very questionable issue. By focusing too much on the short-term goal of driving the bottom line up, Dunlap did not address Sunbeam’s long term goal of the company and/or strategies and most importantly, Sunbeam’s culture and employee’s needs were completely dismissed.
3. Was the second compensation package offered to Dunlap well-structured? Was it excessive? Was it necessary?
Dunlap’s philosophy was that compensation should be tied to performance. His goals for the company were to bring the stock up, lay off 12,000, reduce work force in half, and product lines by 87%, consolidate the administration and sell off several divisions and double sales over the next three years. His second package was distributed too soon as he had not completed these goals. As soon as Sunbeam acquired new companies, he was given a second compensation package. He received a bonus- a three year contract extension that doubled his salary from $1M to $2M a year and a grant of 300K Sunbeam shares. Again, his compensation package was stock/options based which would lead to Dunlap to do whatever it takes to drive the stock price
In March of 2012 Steve Parkland was hired as the new president at Charles Chocolates. He was immediately faced with numerous decisions about the future of the company. The board of directors had tasked Parkland with doubling or tripling the size of the company over the next decade, but the board and the senior management team had different opinions about the strategy that would accomplish this goal. The main issues that Parkland faced were how to increase the company’s operations while maintaining the traditional culture and support of the board.
The board decided that the company should be judged on its ability to make a profit, gain market share, provide positive ROA and make money for our shareholders with an increasing stock price. Our target was a stock price of $38
In the case presented both AFLAC and L.L. Bean had their own distinctive ways of utilizing their products in order to enhance the total compensation for its employees. The factor that has deterred more employees away from their current employer is that of benefit packages, and reward systems. As stated by () “compensation affects a person economically, sociologically, and psychologically. For this reason, mishandling compensation issues is likely to have a strong negative impact on employees and, ultimately, on the firm’s performance” (p.313). Many felt just a bump in pay wasn’t enough to substantiate their hard work or the efforts that the performance efforts provided to their organization. As stated by () “the right total rewards system a blend of monetary and non-monetary
4. The case indicates that the company’s “market value” of equity at June 30, 1999 was $460 billion. Compare this to the company’s “book value” of equity. What factors likely explain the difference between these two values?
It is important for stockholders to continuously re-evaluate their investments. Although some investors do this more frequently and thoroughly than others, the majority of shareholders do so at least once each year. Therefore, Torres’ desire to update her analysis in order to determine whether Costco was still operating efficiently makes perfect sense. After thorough examination, my analysis proves that Costco remains one of the industry’s leading competitors and there seems to be no reason for Torres to sell her shares as long as she wishes to retain holdings of a
In the late 1990s, Sunbeam was charged with fraudulent misrepresentation of its operating results and financial statements connected to their financial “turnaround”, which had cost investors billions of dollars in losses. In 1996, Sunbeam had hired “An Dunlap”, in an attempt to achieve a financial recovery. Mr. An Dunlap had a reputation of turning companies around by making radical changes in the company’s structure, business model, strategy, operating methods, accounting procedures of recording activities and other ways, in order to help companies to re-establish themselves within the market., which was the reason of why he was given the job as the CEO and Chair of Sunbeam's board. However, Mr. Dunlap was engaged in illegal and unethical
Dunlap’s salary was just over $500k and he took no bonus. But he received a substantial stock option and award package. The restricted stock award component was to vest in two years, meaning that Dunlap’s compensation would be closely linked to the company’s stock performance for that time. Although the short term profits benefited shareholders, no incentives to create a long term, profitable company existed. Sunbeam’s performance-based incentives brought greater motivation to Dunlap to increase the firm’s stock value by any means necessary. He created remarkable shareholder value, in part by cutting half the company's 12,000 workers and closing many plants. Generally speaking, the first compensation package was excessive, but it linked the CEO’s and stockholders’ goals. It was not well designed, but it was congruent with Sunbeam’s business model of maximizing shareholder profits, but it drove an unhealthy behavior.
Through out his tenure at Sunbeam,Al Dunlap’s advocated profit by firing many employees and shutting down many factories.If we look at it in the short term ,this approach seems very attractive as it brings in quick short term
This report is based on Sunbeam Corporation and Albert Dunlap, the CEO from 1996 till 1988. In July of 1996, Michael Price and Michael Steinhardt hired Dunlap as the CEO and chairman of the board for Sunbeam Corporation. As the
Review of Financial Research Report: This assignment is an analysis of a US publicly-traded company; its common stock could be a prospective investment. The report is due in Week 10, in needs to be at least 5 pages, and it needs to cover the following topics:
4. Consider the Worldcom-MCI merger and the Qwest-US West merger. Trying to avoid hindsight bias, should the board of MCI and US West have accepted these offers? What is the obligation to shareholders? Was that obligation fulfilled? What about WorldCom and Qwest? Did their shareholders benefit?
Grand Metropolitan PLC is the world’s largest wine and spirits seller. It mainly operated in London, USA. In 1991, it beats market expectation with a 4.8% increase in pretax profits, and the company Chairman stated that company’s goal “to constantly improve on”. Despite the great performance in the world recession in 1991, the price of GrandMet shares was 10% below the average price/earnings ratio of the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index. And more important, rumors had that GrandMet, valued at more than $14 billion in the stock market, maybe a takeover target. The management dilemma is to understand why the company’s stock is traded below of what considered being the right price and whether the company is truly
This paper will seek to analyze the financial statements of the O.M Scott & Sons Company during the years 1957-1961, in order to provide readers with a thorough understanding of the various factors that may influence the future success of this business. Additionally, recommendations based on an analysis of their financial
In 1997, Dunlap fired thousands of employees, shut down factories and warehouses, and streamlined the company by eliminating products and selling businesses unrelated to its core products. He attained his objective and made profit for shareholders. However, the wealth did not last. In April 1998, Sunbeam announced a first-quarter loss,
At the event of any change to the company may it be negative or positive, profitable or non-profitable their will be an adverse effect to the stakeholders. Such effects are as follows: increase on overall sales of the company will yield increase on shares and earnings to either shareholders, employees and business owners; which in-turn will create profit that could be use for company expansion and purchasing of additional tools to use for improvement; that will lead in helping increase customers service elevating the aid provided to our customers; and also by increasing sales will also mean profit for Lowe’s vendors and suppliers, and so on…