Case Scenario 2: Raptec
Raptec was incorporated in 1991 and went public on the Nasdaq Stock Market in 1996. Raptec's strategy is to become the global leader in innovative storage solutions. Raptec is an S&P 500 and a Nasdaq Stock Market 100 member. The company's hardware and software solutions for eBusiness and Internet applications move, manage, and protect critical data and digital content. Raptec operates in three principal business segments: Direct Attached Storage ("DAS"), Storage Networking Solutions ("SNS")and Software. These hardware and software products are found in high-performance networks, servers, workstations, and desktops from the world's leading OEMs, and are sold through distribution channels to Internet service providers, enterprises, medium and small businesses, and consumers. Since the time it went public, Raptec has experienced rapid growth and consistently profitable operations. In early 2007, the company announced its plan to spin-off the software segment, subsequently incorporated as Axio, Inc., in the form of a fully independent and separate company. Software was Raptec's most profitable and fastest growing segment. By mid-2007 Raptec had completed the initial public offering of approximately 15 percent of Axio's stock, and then distributed the remaining Axio stock to Raptec's stockholders in a tax-free distribution.
-(Refer to Case Scenario 2). Leveraged buyouts such as the Axio spinoff is a form of restructuring strategy that is only used to correct for managerial mistakes or because the firm's managers were making decisions that only served their own interests rather than those of the shareholders.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The statement is false. Leveraged buyouts, such as the Axio spinoff, can be used as a restructuring strategy to create value for shareholders or to focus on a specific business segment. It does not necessarily imply that there were managerial mistakes or decisions made solely for the benefit of the managers.