Business Transformation Articles

Stories of transformation and growth have always been fascinating, a staple of B-School case studies. However, not all businesses are amenable to transformation. The syntax and approach of insolvency and restructuring varies in accordance with each situation.

This site showcases my columns and papers on restructuring, turnaround, and insolvency. In addition, you'll find some intriguing restructuring trivia under the 'Restructuring Trivia' tab. These stories, once etched in memory but now fading, exhibit the waves of Schumpeterian creative destruction.

Some businesses that were successful, or partially successful, in their transformation and restructuring journey include:

David Sassoon & Co.,

Lloyd Triestino,

Polson Model Dairy, Anand,

Siemens & Halske,

Shaw Wallace,

Standard Vacuum Oil Company,

Sylk’s Hotel, and

The African Oil Nut Company.

Several banks managed to reinvent themselves through restructuring, amalgamations, mergers, or acquisitions, such as:

Allahabad Bank,

Bank of Bengal,

Bank of Bombay,

Eastern Bank,

Grindlays Bank,

Mercantile Bank of India,

National Bank of India,

Nederlandsch-Indische Handelsbank,

Ottoman Bank,

Standard Bank of South Africa, and

The Law Union Accident Insurance Company.

Not every story ends in success. Some ventures that struggled or failed in their restructuring journey, or may have simply chosen to fade away, include:

Agra and The United Service Bank,

Basle Chemical Company,

Broach Industrial Cotton Spinning and Weaving Company,

Cowasjee Dinshawjee & Bros,

Elgin Mills,

Great Eastern Tobacco Company,

Oriental Bank, Colombo,

Pioneer Typewriting Company,

Port Canning Land Investment Reclamation and Dock Company,

Scindia Steam Navigation Company,

Société the Credit Suisse,

The Great West Permanent Loan Company,

The Hotz Hotel,

Volkart Bros, and

Waco Aircraft Company.

The above stories also reveal that whether one searches for excellence, builds to last, or strives to move from good to great, eventually everything regresses to the mean; some cease to exist, while others become a shadow of their former selves.

On a philosophical note, the Bhagavad Gita speaks of the impermanence of all material things, a lesson that finds quiet echoes in the rise and fall of stalwarts like David Sassoon, the Volkart Brothers, and Cowasjee Dinshawjee—figures whose legacies remind us how even great fortunes and enterprises are ultimately transient. For those interested in deeper insights, bankruptcy articles can provide further understanding of these complex themes.