As a veteran investment banker the author knows is fond of saying, “Retail isn’t rocket science—it is nowhere near that simple.” What retailers do have going for them, however, is the real-time performance reviews they receive from their true bosses—the frontline consumer. To satisfy increasingly...

After three years of study, the ABI Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 issued its “Final Report and Recommendations” December 8, 2014, setting forth its findings with respect to suggested improvements to Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Among other areas for possible reform, the...

Price gouging, treatment rationing, and data falsification are signs that the Anthropocene Epoch has arrived in healthcare and extinction lies ahead for those that cannot adapt. As a result of revolutionary changes in the reimbursement system that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS...

“It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who has been swimming naked.” —Warren Buffet It is no secret the healthcare industry has been experiencing an unprecedented tidal wave of consolidation over the past several years. On its surface, the healthcare industry appears to be generally...

Healthcare reform has dramatically changed the manner in which health systems deliver care to patients and how they are reimbursed for services. As hospital boards review their institutions’ competitive positions in a post-healthcare reform world, particularly those overseeing community hospitals,...

Borders, Blockbuster, Circuit City, and RadioShack are iconic brands, all killed or dying as a result of the Amazon Effect. Could the next wave include Macy’s, Sears, Best Buy, PetSmart, and even big grocery? The demise of brick-and-mortar retail is said to be overexaggerated, and while that may be...

Retail Chapter 11 cases are the name of the game these days. Retailer debtors file Chapter 11 for various reasons and often with multiple alternative exit strategies. The fortunate distressed retailer—and there are relatively few of them—can effect an internal reorganization, restructuring old debt...

In December 2003, mad cow disease was identified in the North American market, and the Japanese government immediately banned imports of U.S. beef for two years. The 2014-15 avian flu epidemic resulted in 17 percent of U.S. poultry either dying from the disease or being euthanized to halt its...

Although many of the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, popularly known as “Obamacare,” did not take effect until several years after its March 2010 enactment, supporters and opponents would agree that Obamacare enacted sweeping and significant changes not only to the...

When turnaround professionals take on the challenges of a financially distressed client, the first issue they often must address involves costs related to human resources. Chief among them are expenses for the company’s employees’ health benefits. In the last several years drastic changes have...