Resisting Hostile Takeovers: The Case of Gillette

by Rita Ricardo-Campbell

Overview

Written by the first woman director of the Gillette Company, this is an exciting first-hand account of Gillette's successful fight against four hostile takeover efforts during the late 1980s. After a brief, insightful history of the company and the growth of its world-famous products—Gillette razors and blades; Braun coffee machines and electric razors; Oral-B toothbrushes; Paper Mate, Waterman, and Parker pens; and cosmetics—the author tells the inside story of Ronald Perelman's three attempts and the Coniston Partners' one attempt to take over Gillette. Ricardo-Campbell, who chaired Gillette's Finance Committee during this period, provides a fascinating look at the ensuing proxy battles and other intricate financial maneuvers. Combining academic theory and first-hand experience in its discussion of topics such as greenmail and poison pills, this work also features such world-renowned corporate figures as Warren Buffett, Joe Flom, and Eric Gleacher.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275958305
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	10/28/1997
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

RITA RICARDO-CAMPBELL is Senior Fellow Emerita at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. She was the first woman director of the Gillette Company, held positions at Tufts University and Harvard University, and has written numerous books and articles.

Table of Contents

Introduction
November 1986: In Play
The Gillette Company: Brief History
The Takeover Climate: Poison Pills, Junk Bonds, Stock Price, Industrial Espionage? Insider Knowledge
Restructuring of Gillette
Hot Summer: Unsolicited Bids of 1987
A Target
Proxy Contest and Legal Outcome
Proxy Fight Overhang
In Retrospect
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

The first woman director of the Gillette Company and chair of its Finance Committee at the time, Ricardo-Campbell (economics, Stanford U) recounts the inside story of fending off four efforts to take over the company during the late 1980s. She describes the proxy battles and financial maneuvers and explains such aspects as greenmail and poison pills. The self-defense lessons she learned could be used by other directors, and do not assume a large supply of razor blades at hand. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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