No one wishes for a hostile takeover by a questionable buyer with even more questionable intentions, but even a hostile acquirer who would reorganize the business is a better option.
The most likely scenario for the resolution of Podravka’s drama is also the worst: the status quo. This means that the company will continue to slowly die. The prerequisite for new development is clearly the regulation of ownership relations and the abolition of management along party lines, but nothing will come of it as long as Friščić is more important than Jadranka Kosor to Podravka. In this constellation, even a hostile takeover does not sound so ominous. No one wishes for a hostile takeover by a questionable buyer with even more questionable intentions – for example, Miroslav Kutle – but if the dilemma is a hostile takeover by an owner who would improve management and reorganize the business or mere survival, the first option is certainly the better choice.
