Divorces, especially for head honchos of successful corporations are not just a private affair, More often than not, the possible proceedings would only serve to hurt the corporation in the long run.
Take the case of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Its share values dipped by ten percent upon his separation from his second wife. Now, US oil billionaire Harold Hamm is about to divorce his corporate lawyer wife Sue Ann. This has caused jitters in their half a billion dollar enterprise named Continental Resources.
The effect of these personal changes is due to their hold over the companies they took over. Hamm, for instance, increased the value of Continental Resources five times its original after he took the company public last June 2007. This has made the Hamms very rich, but alongside them their investors have increased their influence over them.
The divorce can result in a bitter dispute especially regarding their shareholdings over a company that can only plummet at the slightest error.
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