Crisis management and resolution 191
In addition, the literature attempts to take into account the ambiguity of
the debt contract. On the one hand, it is a way for shareholders to discipline
managers, since it reduces the cash available for unproductive investments (the
“free cash ow”; Jensen, 1986) or it is a means of tax optimization, since in-
terest charges are deductible from taxable income (Chapter 9): a high level of
debt seems desirable. On the other hand, the debt burden puts pressure on cash
management and, in the event of diculties, it may be desirable to transform
claims into contingent securities, in particular in the form of shares, and there-
fore to reduce debt. Hybrid securities are debt securities which, under certain
pred ...