Scorched Earth Policy

policy of burning an area and destroying an enemy's resources

A scorched earth policy is a military tactic which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area. Apparently a translation of the Chinese phrase jiao tu ( jiāotǔ), the term refers to the practice of burning crops to deny the enemy food sources, although it is by no means limited to food stocks, and can include shelter, transportation, communications and industrial resources, which are often of equal or greater military value in modern warfare, as modern armies generally carry their own food supplies. The practice may be carried out by an army in enemy territory, or by an army in its own home territory. It is often confused with the term "slash-and-burn," however, that is not a military tactic but rather an agricultural technique. It may overlap with, but is not the same as, punitive destruction of an enemy's resources, which is done for strategic rather than tactical reasons.
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Noun
1. the target company defends itself by selling off its crown jewels
(hypernym) shark repellent, porcupine provision

Often used in risk arbitrage. Technique used by a company that has become the target of a takeover attempt to make itself unattractive to the acquirer. For example, it may agree to sell off its crown jewels or schedule all debt to become due immediately after a merger.