The family-owned group has commissioned a sweeping review of its business strategy with the help of McKinsey, the management consultants.
Bata has struggled in recent years to adjust to rapid changes in the international footwear business. It has been slow to develop distinctive brands and to match the marketing flair of rivals like Nike and Reebok.
The outcome of the review will probably once again hinge on the attitude of Tom Bata, the forceful 81-year old patriarch, who moved the family business from Czechoslovakia to Canada in the early 1930s and has been in charge ever since.
Bata is no longer a director of the company (he is chairman emeritus) but last year he successfully resisted changes, including the sale of large parts of Bata's European operations, proposed by a new top management team recruited in 1994 and 1995.
Six of the seven members of that team have already left the group, and one, Peter Legg, launched a lawsuit against Bata earlier this month, alleging the company misrepresented the role the new team would play.
Bata has shed about a fifth of its 6,000 retail outlets over the past 18 months. A large French subsidiary filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year.
Bata India, which is the country's biggest shoe retailer, has been through a shake-up after suffering sizeable losses.
However, the group retains a powerful presence in parts of Latin America, Africa and Asia. Some of its European units, such as Italy, also perform strongly.
Adrian Bellamy, non-executive chairman of Bata's holding company, said:
