JC Penney made its first big splash on Wednesday in what will be a three-year effort to rebrand the 110-year-old department store chain with some distinctly 21st century initiatives.

Chief Executive Ron Johnson has said his ultimate goal is to make JC Penney America's favorite store. His initiatives include a new pricing structure, replacing cent figures with double zeros on all price tags and turning the store into a destination via a Town Square.

But makeovers can pay a hefty toll in the business world, and the past is strewn with good ideas gone sour. A change in direction does not always lead to success. Fortunately, some companies have the wherewithal to drop a bad idea soon enough to survive. Here are some corporate excursions gone horribly wrong.

Radio Shack Executives
Radio Shack folks ring the bell at the stock exchange. REUTERS
Smokeless Cigarettes
RJ Reynold's Wikicommons
Arch Deluxe
High end fast food Reuters
Coca Cola
Coca-Cola first-quarter earnings rose 7.9 percent. Reuters