This case reviews the development and financing of the Dabhol power plant in India's Maharashtra state. This project was controversial from inception for three main reasons: the promoter (the now defunct Enron Corporation) sought to minimise its capital commitment in the project; the project economics relied on high final output pricing relative to prevailing (subsidised) price levels; and both project and financing transactions failed to protect adequately against political disruption. For practical purposes it may be considered an example of a failed project finance venture. This case explores in particular how risks associated with developing such ventures in a politically volatile environment may be mishandled by promoters and financiers. In principle it aims to illustrate the difference between managing operational risks and managing and mitigating project risks in an uncertain institutional setting.
As Facebook topped one billion monthly users in October 2012, the online social network continued to face questions about how best to monetize its surging traffic. The company could invest further in new advertising products, which represented the majority of the revenue thus far, or concentrate on the Facebook Platform and help third-party developers create and distribute their own applications. After a highly anticipated yet largely disappointing initial public offering (IPO), Facebook's stock price steadily declined. It became critical for the Facebook team to identify sustainable growth opportunities, particularly as more of its user base accessed the site via mobile devices.
A recently hired U.S.-trained sales account manager at Medical Equipment Inc. (Medical Equipment) returned to his office after meeting with the head of the cardiology department at a specialist hospital and research center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He had worked very hard to secure his first sale of US$725,000 for healthcare equipment, but was disheartened when the head of cardiology told him that the hospital's purchasing director intended to give the order to Medical Equipment's main competitor. The competition's sales representative and the purchasing director had known each other for 10 years and the head cardiologist implied that there might be side payments involved. The sales account manager knew Medical Equipment's product was superior and wondered how he could secure the order without having a history with the purchasing director or without engaging in practices he found ethically questionable.
In November 2006, Symon Bridle, the newly appointed chief operating officer of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, was thinking about a number of organizational issues that presented challenges to Shangri-La's rapid expansion strategy. There were three major issues at hand: (1) the company was expanding into high-wage economies in Europe and North America; (2) the company was expanding its presence in China--a country where front-line employees were not used to exercising decision-making authority; and (3) newcomers in the Chinese hotel market were poaching Shangri-La's staff and driving up wages in historically low-waged markets. As a COO, Bridle needed to ensure that Shangri-La's signature standards of "Asian Hospitality" were maintained during this expansion.
A recently hired U.S.-trained sales account manager at Medical Equipment Inc. (Medical Equipment) returned to his office after meeting with the head of the cardiology department at a specialist hospital and research center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He had worked very hard to secure his first sale of US$725,000 for healthcare equipment, but was disheartened when the head of cardiology told him that the hospital's purchasing director intended to give the order to Medical Equipment's main competitor. The competition's sales representative and the purchasing director had known each other for 10 years and the head cardiologist implied that there might be side payments involved. The sales account manager knew Medical Equipment's product was superior and wondered how he could secure the order without having a history with the purchasing director or without engaging in practices he found ethically questionable.
This note demonstrates how a forward price, or equivalently, futures price, is determined and considers forward and futures contracts written on financial assets and on commodities. The note introduces the concept of a convenience yield and calculates the convenience yields on four commodities, crude oil, natural gas, copper and gold. Examples in the note use actual market prices.
In 1998, the Tibet Poverty Alleviation Fund (TPAF), a small, US-based non-governmental organization, launched an initiative to bring the benefits of microfinance to the impoverished people of rural Tibet. Based on the lending model pioneered by the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, TPAF's microfinance program would make small loans to individuals and families to help them start up small-scale enterprises that would, it was hoped, raise their incomes and improve their standard of living. In consultation with the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) government, two vastly different, but representative, communities were ed for the program: the agricultural villages of the southern Lhoka Prefecture and the semi-nomadic communities on the plateau of Nakchu Prefecture. TPAF had been established with the specific mission of using poverty alleviation techniques to demonstrate that, with some adaptations from standard models and methods, it was possible to make poverty programs work in the difficult conditions of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Nevertheless, adapting the Grameen model for use in TAR would be a challenge even for TPAF's experienced staff. This would be especially true in Nakchu Prefecture, where a scattered population, primitive roads, and a livestock-based economy would require significant modification to a program designed to make small loans to recipients who lived and worked in close proximity. HKS Case Number 1913.1
In 1998, the Tibet Poverty Alleviation Fund (TPAF), a small, US-based non-governmental organization, launched an initiative to bring the benefits of microfinance to the impoverished people of rural Tibet. Based on the lending model pioneered by the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, TPAF's microfinance program would make small loans to individuals and families to help them start up small-scale enterprises that would, it was hoped, raise their incomes and improve their standard of living. In consultation with the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) government, two vastly different, but representative, communities were ed for the program: the agricultural villages of the southern Lhoka Prefecture and the semi-nomadic communities on the plateau of Nakchu Prefecture. TPAF had been established with the specific mission of using poverty alleviation techniques to demonstrate that, with some adaptations from standard models and methods, it was possible to make poverty programs work in the difficult conditions of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Nevertheless, adapting the Grameen model for use in TAR would be a challenge even for TPAF's experienced staff. This would be especially true in Nakchu Prefecture, where a scattered population, primitive roads, and a livestock-based economy would require significant modification to a program designed to make small loans to recipients who lived and worked in close proximity. This case follows TPAF's efforts to introduce microfinance first in Lhoka Prefecture, showing how it altered the original model to suit the peculiarities of its geography as well as its social and political structures. It then asks how, or even whether, TPAF should further adapt the program to meet the far greater challenges posed by Nakchu. HKS Case Number 1913.0
The chief security officer of TJX Companies Inc. (TJX) faces a dilemma on his first day on the job. The company has discovered in December 2006, a computer intrusion dating back to 2005. There is an ongoing investigation, involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into the attacks. The company is also in the middle of several class action law suits over losses suffered by financial institutions due to breaches of customer privacy. The chief security officer has to focus on plugging the loopholes in the company's information technology (IT)security, in the short term, and taking steps to ensure in the long term that the attack does not recur. He also had to get the management of TJX to start looking at IT security not as a technology issue but as a business issue.
Home Depot popularized the concept of "do-it-yourself" for customers eager to build, repair, and improve their own homes. Home Depot stores were stocked with a wide range of home-improvement goods and had knowledgeable employees ready to help customers choose the right products, tools, and materials and even explain how to use them. To some extent, Home Depot store managers "did it themselves" as well. For its first 20 years, Home Depot was known for its entrepreneurial spirit and was run rather informally. Store managers, who tended to be experts in home improvement, made their own merchandise-planning decisions and had considerable autonomy in running their stores. Purchasing was also decentralized. As it grew in size, many in the company believed that a more disciplined approach to operations would be important for further growth. In 2000, the company hired Bob Nardelli, a former GE senior executive, to lead the change. As chairman and CEO, Nardelli centralized merchandising and purchasing and brought process discipline to store operations, simplifying and standardizing store processes and introducing Six Sigma quality methodology. Nardelli's changes led to higher profitability. Nevertheless, Home Depot's stock price remained nearly unchanged during his tenure and certain aspects of customer service suffered significantly. These results raise an important question not only for Home Depot, but also for other companies in which employees perform both routine production-related activities and nonroutine customer-service activities: Is there a trade-off between process discipline and customer service? If so, what aspects of customer service?
The chief financial officer of an environmentally-focused company that makes all-natural plant fertilizer is considering the introduction of two new plant fertilizing products. The company is committed to being the ultimate eco-capitalist corporation and utilizes an environmentally friendly production process and packing from waste containers, such as recycled pop bottles. Students are expected to complete the following tasks for this case: 1) marketing analysis, 2) corporate size-up, 3) consumer analysis, 4) competitor analysis, 5) a statement of cash flows and interpretation, 6) ratios calculations and analysis, 7) differential analysis for each alternative and 8) income statement and balance sheet projections and interpretation.
A two-party negotiation between an Agent representing a new author and an Editor at a large Publishing Firm. The exercise involves a 1-issue, zero-sum negotiation concerning the advance on royalties that the publisher will pay to the author.
A two-party negotiation between an Agent representing a new author and an Editor at a large Publishing Firm. The exercise involves a 1-issue, zero-sum negotiation concerning the advance on royalties that the publisher will pay to the author.
In 2003, the Hong Kong government opened the market for electronic trading services. It awarded a license, the second of two, to GO-Business to design, implement, operate and maintain the front-end system of the Government Electronic Trading Service (GETS). The first license had gone to Tradelink, which had enjoyed a monopoly in the market for six years. GETS was a system that enabled traders to submit and apply for trade documents electronically. As a latecomer in the market for a compulsory government service that had been monopolized, GO-Business faced formidable barriers in competing with Tradelink. How could GO-Business position itself and what could it do to compete with Tradelink and gained market share?
Multinationals are active in different countries. This note explores why this is the case and how multinationals can be competitive in these foreign environments. At the same time, the note discusses recent trends in foreign direct investment (FDI).
In 2007, Goldlion, one of Hong Kong's oldest menswear brands, opens the first Goldlion Accessories store in the city as part of its plan to rejuvenate its brand image. The company aims to promote Goldlion as a youthful and trendy brand by creating a fresh, chic and elegant appearance while maintaining its sophisticated image. By rejuvenating its brand image, Goldlion hopes to regain its Hong Kong market, especially the younger segment. This case illustrates the rise and fall of a Hong Kong-born apparel brand. It can be used to teach students to identify the types of marketing information needed to help a company answer its doubts and devise a viable strategy in order to achieve its goals. The case can also be used as a learning tool for designing an appropriate ad-hoc market research plan.
Samit Ghosh, the CEO and founder of Ujjivan, a major microfinance provider in Bangalore, wants to grow his business rapidly and become financially sustainable, but he's struggling with staff fraud, high costs, and how to stay true to Ujjivan's mission of poverty alleviation, while simultaneously reaching out to higher-income customers. The case explores how Ujjivan can grow, looking at such issues as new technology, diversifying product offerings, and how to hire the best staff.