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Spreadsheet for case UV6514

This case provides students with an opportunity to evaluate the mechanics and effectiveness of an interest rate swap in an actual situation. Rothmans Inc. entered into an interest rate swap in 2001, and the company's public financial statements allow readers to follow the swap through several years until the eventual early pay-off in 2005. Students can determine if the decision to exit the interest rate swap early was good or bad. Rothmans has only one five-year bank term loan and one interest rate swap covering half of the value of the loan. This simplicity provides an excellent learning environment using publicly available data.

This technical note describes a methodology for evaluating the political economy of business-government relations in an emerging or frontier economy. The note argues that there are not one but four markets in an emerging economy: the market of "rentiers" such as mining companies that earn profits by maximizing rents in the export sector, "powerbrokers" that use monopoly power and government relations in regulated industries to earn outsized profits selling domestically, "workhorses" that operate in largely competitive (and familiar) sectors serving domestic customers, and "magicians" that rely on country-specific advantages including special treatment and incentives to export in competitive sectors. Firms operating in each of these markets require a different strategy; moreover, each market requires a different approach for regulation and private sector development. If we look at the mix of business activity across these four markets in a country, we can better understand the nature and trajectory of business-government relations.

This case asks students to price a new drug that is in Stage II of its clinical trials. It contains detailed estimates of the time required and costs for all the steps needed to commercialize a drug in the U.S. Students will learn virtually all the steps required to bring a drug from an idea to commercialization, and the time and resources these steps require.

Dave Williams has taken over as CEO for MBC Corporation and wants to change the mission statement of the company. However, he needs to get approval from four shareholders: a former board chairman, his father and current board chairman, and two members of his own executive team. Williams must navigate the varying dynamics and opinions of the shareholders to gain their buy-in and create a new mission statement that will take MBC on a new path for the future.

In March 2006, the vice president for business development and finance for the University of Virginia Health System is completing the last-minute details in preparation for a board meeting where he will present his proposal for building a new long-term acute care (LTAC) hospital. Since 1999, when the board rejected his first proposal for building an LTAC, regulations regarding LTAC facilities have changed, which gives him hope that the project now has a good chance of success.

Spreadsheet for case UV6518

This case compares and contrasts four different models for delivering cancer care in India and the US. Students are asked to select the best model in its alignment with the Six Forces in those two countries and Africa, to which one of the models is considering expansion, and intrinsic business characteristics. The Indian models are all focused factories, but one is a hub and spoke model, with a radiology hub and ambulatory spokes, while the other offers only ambulatory services. The U.S. models are all focused factory hospitals, one academic and the other a private, for-profit firm located on the grounds of teaching hospitals.

In late 2008, a team from Intuit's office in Bangalore, India is evaluating an opportunity to launch a new venture that would use SMS to deliver crop price information to farmers in India.The case describes the structure of Indian agriculture and the problems experienced by farmers, who were often exploited by middlemen who entered into obtuse private arrangements with wholesale buyers. After five weeks of research, the team concludes that the opportunity warrants further exploration. The question is, what should they do next?

Jess Westerly is the assistant product owner of CRM applications for computer and office supply wholesalers and retailers at Kauflauf, a fast-growing provider of subscription enterprise software headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany. Only months into her job, outsider Westerly tries and fails to implement a change in field consultants' sales call patterns. Westerly had introduced the changes to the sales organization via a memo that outlined her directive and explained the reasons behind it. Field consultants immediately complained about the infringement on their decisions about how to spend their time and the insensitivity to the relationship-oriented nature of developing business. Three months later, sales statistics show little difference in calling patterns. After explaining, defending, and reshaping her stalled initiative, Waverly presents her amended proposal to key senior executives and is given three weeks to produce an implementation plan. If the plan is deemed acceptable, she will be asked to implement it.

The world of early-stage financing has undergone many changes over the years. In this note, we first document the historical roots of early-stage investors, and describe important milestones along the developmental path. We then describe the types of modern-day angel investors, focusing on their investment preferences and practices. Finally, we set up a discussion of salient issues in angel investing for the future.

The case opens in 2007, when the Washington, D.C. public school system was failing. Parents, politicians, labor unions and activists all agreed that reform was necessary due to abysmal student test scores, attendance records and safety concerns. But stakeholders disagreed sharply on how to achieve their shared goal of providing a good education to the city's children. Reformers wanted to close failing schools, parents wanted to choose where their children attended school, and the teachers' union wanted more compensation for teachers. Michelle Rhee, a former teacher and "outsider," was hired by Mayor Adrian Fenty to institute sweeping and speedy reforms. As Chancellor, Rhee came under fire by teachers and their union, parents and the public for her swift move to close underperforming schools and, controversially, to fire teachers rated as "ineffective" by IMPACT, a value-added evaluation system designed to isolate each teacher's unique contribution to their student's educational achievement based on student test scores. The case discusses the steps Rhee took to reform the D.C. public schools and the support and opposition she encountered along the way, culminating with her November 2010 resignation. Case number 1958

Chisholm University's new athletics director must reallocate the athletics budget in its entirety, balancing legal obligations with broader educational and financial goals. A committee appointed to work on this issue had failed to reach consensus due to disagreements about how to comply with Title IX, the law mandating gender parity in all educational offerings, including athletics. The athletics director has the facts organized into an optimization problem so she can systematically balance the tradeoffs and manage system demands or constraints.

An investor wishes to make an investment in a software/information technology company. The investor is intrigued by the growth prospects of firms in the cloud computing industry and is deciding on whether to make an investment in the common shares of Salesforce.com. While the industry appears to be very attractive, concerns have been raised in the financial media over the company's accounting policy decisions, particularly the decision to capitalize software development costs (internally developed intangible assets) and sales commissions. Concerns have also been raised over the company's focus on metrics outside generally accepted accounting principles. Students are asked to evaluate the company's accounting policy choices and are provided with relevant information regarding the company's business model, existing and proposed accounting standards (both under U.S. GAAP and IFRS), and the accounting policies of competitors. After evaluating the accounting policies, students may then conclude whether any adjustments should be made to the financial statements and determine how this impacts valuation.

The international joint venture that successfully bid for $6 billion in contracts to build LNG trains on Nigeria's Bonny Island became entangled in a widening bribery and corruption probe triggered by an unrelated accusation against an employee of one of the JV partners. The (A) case discusses the JV's "business as usual" approach to doing business in the context of Nigeria's political culture and the involvement of Albert "Jack" Stanley, the JV's alleged manager, in structuring and implementing an elaborate bribery scheme. The (B) case relates Stanley's actions after he became the subject of multiple investigations and was terminated by Halliburton, parent of the U.S. JV partner, for taking kickbacks. The (C) case details the resolution of bribery and corruption allegations against Stanley, several of his associates and the JV partners.

High yield bond fund Proventus Capital Partners (PCP) has invested in underwater bonds issued by Preem, a large oil refinery. As maturity approaches, in the midst of a financial crisis, Preem appears unlikely to be able to refinance. Meanwhile, Preem has a complicated multi-currency capital structure with senior, secured bank loans and junior bonds. PCP has to decide whether to push for bankruptcy in a European court, or for out of court renegotiations. The case is a tool for studying the difference between liquidity problems and solvency problems, weighing bankruptcy vs. out of court restructuring, and dealing with negotiations between creditors.

Preem's creditors and owners made a deal with an 18 month extension of debt maturities and a minor equity injection in 2009. Now, in 2010 ,the new maturity is approaching, and refinancing is again unlikely. This time, all the firm's debt is coming due. What went wrong in the first restructuring and what should PCP do to facilitate a more permanent solution?

Spreadsheet for case UV6524

As Mayo Schmidt's tenure as CEO of the Canadian-based agribusiness Viterra wound down before its sale to the Swiss-based commodity company Glencore, he reflected on his tenure, which had seen the firm grow from a Canadian-focused agricultural cooperative to an international agribusiness with operations across the globe, including significant operations in Australia. Now he wondered: What would the future hold for agriculture?