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Inconsistencies in accounting treatment across countries are a major obstacle for global equity investment. Adoption of a single accounting standard (IFRS) has been received with much excitement, where apples to apples comparison across countries will become easier. However, adopting a global accounting standard may not necessarily mean that financial reporting in all countries will become standardized. Taking an example from HOLT, a private sector that offers standardized data for global portfolio investment, the case examines i) HOLT's adjustment process for differences in local accounting standards and ii) how IFRS adoption could change HOLT's global valuation framework. The case offers an interesting setting to examine how harmonizing accounting standards can affect global equity valuation.

This module note presents six strategies for mobilizing networked businesses.

The case describes the situation of Dirk von Ameln, the permitting director of Nord Stream, in his negotiation efforts to obtain the national permits for the construction of the Nord Stream pipeline. In order to procure the Danish construction permit, Dirk had to reach an agreement with the Danish fishermen, who were fearful of a negative impact on their trade from the construction and operation of the pipeline. This case serves to understand the steps in preparing negotiations; the difference between distributive and integrative negotiations; and the process of negotiations in European cross-border infrastructure projects. The case may also be used to analyze different approaches to negotiations and their implication for current negotiation strategies.

Shenzhen-based Sunshine Fashion Co. Ltd "Sunshine" is a Sino-Japanese venture that has grown from mere original equipment manufacturing of cashmere sweaters for export to include retailing, with 220 retail points throughout China. In order to manage its retail operations, it has set up both regional and branch offices to handle stock and to support and monitor its retail points. It has installed an ERP system for tracking its goods and monitoring sales. The implementation of the ERP system has improved the situation. For example, the system has helped Sunshine manage its domestic business considerably through reliable and consistent reporting from the retail points and branch offices. Nonetheless, fraudulent behaviour among employees has cost the retail chain the equivalent of almost 5% of its domestic sales. What more can the management do to control such behaviour and reduce its loss?

A critical question for entrepreneurs starting a business, particularly in a foreign country, is choosing whether or not franchising is the appropriate mode of entry. Franchising offers the entrepreneur instant brand recognition, established business processes and supply chains, regulatory and tax guidance as well as a ready supply of assistance in the early months; however, it deprives the entrepreneur of what many of them crave - the ability to create and grow a business from one's imagination. The two entrepreneurs in this case had regular salaries, but wanted to try their hands at opening a coffee shop - or a chain of coffee shops - in South Korea, which already had many brands with multiple outlets.<br><br>This case is appropriate for use in entrepreneurship, management strategy or international marketing and business courses to introduce mode of entry selection and product/service differentiation. It provides a practical example for students to understand how a mode of entry decision impacts competitiveness in a mature market segment in a mature geographic market. The case can help achieve these objectives as it 1) Encourages students to explore the unique challenges that entrepreneurs face in market selection, mode of entry, product/service offering and brand differentiation strategies; 2) Demonstrates that these critical decisions - market selection, mode of entry, differentiation, etc. - are not linear decisions to be made one after another, but rather pieces of an integrated strategy that have an impact on each other; 3) Allows students to be creative in looking for ways to differentiate a product or service that is a late entrant into a mature market.

This note is designed to provide strategists with tools to perform two critical customer-related analyses: determining willingness to pay - the estimation of how much a given customer would be willing to pay for a particular product or service; and demand estimation - predicting the overall size of the market or segment which a company chooses to serve.

After its founding in the late 1980s, Cree Inc. quickly grew into a major player in the emerging LED market. By 2007, technological improvements in LEDs had made them suitable for TV, computer, and mobile "backlighting"; and concerns over global warning led to calls to shift to more energy-efficient sources of general lighting (which favored LEDs, as they were far more efficient than the traditionally-dominant incandescents). In this context, Cree faced a strategic conundrum: Should it focus on its historical expertise in manufacturing LED "chips" and components for use in other manufacturers' applications and screens, where LEDs now had established usage? Or should it instead attempt the risky venture of manufacturing its own LED light-bulbs for direct sale to consumers for general lighting? This case presents the history of Cree and information on the LED and general-lighting markets, as background for a debate on Cree's strategic choice.

An update to "Cree Inc.: Which Bright Future?"

This case is about the establishment, growth, and direction of the Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park ("Zhangjiang Park"), which is located in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai. Considered to be one of the most competitive hi-tech industry clusters in China, the combined business strategy of Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park Development Co., Ltd. ("Zhangjiang Hi-Tech"), a key operator of Zhangjiang Park, included real estate development, hi-tech investment, and integrated services. As of the time of the case, members of the Board of Directors of Zhangjiang Hi-Tech were faced with open questions such as how Zhangjiang Park would be able to maintain its sustainable competitiveness in comparison with other hi-tech and industrial parks in China. Board members were also concerned with how Zhangjiang Hi-Tech would be able to meet the needs of both capital market and regional development.

This case can be used as a capstone valuation exercise for first-year MBA students in an introductory finance course. A senior associate in the business development group at American Cable Communications, one of the largest cable companies in the U.S., must prepare a preliminary valuation for acquiring AirThread Connections, a regional cellular provider. The acquisition would give American Cable access to wireless technology and the wireless spectrum and enable the company to offer competitive service bundles including wireless, currently a hole in the company's service offering. Students learn the basic valuation concepts including DCF (discounted cash flow) using APV (adjusted present value) and WACC (weighted average cost of capital) and they must choose the appropriate approach for situations in which the capital structure is changing or assumed to be constant. Students must consider the effect of constant debt versus the D/V (debt-to-value ratio) in estimating betas and the costs of capital. In addition, students analyze the effects of non-operating assets on valuation. As an additional assignment, instructors can require students to consider the personal tax disadvantage of debt as well as the synergies American Cable expects to achieve following the acquisition.

Spreadsheet Supplement for #4263.

In July 2010, Microsoft, the global leader in software, services, and solutions, announced record revenue of US$62.48 billion for the year ending June 30, 2010, an increase of 7% from the previous year. This came as a relief to investors, given that the previous year had seen the company report its first-ever annual drop in sales. Founded in 1975, Microsoft's software pervaded computers worldwide. The company had traditionally been regarded as being on the cutting edge of software and services. However, for some time-particularly since the middle of the last decade-it had been increasingly criticised for having had the opportunity for massive disruptive potential in the market but repeatedly allowing it to slip away. Its huge employee base of bright and talented engineers had not kept up with the creativity and innovation displayed by its competitors, whether it was Apple's iPod or iPad, Google's search engine, Nintendo's Wii, Amazon's Kindle, or social networking services such as Facebook and Twitter. Despite its undisputed financial success, Microsoft was being described as having become a "clumsy, uncompetitive innovator". In a tangible reflection of this concern, on 26 May 2010, Microsoft's position as the technology industry's most valuable player was overtaken for the first time in many years, when Apple exceeded the company's US$219.2 billion market capitalisation by almost US$3 billion. Then on 4 October 2010, Goldman Sachs downgraded Microsoft's stock, which it had supported since the company's initial public offering in 1986. Why was Microsoft no longer creating the truly disruptive and breakthrough technological products and services that the company used to pride itself on? How could the company once again regain its position as the powerhouse of technology innovation?

Louise Murray, Vice-President of Tour Planning and Partnerships at Cirque du Soleil, has been informed that the company has received two unsolicited partnership proposals to present a show in Istanbul, Turkey. Both offers are serious and the projects are potentially interesting. The first offer comes from a government agency in partnership with the City of Istanbul, while the second was submitted by a leading Turkish media group. Louise Murray must now decide on the suitability of this destination and analyze the proposals themselves. She also has to assess the different scenarios for inserting this destination in Cirque's planning horizon and choose the best one. The choice of work and the type of partnership agreement to be negotiated with the potential promoter must also be decided. The tight deadlines imposed by the proposals are an opportunity for Louise to make a critical assessment of the flexibility of the planning process, which she has been working to standardize over the past few years. The case thus encourages a broader reflection on the delicate balance between flexibility and standardization in the context of an organization that still has a strong circus culture. As such, the case is an opportunity to reflect on the organization of the planning process and to propose improvements.

Attracting quality talent in emerging markets has long been a challenge for Western multinationals, but historically they've enjoyed a big advantage: local workers in places like China have viewed global companies as employers of choice, offering higher status and better career prospects than domestic companies. Now that attitude is shifting. Five strategies can help Western companies regain their hiring edge: They can reboot employment branding efforts, create local development opportunities, offer viable career paths, be smart about pay, and become a quasi-local company.

Companies spend billions of dollars on internet-generated sales leads, but most are far too slow to follow up on them.

In recent years IT professionals have been onshoring service work to low-cost American or European cities. But this can be problematic because of labor shortages, rising wages, and other pitfalls. Companies should take three steps to ensure the success of their IT onshoring: They must choose the location wisely, making sure they're the first company to move in and that the location has the talent they need; they should onshore only work that is restricted or requires special skills or knowledge of legacy systems; and they should minimize wage pressures by keeping employees fully engaged and attending to their professional growth.

A new study by Zakary Tormala of Stanford Business School looks at how the certainty of a person's opinion affects his ability to influence others. A lot depends on whether the opinion is from an expert or an amateur. The surprising finding: Experts are more persuasive when they express uncertainty, but amateurs are more compelling when they express confidence.

Roger Martin on a new challenge facing business schools: how to teach managers to look beyond the data and use factors such as empathy and trust when making important decisions.

The idea of making a deal with a handshake-what we generally call an incomplete contract-makes most of us uncomfortable. A handshake is fine between friends, but when it comes to vendors, partners, advisers, employees, or customers, we believe that incomplete contracts are a reckless way to do business. Indeed, firms try to make contracts as airtight as possible-specifying outcomes and contingencies in advance, thus lowering the chances for misunderstanding and uncertainty. But complete contracts have their own flaws, and business's increasing dependence on absurdly detailed contracts in every situation comes with its own downside.

Where and how do strategists find growth opportunities? Sometimes by literally drawing a map, using software that performs semantic-clustering analysis. By analyzing the text in millions of digital corporate documents, the software identifies individual companies' key phrases, or n-grams, and then links firms with similar n-grams on a map. The result reveals intriguing connections between industry sectors, as well as white spaces that offer untapped opportunities.