At the turn of mid-2000, the news industry saw a tectonic shift in the reading habits of people, driven by developments in digital technology. News industry's traditional business model of relying on advertisement income was majorly disrupted. This led to a steep decline in revenues from the print business. The case describes the strategy and organisation-building initiatives of a leading newspaper in India as it transitioned from a print newspaper media ecosystem to a digital news ecosystem. Anant Goenka, a third-generation member of the family, led the digital foray. While Anant created a USD 20 million digital business in four years, the path towards the next goal of achieving a topline of USD 150 million in the next seven to eight years was not clear. Furthermore, it might entail transforming the Indian Express Group, with close to 90 years of legacy of strong editorial ideologies, to adapt and embrace the rules of the game of the digital ecosystem. This case presents an excellent opportunity to learn the nature and extent of challenges involved in building and scaling up a digital news business, including the transition from a traditional newspaper business.
A vice-president of a hedge fund must determine whether his fund will take a 5 per cent equity stake in Premier Foods Plc (Premier). At the time of the case, Premier, a publicly listed U.K. food and beverage company, was heavily indebted following a period of aggressive acquisition growth. Moreover, Premier had issued interest rate swaps on the majority of its debt. As the financial crisis unraveled, interest rates dramatically declined, and Premier’s interest rate swaps appeared to be further draining the firm. Against this backdrop, the case sets its ultimate objective, which is to simulate the vice-president’s analysis of the firm’s debt, interest rate swaps, caps and floors before deciding whether to invest in Premier.
A vice-president of a hedge fund must determine whether his fund will take a 5 per cent equity stake in Premier Foods Plc (Premier). At the time of the case, Premier, a publicly listed U.K. food and beverage company, was heavily indebted following a period of aggressive acquisition growth. Moreover, Premier had issued interest rate swaps on the majority of its debt. As the financial crisis unraveled, interest rates dramatically declined, and Premier's interest rate swaps appeared to be further draining the firm. Against this backdrop, the case sets its ultimate objective, which is to simulate the vice-president's analysis of the firm's debt, interest rate swaps, caps and floors before deciding whether to invest in Premier.