The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic put theatre company AMC's already perilous financial situation under even further strain. The company's high levels of debt resulted in a monthly cash-burn which left it facing an imminent Chapter-11 filing in the absence of significant capital raises. This case raises practical and ethical questions about the measures taken by management to stave off bankruptcy, including at-the-market equity issues and preferred share issues. Should a management team issue equity if market prices seem overvalued, as was the case when AMC was characterized as a meme stock? If common shareholders do not approve an increase in shares outstanding, can managers issue preferred shares if permitted by the corporate charter? Should insiders sell their own shares while issuing shares to the public?
In July 2021, the CEO of AB InBev's European operations and his team strategized to position the company for success post-pandemic. As the world's largest beer company, boasting over 500 brands, revenue of $46 billion, and a workforce of 160,000 in 2020, AB InBev grappled with the repercussions of the pandemic, particularly the adverse effects on on-trade customers like bars and restaurants. Historically a traditional firm in a conventional industry, AB InBev had begun a substantial digital transformation in recent years. This strategic shift was aimed at leveraging data and market insights more effectively. A key component of this transformation was the creation of the Growth Analytics Center (GAC) in India in 2016, a move designed to embed advanced forecasting and analytics into their business model. As the pandemic unfolded, management increasingly relied on the GAC's analytics and forecasts to navigate the evolving crisis. With pandemic restrictions starting to relax in mid-2021, the company began considering substantial investments in the struggling on-trade sector to gain market share. The company considered offering grants in the form of pre-paid discounts to pubs and restaurants that needed capital to reopen after the pandemic. The dilemma was whether to proactively reinvest in the on-trade sector or take a cautious approach. The decision rested on interpreting GAC data and the company's financial outlook.
In June 2017, Legrand, a global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructure which was a serial acquirer, announced it had signed an agreement to buy Milestone AV Technologies, a leading designer and manufacturer of branded audio-video products. This case describes Legrand's approach to screening, pursuing, and integrating targets as well as the criteria used to evaluate if a deal is successful.
In January 2017, the senior leadership team at Edwards Lifesciences were preparing for the quarterly earnings call that would cover the fourth quarter of 2016. They faced questions about what types of information they should disclose on the call, as well as during other key investor relation events that take place throughout the year.
In the spring of 2018, the Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Financial Planning at Harvard Business School considers potential refinements to the School's financial management practices. He faced questions about whether the metrics that had been used to evaluate financial health were appropriate and about whether key processes that worked well in the past should be reexamined.
In 2015, Elaine Paul, CFO of Hulu, and the rest of the senior leadership team, must decide if they should offer a new, advertisement-free subscription service. At the time Hulu distributed a wide variety of content including in season current programming and earned significant revenues from advertising revenues. This choice had strategic implications and required formulating a view on how the video on demand industry would evolve. It also had value implications that can be analyzed in a subscriber valuation model. The owners of Hulu, which included Disney and Fox, would ultimately need to approve whatever decision was made.
In early 2015, Amy Hood, CFO of Microsoft, and the rest of the senior leadership team faced a set of fundamental choices. The firm had opportunities to serve customers in ways that would be associated with higher growth but lower margin. Some of these opportunities involved a shift from perpetual licensing to subscription sales. Whatever choices are made must be articulated to investors and employees.
In the fall of 2016, the senior leadership team of Boston Public Schools prepared a report indicating that costs were expected to grow faster than revenues for many years to come. They faced questions about whether the projections would be believed and about how to present, prioritize, and implement potential reforms that would help balance the budget.
In March of 2015, General Motors announced the details of a newly-established capital allocation framework. This framework provided a target for return on invested capital, guidelines for capital structure choices, and policies related to payouts. Senior managers face questions about how these policies should be implemented and what impact they might have.
Scott Wagner has recently joined GoDaddy, a leading provider of cloud-based software and services that helped individuals and small businesses establish a web presence, in the dual role of chief operating officer and chief financial officer. One of his first tasks is to design a set of performance metrics that can be used to run the business. This case gives students the opportunity to develop a framework for thinking about GoDaddy's business and to design performance metrics that measure the health of the business and guide employee behavior.
Supplements the (A) case and provides an update describing choices Falabella made. In 2010, the board and senior management team of Falabella, a leading retailer with operations throughout Latin America, faced choices about what to do with its financial services division. More than 4.5 million customers had CMR credit cards that could be used in Falabella stores, and Banco Falabella competed with other banks by offering personal banking services. The case covers many of the key questions the leaders of the firm faced, including whether to allow credit card holders to use their cards for purchases outside of Falabella stores, whether to develop personal banking services further, and whether to make substantial changes to the strategy or to exit the business.
In 2010, the board and senior management team of Falabella, a leading retailer with operations throughout Latin America, faced choices about what to do with its financial services division. More than 4.5 million customers had CMR credit cards that could be used in Falabella stores, and Banco Falabella competed with other banks by offering personal banking services. The case covers many of the key questions the leaders of the firm faced, including whether to allow credit card holders to use their cards for purchases outside of Falabella stores, whether to develop personal banking services further, and whether to make substantial changes to the strategy or to exit the business.
This note profiles the role of the modern chief financial officer (CFO). It presents insights based on a variety of surveys and descriptions of HBS graduates who hold or have held the CFO role. Although the role varies significantly from one organization to another, CFOs are currently responsible for far more than tracking financial figures. The note provides basic information about the responsibilities CFOs face, the paths that lead to the CFO role, the characteristics of CFOs, the compensation of CFOs, and the kinds of things CFOs do when they leave the CFO role.
Spreadsheet supplement for case 216054. In 2013, TAV Airports Holding prepared a bid for the concession to build and operate the third Istanbul airport. This process involved input from various parts of the firm with operating and financial expertise. Burcu GeriÅŸ, the CFO of TAV Airports Holding, and her team created a model to evaluate the opportunity and formulate a bid.
Exhibit 7 supplement model for case 216054. In 2013, TAV Airports Holding prepared a bid for the concession to build and operate the third Istanbul airport. This process involved input from various parts of the firm with operating and financial expertise. Burcu GeriÅŸ, the CFO of TAV Airports Holding, and her team created a model to evaluate the opportunity and formulate a bid.
In 2013, TAV Airports Holding prepared a bid for the concession to build and operate the third Istanbul airport. This process involved input from various parts of the firm with operating and financial expertise. Burcu GeriÅŸ, the CFO of TAV Airports Holding, and her team created a model to evaluate the opportunity and formulate a bid.