In order to protect its operation from 2007 onwards, Dragonair needed to replace a spare engine that was deemed beyond economic repair back in late 2002. Three options were available to address this need. First, Dragonair could purchase the engine outright, which would require it to place an order with the manufacturer 12 months in advance and pay an upfront deposit. Second, the airline could choose a sale-and-leaseback transaction with a leasing company whereby it would sell the engine it purchased to the leasing company and then lease it back from the leasing company for an agreed period. Third, the airline could lease a new engine directly from a leasing company, in which case the leasing arrangement would be the same as the sale-and-leaseback transaction.

In early 2006, a taskforce at the Hong Kong Dragon Airlines ("Dragonair") was formed to evaluate alternative ways to replace a spare engine. The potential options were to either purchase the engine outright or to lease the engine via a direct lease or a sale-and-leaseback arrangement. However, to assess and compare the attractiveness of each option, the taskforce must first determine an appropriate discount rate to use.

In January 2002, speculators in the finance community suspected that Ha Chung Fong, chairman of Fountain Set (Holdings) Ltd., might be in the mood to reconsider a previous proposal to privatize the company. Ha was dissatisfied with the counter's trading volume, and some managers of the firm also believed that the share price did not reflect its true value. In 1995, Fountain Set had attempted to privatize by way of a scheme of arrangement under Section 166 of the company's ordinance. The scheme was later abandoned due to difficulties in reaching an agreement between the company's consortium shareholders and also problems in ascertaining the proportion of the holders of the company's convertible notes. With the redemption of the convertible notes in 1999, financial analysts believed that privatizing the company would not be as difficult as in 1995.

In late January 2000, Cable & Wireless plc (C&W) and Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (SingTel) unveiled a proposed merger of equals between Cable & Wireless HKT (HKT) and SingTel. Both HKT and SingTel were the leading telecom operators in their local markets, and a merger between the two would create the second-largest full-service telecom provider in Asia outside Japan. Nonetheless, the proposed deal was received coolly in Hong Kong and Singapore, owing to uncertainty over its political and financial ramifications. C&W anticipated that the Chinese government would prefer to keep HKT in local investors' control and had, therefore, considered the possibility of receiving offers from potential suitors in Hong Kong, possibly including Pacific Century CyberWorks Ltd. (PCCW). To respond to SingTel or any other potential bidders, C&W had to prepare itself for the negotiations and find a fair value for its stakes in HKT.

Presents measures of financial performance and health for pairs of Asian and American companies in different industries from 1996 to 2000. The measures include economic profit (also known as Economic Value Added) and other classic measures, such as financial ratios and stock price performance.

New World Development Co. Ltd. (NWD) was a leading conglomerate based in Hong Kong. After more than 20 years of operations, the group had expanded its core businesses to include property, infrastructure, services, and telecommunications. From late 1997 to June 2001, the stock price performance of the company had been abysmal. Its efforts at asset disposals to reduce gearing, while making additional investments in new businesses, confused investors. Security analysts also blamed the company for not keeping its promise to focus on its core business of property.

Although mortgage securitization was old hat in the United States and Europe, it had not really caught on in Asia. Past experience in Hong Kong suggested that efforts by individual institutions to securitize mortgages had not been entirely successful. In spite of this, the Hong Kong government placed high hopes in Hong Kong Mortgage Corp. (HKMC) to develop the mortgage-backed securities (MBS) market. However, some banks wondered whether it was timely for them to get into the MBS business in Asia. In particular, the banks and the HKMC had very different risks and concerns regarding the development of MBS. Teaching Purpose:

On March 3, 1999, the financial secretary of Hong Kong announced in his budget speech that the government planned to partially privatize the MTR Corp. through the sale and listing of a minority interest in the corporation's shares. The listing of this integrated rail operator on October 5, 2000, created an important precedent for future privatization of government assets. However, a host of uncertainties remained about how value enhancements are achieved in this privatization.

Phuket Beach Hotel has an opportunity to lease its underutilized space to a karaoke pub and earn a rental income. Alternatively, the hotel could develop the unused space and create its own pub. The general manager of the hotel must decide which of the two capital projects to recommend to the hotel owners. This case presents sufficient information to build cash flow forecasts for each project and to rank the mutually exclusive projects using various evaluation criteria.

Since the completion of its merger deal with Cable & Wireless HKT Ltd. in August 2000, Pacific Century CyberWorks Ltd. had been gripped by the full teeth of the bear. By early April 2001, the company had seen its share price plummet by nearly 90%. While many retail investors in Hong Kong were mourning their losses, some corporate insiders managed to find a clean exit route and were able to earn substantial profits. An interesting question to the general investors was: if they had followed the inside track, would they have been able to beat the market?

In mid-1999, negotiators for Walt Disney Co. and the Hong Kong government were having intensive discussions about the possibility of building a theme park known as Hong Kong Disneyland on Lantau. The case presents detailed information about the proposed theme park and the assumptions made by Walt Disney in conducting an economic assessment of the project. Also lays out other alternatives for Disney's entry into the China market.

In mid-1999, negotiators for the Hong Kong government and the Walt Disney Co. were having intensive discussions about the possibility of building a theme park known as Hong Kong Disneyland on Lantau. This case presents detailed information about the proposed theme park and the assumptions used by the Hong Kong government in conducting an economic assessment of the project. Also lays out other alternatives for reinvigorating the tourism industry in Hong Kong and the development of Penny's Bay (the proposed site of Hong Kong Disneyland) in Lantau.

Structured as a bilateral negotiation exercise allow students to participate in a joint venture simulation for the Disneyland project in Hong Kong. Should be used in conjunction with Hong Kong Disneyland (A): The Walt Disney Perspective and Hong Kong Disneyland (B): The HKSAR Perspective. Students are assigned to a negotiation team representing one of two groups (either the Hong Kong government or Walt Disney Co.). They are then required to study the case assigned to their side of the negotiation. The students' task in this negotiation is to represent their groups effectively and to achieve the best outcome for the government or Walt Disney.

On February 18, 2000, month-old Internet startup, Tom.com, began its initial public offering and would open for trading on March 1 on Hong Kong's Growth Enterprise Market. The Internet company, majority-owned by Mr. Li Ka-shing's Cheung Kong Holdings and Hutchison Whampoa, planned to catch the frenzy that Hong Kong's investors had for new Internet stocks. The huge demand for Tom.com shares raised Internet frenzy in Hong Kong to new levels reminiscent of the red chip fever of 1997. Many of the retail investors had no idea what the company did but were betting on the IPO being a winner largely because of Mr. Li's clout with China. In this case, the student is asked to serve as an investment advisor to a retail investor considering subscribing to Tom.com's IPO. The student will provide an analysis of the risks and opportunities of investing in Tom.com and make a recommendation on whether the client should buy Tom.com's shares at the offer price.

In September 1994, Sino Land, the best-known second-tier property developer in Hong Kong, was studying the possibility of a spinoff of its hotels and hospitality division into a separately listed firm. Under the proposed de-merger, the new holding vehicle, Sino Hotels (Holdings), would inherit equity interests in a number of hotels and restaurants. It was also scheduled to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange after elevation of Sino Land to a blue-chip Hang Seng Index constituent stock on February 28, 1998. The case looks at the rationale and the timing of the spinoff and investigates whether the event resulted in an increase in Sino Land's stock market value and improvements in its business.