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The equity analyst for a large investment bank is in the process of evaluating a potential takeover of Shoppers Drug Mart, Canada's largest drugstore retailer, by Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada's largest grocery retailer. Rumours of the takeover have been circulating for some time, and the analyst wants to provide her buy-side clients with both her comments on the proposed transaction and her assessment of a reasonable offering price.

Analyzes the results of the Thomas Cook turnaround plan after the first year under Harriet Green's leadership (November 2013).

Analyzes the results of the Thomas Cook turnaround plan after the second year under Harriet Green's leadership (November 2014).

An equity research analyst is preparing to attend a road show presentation by WH Group Limited, the world’s largest pork company headquartered in Hong Kong, concerning its upcoming initial public offering. She is reviewing the preliminary prospectus as well as other publicly available background information on the company and its two core subsidiaries, Shuanghui International Holdings Inc. and Smithfield Foods Inc., whose recent acquisition was the largest by a Chinese company of a U.S. firm. She wants to assess the prospects for the company as a whole and arrive at her own independent valuation to support a buy or no buy recommendation for her fund. Her analysis includes assessments of economic conditions and the pork industry in the United States and China and the perceived strengths and weaknesses of WH Group, including the issue of large bonuses to corporate executives and the benefits or risks of the recent acquisition.

American Solar was a small Virginia start up, providing firms with solar thermal energy though new roofing installations. The firm's owners, John Archibald and Kathryn McGeehan, wanted to sell their solar thermal roofing as cost effective systems, not dependent on tax credits to make them economical as was the case with solar photovoltaic electric (PV electric) generation. Kathryn and John competed for a small niche in an already niche market and were working to prove that their system could stand alone as an energy efficient, cost effective heating system. They were battling the high upfront cost of a solar roof and working to sell the long term energy efficiency that solar thermal roofs provided. Kathryn and John knew that a hotel chain-Hannover Inns-was going out asking for bids from roofing companies to replace their roofs. If they could land this contract, it would be their largest commercial contract to date. They wanted to prepare a quote for replacing the roofs along with a presentation, based on cost savings, that could help take their firm to a higher sales level.

County Line Markets (CLM) needed to consider expanding one of its existing sixty-seven Indiana based stores to form a superstore. The key capital investment trade-off decision facing CLM was whether to replace its existing store now with a new, larger superstore, or should they wait in the hope that additional information they might receive in the future would enhance the overall net present value (NPV) of the project. Ron Winston, CFO, was considering whether a real options approach should be used to help determine when and if the store should be converted to a superstore. This case focuses on CLM's evaluation of its downtown metro area location. Although the specific circumstances of each location were different, the analytical and judgmental issues facing CLM's management for the upgrade to a superstore were typical of the issues present at each location. The CLM store under evaluation is located in an area where the demographics, population, and competitive landscape have changed dramatically since the store was last remodeled. The chief financial officer (CFO) Ron Winston thinks that it is premature to invest substantial sums of money in some existing locations because they are still in a state of flux, and he feels it is better to wait until the market stabilizes before committing large amounts of funds to these markets. Jerry Williams, vice president of operations, thinks that CLM needs to invest in advance of market changes. Williams also believes that Winston is not considering competitive developments in his analysis; that is, the impact on the downtown metro area store if the competition moves to a superstore first.

Supplement to case SMU418. In 2011, Mikkel Larsen, Managing Director, Head of Tax & Accounting Policy, Group Finance at DBS Bank mooted the idea of DBS adopting an integrated reporting approach. He was convinced that this was a more holistic way of reporting on the bank's business strategy and activities, linking each of them clearly to the financial and non-financial impact it would have on its stakeholders. In 2012, when DBS adopted the integrated reporting approach, it was the first listed company in Southeast Asia to do so. The report had been well-received and garnered considerable attention from the external parties such as research analysts and the media. Based on feedback from DBS's stakeholders, DBS incorporated changes that would make the 2013 IR more user-friendly and meaningful for its stakeholders. Larsen was, in May 2014, looking over the 2013 report, recognising that there was always room for improvement. For instance, in preparation for the following years' annual reports, further enhancements, could include defining 'materiality', increasing stakeholder outreach, and reporting 'outcomes' as compared to 'outputs'.

A controlling shareholder of the NYSE-listed Chinese online gaming company Shanda Games has offered a buyout at USD6.90 per American Depositary Share (ADS); each ADS consists of two ordinary shares. The offer provides a premium of 22 per cent to the stock's Friday close. Throughout the previous year, Shanda Games' ADS had typically traded in the range of USD3.00 to 4.50.As Shanda Games' independent directors attempt to evaluate the offer, they wonder: Should the shareholders accept it as it is? Should they ask for a higher price? Or should they look for the alternatives?

A controlling shareholder of the NYSE-listed Chinese online gaming company Shanda Games has offered a buyout at USD6.90 per American Depository Share (ADS); each ADS consists of two ordinary shares. The offer provides a premium of 22 per cent to the stock’s Friday close. Throughout the previous year, Shanda Games’ ADS had typically traded in the range of USD2.74 to 6.45.<br><br>As Shanda Games’ independent directors attempt to evaluate the offer, they wonder: Should the shareholders accept it as it is? Should they ask for a higher price? Or should they look for the alternatives?

As one of the most highly capital-intensive industries, airlines require a substantial investment in physical assets to fund operations. These assets, characterized by property, plant, and equipment (PP&E) on the balance sheet, typically comprise more than half of the total assets of an airline. As a result, depreciation of these assets constitutes a major operating expense. Although methods and estimates used for determining depreciation expense can differ across industries, it is not uncommon for similar divergence to occur among companies within the same industry as well. Aircraft-related depreciation expense is determined by estimating the useful life and the residual value of the aircraft. These estimates can vary widely amongst airlines as a result of many factors including differences in corporate strategy, flying patterns, and fleet composition. As a result, differing practices and expectations can have a significant impact on each airline's reported financial results.

When it comes to new government budgets, politicians are usually criticized regardless of whether they undertake new spending or embrace austerity. Canadian Finance Minister Joe Oliver’s spending restraint should be appreciated, however, at a time when world debt has jumped $57 trillion since the so-called Age of Austerity started in 2007, with governments accounting for $25 trillion of the extra liabilities. Oliver has been criticized for his plans to cut the small business tax rate, because the move will widen the gap between what small businesses and large businesses pay in taxes and will possibly incentivize businesses to stay small. But new research discussed in this article shows that a nation’s strongest, largest companies get hit with a lower rating after a sovereign downgrade faster and more often than firms with ratings that are worse than that of the state. This asymmetric effect leads to a greater reduction in investment for a nation’s healthiest firms, while also increasing their cost of capital by pushing up their bond yields. In light of these findings, this article argues that companies big and small stand to benefit from Canada’s return to surplus under Joe Oliver.

This case is set in December 2014, and discusses the business model and challenges facing BPI Globe BanKO ("BanKO"). Established in 2009, BanKO is the Philippine's first mobile phone-based, microfinance-focused savings bank. At that time, statistics showed that eight out of ten Filipinos did not have access to a bank. A few informal moneylenders provided some 40% of small-scale business lending in the market, at interest rates that could touch around 240% per annum. The population living in 40% of the Philippines' municipalities did not have easy access to a physical bank branch. BanKO intends to address these issues by leveraging its combined assets in banking and telecommunications through a partnership between the Bank of the Philippines Island (BPI), the oldest operating bank in Southeast Asia; Globe Telecom, a leading telecommunications company; and the Ayala Corporation, one of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines. BanKO aims to provide the delivery of a range of banking services through mobile solutions supported by a network of partner outlets. These outlets are existing establishments in the community, such as pawnshops and grocery retailers, which have been selected, trained and accredited to conduct customer identification for new account applications, and perform cash-in and cash-out transactions. They are the critical link to bringing financial services to communities located even in remote locations. BanKO also offers loans to microfinance institutions, including rural banks and cooperatives. As it expanded its product range and customer base, BanKO began to extend its ecosystem to involve a range of other partners including fast moving consumer group (FMCG) companies such as Nestle, Proctor & Gamble and Unilever, "sari-sari" stores, social media providers such as Facebook, local governments, cooperatives and aid agencies.

The founder and chief executive officer of Human Touch Connect Pte. Ltd. was hard at work in his office in Singapore. He had been working on the detailed valuation of his latest venture, EatOnline.Asia, to be presented to the partner of Top Line Ventures, a venture capital firm. He was hoping to be able to convince the firm to invest the required amount of SGD1.5 million. The founder wondered what method(s) of valuation he could use to reflect the fair value of the project. The second issue that was troubling him was, in the event that he was successful in convincing Top Line Ventures, how much stake he could offer for an investment of SGD1.5 million.

The founder and chief executive officer of Human Touch Connect Pte. Ltd. was hard at work in his office in Singapore. He had been working on the detailed valuation of his latest venture, EatOnline.Asia, to be presented to the partner of Top Line Ventures, a venture capital firm. He was hoping to be able to convince the firm to invest the required amount of SGD1.5 million. The founder wondered what method(s) of valuation he could use to reflect the fair value of the project. The second issue that was troubling him was, in the event that he was successful in convincing Top Line Ventures, how much stake he could offer for an investment of SGD1.5 million.

This Technical Note is intended for use by practitioners and academics, including MBA students, who are learning to model leveraged buy-outs. The note discusses the structuring of leveraged buy-outs, a step-by-step approach to modeling a leveraged buy-out, a detailed section on frequently asked questions related to the assumptions behind leveraged buy-outs, and a sample model. An instructional video accompanies the materials.

Olam International, a publicly listed firm, was a leading agri-business with an integrated supply chain. To sustain growth, the company took on large amounts of debt to fund acquisitions and other capital expenditures. A hedge fund issued a Sell recommendation, highlighting the problems facing the company, including several years of negative free cash flows. The heated exchange between Olam and the hedge fund led to a government investment fund, Temasek Holdings, first backing Olam, and then eventually offering to buy out the minority shareholders. This scenario presents an excellent opportunity to apply the discounted cash flow analysis and relative valuation techniques to evaluate Temasek's offer.

The chief compliance officer at NYR Financial Services (NYR) faces a decision-making dilemma regarding whether or not to increase a settlement offer to a client. This particular client has lodged a complaint against the investment firm, alleging that his money was inappropriately invested, given the risk tolerance level of his portfolio. The client believes that as a result of this mismanagement, he has lost over $100,000. The complaint has been reviewed by several panels of finance experts, including the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI), with the latter concluding that NYR owes the client a settlement of $40,000. NYR's compliance officer must now decide between two options: meet the client somewhere in the middle, or inform the OBSI that NYR will not be following the panel's recommendation. If NYR chooses the latter option, OBSI will go public with NYR's refusal to abide by the ombudsman's advice.

Supplement to case W14754.

In 2011, Mikkel Larsen, Managing Director, Head of Tax & Accounting Policy, Group Finance at DBS Bank mooted the idea of DBS adopting an integrated reporting approach. He was convinced that this was a more holistic way of reporting on the bank's business strategy and activities, linking each of them clearly to the financial and non-financial impact it would have on its stakeholders. In 2012, when DBS adopted the integrated reporting approach, it was the first listed company in Southeast Asia to do so. The report had been well-received and garnered considerable attention from the external parties such as research analysts and the media. Based on feedback from DBS's stakeholders, DBS incorporated changes that would make the 2013 IR more user-friendly and meaningful for its stakeholders. Larsen was, in May 2014, looking over the 2013 report, recognising that there was always room for improvement. For instance, in preparation for the following years' annual reports, further enhancements, could include defining 'materiality', increasing stakeholder outreach, and reporting 'outcomes' as compared to 'outputs'.

This case provides an introduction to microfinance by presenting a very common dilemma that many microfinance institutions (MFIs) are facing - the struggle of reaching the rural population, and rural women in particular. This is done specifically through the lens of Douglas Pond, Opportunity International's (Opportunity) Chief Commercial Officer of Mozambique. In 2008, Douglas arrived in Mozambique and quickly experienced this dilemma. Upon identifying the many barriers to entry, Douglas was left with needing to make a decision.