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The American Institute for Foreign Studies (AIFS) organizes study abroad programs and cultural exchanges for American students. The firm's revenues are mainly in U.S. dollars, but most of its costs are in eurodollars and British pounds. The company's controllers review the hedging activities of AIFS. AIFS has a hedging policy, but the controllers want to review the percentage of exposure that is covered and the use of forward contracts and options. AIFS sets guaranteed prices for its exchanges and tours a year in advance, before its final sales figures are known. The controllers need to ensure that the company adequately hedges its foreign exchange exposure and achieves an appropriate balance between forward contracts and currency options. To obtain executable spreadsheets (courseware), please contact our customer service department at [email protected].

In 2001, Bank Leu, a Swiss private bank, is considering creating the world's first public fund for catastrophe bonds. Cat bonds are securities whose payments depend on the probability of a catastrophe occurring, such as an earthquake or hurricane. Cat bonds are traditionally issued by large insurance or reinsurance companies. This case outlines the traditional reinsurance market and securitization efforts that have taken place in the past and focuses on Bank Leu's decision as a buy-side participant in the cat bond market.

In 2002, Swiss Re, the world's second--largest insurance company, is considering securitizing parts of its risk portfolio in the capital markets. This would be a first for the company that, until then, had never transferred risk off its balance sheet. Peter Giessmann, head of the Retrocession Group, is considering catastrophe bonds as a way of transferring risk. "Cat bonds" are securities whose payments depend on the probability of a catastrophe occurring, such as an earthquake or hurricane. This case outlines the traditional reinsurance market and securitization efforts that have taken place in the past and then focuses on Swiss Re's decision as a sell-side participant in the cat bond market.

The rise of 'shareholder value maximization' as the primary mission of corporations has created a context that exacerbates extreme reactions to monetary compensation. As a result, argues the author, depending heavily on monetary incentives to motivate people is nothing short of dangerous, especially for a firm whose mission is truly to maximize shareholder value. When it comes to incentives, balancing them and dulling their 'sharp edges' with a supportive firm context is far preferable - for employees, the firm and for society - to unleashing them on their own.

Spreadsheet Supplement for case 205008

All securities can be evaluated based on certain common characteristics: value, rate of return, risk, maturity, and so forth. This case examines how bonds are valued and how their rates of return are computed. It begins with basic definitions and features of fixed-income instruments and proceeds to basic bond mathematics. An overview of the U.S. Treasury market is provided, as well as some national markets for other important domestic government bonds.

This case explores two measures of price sensitivity: duration and convexity. These measures are normally used to gauge how sensitive a bond's price is to a change in interest-rate levels. However, as concepts, both duration and convexity have wider application: duration and convexity take into account any change for any risk factor affecting the price of any financial instrument.

HSBC is one of the largest and most global financial institutions in the world. The company has identified Bital, Mexico's fourth largest bank, as a potential acquisition target. Negotiations have come down to the wire, and the controlling Mexican shareholders are trying to get HSBC to raise its offer. Is it worth it? HSBC must decide on both strategic and short-term financial criteria under some degree of uncertainty, as illuminated by a due diligence process. The HSBC executive who has handled the acquisition at a local level, and would be CEO of HSBC Mexico should the deal go ahead, is assessing the pros and cons of the acquisition and must also identify the priorities that he and his team would have to address, including culture change issues, rebranding Bital as HSBC Mexico, personnel issues, and maintaining the continuity of the business.

Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) had no long-term debt on its balance sheet. Although many analysts considered BBBY's balance sheet a strength that permitted greater flexibility, some commented on the risks of its growing cash balance. These concerns raised questions about BBBY's capital structure. In early 2004, interest rates were at an all-time low, making it an attractive time to consider issuing debt and executing either a share repurchase or a one-time special dividend. Provides a few capital structure proposals for students to analyze.

In 2003 The Boeing Company announced plans to build a new "super-efficient" commercial jet called the "7E7" or "Dreamliner." This was a "bet the farm" gamble by Boeing, similar in magnitude to its earlier introductions of the 747 and 777 airliners. The technological superiority of the new airframe and the fact that it would penetrate a rapidly growing market segment argued for approval of the project. On the other hand, the current market for commercial airplanes was depressed, reflecting terrorism risk, war, and SARS, a contagious illness resulting in global travel warnings. Boeing's board of directors would need to weigh these considerations in granting final approval to proceed with the project The task for students is to evaluate the 7E7 project against a financial standard, the investors' required returns. The case gives internal rates of return (IRR) for the 7E7 project under base case and alternative forecasts. The students must estimate a weighted-average cost of capital (WACC) for Boeing's commercial-aircraft business segment in order to evaluate these IRRs. As a result of this analysis the students identify the "key value drivers" and distinguish, on a qualitative basis, the key gambles Boeing is making. The general objective of this case is to exercise students' skills in estimating a weighted average cost of capital and cost of equity. The need for students to estimate a segment WACC draws out their abilities to critique different estimates of beta and to manipulate the levered-beta formulas. Boeing competes in both the commercial aircraft and defense business; thus, deriving the appropriate benchmark WACC for the 7E7 project requires isolating the commercial aircraft component from Boeing's overall corporate WACC. In doing so, students engage the concept of value additivity.

Spreadsheet supplement for case UV0281.

In September 2001, Armando Codina, the CEO and chairman of Codina Group, is facing the decision of whether to go ahead as planned with its $220 million Beacon Lakes project, a 6.6-million-square-foot warehouse and office park in Miami's Airport West submarket. Although his firm has already spent more than two years and almost $2 million to get the project underway, the various obstacles ahead make him ponder whether to continue. Codina feels that an unsuccessful project could hurt his otherwise untainted career. Among the issues facing him: the uncertainty regarding the expansion of the Urban Development Boundary line to the west to include the site of the project, which is currently zoned to prohibit any type of development, and the heated environmental debate regarding the site's proximity to the Northwest Wellfield Protection Area and the Everglades National Park. Codina needs to analyze fully the economics of the deal, taking into account market conditions as well as the ultimate profitability of the project given the concessions that he is willing to make.

This case asks students to select and implement a methodology for estimating the damages in a complex lawsuit filed under Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Students are given market-price information to facilitate an event study to measure damages for the firm. The case works well as an introduction to and example of efficient capital markets.

Traditional financial-ratio analysis is a popular after-the-fact look at financial and managerial performance. This case introduces a means for incorporating rates of improvement, growth, or change into traditional financial-ratio analysis. Indeed, the Delta Factor tables presented in the case easily transform financial-ratio analysis into a forward-looking planning tool.

In November 2000, Kohlberg, Kravis, and Roberts (KKR) purchased Rockwood Specialties, Inc., a specialty chemicals company, in a $1.2 billion buyout. Spurred by the favorable market conditions in the first half of 2003, KKR was contemplating refinancing its buyout debt in June 2003. Merrill Lynch, its underwriter, proposed to refinance the earlier funding, in part, with a $375 million issue of senior subordinated notes. Although there had been a favorable interest-rate environment and a strong volume of debt issuance in the first half of 2003, the Rockwood offering still posed some significant challenges. First, it was a first-time issue by a privately held company. Second, KKR's motivation for the offering and the complex financial structure surrounding it had resulted in a preliminary credit rating of Caa from Moody's. Students are asked to evaluate and price the high-yield issue. The case discusses how credit ratings, market conditions, and organizational structure affect bond yields. There is a brief history of how the high-yield market evolved from the mid-1980s through 2003.

Spreadsheet Supplement for case 205013.

H&R Block, the U.S. market leader in tax preparation services, must decide whether to offer financial services to its low-income clients. H&R Block is facing increased competition from branded and nonbranded tax preparers, and the number of returns prepared by the company has declined in recent years. The CEO, Mark Ernst, considers a proposal for Block to differentiate itself from these competitors by offering its low-income clients a range of financial services, including check cashing, money transfer, and savings products. Ernst must decide whether this new suite of services would be profitable for the company and determine its impact on Block's brand and how the company and the marketplace would receive it.