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This case presents a challenging discounted-cash-flow (DCF) problem associated with the valuation consequences of changes made to an earnout agreement. The task of the student is to conduct a DCF analysis to compare the values of the original earnout and the amended earnout. The case is designed to be taught in an introductory course as an application of DCF principles, in particular, the choice of an appropriate discount rate consistent with risk.

ALI Technologies Inc. is a medical information technology company that develops filmless diagnostic equipment for hospitals and clinics and is world leader in this field. An offer to acquire the company has been presented and the chief executive officer and the board of directors must determine if the offer is fair to the company shareholders and in the best interests of the company.

In 2003, TechnoServe, a U.S.-based, international, nonprofit organization, was deciding how to structure the capital investments required for Tanzanian business groups to acquire coffee bean central pulperies. This case explores the challenges of capital budgeting and financing for small firms in an emerging market.

Silver Lake Partners led a syndicate that took Seagate private in 2000. Crystal Decisions was an underperforming software subsidiary of Seagate and had been an immaterial part of Seagate. Silver Lake assigned $95 million (of the $1.1 billion in equity paid for Seagate) to Crystal Decisions. Chronicles the turnaround of Crystal Decisions and the eventual harvest of the company in 2003. The Silver Lake syndicate must consider whether to sell the company to Business Objects or pursue an IPO.

Tirstrup BioMechanics (Denmark) was considering an investment of $410 million in the United States, and Julie Harbjerg, Assistant Treasurer International for Tirstrup, was charged with evaluating different alternatives for raising the funds for the acquisition.

Spreadsheet Supplement for case 204009.

The board has asked Ron Tolbert, an employee in the Risk Assessment and Control Group, to analyze three SPE transactions executed by Enron executives: the Destec, Rhythms, and Fishtail/Bacchus transactions, which were prominently featured in the Examiner's Report in the ensuing Enron bankruptcy. Tolbert's job is to assess why Enron used SPEs for these transactions, whether risk was successfully transferred off the balance sheet, and whether risk transfer was the only motivation.

In the spring of 2000, nine Western European governments were preparing for the sale of licenses that would allow private operators of 3G networks to use certain blocks in the spectrum of radio frequencies. The governments' objectives included the competitiveness of the resulting telephony market, an efficient allocation of licenses, and the generation of revenues to supplement governmental budgets. Most governments were considering the use of auctions to sell their licenses in the private market. Different countries faced different market conditions, and differed in their preferred choice of auction format.

TiVo's valuation is questioned by stock analyst and the case challenges students to use concepts and applications of customer lifetime value to determine whether TiVo's current share prices are appropriate.

The typical term sheet for a venture-capital investment contains a host of contract provisions designed to protect the value of an investor's capital. The purpose of this note is to focus on a few key terms (namely, antidilution, liquidation preference, dividends, redemption, and control rights) and to discuss the ways in which these terms may be made more investor-friendly or entrepreneur-friendly. The terms discussed in this note are widely regarded by practitioners as having the greatest ability to affect the economic returns for the parties involved in an early-stage investment. At the end of the discussion of each term, a chart highlights the various ways in which these terms may be structured. The examples, though not meant to be exhaustive, offer a perspective on the various ways a term might be worded in order to confer different rights on the parties.

This case examines the use of an American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program in the context of an overall restructuring plan that students are asked to evaluate. A New Zealand-based conglomerate's stock in recent months has underperformed in the New Zealand market. Analysts have begun to speculate that the company suffers from the well-known "conglomerate discount." In June 2000, in an attempt to improve the situation, Deutsche Bank Alex Brown (DBAB) is asked to conduct a strategic review of the company.

This note reviews the fundamental terminology and pricing techniques for a simple risk-free bond contract. The note is intended to introduce students to the concept of the time value of money and the basic language of bond markets.

Describes investment decision-making processes, based on interviews with 56% of the top 38 venture capital firms in the country. Discusses some implications for the future growth of the industry.

The cofounder and CEO of AsiaInfo, a Chinese system integrator that built 70% of China's Internet backbone, must decide whether to list equity in the United States to fund future growth. Describes the company and the decision. A rewritten version of a previous case.

Biovail Corporation, a large pharmaceutical company, recently had its stock downgraded by a well known pharmaceutical analyst and a number of other analysts were also scrutinizing the company. The outcome was not favorable, as Biovail's acquisition methods were labeled as unethical and their accounting practices were questioned. An investor with the company must decide if she will continue to invest in a company that has been identified with low ethical standards. The supplement Biovail Corporation (B), product 9B04N008 discusses the investor's decision, and some information that caused her to reconsider that decision.

In this supplement to Biovail Corporation (A), product 9B04N007, an investor in Biovail made the decision to sell her stock in the company based on published reports from a well known pharmaceutical analyst. She later finds out that this analyst had an interest in Biovail's competition and wonders if she should reconsider her decision.

Although there has been an explosion in the number of technology sourcing relationships between firms--including alliances, acquisitions, and all intermediate levels of equity ownership--managers lack a comprehensive framework to guide them in equity ownership decisions meant to access technology. Higher levels of equity ownership can provide benefits such as exclusive access to and control over critical resources, alignment of interests between partners, and better coordination and control of partner interaction. On the other hand, equity ownership also entails costs associated with implementing changes to organizational structures, in addition to lower employee motivation as well as commitment costs due to market or technological uncertainty.

Provides background information on the high-tech industry in Israel.

Yossi Sela, general partner at Gemini Venture capital, considers a new investment in Precise Software. The firm is at a crisis point, and Sela needs to decide whether he will fire the firm's chief executive officer. Conflicts between the American CEO and the Israeli founders of the firm are hampering the company.

Conor Medsystems had developed a drug-eluting stent that could capture significant share of the $5 billion global market. Chief executive officer, Frank Litvack, is considering alternative sources of financing to test the device.