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In November 2019, Saudi Arabia’s government officials and advisers had to decide whether or not to proceed with a plan to make the government-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) a private company and list it on a stock exchange. At the time, Aramco was considered to be the most profitable company in the world. Therefore, its initial public offering would potentially be the largest in history. The company’s market capitalization would dwarf those of global giants Apple Inc. and Google LLC. Saudi Aramco managed the world’s largest oil reserves and had the world’s second-lowest cost of oil extraction. However, there were concerns about the targeted valuation of US$2 trillion. There were also various other questions to be answered: Should the government-owned Aramco become a private company? Was the timing right to list the company on a stock exchange? What fraction of shares should be offered to investors? How should the largest initial public offering in history be priced?

Spreadsheet for product 9B20N031.

Spreadsheet supplement for case 221006.

The We Company (WeWork) rented office spaces for long-term leases, turned them into hip offices, and then offered them for short-term leases. Its charismatic cofounder and CEO Adam Neumann, explosive growth funded by significant cash injections from SoftBank and its USD100bn Vision Fund, and a pre-IPO valuation of USD47bn ensured the company was one of the most talked-about unicorns in August 2019. WeWork's valuation was similar to that of a high-tech stock with high price multiples. From FY 2016 to FY2018, its losses totalled USD3.3bn, outstripping revenue at USD3.1bn. After release of Form S-1 pre-IPO filing documents, numerous financial analysts and the press scrutinized WeWork. In addition to its lower than expected financial performance, some questioned WeWork's business model, its governance model, and its valuation. In the weeks that followed, the IPO was withdrawn, WeWork announced plans to lay off 2,000 staff, Neuman was removed as CEO, and Softbank doubled down on its bet in order to keep the company going. This latest share purchase by Softbank valued the company at USD8bn, compared to USD49bn two months earlier.

Instructor Spreadsheet to accompany product 8B20N033.

Student Spreadsheet to accompany product 9B20N033.

On November 3, 2016, Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) launched a bid for Singapore-based food and beverage company Super Group Ltd. (Super). JDE had already acquired 60 per cent of the shares but needed another 30 per cent in order to delist the company and take it private. The minority shareholders of Super faced the task of evaluating whether the offer from JDE was reasonable and whether they should tender or hold on to their shares. Their decisions would depend on the valuation of Super’s shares, based on financial and other relevant and available market information.

Student spreadsheet to case W20763

On November 3, 2016, Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) launched a bid for Singapore-based food and beverage company Super Group Ltd. (Super). JDE had already acquired 60 per cent of the shares but needed another 30 per cent in order to delist the company and take it private. The minority shareholders of Super faced the task of evaluating whether the offer from JDE was reasonable and whether they should tender or hold on to their shares. Their decisions would depend on the valuation of Super's shares, based on financial and other relevant and available market information.

In January 2017, Canada-based Saputo Inc. was preparing an offer to acquire the remaining shares of an Australian dairy firm, Warrnambool Cheese & Butter Factory Co. Hold. Ltd. (WCB). Saputo Inc. had previously acquired a majority of the equity, but minority shareholders prevented Saputo Inc. from delisting WCB from the Australian Securities Exchange. Although WCB was a publicly traded company, the current share price might not reflect its intrinsic value because its shares were very thinly traded, with most shares being owned by Saputo Inc. and a few minority shareholders. Saputo Inc. had to determine an appropriate offer price for the acquisition.

Student spreadsheet to case W20745

In 2000, Eaton Corporation was a broadly diversified industrial conglomerate. But its strategy was evolving and its focus was narrowing around "power management" and more recently on "intelligent power," the use of digitally enabled products and services designed to enhance efficiency and reliability. To implement this transition, Eaton had acquired more than 70 companies and divested another 50. Such active portfolio management required Eaton to regularly assess the prospects of each business unit-the profit and growth potential-and to explore opportunities to enhance its capabilities through acquisitions. In January 2020, Eaton got an offer from Danfoss, a Danish conglomerate, to buy its hydraulics business for $3.3 billion. Recently appointed CEO Craig Arnold must decide whether this deal makes sense strategically and financially. In particular, he must decide if $3.3 billion is a fair price for the firm's hydraulics business.

This case follows Summit Partners, a leading growth equity firm, as it evaluates an investment opportunity in IVC, a veterinary care group in the U.K. market. The case allows students to articulate and evaluate the investment thesis of this transaction. Additionally, it provides insight into the sourcing and due diligence process in the modern growth equity space, as well as details of the financial structure of the investment. In particular, the case provides students with an opportunity to recreate the valuation model, and understand the economics of the preferred equity. The case can be used as a platform to reflect on the value add of growth equity investors and what constitutes as a "propriety" investment in the mature growth equity industry.

The case describes a fictitious family office (FO), Merlion Investments, and the efforts of a junior family member, Leong Yew Kong, to convince his uncle and his grandfather to make an allocation to collectible assets. Similar to many family offices, Merlion Investments pursues a relatively conservative investment strategy; only 20% of its assets are allocated to riskier opportunities designed to grow the family's wealth. Yew Kong, who has worked diligently under his uncle's guidance for years, wants more responsibility. After doing his own research, Yew Kong believes he has identified an opportunity to carve out his own niche in the portfolio by investing in collectibles. The case is constructed to illustrate the real-world challenge of investing in non-traditional assets, in this instance, collectibles. Background information on five different collectible assets is provided in the case that students can use to discuss a) whether his uncle, Tan Chee Keong, and Merlion Investments should agree to Yew Kong's suggestion, b) which collectibles to invest in and through what vehicle, c) how much capital to allocate, and d) what kind of skills or expertise the team would need to successfully manage these investments.

This case explores the corporate finance issues arising from the suspension of HSBC Holdings plc's (HSBC, stock code: 5.HK) dividend payout in March 2020. Such abrupt change in pattern was immediately met with tremendous reverberation and discussion in the market. The case seeks to highlight the considerations of HSBC in deciding on a dividend policy, both from a corporate finance and behavioral finance perspective. Through the case, students will grapple with the practical questions of how a listed company should structure its dividend payout pattern. The pattern is structured in such a way to satisfy the operational and financial needs of itself while minimizing the negative impacts to shareholder relationships. There is a dilemma that a listed company's dividend policy, while constituting part of the current cost of capital, is a means to maintaining a stable share price and shareholder "clientele". As such, it is important for students to be aware when such dilemma arises, how to strike a healthy balance between satisfying the shareholders and adhering to Milton Friedman's "business of business is business" convention.

This case explores how Cathay Pacific, the world's eighth-largest carrier of international passengers, deals with the new accounting standard, namely, HKFRS 16 Leases (which superseded the prior HKAS 17) as mandated, effective 1 January 2019. For lessee accounting, the new standard adopts a singular right-of-use model that applies the same accounting treatment universally to all leases (with few exceptions), while the prior standard used a dual model that required distinct classification of operating and finance leases with different accounting treatments. Companies that enter lease arrangements to access assets are affected by the new lease standard in varying degrees. In particular, the airline industry-with heavy reliance on leases for aircrafts-is one of most affected in terms of financial metrics. The case seeks to highlight the discussion surrounding the implementation of the new standard. Students will tackle practical questions about the differences between HKFRS 16 and HKAS 17, and how the implementation of the new standard affects Cathay Pacific's financial position, performance, and disclosures in the financial statements.

The case describes what happened in December 2019 when Guo Meiling, the chairwoman of Beijing Century Galaxy Group, needed to decide whether she should invest in the RMB 50 million (US$7.1 million) deal of Yisheng Health. Yisheng Health consisted of two O2O platforms, Yisheng At-home and Yisheng Carefree. Guo Meiling has already invested RMB 60 million in the firm in 2016, and this will be the second round of investment. Century Galaxy Group is established in 1994 as a for-profit group. It mainly operates in the healthcare business, in two major sectors, industrial operations and investment. The group has invested in several companies, and is also actively involved in CSR initiatives that includes charity donation drives and volunteering activities. In addition, Guo is attracted to impact investing, hoping that she can integrate her sense of compassion into the healthcare business. Under her leadership, the group has reinterpreted 'natural wellness' and made several double bottom-line investments. Yisheng Health is one of them. Guo's decision to invest further depends on her views on social investment, especially on impact investing. To date, China has accumulated limited knowledge about impact investing, and domestic scholars has not yet published any related articles. If Century Galaxy were to attempt to conduct impact investing, what would be a good international standard to follow? How could this type of investment be integrated into healthcare to create synergy for Century Galaxy? From the perspective of impact investing, should Guo invest in Yisheng Health?

On June 11, 2018, Jake Veluz, portfolio manager at BDO Asset Management had to decide whether or not to invest in the initial public offering (IPO) of D.M. Wenceslao and Associates (DMW), a Philippine-based integrated property developer. The IPO price of DMW was reduced from ₱22.90 to ₱12 because of deteriorating stock market conditions. There is substantial concentration risk because most of the company's land is in a single location and it is subject to long-term competitive pressures. However, DMW also has good prospects for future growth and capital appreciation in real estate rentals and development. Veluz had to prepare an internal memo to explain the merits, risks, and fair valuation of a possible investment in the DMW IPO in the context of weak stock market conditions.

Student spreadsheet supplement to case W20664