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Student spreadsheet for case W17163.

In 2016, Tesco PLC, a leading U.K. retail chain, had undergone tremendous financial turmoil. Profitability had been decreasing since 2013 with heavy losses registered during fiscal year (FY) 2014/15. Net profit had decreased by 304 per cent from 2012 to 2015. However, after the appointment of a new chief executive officer in 2014, Tesco managed to register a net profit of £138 million in FY 2015/16: an astonishing turnaround. Evidently, Tesco was recovering from its losses, but the share price of the company had fallen by more than 20 per cent from 2015 to 2016. What course of action would enable Tesco to maintain and improve its value for shareholders? What areas should the chief executive officer focus on in order to change Tesco's financial performance?

In 2016, Tesco PLC, a leading U.K. retail chain, had undergone tremendous financial turmoil. Profitability had been decreasing since 2013 with heavy losses registered during fiscal year (FY) 2014/15. Net profit had decreased by 304 per cent from 2012 to 2015. However, after the appointment of a new chief executive officer in 2014, Tesco managed to register a net profit of £138 million in FY 2015/16: an astonishing turnaround. Evidently, Tesco was recovering from its losses, but the share price of the company had fallen by more than 20 per cent from 2015 to 2016. What course of action would enable Tesco to maintain and improve its value for shareholders? What areas should the chief executive officer focus on in order to change Tesco’s financial performance?

In mid-2016, the chief executive officer of Tesla, a U.S. manufacturer of electric cars, was interested in acquiring SolarCity, a U.S. solar power manufacturer and distributor. Both Tesla and SolarCity operated in young, high-growth industries; however, despite their high growth rates, both companies were also losing money every year. Both companies had similar products and could be a strong strategic fit. The chief executive officer needed to convince Tesla’s shareholders that SolarCity would be a good acquisition target and then determine a fair price to offer.

Sumitomo-Mitsui Bank (the Bank) was found not to have breached its duty of explanation when an interest-rate swap agreement had been executed between the Bank and a customer (the Company), under which fixed and floating interest rates would be swapped and the resulting difference settled. The Company had borrowed substantially at floating-rate interest and wanted to hedge against the risk associated with rising interest rates. During the period from June 8, 2005 to June 7, 2006, the Company paid ¥8.8 million in total to the Bank as the difference between the fixed interest rate and the floating interest rate, and penalty interest payments due to delay. The Company then sued the Bank and asserted that it had breached its duty of explanation, abused its superior bargaining position, and inappropriately and unfairly solicited this agreement with the Bank. The Company had a basic question as to whether this swap was for hedging or speculation, and claimed that the Bank had not fully explained the product and the risk involved. A full economic analysis of this derivative for this case study was included so that it can be employed to assess the court decision.

In late 2013, an analyst at WNG Capital LLC, Wenbo Su, must recommend whether the terms of a sale-and-leaseback deal are value adding for WNG. WNG was an operating lessor of used commercial aircraft manufactured by Airbus Group and Boeing Corporation. The lessee in the deal was a small private airline based in the United Kingdom. The essence of the transaction was to transform the airline from being the owner of certain aircraft in its fleet to being the lessee of the aircraft for the ensuing 12 months. The airline would have full use of the aircraft, but would not own the aircraft or have use of the aircraft after the end of the lease. The cash flows to all parties were complicated, and Su planned to conduct a thorough analysis of the proposed lease terms before making a recommendation to WNG's CEO, Michael Gangemi. The student's challenge is to assume Su's role and develop a discounted cash flow analysis to estimate the NPV to WNG Capital. The broader discussion of the case prompts students to answer how the airline benefits from the deal. This analysis and discussion form the basis of understanding the value of leasing as a value-adding financial product.

Interline Brands, a leading distributor of residential housing maintenance and repair parts and equipment in the U.S., had just held its November 2014 board meeting. The meeting had been productive, but not without some soul searching for both the company's management team and financial sponsors. Was now the right time to start a sale process? In particular, the team wondered whether the capital markets would cooperate and how effectively the management and sponsor teams would execute. Moreover, the company had only been private for two years, and the value creation plan was only halfway through completion. While there was much to be done at Interline, the company had performed well and was gaining momentum. Interline was a rare asset in terms of the scale it had reached. However, there were still unknowns. Would buyers reward Interline with a high valuation multiple that reflected its acceleration in organic growth? Would financing markets remain healthy? Would such a process disrupt Interline's customers and employees?

In mid-2014, an investor was examining Federal Bank stock and its valuation. In order to fund her children's educational savings for the future, the investor had been looking for high-growth but undervalued investment stocks. Based on her current market analysis, she had narrowed her search to Federal Bank Limited. Could Federal Bank be the undervalued stock that the investor was looking for? What would be the fair fundamental value of the bank? The dividend discount valuation model, a technique to identify and value undervalued stocks, would determine whether Federal Bank was a potential investment target.

Student spreadsheet for case W17123.

In mid-2014, an investor was examining Federal Bank stock and its valuation. In order to fund her children’s educational savings for the future, the investor had been looking for high-growth but undervalued investment stocks. Based on her current market analysis, she had narrowed her search to Federal Bank Limited. Could Federal Bank be the undervalued stock that the investor was looking for? What would be the fair fundamental value of the bank? The dividend discount valuation model, a technique to identify and value undervalued stocks, would determine whether Federal Bank was a potential investment target.

Instructor spreadsheet for product 8B17N005.

Student spreadsheet for product 9B17N005.

In September 2014, F. Mayer Imports Pty. Ltd., an Australian gourmet food importer, had a narrow window of opportunity to potentially protect its budget exchange rate for the rest of that, and the following, financial year. With imports such as European butter, chocolate, and cheese, the company procured a significant portion of its product in euros. The Australian dollar to euro exchange (AUD/EUR) dropped from a high of 0.7027 in October 2013 to a low of 0.6369 in January 2014. With the AUD/EUR recently rebounding and edging back toward the company’s budget rate of 0.6900, the company’s chief financial officer needed to choose between four proposed hedging strategies.

In September 2014, F. Mayer Imports Pty. Ltd., an Australian gourmet food importer, had a narrow window of opportunity to potentially protect its budget exchange rate for the rest of that, and the following, financial year. With imports such as European butter, chocolate, and cheese, the company procured a significant portion of its product in euros. The Australian dollar to euro exchange (AUD/EUR) dropped from a high of 0.7027 in October 2013 to a low of 0.6369 in January 2014. With the AUD/EUR recently rebounding and edging back toward the company's budget rate of 0.6900, the company's chief financial officer needed to choose between four proposed hedging strategies.

This case invites students to assess the impact that Brexit, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, might have on a New York-based hedge fund's portfolio and, specifically, its UK assets. The case is designed to prompt students to make market assumptions and investment hypotheses based on a combination of numerical data and qualitative information. It requires no numerical computations; instead, it asks the student to interpret both markets' short-term reactions to the Brexit vote and strategy shifts from UK and European business leaders in order to evaluate longer-term implications for the economies of the United Kingdom, Europe, and the world.

Publicly listed in November 2005, Link REIT was the first real estate investment trust (REIT) in Hong Kong after the Hong Kong government decided to privatize a portfolio of community shopping malls, car parks, and fresh produce markets. Run by CEO, George Hongchoy, the company had evolved from managing retail spaces in public housing estates in Hong Kong into new property types such as offices, and into new geographies such as Beijing and Shanghai in Mainland China. The case centers around the many questions Hongchoy faced on whether the strategic shift would dilute Link's mission of servicing the local community with affordable yet quality retail experience, while balancing his responsibilties to his shareholders while pursuing other growth opportunities.

Spreadsheet supplement for case 216052.

In 2014, Alibaba-the Chinese e-commerce giant who, in September 2014, completed the largest initial public offering (IPO) in New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) history-was preparing itself for an additional round of capital fundraising. This time, Alibaba focused its efforts on a new, large bond issue. Its chief executive officer would lead Alibaba's finance team in meetings with investors in Hong Kong, Singapore, and London to gather information about this pending bond issue. Although Alibaba was listed on the NYSE, an overwhelming majority of its revenues originated in China. Most U.S. investors had not heard of Alibaba until just a few months prior to its IPO in September 2014. Also, being a high-tech company, Alibaba was subject to the potential for large swings in valuations typical for the industry. Fluid valuations and matters related to country risk premia meant pricing the bond issue was going to be a challenge. How would Alibaba estimate the bonds' pricing? Further, how should the firm determine the location and timing of the new bond issue?