個案總覽

In the 1970s, a series of unpleasant revelations about corporate conduct, culminating in the public disclosure about unsavory business practices abroad by more than 400 U.S. corporations, jarred popular perceptions concerning business ethics. Congress responded by enacting the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in late 1977. However, as time passed, U.S. businesses complained that they were at a competitive disadvantage to foreign companies because many countries lacked an equivalent to the U.S.'s FCPA. In December 1997, OECD member countries and five nonmember countries signed a Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. All signatories agreed to introduce legislation making foreign bribery a crime. This case discusses anticorruption measures and provides a fictional case study to illustrate the issues involved in a more concrete way.

This note focuses on some of the methods used in the valuation of private companies. It looks at the differences between private and public companies for valuation purposes and the importance of making a reliable estimate. Also discussed are discounted cash flows, comparable valuation techniques and the limitations and challenges presented by a private company valuation.

This case describes the differebt approaches the United States and Japan have taken to extend the jurisdiction of their antitrust laws to foreign companies. The section on the United States, in particular, focuses on the evolving logic of the Supreme Court in dealing with these issues. It presents the case of United States vs. Nippon Paper Industries Co. Ltd. and demonstrates the difficulties of applying somewhat abstract principles of jurisdiction to a real-life situation.

This note offers a four-step framework for writing business letters, reports, and proposals. It advises the writer to consider purpose, audience, channel, and message structure when drafting managerial communications, and offers effective strategies for dealing with common communication challenges.

An important distinction is drawn in psychology between explicit and implicit knowledge. Explicit knowledge refers to consciously held beliefs about an individual or object that often draws on the remembering of experiences in the past. In contrast, implicit knowledge refers to the cognitive associations a consumer holds between two constructs that exist outside his or her conscious awareness. Although it is possible that explicit and implicit knowledge correspond, the exciting opportunity for marketers is that often there is a discrepancy; that is, what a consumer believes explicitly may have no bearing on his or her actual behavior.

Employees who have been granted stock options have the right to purchase shares of their company's stock at a specified price within a specified time period. The accounting for such employee stock options has been a controversial and complex topic for decades. The debate has continued to the present time because of the high visibility of company executives who have made fortunes under their stock option programs. This note chronicles the history and debate surrounding the rules for stock options accounting and provides a simple, instructive example of accounting entries for fixed stock option grants.

When tasks are highly complex, demand a diversity of skills, or require a commitment from the involved parties, teams are usually the most effective way to approach them. But a group of people working together does not automatically equally a team, and groups are often inefficient and ineffective. Provides detailed information on team development, team management, and team process. Also suggests specific interventions that any team member can make to improve decision making and participation, as well as ways to influence dynamics and resolve conflicts.

As equity-linked consideration has become more popular in acquisition and alliances, so has the use of the "price-protection" mechanisms, known variously as floors, caps, and collars. In general, these are contractual agreements that provide insurance to the shareholders of the selling firm, the buying firm, or both.

Summarizes the debate on accounting for computer software development costs. Provides a historical description of the development of standards on accounting of computer software development costs, both in the United States and internationally. Describes how, after much debate, standard setters gave companies the option to capitalize development costs that meet definitive standards, such as proof of technological feasibility. An exhibit reveals that, despite the requirement in the financial accounting standard to capitalize post-technological development costs, few large software companies in the United States capitalize any of their software development costs.

Analyzes the 1991 decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in the seminal New Economy antitrust case United States vs. Microsoft Corp., 253 F.3rd 34 (D.C. Cir. 2001), which arose out of Microsoft's efforts to promote Internet Explorer and to supplant Netscape's Navigator Internet Web browser as the leading browser. This case contains a detailed discussion of the application of the U.S. antitrust laws (Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act, in particular) to technologically dynamic markets characterized by network effects. Issues addressed include: 1) the legality of exclusive dealing arrangements, 2) what constitutes illegal monopolization (including how courts define the relevant market and what constitutes anticompetitive conduct), 3) predatory pricing and the rules of impossibility, 4) the essential facilities doctrine, 5) the exercise of intellectual property rights (such as patents or copyrights) as a business justification, and 6) what constitutes an illegal attempt to monopolize. The U.S. Court of Appeals' decision is summarized, and extensive excerpts from the opinion appear as an exhibit.

Provides a framework for understanding the role of financial reporting and various intermediaries as mechanisms for reducing both adverse selection and moral hazard problems in capital markets. Financial reports reduce adverse selection by providing basic information for investors and their agents before they make initial capital resource allocation decisions. Subsequently, after capital is allocated to particular business ventures, financial reports reduce moral hazard between managers and investors by supplying information used in contracting between investors and managers to reduce conflicts of interests. Various institutional mechanisms and information intermediaries monitor and limit the manipulation of reported information by managers and constrain managers' ability to act in their own self-interest, rather than investors' interests. They also improve information production, reduce incentive conflicts, and enable capital markets to function effectively and efficiently, channeling the economy's savings to the most productive opportunities.

This note can be used in conjunction with any class session where the learning objective is understanding how to manage conflict within organizations. It focuses on interpersonal-conflict styles and offers prescriptions for what styles are appropriate for various conflict situations.

This technical note outlines the core skills needed to give and receive feedback effectively. It is most appropriate for helping managers practice ways of dealing with feedback. These solutions minimize defensiveness and increase the probability that the feedback, whether positive or negative, will be acted upon.

Discusses real estate valuation. Reviews "back of the envelope" valuation; real estate appraisal methods, including the income method; market comparables and replacement costs; and more complex computer modeling. Also discusses other variables that could influence valuation.

This note outlines a simple but powerful model, in managerial language, for understanding why people behave the way they do. The model builds a set of relationships among perceptions, beliefs, conclusions, defense mechanisms, and behavior. The note provides a framework that has been useful in a variety of settings for practicing managers.

This technical note introduces students to the concept, use, and mechanics of flexible budgeting. It is best used at the beginning of a course module on budgeting or performance measurement/management.

The purpose of this note is to prepare the student for a series of exercises in making marketing economics calculations. These calculations are not replacements for spreadsheets or more detailed economic calculations such as net present value or return on investment. They are "back of the envelope" estimates that can easily be communicated to others to buttress arguments about what a company should or should not do in a decision situation.

Discusses potential conflicts of interest that venture capitalists face in dealing with entrepreneurs. Critiques arguments that such conflicts are easily managed and unproblematic. Suggests four ways to address potential conflicts.

Introduces students to the wide variety of family business definitions in literature today. Also reviews prominent typologies of family business systems.

The economics of the Internet are often tied to determining the value of a communications network. However, there are several different kinds of communications networks, each with their own method of valuation. These networks are named by the laws that describe their valuation: Sarnoff's, Metcalfe's, and Reed's. This note describes each network type and its method of valuation.