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Success in navigating through a crisis situation requires good planning, sound judgement and swift reaction. This note provides a set of detailed guidelines on business crisis management. Areas covered include crisis definition, key principles and a step-by-step assessment of what to do when one occurs.

Success in navigating through a crisis situation requires good planning, sound judgement and swift reaction. This note provides a set of detailed guidelines on business crisis management. Areas covered include crisis definition, key principles and a step-by-step assessment of what to do when one occurs.

Provides entrepreneurs with an understanding of how to use market research and market information to test the validity of a business concept and to refine a business plan. Introduces the key questions entrepreneurs should consider, the techniques entrepreneurs could use to gather information to address those questions, and the practical considerations for collecting and interpreting data.

Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of alternative inventory flow assumptions allowed in the United States. A single exhibit shows that in Year 2, a company using LIFO in Year 1 could report higher net income by switching to FIFO at a cost of higher income taxes. Retaining LIFO would save taxes but lead to lower reported income. A rewritten version of an earlier note.

Certain key principles govern the landlord-tenant relationship in both commercial and residential settings. Because most property law is state specific, this note provides an overview of how many states would generally analyze a particular situation or relationship.

Summarizes several of the major federal environmental statutes, most notably the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act ("CERCLA" or "Superfund"). Also discusses several state and local regulations.

The establishment of the principal-agent relationship, the duties owed by the agent to the principal, and the principal's liability for illegal actions or representations made by the agent are all examined. Also covers the creation of partnerships and the duties of partners to one another.

Begins with a brief overview of the bankruptcy process, discussing key debtor protections and the administration of claims against the estate. Discusses the treatment of bankruptcies filed by property owners. Also summarizes the tenant's bankruptcy protections and powers relating to the creditor-landlord. Ends with a brief comparison of international bankruptcy regimes.

Explores the role of intellectual property in firms' strategies. Explains the legal and strategic differences between patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets and explores the multiple ways firms use these different legal protections to gain competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Profiles the history and context of outsourcing, with particular focus on information technology.

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 note provides background information on incentive plans and non-monetary reward systems. Presented is a discussion of short-term and long-term incentive plans. In these discussions, design considerations, prevalence of these plans, types of short and long-term incentives, plan effectiveness, and current issues are presented. In addition, non-monetary and retention tools are discussed. This note is intended to be used in conjunction with sessions on incentives and rewards.

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.

There are many options for a country in the management of monetary policy. At the most basic level is the decision of whether to adopt a fixed or a floating exchange rate. Introduces the economics behind exchange rates and the debate between fixed vs. floating regimes.

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.

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

Provides an overview of how a new venture needs to change as it passes from the initial start-up to the growth phase. Explores how a venture's leadership, strategy, and execution need to evolve to deal with rapid growth.

Why are some countries much richer than others? This technical note proposes a framework to begin answering this question. The first part identifies inefficient institutions as the root cause of the economic differences between societies. The second part analyzes how these institutions change. And the final part suggests how lessons from this institutional framework can be applied.

Income Trust units are publicly traded equities with unique financial and structural attributes that differentiates them from common shares. Since the mid-1990s, income trusts have experienced substantial growth in popularity among both retail and institutional investors and have become a significant fixture in Canadian capital markets. They provide an option for issuers seeking capital and investors seeking attractive returns during otherwise turbulent market conditions. This note provides a description of how income trusts are structured and priced.

This technical note explains the functioning of the venture capital industry in Canada in 2004. Venture capital, is a segment of the invesment community called private equity. Firms in this industry deal primarily with debt and equity investments in private, non-publicly listed companies. The note defines industry terminology and explains the investment process.