Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(10,783)
- Faculty Publications (2,460)
- summer 1988
- Article
Simultaneous Signaling to the Capital and Product Markets
By: David S. Scharfstein, Robert Gertner and Robert Gibbons
- September 1987
- Background Note
What Do Venture Capitalists Do?
Presents the results derived from 49 responses to a questionnaire mailed to 100 venture capitalists in late 1984. The purpose of the survey was to shed light on the relationship between venture capitalists and their portfolio companies. The survey revealed that the... View Details
- August 1987 (Revised June 1989)
- Background Note
Note on Financial Contracting: ""Deals""
Describes the issues involved in designing and evaluating financial contracts between users and suppliers of capital and between companies and employees. A simple conceptual framework is introduced and some critical issues addressed: 1) How is cash allocated? 2) How is... View Details
- August 1987 (Revised December 1998)
- Background Note
Capital Market Myopia
Focuses attention on a phenomenon we call capital market myopia, a situation in which participants in the capital markets ignore the logical implications of their individual investment decisions. Viewed in isolation, each decision seems to make sense. When taken... View Details
Keywords: Capital Markets
- July 1987 (Revised October 2009)
- Background Note
A Method For Valuing High-Risk, Long-Term Investments: The "Venture Capital Method"
By: William A. Sahlman and Daniel R Scherlis
Describes a method for valuing high-risk, long-term investments such as those confronting venture capitalists. The method entails forecasting a future value (e.g., five years from the present) and discounting that terminal value back to the present by applying a high... View Details
- January 1987 (Revised November 1991)
- Case
R.J. Reynolds International Financing
By: W. Carl Kester and William B. Allen
Reynolds must source a substantial portion of the financing of its Nabisco acquisition in offshore bond markets. Morgan Guaranty has proposed a yen/dollar dual currency Eurobond that could be hedged into dollars. This structure is compared to Eurodollar Bonds, Euroyen... View Details
- February 1986 (Revised November 1992)
- Case
Novo Industri A/S--1981
By: W. Carl Kester and Glynn Ferguson
This small but rapidly growing Danish biochemical company must choose among several financing opportunities that include a convertible Eurobond, a rights offering in Denmark and an issue of new common shares in the United States. The case involves a broad range of... View Details
- January 1986 (Revised December 1986)
- Case
Smartfood
Contains a description of a major financing decision confronting the management and advisors of Smartfood, Inc., a company which hopes to market a cheese flavored popcorn product. The primary pedagogic objective is to teach students about matching the financing plan... View Details
- January 1986 (Revised March 1993)
- Case
Centex Telemanagement, Inc.
Contains a description of the events surrounding the financing of Centex Telemanagement, Inc. by Sierra Ventures, a venture capital fund. The case is written from the perspective of the venture capitalists and is designed to teach students about the process of venture... View Details
Keywords: Venture Capital
- January 1986 (Revised March 1997)
- Case
Horizon Group
Contains a description of a situation confronting the co-founder of a company planning to produce software for microcomputers. The company has just completed raising money from some wealthy investors by forming an R&D Limited Partnership. Development of the program (an... View Details
- September 1985 (Revised January 1986)
- Case
Peter Wendell
Contains a description of a decision confronting an employee of IBM in late 1981. Should he leave IBM to become head of a new venture capital fund which will specialize in technology investments? The case is designed to expose students to the nature of the opportunity... View Details
- June 1985 (Revised April 1989)
- Case
Benetton (B)
By: James L. Heskett
The managing director of Benetton is faced with several issues concerning the adequacy of the company's organization to capitalize on the early success it has achieved in an important foreign market, the United States. Specifically, the case raises questions about... View Details
- May 1985 (Revised October 2001)
- Case
Comdisco, Inc.
By: Carliss Y. Baldwin and Rita J. Seymour
Comdisco, the largest independent dealer and lessor of computers and peripheral equipment, needs financing in order to match its market's growth of 20-30% per year. The company has access to two types of risk capital, but there are substantial costs and risks... View Details
- March 1985 (Revised November 1985)
- Case
Wilmington Tap and Die
By: Robert S. Kaplan
The general manager of a division manufacturing taps and dies must decide whether to continue a major capital investment program. The program was designed to replace aging mechanical machines with modern, electronically controlled equipment. A post-audit, after an... View Details
- March 1985 (Revised November 1988)
- Case
Precision Parts, Inc. (A)
Contains a description of a decision confronting two entrepreneurs in mid-1981. They are considering purchasing a small manufacturer of precision electromechanical parts. Among the issues in the case are the following: 1) Should Taylor and Grayson buy Precision Parts,... View Details
- February 1985
- Case
Business Research Corp. (B)
Contains a description of a set of related decisions confronting the management and directors of Business Research Corp. (BRC) in April of 1984. BRC needs more capital to finance continued development of the market for a full-text database comprised of Wall Street... View Details
- January 1985 (Revised February 1997)
- Case
Lotus Development Corp.
Contains a description of the history and venture capital financing of Lotus Development. Focuses on issues related to the possible terms of investment in Lotus by a major venture capital firm. The pedagogic objectives in the case are: to explore the elements of the... View Details
- June 1984 (Revised March 1993)
- Background Note
Securities Law and Public Offerings
By: Howard H. Stevenson and Michael J. Roberts
Describes the relevant securities laws which pertain to the public offering of securities, as well as the business issues and process of a public offering. View Details
- February 1984 (Revised February 1986)
- Case
E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.: Titanium Dioxide
By: W. Carl Kester, Robert R. Glauber, David W. Mullins Jr. and Stacy S. Dick
Disequilibrium in the $350 million TiO2 market has prompted Du Pont's Pigments Department to develop two strategies for competing in this market in the future. The growth strategy has a smaller internal rate of return than the alternative strategy due to large capital... View Details
- January 1983 (Revised February 1988)
- Case
Hospital Corp. of America (A)
By: W. Carl Kester
HCAs ratio of debt to total capital is approaching 70%, jeopardizing its single-A bond rating. Students must determine an appropriate target debt ratio for HCA in light of its growth objectives, its acquisition strategy and its changing regulatory environment. View Details