Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(154)
- Faculty Publications (70)
- March 2008 (Revised February 2009)
- Case
Transparent Value LLC
By: Sharon P. Katz, Krishna G. Palepu and Aldo Sesia, Jr.
Leading index company Dow Jones recently signed a license and joint marketing agreement with Transparent Value LLC, the creator of a new fundamentals-based valuation methodology. The agreement allowed Dow Jones to offer a family of indexes based on the Transparent... View Details
Keywords: Asset Management; Stocks; Price; Performance Expectations; Mathematical Methods; Valuation
- January 2008
- Article
Innovation Killers: How Financial Tools Destroy Your Capacity to Do New Things
By: Clayton M. Christensen, Stephen P. Kaufman and Willy C. Shih
Most companies aren't half as innovative as their senior executives want them to be (or as their marketing claims suggest they are). What's stifling innovation? There are plenty of usual suspects, but the authors finger three financial tools as key accomplices.... View Details
- February 2006 (Revised October 2006)
- Background Note
Introduction to Valuation Multiples
By: Robin Greenwood and Lucy White
Outlines the definition and applicability of financial multiples and their relationship to discounted cash flow analysis. View Details
- 2005
- Working Paper
Money Illusion in the Stock Market: The Modigliani-Cohn Hypothesis
By: Randolph B. Cohen, Christopher Polk and Tuomo Vuolteenaho
Modigliani and Cohn [1979] hypothesize that the stock market suffers from money illusion, discounting real cash flows at nominal discount rates. While previous research has focused on the pricing of the aggregate stock market relative to Treasury bills, the... View Details
- November 2003 (Revised March 2006)
- Case
Dow Chemical's Bid for the Privatization of PBB in Argentina
By: Mihir A. Desai and Alexandra de Royere
What price should Dow Chemical bid for PBB, a petrochemical complex that is being privatized by the Argentine government? To answer this question, students are forced to consider the role of country risk, the underlying currency exposure of the business, and how to... View Details
- June 2002
- Background Note
Note on the Equivalency of Methods for Discounting Cash Flows
Uses a numerical example to demonstrate that when you discount the cash flows to capital from a project at the weighted average cost of capital, you get same net present value result as you obtain when discounting the cash flows to equity at the cost of equity. Also... View Details
- October 2001 (Revised November 2001)
- Case
Provident Life and Accident Insurance: The Acquisition of Paul Revere
By: Mihir A. Desai, Frank Williamson, Mark Veblen and Yuming Zou
Provident Life & Accident Insurance Co. has made an initial bid to acquire a primary competitor, Paul Revere, from conglomerate, Textron. The due diligence process uncovers a significant block of problematic disability insurance policies. Provident is forced to assess... View Details
- February 2001 (Revised April 2001)
- Background Note
Note on Valuing Private Businesses
By: Dwight B. Crane and Indra Reinbergs
This case provides a brief overview of valuation for owners of closely held companies. The focus is on a comparable transactions approach, although rules of thumb and discounted cash flow are mentioned. Earnings multiples and their drivers are discussed. It uses... View Details
- January 2001
- Case
Valuing Project Achieve
By: Mihir A. Desai and Kathleen Luchs
Project Achieve is a start-up providing information management solutions for schools. Its founders see a need for software both to manage the volumes of information necessary to administer a school and to connect parents, teachers, and students in a more effective way.... View Details
- December 2000 (Revised December 2016)
- Technical Note
Valuing Companies in Corporate Restructurings: Technical Note
By: Stuart C. Gilson
This case provides a technical overview of different valuation techniques for use in valuing companies in corporate restructuring. Techniques covered include adjusted present value, WACC, capital cash flow, and discounted cash flow valuation. Specific numerical... View Details
- October 2000 (Revised April 2001)
- Case
Cost of Capital at Ameritrade
By: Mark L. Mitchell and Erik Stafford
Ameritrade Holding Corp. is planning large marketing and technology investments to improve the company's competitive position in deep-discount brokerage by taking advantage of emerging economies of scale. In order to evaluate whether the strategy would generate... View Details
- October 2000
- Case
Tree Values
By: Richard S. Ruback and Kathleen Luchs
Describes two alternative tree cutting strategies. The first is to cut all trees that are at least 12 inches in diameter at breast height. The second is to thin the forest by cutting less desirable trees immediately and harvesting the crop trees later. The case... View Details
- May 2000 (Revised January 2003)
- Case
Health Development Corporation
Health Development Corp. (HDC) owns and operates health clubs in the Greater Boston area. HDC engaged a local investment banker to explore a sale of the company. The most likely buyer views HDC's prior purchase of real estate as a negative. HDC's management is... View Details
Keywords: Cash Flow; Property; Business Exit or Shutdown; Valuation; Value; Decisions; Health Industry; Boston
- April 1999 (Revised September 2001)
- Case
Penelope's Personal Pocket Phones
By: Paul A. Gompers
Provides students with an opportunity to use simple real options analysis to value a startup. Penelope Phillips is deciding whether to start a company to make wireless phones. Students get experience using traditional discounted cash flow valuation and a real options... View Details
- February 1998 (Revised January 1999)
- Case
Digital Everywhere, Inc.
By: Paul A. Gompers
Presents a valuation problem in a fictitious firm, Digital Everywhere. Students have the opportunity to compare various discounted cash flow valuation models in an entrepreneurial firm. View Details
- February 1998 (Revised March 1998)
- Case
Marriott Corporation: The Cost of Capital
Presents recommendations for hurdle rates of Marriott's divisions to select by discounting appropriate cash flows by the appropriate hurdle rate for each division. View Details
- 1998
- Article
Alternative Models of Uncertain Commodity Prices for Use with Modern Asset Pricing Methods
By: Malcolm Baker, E. S. Mayfield and John Parsons
This paper provides an introduction to alternative models of uncertain commodity prices. A model of commodity price movements is the engine around which any valuation methodology for commodity production projects is built, whether discounted cash flow (DCF) models or... View Details
Keywords: Asset Pricing; Goods and Commodities; Price; Risk and Uncertainty; Valuation; Production; Projects; Cash Flow
- December 1997
- Case
Fixed Income Valuation
By: W. Carl Kester
A collection of problems that introduces students to the use of discounted cash flow analysis in the valuation of fixed income securities. Students are required to estimate bond prices and yields to maturity, among other items. View Details
- December 1997 (Revised December 1998)
- Case
Valuing Capital Investment Projects
By: W. Carl Kester
A collection of problems that introduces students to the application of discounted cash flow analysis in the evaluation of capital budgeting problems. View Details
- October 1997 (Revised June 2000)
- Exercise
Capital Budgeting: Discounted Cash Flow Analysis
By: Thomas R. Piper
This exercise comprises seven problems that collectively allow students to work through each type of cash flow that is encountered in capital budgeting. The instructor can also address such issues as product cannibalization and real options. View Details