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December 2000 (Revised March 2003)
Case

Machinery International (B)

By: David F. Hawkins

An assistant is asked to prepare illustrative derivative and hedge accounting examples for the audit committee. Students are required to complete the examples. Teaching Purpose: Introduces students to the basics of derivative and hedge accounting. View Details

Keywords: Accounting Audits; Machinery and Machining; Activity Based Costing and Management; Currency; Cost Management; Financial Statements; Construction Industry; Accounting Industry; United States

December 1999 (Revised April 2012)
Background Note

Earnings Per Share

By: David F. Hawkins

Discusses accounting rules for earnings per share measurement. The U.S. approach is described in detail and non-U.S. practices are briefly covered. A rewritten version of an earlier note. View Details

Keywords: Business Earnings; Stock Shares; Profit; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Measurement and Metrics; United States

October 1982
Supplement

Ideal Standard France: Pat Paterson, Video

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

A two-part taped interview with Pat Paterson. Paterson describes the action he took in dealing with his company's profit problems, then talks about the outcome. His decision to dismiss 1,500 workers may have accelerated the company's bankruptcy. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Profit; Resignation and Termination; Outcome or Result; Problems and Challenges

14 Aug 2012
First Look

First Look: August 14

countries, but by firms realizing a higher spread (i.e., a greater difference in operating performance and borrowing cost) when more domestic credit is available. Also, we find that firms partially substitute trade credit for financial... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

20 Jul 2010
First Look

First Look: July 20

contained in the mandatory transitional documents required by International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 1 (2005). We find significant negative abnormal returns for firms reporting negative earnings reconciliation. Although the... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 Dec 2012
News

Rival Visions

After its war of liberation from England, America was bankrupt, disjointed, and devoid of experience in governance. "The new country could have broken apart because of its financial problems," HBS professor emeritus Thomas McCraw writes... View Details

Profile

Evgeny Koudryavtsev

successful entrepreneurs came to talk to us about bringing their businesses to the next level. I was struck by how much room for development most of the businesses had in terms of top-line growth and operational improvements." His experience also coincided with... View Details

01 Jun 1998
News

Short Takes

HBS professor Michael Beer and Harvard University doctoral candidate Nancy Katz report on a survey of 205 executives from 30 countries in industries such as manufacturing, retail, and financial and professional services. The survey... View Details

Keywords: Orna Feldman and Caroline Chauncey

September 1998 (Revised December 1998)
Case

Infinity Carpets, Inc.

By: Ronald W. Moore and Thomas R. Piper

A turnaround expert must determine whether a firm in distress is worth more as a going concern than its liquidation value. If so, the finances of the firm must be restructured in a way consistent with the bargaining power of the holders of the various securities. The... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Borrowing and Debt; Financial Liquidity; Crisis Management; Value; Apparel and Accessories Industry

February 1996
Case

USX Corporation

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Jeremy Cott

A large diversified steel and energy firm is pressured by a corporate raider to spin off its steel business in order to increase its stock price. As an alternative to the spinoff, management proposes replacing the company's common stock with two new classes of... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Stocks; Valuation; Financial Institutions; Cash Flow

February 1992 (Revised July 1993)
Case

Telefonica de Argentina S.A.

Deals with the privatization of the Argentine telephone industry. Focuses on the restructuring aspect. Commercial banks owned sovereign debt of Argentina trading at a deep discount to par. The question is whether the banks should exchange their sovereign debt... View Details

Keywords: Financial Instruments; Restructuring; Privatization; Commercial Banking; Telecommunications Industry; Argentina

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July 2002
Case

First American Bank: Credit Default Swaps

This case examines a bank's ability to manage its credit exposure to a particular client using credit default swaps. View Details

Keywords: Credit Derivatives and Swaps; Risk and Uncertainty; Banks and Banking; Banking Industry

November 1992 (Revised December 1994)
Case

BEA Associates: Enhanced Equity Index Funds

By: Andre F. Perold

BEA's enhanced index fund product uses derivatives and cash market securities to find the most efficient way to "track an index." The considerations involve transaction costs, custodial fees, withholding taxes on dividends, and fees from securities lending. In this... View Details

Keywords: Credit Derivatives and Swaps; Investment Portfolio; Management; Investment Banking; Competitive Advantage; Cost Management

January 1993 (Revised June 1995)
Case

Arbitrage in the Government Bond Market?

Documents a pricing anomaly in the large and liquid treasury bond market. The prices of callable treasury bonds seem to be inconsistent with the prices of noncallable treasuries and an arbitrage opportunity appears to exist. Permits instructors to introduce the... View Details

Keywords: Bonds; Price; Valuation; Capital Markets

January 1987 (Revised September 1991)
Case

Walt Disney Co.'s Yen Financing

By: W. Carl Kester and William B. Allen

Walt Disney is considering hedging future yen inflows from Disney Tokyo. It is evaluating techniques using FX Forwards, swaps, and Yen term borrowings. Goldman Sachs presents a rather unusual but potentially attractive solution: Disney could issue ECU Eurobonds and... View Details

Keywords: Borrowing and Debt; Currency; Bonds; Valuation; Tokyo