Ivey Business School (Canada)
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Blackstone Group: Dry Powder in an LBO Drought (B)
Mark SimonsonCase IVEY-9B20N019-EFinanceSupplement for product 9B20N018.Starting at €5.74
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A “Compelling and Pre-emptive Offer for the Valspar Corporation
Mark SimonsonCase IVEY-9B16N063-EFinanceIn May 2015, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Valspar Corporation (Valspar) contacted the CEO of an industry competitor to discuss a potential strategic combination of the two companies. As discussions continued, Valspar’s board and senior management realized that an alternative strategic collaboration might be more beneficial, so Valspar then contacted the CEO of the second-largest comparable firm in the industry, Sherwin-Williams, which...Starting at €8.20
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Paul Frank and Native American Stereotypes: A Case of Misappropriation
Stefanie Beninger; June N.P. FrancisCase IVEY-9B14A063-EMarketing, StrategyPaul Frank Industries (PFI), a privately held company based in the United States, finds itself in hot water after social media criticizes a Hollywood marketing event hosted by PFI in which Native American stereotypes were prominently featured. When photos of the event are released on Facebook, two bloggers bring attention to the event through their social media channels, and the reaction quickly spreads throughout the Native American community an...Starting at €8.20
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Betting on DraftKings
Mark SimonsonCase IVEY-W27949-EAccounting and Control, FinanceARK Investment Management LLC (ARK)’s Next Generation Internet ETF (exchange traded fund) accumulated over 5 per cent of the outstanding shares of DraftKings Inc. (DraftKings), which held 24 per cent of the emerging US online sports betting market. Following the legalization of sports betting in May 2018, DraftKings faced escalating competition as competitors spent heavily on advertising and promotions to attract customers. This spending led to i...Starting at €8.20
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Insider Trading Without Cooling Off
Mark SimonsonCase IVEY-W33791-EFinance, StrategyIn May 2021, the majority shareholder and chief executive officer of Ontrak Inc., a US health care services company, established two 10b5-1 trading plans to sell approximately one million shares of stock he acquired by exercising expiring warrants. Before he began the process to execute the first 10b5-1 plan, Ontrak Inc. had just lost its largest client. Three days into the process for the second 10b5-1 trading plan, the company announced that it...Starting at €8.20
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Square, Inc.: Financing a Unicorn
Mark SimonsonCase IVEY-9B17N021-EEntrepreneurship, FinanceIn 2014, mobile payment company Square, Inc., based in San Francisco, California, was one of an increasing number of venture capital financed firms with valuations above US$1 billion, which had become known as unicorns. By September 2014, the company had raised $371 million over five rounds of venture capital financing. Since the first funding round had been almost five years previous, it was possible that venture funding investors would be pushi...Starting at €8.20
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Does Mattel's Iconic Barbie Doll Need a Makeover
Karen Robson; Stefanie BeningerCase IVEY-9B16A005-EMarketingIn 2015, almost 60 years after being introduced to the market, the Barbie doll was one of the world’s most iconic toys. However, both the industry landscape and consumer preferences were changing, and Barbie was yet again in the spotlight as consumers criticized the toy for providing a narrow and unrealistic vision of how women should look, how they should dress, and the careers they should pursue. Sales and public perception of the doll were bot...Starting at €8.20
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Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc.: Sum of the Parts
Mark SimonsonCase IVEY-W25118-EAccounting and Control, FinanceIn 2016, US firm Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (Aerojet) had been developing and manufacturing propulsion systems for rockets and armaments for long-range weapons systems for over 70 years. It also owned 4,634 hectares of land and an investment portfoStarting at €8.20
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Blackstone Group: Dry Powder in an LBO Drought (A)
Mark SimonsonCase IVEY-9B20N018-EFinanceIn late 2016, it had been three years since Blackstone Group Inc. (Blackstone) had completed its last public-to-private leveraged buyout (LBO), and it had US$45 billion of capital available for investment, called “dry powder.” Blackstone’s head of privateStarting at €8.20
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Gillette Takes a Stand: Toxic Masculinity and #thebestmencanbe
Stefanie Beninger; Karen RobsonCase IVEY-9B20A001-EMarketingIn early January 2019, Gillette, one of the world’s leading razor brands, ignited controversy with a specific advertisement—the “We Believe” video. This short film tackled toxic masculinity and encouraged men to be #TheBestMenCanBe. While Gillette historically focused on portraying men as athletes or as career-oriented individuals, the brand's promotions since the late 2010s had turned to a more diverse conceptualization of manhood. When launched...Starting at €8.20