Default Category
-
Nordgold: All-In Sustaining Costs
Lipson, Marc L.Case DARDEN-C-2412-EAccounting and ControlUnderstanding the economics of gold mining had always been a challenge. Gold mines were long-lived assets that required substantial capital investments both to identify and gain access to mineral ore for future processing and to sustain output over the life of a mine. A typical investor might have looked at annual operating margins alone, ignoring these capital outlays, and set unrealistic return expectations. When firms fell short of these expec...Starting at €8.20
-
Crocs, Inc.
Lipson, Marc L.; Gupta, GauravCase DARDEN-F-1589-EFinanceThis case forces students to examine the drivers of value, particularly growth and margins. It is also effective at drawing attention to the relationship between terminal value assumptions and value creation-assumptions that generate a large sensitivity of terminal value to growth rate are assumptions that imply that a great deal of value can still be created from investments after the planning horizon. The narrative features an analyst who is tr...Starting at €8.20
-
Medfield Pharmaceuticals
Lipson, Marc L.; Mead, Jenny; Harris, Jared D.Case DARDEN-F-1636-EFinanceSusan Johnson, founder and CEO of Medfield Pharmaceuticals, is faced with conflicting recommendations for extending the patent life of the company’s flagship product, Fleximat, scheduled to go off patent in two years. With only three other products in Medfield’s lineup of medications, one of which has only just received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, strategic management of the company’s product pipeline is of paramount importance. B...Starting at €8.20
-
Hightrek Inc.
Lipson, Marc L.Case DARDEN-F-1748-EFinanceA small manufacturer of camping gear is considering a new product that would expand its market. The product is a portable “hoophouse” that would allow people to begin planting gardens earlier in the season by trapping heat and keeping frost at bay. It would use existing technology but would be a very different product line. The required analyses are simple net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) calculations. However, through th...Starting at €8.20
-
Crocs: On Rough Water
Fairchild, Gregory B.; Lipson, Marc L.; Loutskina, Elena; Gupta, GauravCase DARDEN-F-1811-EFinanceThis case introduces Ron Snyder, CEO of Crocs, Inc., in 2007, a few years after Crocs went public on the NASDAQ in the largest shoe offering ever. Investor excitement at the time had been palpable - the company had garnered a 48% premium above its initial offer price. Since that time, the stock had grown sixfold to its high just last month, at the end of October. Only a week ago, on November 1, the company’s stock price had plummeted, declining ...Starting at €8.20
-
Akron Crane Works: The Insourcing Proposal
Lipson, Marc L.Case DARDEN-F-1839-EFinanceIn 2017, Peter Tang must prepare the economic analysis of a proposal to insource production of certain parts currently purchased by the Tower and Lattice division of Akron Crane Works, a world leader in heavy lifting machinery. The primary motivations for the proposal were rising costs due to vendor price increases and long vendor lead times.Starting at €8.20
-
Dumbarton Bearing Supply, LLC: Recognizing Real Options
Lipson, Marc L.Case DARDEN-F-1990-EFinanceAngus MacIntyre, CEO of Dumbarton Bearing Supply, LLC (Dumbarton), is deciding whether to introduce a new ceramic ball-bearing product line and whether to produce those bearings by refitting an existing production line or by building a new production line. The initial analysis favors a refit—despite a much higher variable cost, the investment is relatively small, and as a result this approach poses little risk. However, this analysis does not rec...Starting at €8.20
-
Roku, Inc.: Initial Public Offering
Lipson, Marc L.; Xu, TingCase DARDEN-F-1855-EFinanceIn September 2017, a senior portfolio manager at Portland Capital Management had all her attention focused on the upcoming initial public offering (IPO) of Roku, Inc. The company had just updated its initial filing to indicate an offer price between $12 and $14, and Portland Capital Management had an opportunity to take a substantial position in that offering. She saw the upside potential in Roku’s shift from hardware-related revenue streams (pla...Starting at €8.20
-
Surface Systems
Lipson, Marc L.Case DARDEN-F-1747-EFinanceDespite the steady growth of tennis interest worldwide (in 2011, the Women’s Tennis Association’s top 10 players were all from different countries), the manufacture of acrylic surface materials for hard courts was not a growth industry. To achieve any reasonable growth, tennis-court-surface manufacturers had developed product lines that served related sports. During most of 2017, Surface Systems had taken a huge gamble and modernized most of its ...Starting at €8.20
-
Wilson Family Foundation
Lipson, Marc L.Case DARDEN-F-1899-EFinanceAn up-and-coming staffer at a small family foundation was considering whether to recommend a corporate bond investment to the foundation’s investment committee. Her exploration was inspired by an article that identified some attractive corporate bond investments, and she was examining the merits of specific bond issues from Allegiant Travel, GameStop, and Western Union. Information is provided that would support a variety of bond pricing analyses...Starting at €8.20