Darden University of Virginia (USA)
-
McDonald's Corporation
Hess, Edward D.; Modica, ShizukaCase DARDEN-S-0147-EStrategyIn December 2007, McDonald’s had a market capitalization of $69.5 billion, and its stock price was hovering around its all-time high of $58-$60 since the last split, in February 1999. While McDonald’s was enjoying its five-year consecutive sales increases and high stock price, the management team was determined to improve customer experience, foster customer loyalty, and pave an enduring growth path into the future. Its big challenge remained how...Starting at €8.20
-
Students Helping Honduras
Hess, Edward D.; Modica, ShizukaCase DARDEN-ENT-0105-EEntrepreneurshipA student-founded, student-led nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Hondurans escape from the cycle of poverty accomplished this by engaging college students in its projects from beginning to end. It operated with a yearly budget, augmented by student fundraisers and a grant from a private foundation. By the summer of 2008, it had three full-time employees living in Honduras and an ambitious business plan to expand its college chapters, in...Starting at €8.20
-
C.R. Barger & Sons, Inc. (B)
Hess, Edward D.; Modica, Shizuka; Barger, EdCase DARDEN-ENT-0107-EEntrepreneurshipThe president of the PCO division at C.R. Barger & Sons has grown the division, so he now must consider whether to build a new PCO plant to accommodate future growth. The new plant would increase Barger’s production capacity allowing it to expand its concrete-production capacity from 40 to 200 cubic yards per day. The case examines the multifaceted strategy the president used to revitalize the division, and students can decide whether this large ...Starting at €5.74
-
Levy Restaurants
Hess, Edward D.; Modica, ShizukaCase DARDEN-S-0155-EStrategyGrowing from a passive investment in a Chicago delicatessen in 1978, into a national foodservice company by 2007, Levy Restaurants (Levy) served approximately 63 million customers a year at more than 85 different restaurants and sporting and entertainment venues. Then Levy expanded its fine-dining restaurant business into sports and entertainment venues and such unexpected places as Disney World. Levy grew at greater than 20% compounded growth ra...Starting at €8.20
-
Investing in Sponsor-Backed IPOs: The Case of Hertz
Chaplinsky, Susan; Marston, Felicia C.; Pozzi, MichaelCase DARDEN-F-1561-EFinanceThis case and its companion, UVA-F-1560, were awarded the 2012 Wachovia Award for Excellence in Teaching Materials - Innovative Case. In November 2006, Alec Berg, a successful hedge fund manager, must decide whether to invest in the initial public offering (IPO) of the Hertz Corporation. The IPO followed a leveraged buyout (LBO) of Hertz that was completed in December 2005 by three prominent private equity firms that had combined to purchase Hert...Starting at €8.20
-
Effective “Estée-te” Tax Planning through Financial Engineering: Estée Lauder Companies, Inc.
Frank, Mary Margaret; Pozzi, MichaelCase DARDEN-C-2261-EThis case examines the creative strategies that the Lauder family used to monetize its position in Estée Lauder Companies, Inc., in the 1990s while deferring its tax liability on the appreciated position. Strategies included the use of the company's IPO to engage in a short-against-the-box transaction and the issuance of hybrid securities known as TRACES. The case allows students to consider a variety of monetization strategies and the tax and no...Starting at €8.20
-
Oracle Corporation’s Acquisition of Siebel Systems, Inc.: The Battle of Two Silicon Valley Titans Comes to an End
Frank, Mary Margaret; Pozzi, MichaelCase DARDEN-C-2271-EAccounting and ControlIn September 2005, after years of bitter competition, Siebel Systems Inc. finally agreed to be acquired by Oracle Corporation. The two companies preferred different forms of consideration as payment for Siebel Systems and used a deal structure known as a "double dummy" to satisfy both parties. The case requires students to examine how the unique deal structure meets the tax and non-tax preferences of the corporations and their shareholders.Starting at €8.20
-
C.R. Barger & Sons, Inc. (A)
Hess, Edward D.; Modica, Shizuka; Barger, EdCase DARDEN-ENT-0106-EEntrepreneurshipC.R. Barger & Sons, Inc., (Barger) operated two businesses: It installed gas, water, and sewer lines, and it manufactured and sold precast-concrete septic tanks. In 2002, after 35 years as a local supplier of septic tanks, this end of the business had reached a plateau. Barger did not have a distinctive brand or product, and its sales were limited primarily to East Tennessee. Barger was on the verge of closing down its septic-tank business when, ...Starting at €8.20