E330A
George Foster, David Hoyt
2009
In 2003, Focus Media pioneered digital outdoor advertising in China, placing LCD displays in locations in leading commercial buildings that had high traffic and waiting times, such as lobbies and elevator waiting areas. The company leased space from…
CG17A
David Larcker, Robert Lawson, Brian Tayan
2009
In January 2004, the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies announced that it would reduce its estimate of proved oil reserves by nearly 4 billion barrels, or 20 percent. The announcement set off a series of events, including a drop in the company’s share…
CG16
David Larcker, Brian Tayan
2009
Berkshire Hathaway is known to many as the investment vehicle of Warren E. Buffett. To some extent, this reputation is well founded, given the investment success that the company has enjoyed under his leadership. Less attention, however, has been paid…
CG15
David Larcker, Brian Tayan
2009
In 2003, the board of directors of GDF decided to initiate a thorough search process to replace its existing CEO. GDF Corp was a leader in the telecommunications industry, offering network equipment and enterprise solutions to a broad range of customers…
CG17B
David Larcker, Robert Lawson, Brian Tayan
2009
Following the revelation that the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies had overstated its proved oil reserves by over 4 billion barrels, company officials announced dramatic changes to the company’s organizational structure and governance system. These…
SPM37
Antonio Davila, George Foster, David Hoyt
2008
In 1994, John Moores purchased the San Diego Padres baseball team. The team shared Qualcomm Stadium with the San Diego Chargers football team, which was the senior tenant and received a far higher share of stadium revenue than the Padres. As a result…
CG14
David Larcker, Brian Tayan
2008
In the late 1990s, UtiliCorp United, a utility that owned natural gas and power assets in the Midwest and internationally, moved aggressively into the business of wholesale energy trading. The move came after Congress passed legislation that opened…
A198
Madhav Rajan, Brian Tayan
2008
Over the last 10 years, the number of publicly traded companies that have had to restate financial results has risen dramatically. Regardless of whether the restatements stemmed from the aggressive application of accounting standards or the need to…
CG12
David Larcker, Brian Tayan
2008
By 2007, executive compensation at U.S. companies had become an extremely contentious topic. Reports in the press of multi-million dollar pay packages—in the form of stock option exercises, severance packages, and retirement payouts—led to an outcry…
CG11
David Larcker, Brian Tayan
2008
In 2007, corporate governance became a well-discussed topic in the business press. Newspapers produced detailed accounts of corporate fraud, accounting scandals, excessive compensation, and other perceived organizational failures—many of which culminated…
A200
Nathan Blair, Alan Jagolinzer, C. Gregory Rogers
2008
The case discusses the current US and international accounting guidance regarding the disclosure of contingent and environmental liabilities, including FAS 5 and IAS 37. It then adresses the role of socially responsible investors and other factors that…
CG13
David Larcker, Brian Tayan
2008
Retail grocery sales represent a significant portion of the U.S. economy. The industry was highly competitive, with companies operating on low gross and net margins. As a result, grocery stores were generally under significant pressure to reduce their…
SPM35
George Foster, David Hoyt
2007
In 2004, energy drink company Red Bull considered purchasing the Jaguar Formula One (F1) racing team from Ford Motor Company. F1 was the pinnacle of international auto racing, and Red Bull had previously sponsored F1 teams and drivers. At the time, Red…
SPM33
Antonio Davila, George Foster, Jaume Llopis
2007
In 2006, Futbol Club Barcelona (FC Barcelona) was one of the world’s premier soccer teams. Founded in 1899, the club had experienced ups and downs over its history. Following some great years in the mid-1990s, the club had suffered a decline both…
SPM36
George Foster, David Hoyt
2007
In 2006, Red Bull considered purchasing the New York MetroStars of Major League Soccer (MLS). Red Bull already owned one soccer team, ‘Red Bull Salzburg’ located in the company’s headquarters city. The case describes professional soccer in the United…
E265
Patrick Arippol, George Foster
2007
The International Fight League (IFL) case describes the sports company’s formation and growth, the mixed martial arts (MMA) industry in 2007, and culminates in the dilemma of what the company should to strategically in order to survive, at that juncture….
E257
Patrick Arippol, George Foster, Martin Haemmig
2007
“WI Harper – Strategic Crossroads” presents the strategic dilemmas faced by a foreign venture firm with over one decade of making cross-border investments in Asia – with particular emphasis in China. The case is set in the 2006-07 time frame, as the…
CG08
David Larcker, Brian Tayan
2007
In 2007, there were three prominent corporate governance ratings firms—The Corporate Library (TCL), Governance Metrics International (GMI), and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS). These firms assessed the effectiveness and deficiency of the…
CG09
David Larcker, Brian Tayan
2007
By 2007, Gretchen Morgenson, assistant editor and columnist at The New York Times, had gained significant attention from business leaders, regulators, and academics for her coverage of a wide range of financial and governance issues. Morgenson wrote the…
CG07
David Larcker, Brian Tayan
2007
In 2007, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) was the largest proxy advisory company in the world, with over 1,700 institutional clients managing an estimated $25 trillion in equity securities. The ISS proxy advisory services were intended to give…
A195
Maureen McNichols, Brian Tayan
2007
As the chief financial officer of The Walt Disney Company, Tom Staggs was responsible not only for the financial management of the company, but also for the communication of the company’s financial and strategic objectives to its investor base. Because…
CG06
David Larcker, Brian Tayan
2007
In 2005, Relational Investors, a registered investment advisor, launched a proxy contest to gain two seats on the board of directors of Sovereign Bancorp. Relational accused Sovereign of operational mismanagement and poor corporate governance…
A193
Maureen McNichols, Brian Tayan
2007
The case study asks students to evaluate the role that the quarterly conference call plays in a company’s overall communications strategy with investors. In particular, students are asked to assess what additional information they can learn from the…
A192
Ron Kasznik, Brian Tayan
2007
In 2001, accounting regulators, especially those in the U.S., began to reconsider the rules of consolidation with a move toward a requirement based on “control,” with much less consideration of the size of the equity stake. The fundamental accounting and…
