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Supplements the (A) case. Must be used with: (9-PEL-008) Learning to Manage with Data in Duval County Public Schools: Lake Shore Middle School (A).

Born in Taiwan, raised in Hong Kong, and schooled at Indiana University against her father's wishes, Camille Ping was in her Shanghai office in late September 2003, in charge of leasing all of the properties of Hong Kong-based property developer Shui On Group in Shanghai.

Explains the equity cash flow method of valuation as it applies to leveraged buyouts. Also explains: 1) earnings and cash flow forecasts, 2) debt structure and the cash sweep, 3) the cashing out horizon and terminal valuation, and 4) the target IRR method of valuation. May be used with: (9-902-005) Technical Note on LBO Valuation (B): The Equity Cash Flow Method of Valuation Using CAPM.

Economic forecasts deserve to be taken seriously even though they may not be entirely accurate. Companies will make better business decisions with forecasts properly used and understood than they will without forecasts. A study of 70 forecasting organizations, done by the National Bureau of Economic Research in 1982, shows that groups of forecasters, or consensus forecasts, make more accurate predictions that do individual forecasters.

Decision analysts' new technology combines statistical decision theory with insights from psychology, economics, and social science. Decision tree analysis by the AIL Division of Cutler-Hammer, Inc. shows how analysts specify the elements of the tree, assign each element a value, and calculate the results to determine whether to develop a patent. Probabilistic forecasting has the advantage of not limiting forecasting to extrapolation from the .....more

A ten step multiple scenario analysis (MSA) aids small companies or even large companies without extensive planning resources in developing flexible corporate strategies. A case example of corporate level planning at a hypothetical company illustrates each step of the procedure.

Like any other forecasting, technological forecasts can improve managers' decisions by delineating future opportunities and threats in a general way. As long as managers recognize the limits of these forecasts, they can improve on the simple hunches that have characterized past practice. Some promising techniques are demand assessment, theoretical limits tests, parameter analysis, analyzing technological changeover, systems analysis, scientific .....more

The industrial learning curve quantifies not only individual performance, but also the composite performance of groups of people organized to accomplish a common task. The study of a number of operations, which are important components of major industries, illustrates the tracing of improvement patterns with learning curve characteristics. Operations are inherently susceptible to improvement, making this a dynamic tool. Continued improvement depends .....more

Companies and organizations are turning to systems theory to resolve problems. Its use can be exemplified by a parable of how a restaurant owner resolved his human relations problems through the use of a spindle in his ordering system. The spindle served to streamline operations by performing functions of memory, buffering, queuing, and adjustment of overload. The identification of problems as information breakdowns is a new frame of reference for .....more