Fruehauf Corporation (Fruehauf) is engaged in the manufacture of large trucks and industrial vehicles. The Edelman group (Edelman) made a cash tender offer for the shares of Fruehauf for $48.50 per share. The stock had sold in the low $20-per-share range a few months earlier. Fruehauf’s management decided to make a competing management-led leveraged buyout (MBO) tender offer for the company in conjunction with Merrill Lynch. The MBO would be funded using $375 million borrowed from Merrill Lynch, $375 million borrowed from Manufacturers Hanover Bank, and $100 million contributed by Fruehauf. The total equity contribution to the new company under the MBO would be only $25 million: $10 million to $15 million from management and the rest from Merrill Lynch. In return for their equity contributions, management would receive between 40 and 60 percent of the new company. Fruehauf’s management agreed to pay $30 million to Merrill Lynch for brokerage fees that Merrill Lynch could keep even if the deal did not go through. Management also agreed to a no-shop clause whereby they agreed not to seek a better deal with another bidder. Incumbent management received better information about the goings-on. They also gave themselves golden parachutes that would raise the money for management’s equity position in the new company. Edelman informed Fruehauf’s management that it could top their bid, but Fruehauf’s management did not give them the opportunity to present their offer. Management’s offer was accepted. Edelman sued, seeking an injunction against management taking over the corporation. Did Fruehauf’s management act unethically in this case? Did Fruehauf’s management act legally in this case? Edelman v. Fruehauf Corporation, 798 F.2d 882, 1986 U.S. App. Lexis 27911 (United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit)
> What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of the transnational approach advocated by Bartlett and Ghoshal?
> Why is the tension between centralization and decentralization of R&D activities likely to be even greater for multinational firms than firms that compete in one national market?
> What factors should a firm take into account when deciding how centralized its R&D activities should be? Should firms employ both centralized and decentralized R&D activities?
> What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of having formalized procedures for improving the effectiveness or efficiency of innovation?
> Are there particular types of innovation activities for which large firms are likely to outperform small firms? Are there types for which small firms are likely to outperform large firms?
> Describe a technological innovation not discussed in the chapter, and identify where you think it lies on the control continuum between wholly proprietary and wholly open.
> Can you identify a situation in which none of the legal protection mechanisms discussed (patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets) will prove useful?
> When will trade secrets be more useful than patents, copyrights or trademarks?
> Consider a firm that is considering marketing its innovation in multiple countries. What factors should this firm consider in formulating its protection strategy?
> What marketing strategies are used by the producers of the product you identified for question 3? What are the advantages and disadvantages of these marketing strategies?
> What are the differences between patents, copyrights, and trademarks?
> Are their some industries in which you would expect to see particularly short technology cycles? Are their some industries in which you would expect to see particularly long technology cycles? What might be some of the factors that influence the length o
> Will different methods of evaluating a project typically yield the same conclusions about whether to fund its development? Why or why not?
> If a firm decides it is in its best interest to collaborate on a development project, how would you recommend the firm go about choosing a partner, a collaboration mode, and governance structure for the relationship?
> What are some of the reasons that a firm might use both qualitative and quantitative assessments of a project?
> How does the mode of collaborating (e.g., strategic alliance, joint venture, licensing, outsourcing, collective research organization) influence the success of a collaboration?
> What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of collaborating on a development project?
> Identify a particular development project you are familiar with. What kinds of methods do you believe were used to assess the project? What kinds of methods do you believe should have been used to assess the project?
> For what kind of development projects might a real options approach be appropriate? For what kind of projects would it be inappropriate?
> What are the advantages and disadvantages of discounted cash flow methods such as NPV and IRR?
> Pick a product you feel you know well. What intermediaries do you think are used in bringing this product to market? What valuable services do you think these intermediaries provide?
> How is the idea of “strategic intent” different from models of strategy that emphasize achieving a fit between the firm’s strategies and its current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT)?
> What determines whether an industry is likely to have one or a few dominant designs?
> Why is it necessary to perform an external and internal analysis before the firm can identify its true core competencies?
> What makes an ability (or set of abilities) a core competency?
> What is the difference between a strength, a competitive advantage, and a sustainable competitive advantage?
> Are dominant designs good for consumers? Competitors? Complementors? Suppliers?
> What factors might make some industries harder to pioneer than others? Are there industries in which there is no penalty for late entry?
> Can you think of an example of a successful a) first mover, b) early follower, and c) late entrant? Can you think of unsuccessful examples of each?
> What are some of the advantages of entering a market early? Are there any advantages to entering a market late?
> What are some of the ways a firm can try to increase the overall value of its technology, and its likelihood of becoming the dominant design?
> What factors will (or should) influence a firm’s pricing strategy?
> What are some examples of industries not mentioned in the chapter that demonstrate increasing returns to adoption?
> What are some of the sources of increasing returns to adoption?
> Why do technologies often improve faster than customer requirements? What are the advantages and disadvantages to a firm of developing a technology beyond the current state of market needs?
> What are some of the reasons that both technology improvement and technology diffusion exhibit s-shaped curves?
> Are well-established firms or new entrants more likely to a) develop and/or b) adopt new technologies? What are some reasons for your choice?
> What are some of the reasons that established firms might resist the adoption of a new technology?
> Could firms identify people with greater capacity for creativity or inventiveness in their hiring procedures?
> Several studies indicate that the use of collaborative research agreements is increasing around the world. What might be some of the reasons that collaborative research is becoming more prevalent?
> What traits appear to make individuals most creative? Are these the same traits that lead to successful inventions?
> What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of a) individuals as innovators, b) firms as innovators, c) universities as innovators, d) government institutions as innovators, e) nonprofit organizations as innovators?
> Can you identify one or more circumstances when a company might wish to delay introducing its product?
> The Medical Committee for Human Rights (Committee), a nonprofit corporation organized to advance concerns for human life, received a gift of shares of Dow Chemical (Dow) stock. Dow manufactured napalm, a chemical defoliant that was used during the Vietna
> M.R. Watters was the majority shareholder of several closely held corporations, including Wildhorn Ranch, Inc. (Wildhorn). All these businesses were run out of Watters’s home in Rocky Ford, Colorado. Wildhorn operated a resort called the Wildhorn Ranch R
> Edward Hellenbrand ran a comedy club known as the Comedy Cottage in Rosemont, Illinois. The business was incorporated, with Hellenbrand and his wife as the corporation’s sole shareholders. The corporation leased the premises in which the club was located
> Southland Corporation (Southland) owns the 7-Eleven trademark and licenses franchisees throughout the country to operate 7-Eleven stores. The franchise agreement provides for fees to be paid to Southland by each franchisee based on a percentage of gross
> Christopher, Melony, Xie, and Ruth form iNet.com, LLC, a limited liability company. The 4 members are all Ph.D. scientists who have been working together in a backyard garage to develop a handheld wireless device that lets you receive and send email, sur
> Angela, Yoko, Cherise, and Serena want to start a new business that designs and manufactures toys for children. At a meeting in which the owners want to decide what type of legal form to use to operate the business, Cherise states: We should use a limite
> John A. Goodman was a real estate salesman in the state of Washington. Goodman sold to Darden, Doman & Stafford Associates (DDS), a general partnership, an apartment building that needed extensive renovation. Goodman represented that he personally had ex
> Gay’s Super Markets, Inc. (Super Markets), was a corporation formed under the laws of the state of Maine. Hannaford Bros. Company held 51 percent of the corporation’s common stock. Lawrence F. Gay and his brother Carrol were both minority shareholders in
> George Gibbons, William Smith, and Gerald Zollar were all shareholders in GRG Operating, Inc. (GRG). Zollar contributed $1,000 of his own funds so that the corporation could begin to do business. In exchange for this contribution, Gibbons and Smith both
> Commonwealth Edison Co. (Commonwealth Edison), through its underwriters, sold 1 million shares of preferred stock at an offering price of $100 per share. Commonwealth Edison wanted to issue the stock with a dividend rate of 9.26 percent, but its major un
> Martin Stern Jr. was an architect who worked in Nevada. Nathan Jacobson asked Stern to draw plans for Jacobson’s new hotel/ casino, the Kings Castle at Lake Tahoe. Stern agreed to take on the project and immediately began preliminary work. At this time,
> Leo V. Mysels was the president of Florida Fashions of Interior Design, Inc. (Florida Fashions). Florida Fashions, which was a Pennsylvania corporation, had never registered to do business in the state of Florida. While acting in the capacity of salesman
> Hutchinson Baseball Enterprises, Inc. (Hutchinson, Inc.), was incorporated under the laws of Kansas. Some of the purposes of the corporation, according to its bylaws, were to “promote, advance, and sponsor baseball, which shall include Little League and
> Jeffrey Sammak was the owner of a contracting business known as Senaco. Sammak decided to enter the coal reprocessing business. Sammak attended the Coal Show in Chicago, Illinois, at which he met representatives of the Deister Co., Inc. (Deister). Deiste
> Kawasaki Motors Corporation (Kawasaki), a Japanese corporation, manufactures motorcycles that it distributes in the United States through its subsidiary, Kawasaki Motors Corporation, U.S.A. (Kawasaki USA). Kawasaki USA is a franchisor that grants franchi
> Lawrence Gaffney was the president and general manager of Ideal Tape Company (Ideal). Ideal, which was a subsidiary of Chelsea Industries, Inc. (Chelsea), was engaged in the business of manufacturing pressure-sensitive tape. Gaffney recruited 3 other Id
> Ramada Inns, Inc. (Ramada Inns), is a franchisor that licenses franchisees to operate motor hotels using the Ramada Inns trademarks and service marks. In August, the Gadsden Motel Company (Gadsden), a partnership, purchased a motel in Attalla, Alabama, a
> Southland Corporation (Southland) owned the 7-Eleven trademark and licensed franchisees to operate convenience stores using this trademark. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. The franchise agreement stipulates that the franchisee is an i
> Re/Max International, Inc. (Re/Max), is the owner and licensor of Re/ Max trademarks and sells Re/Max franchises. Re/Max, through a subfranchisor, granted a franchise to Re/Max Midtown to operate a Re/Max franchise in Illinois (the franchisee). The Re/Ma
> Ally is a member and a manager of a manager-managed limited liability company called Movers & You, LLC, a moving company. The main business of Movers & You, LLC, is moving large corporations from old office space to new office space in other buildings. A
> Juan, Min-Yi, and Chelsea form Unlimited, LLC, a limited liability company that operates a chain of women’s retail clothing stores that sell eclectic women’s clothing. The company is a manager-managed LLC, and Min-Yi has been designated in the articles o
> Harold, Jasmine, Caesar, and Yuan form Microhard.com, LLC, a limited liability company, to sell computer hardware and software on the internet. Microhard.com, LLC, hires Heather, a recent graduate of the University of Chicago and a brilliant software des
> Dale C. Bone was a member of Roscoe, LLC, an LLC organized under the laws of North Carolina. Roscoe, LLC, purchased 2 acres of land near the town of Apex, North Carolina. Apex approved Roscoe, LLC’s plan to construct and operate a propane gas bulk storag
> The state of Wisconsin enacted an antitakeover statute that protects corporations that are incorporated in Wisconsin and have their headquarters, substantial operations, or 10 percent of their shares or shareholders in the state. The statute prevents any
> Mobil Corporation (Mobil) made a tender offer to purchase up to 40 million outstanding common shares of stock in Marathon Oil Company (Marathon) for $85 per share in cash. It further stated its intentions to follow the purchase with a merger of the two c
> Over a period of several years, the Curtiss-Wright Corporation (Curtiss-Wright) purchased 65 percent of the stock of Dorr-Oliver Incorporated (Dorr-Oliver). CurtissWright’s board of directors decided that a merger with Dorr-Oliver would be beneficial to
> Jon-T Chemicals, Inc. (Chemicals), was an Oklahoma corporation engaged in the fertilizer and chemicals business. John H. Thomas was its majority shareholder and its president and board chairman. Chemicals incorporated Jon-T Farms, Inc. (Farms), as a whol
> The adjusted trial balance columns of the worksheet for Nguyen Company, owned by C. Nguyen, are as follows. Instructions a. Complete the worksheet by extending the balances to the fi nancial statement columns. b. Prepare an income statement, owner&acir
> The trial balance columns of the worksheet for Warren Roofing at March 31, 2020, are as follows. Other data: 1. A physical count reveals only $480 of roofing supplies on hand. 2. Depreciation for March is $250. 3. Unearned revenue amounted to $260 at M
> Gabriel’s Graphics Company was organized on January 1, 2020, by Gabriel Medina. At the end of the first 6 months of operations, the trial balance contained the following accounts. Analysis reveals the following additional data. 1. The
> On November 1, 2020, the account balances of Hamm Equipment Repair were as follows. During November, the following summary transactions were completed. Nov. 8 Paid $1,700 for salaries due employees, of which $700 is for October salaries. 10 Received
> A review of the ledger of Gina Company at December 31, 2020, produces the following data pertaining to the preparation of annual adjusting entries. 1. Prepaid Insurance $10,440. The company has separate insurance policies on its buildings and its motor v
> Alena Co. was organized on July 1, 2020. Quarterly financial statements are prepared. The unadjusted and adjusted trial balances as of September 30 are shown below. Instructions a. Journalize the adjusting entries that were made. b. Prepare an income s
> Hank’s Hotel opened for business on May 1, 2020. Its trial balance before adjustment on May 31 is as follows. In addition to those accounts listed on the trial balance, the chart of accounts for Hank’s Hotel also con
> On December 1, 2020, Rodriguez Distributing Company had the following account balances. During December, the company completed the following summary transactions. Dec. 6 Paid $1,600 for salaries and wages due employees, of which $600 is for December a
> Tiff any Lyons was just hired as the assistant treasurer of Key West Stores. The company is a specialty chain store with nine retail stores concentrated in one metropolitan area. Among other things, the payment of all invoices is centralized in one of th
> Logan Krause started her own consulting fi rm, Krause Consulting, on May 1, 2020. The trial balance at May 31 is as follows. In addition to those accounts listed on the trial balance, the chart of accounts for Krause Consulting also contains the follow
> Rusthe Management Services began business on January 1, 2020, with a capital investment of $120,000. The company manages condominiums for owners (Service Revenue) and rents space in its own office building (Rent Revenue). The trial balance and adjusted t
> The trial balances before and after adjustment for Renfro Company at the end of its fiscal year are presented below. Instructions Prepare the adjusting entries that were made. Renfro Company Trial Balance August 31, 2020 Before After Adjustment Adj
> Greenock Company has the following information available for accruals for the year ended December 31, 2020. The company adjusts its accounts annually. 1. The December utility bill for $425 was unrecorded on December 31. Greenock paid the bill on January
> Action Quest Games Co. adjusts its accounts annually. The following information is available for the year ended December 31, 2020. 1. Purchased a 1-year insurance policy on June 1 for $1,800 cash. 2. Paid $6,500 on August 31 for 5 months’ rent in advance
> On December 31, 2020, Waters Company prepared an income statement and balance sheet, but failed to take into account three adjusting entries. The balance sheet showed total assets $150,000, total liabilities $70,000, and owner’s equity $80,000. The incor
> The ledger of Armour Lake Lumber Supply on July 31, 2020, includes the selected accounts below before adjusting entries have been prepared. An analysis of the company’s accounts shows the following. 1. The notes payable pays interest
> Selected accounts of Shannon Company are shown as follows. Instructions After analyzing the accounts, journalize (a) the July transactions and (b) the adjusting entries that were made on July 31. Supplies Expense 7/31 900 Salaries and Wages Payable
> A partial adjusted trial balance of Frangesch Company at January 31, 2020, shows the following. Instructions Answer the following questions, assuming the year begins January 1. a. If the amount in Supplies Expense is the January 31 adjusting entry and
> The income statement of Lundeen Co. for the month of July shows net income of $1,400 based on Service Revenue $5,500, Salaries and Wages Expense $2,300, Supplies Expense $1,200, and Utilities Expense $600. In reviewing the statement, you discover the fol
> The trial balance for Pioneer Advertising is shown in Illustration 3.3. Instead of the adjusting entries shown in the textbook at October 31, assume the following adjustment data. 1. Supplies on hand at October 31 total $500. 2. Expired insurance for the
> Lorena Manzone, D.D.S., opened a dental practice on January 1, 2020. During the first month of operations, the following transactions occurred. 1. Performed services for patients who had dental plan insurance. At January 31, $785 of such services were pe
> How does income measurement differ between a merchandising and a service company?
> The ledger of Passehl Rental Agency on March 31 of the current year includes the selected accounts, shown below, before adjusting entries have been prepared. An analysis of the accounts shows the following. 1. The equipment depreciates $400 per month.
> Mendoza Company accumulates the following adjustment data at December 31. 1. Services performed but unbilled total $3,000. 2. Supplies of $300 have been used. 3. Utility expenses of $552 are unpaid. 4. Services performed of $260 collected in advance. 5.
> Devin Wolf Company has the following balances in selected accounts on December 31, 2020. All the accounts have normal balances. The information below has been gathered at December 31, 2020. 1. Devin Wolf Company borrowed $10,000 by signing a 9%, one-ye
> Luong Corporation encounters the following situations: 1. Luong collects $1,300 from a customer in 2020 for services to be performed in 2021. 2. Luong incurs utility expense which is not yet paid in cash or recorded. 3. Luong’s employees worked 3 days in
> Carillo Industries collected $108,000 from customers in 2020. Of the amount collected, $25,000 was for services performed in 2019. In addition, Carillo performed services worth $36,000 in 2020, which will not be collected until 2021. Carillo Industries a
> The adjusted trial balance columns of the worksheet for Auburn Company are as follows. Instructions Complete the worksheet. Auburn Company Worksheet (partial) For the Month Ended April 30, 2020 Adjusted Trial Balance Income Statement Balance Sheet
> Chloe Davis has prepared the following list of statements about the time period assumption. 1. Adjusting entries would not be necessary if a company’s life were not divided into artifi cial time periods. 2. The IRS requires companies to fi le annual tax
> Financial Statement Presented below is information for Kaila Company for the month of March 2020. Cost of goods sold $215,000 Rent expense $ 30,000 Freight-out 7,000 Sales discounts 8,000 Insurance expense 6,000 Sales returns and allo
