Harvard Business Review

JULY 2, 2014

Managers typically use breakeven analysis to set a price to understand the economic impact of various price- and sales-volume scenario. It’s a simple calculation to determine how many units must be sold at a given price to cover one’s fixed costs. Assume she must incur a fixed cost of $25,500 to produce and sell a kite.

Variable Costs 18

Variable Costs Fixed Costs Sales Sales 18

Harvard Business Review

JULY 2, 2014

Managers typically use breakeven analysis to set a price to understand the economic impact of various price- and sales-volume scenario. It’s a simple calculation to determine how many units must be sold at a given price to cover one’s fixed costs. Assume she must incur a fixed cost of $25,500 to produce and sell a kite.

Variable Costs 10

Variable Costs Fixed Costs Sales Sales 10

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 6, 2014

If round after round of profit warnings was not enough – group operating profits fell 20% between 2011 and 2013 and are likely to fall another 30% in 2014 — the company recently announced it had overstated its first-half profit by about $400 million. Aldi UK sales grew from $6.3 billion to $8.6 The answer is simple – selling more.

Reorganization 15

Reorganization Fixed Costs Transportation Sales 15

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 24, 2015

Since its spin-off in July 2014, the capitalization of Seventy Seven Energy, the former oilfield services business of Chesapeake Energy, has melted by more than 75%, at least partially reflecting continued dependence on its former parent for about 90% of its revenues. Does the business have an adequate financial structure?

Assets 11

Assets Revenue Energy Fixed Costs 11

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 7, 2015

According to Schulte, Roth & Zabel’s Activist Investing 2015 Annual Review, a total of 344 companies worldwide were subjected to activist demands in 2014, up 18% from the 291 recorded in 2013. However, free cash flow per share remained impressive at both companies, and fixed cost ratios remained somewhat intact.

Balance Sheet 12

Balance Sheet Cash Flow Revenue Reorganization 12