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  • May 1985 (Revised October 2001)
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Comdisco, Inc.

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin and Rita J. Seymour
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:17
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Abstract

Comdisco, the largest independent dealer and lessor of computers and peripheral equipment, needs financing in order to match its market's growth of 20-30% per year. The company has access to two types of risk capital, but there are substantial costs and risks associated with each. The case focuses on the formulation of a complex financial strategy to meet Comdisco's aggressive growth plans. Once the strategy is identified, the questions "Is it possible?" and "Can it be implemented?" lead naturally to a discussion of the company's appropriate role in its industry.

Keywords

Business or Company Management; Strategy; Cost vs Benefits; Capital Structure; Financing and Loans; Financial Strategy; Corporate Finance; Growth and Development Strategy; Computer Industry; Distribution Industry

Citation

Baldwin, Carliss Y., and Rita J. Seymour. "Comdisco, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 285-109, May 1985. (Revised October 2001.)
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About The Author

Carliss Y. Baldwin

→More Publications

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    Computer-Implemented Methods and Systems for Measuring, Estimating, and Managing Economic Outcomes and Technical Debt in Software Systems and Projects: US Patent 11,126,427 B2

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    Design Rules, Volume 2: How Technology Shapes Organizations: Chapter 7 The Value Structure of Technologies, Part 2: Strategy without Numbers

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    • 2020
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    Design Rules, Volume 2: How Technology Shapes Organizations: Chapter 6 The Value Structure of Technologies, Part 1: Mapping Functional Relationships

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More from the Authors
  • Computer-Implemented Methods and Systems for Measuring, Estimating, and Managing Economic Outcomes and Technical Debt in Software Systems and Projects: US Patent 11,126,427 B2 By: Daniel J. Sturtevant, Carliss Baldwin, Alan MacCormack, Sunny Ahn and Sean Gilliland
  • Design Rules, Volume 2: How Technology Shapes Organizations: Chapter 7 The Value Structure of Technologies, Part 2: Strategy without Numbers By: Carliss Y. Baldwin
  • Design Rules, Volume 2: How Technology Shapes Organizations: Chapter 6 The Value Structure of Technologies, Part 1: Mapping Functional Relationships By: Carliss Y. Baldwin
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