Suggested Supplemental Readings
As the case indicates, there is a growing library of books and articles about Buffett and his investment style. The instructor may choose to assign readings from one or more of the publications listed in Exhibit TN1. Alternatively, it may be appropriate simply to share the list of books with students to illustrate the breadth of scholarship and reportage about the Sage of Omaha, Warren Buffett.
Suggested Teaching Plan
The following questions could be used to motivate a 90-minute discussion of the case:
1. What does the stock market seem to be saying about the acquisition of PacifiCorp by Berkshire Hathaway?
This opening offers the opportunity to develop the notion that stock prices are the present value of expected cash flows. Moreover, it deals with the immediate opening problem of the case: the market’s response to the PacifiCorp announcement. Finally, it should help to motivate a discussion of Buffett’s investment philosophy.
2. Based on your own analysis, what do you think PacifiCorp was worth on its own before its acquisition by Berkshire?
This question expands upon the opening question and helps deepen the mystery about the acquisition—the bid price seems to be a fairly full-price offer for PacifiCorp.
3. Well, maybe Buffett is overpaying—does he have a record of overpaying in the past?
Here, the discussion should shift to an analysis of Berkshire’s general record, its experience with MidAmerican, and its experiences buying equity positions in the Big Four. The general conclusion will be that Buffett has done very well as an investor and as the manager of Berkshire.
4. Here are the major elements of Buffett’s philosophy. What do those elements mean? Do you agree with them?
On a sideboard, one could list the major topic headings given in the case. The aim here should be to discuss the intuition behind each point: why Buffett holds those views and what they imply for his work. If the students already have been exposed to the major underpinnings of modern finance, this segment of the discussion would take the form of a quick review. For novices, this segment would warrant slower development.
5. Let’s return to the basic issue. Is the PacifiCorp acquisition a good or bad deal? Why?
This question returns the discussion to the opening and aims to rationalize some of the contradictions that will have emerged during class. The main contradiction is the full price and the positive market reaction to the announcement. As a value investor, Buffett would probably say that he sees something that others do not—the positive market reaction is just the market revising its expectations about the future profitability of PacifiCorp.
6. Take a vote on whether the shareholders should endorse the acquisition. For those of you who believe that PacifiCorp will be a good purchase, what justifies your belief? For those of you who voted no, why did you oppose it?
Hearing from both sides will serve as a summary of the major themes in the case and will invite a discussion about the sustainability of Buffett’s record.
The instructor could close with a discussion of the core tenets of finance and then discuss how the class will return to those themes repeatedly during the course. The instructor could also augment the discussion of tenets with more reading of material about Buffett. Finally, students could be updated on Berkshire Hathaway’s performance since the date of the case. See the firm’s Web site, http://www.berkshirehathaway.com, for updated reports as well as a compilation of Buffett’s letters to shareholders.