Case Name :      The Battle For Value: Federal Express Corporation Vs. United Parcel Service Of America, Inc.

Authors :           Robert F. Bruner, Derick Bulkley

Source :             Darden School of Business

Case ID :           UV2384

Discipline :        Finance

Case Length :    33 pages

Solution Sample availability : YES

Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)

Set in July 1995, this case invites students to assess the financial performance of Federal Express and United Parcel Service, two close competitors in the U.S. overnight express package-delivery industry. Although the case requires no numerical computations, it does ask students to interpret results and reflect on the implications. The contrasting financial records of the two firms afford a platform for exploring several important issues, including (1) the definition and use of “economic value added” (EVA) as a measure of corporate performance; (2) a comparison of EVA with other classic approaches of historical performance analysis; (3) the exercise of skills in business-segment analysis; (4) the exploration of the financial implications of intense competition and corporate transformation; and (5) the definition of “excellence” from a corporate-finance point of view.