This is a case of a business partnership gone sour. After building a profitable IT company together
Question:
This is a case of a business partnership gone sour. After building a profitable IT company together Steve Caper and Jim Thompson felt that their ideologies differed and they had different visions for the company - and due to these reasons they should call off their partnership. Steve wanted to buy out Jim, who was willing to sell for the right price. After months of haggling and legal maneuvering, Steve made his final offer: $8.5 million for Jim's shares in the company. The company is worth about $20 million, Jim thought to himself. I own 49% of the shares. Heck, I helped build this company. I'm not going to accept anything less than my fair share—$10 million. I'd rather fight in court than accept $8.5 million. Jim rejected the offer, and each party prepared for a trial. Jim's rationale for rejecting Steve's offer seemed reasonable enough. Also his lawyers assured him, a court ruling very likely would be in his favor.
Here are some more facts:
Estimated litigation costs - $500,000; His likelihood of winning in court, approximately 70%; and the fact that if he won, he would receive $10 million for his shares, whereas if he lost, he likely would receive only $3 million.
A. Using Decision trees assess what would be the best decision for Jim - to get into ligitation or to accept the offer that Steve gave him.
B. Besides monetary, what are the other considerations one can look at while deciding whether to go in for litigation or no. What are the pros and cons for the same.
C. If you were Steve, what strategies would you adopt to get Jim to sell his share of the company to you?