Seize the competitive edge through intelligent, differentiated capital allocation The intelligent deployment of capital is one of the most effective ways to create long-term value. But despite this, there are very few capital allocation experts on the boards of the largest publicly traded companies, and academic research consistently finds that most firms deploy capital sub-optimally. Capital Allocation aims to educate senior leaders, board members, investors, students, and anyone interested in business on this important topic. Until now very little has been written on capital allocation outside of academia, even though the strategic deployment of excess capital is an increasingly significant source of competitive advantage for many companies. David Giroux, Chief Investment Officer for Equities and Multi-Asset and Head of Investment Strategy at T. Rowe Price, covers the entire gamut of capital allocation issues, including optimal capital structure, capital allocation alternatives, mergers & acquisitions, and special situations. Capital Allocation walks you through this critical topic from beginning to end, including: Stories of companies that allocated capital in ways that created significant shareholder value Several real-life decision-making models you can use for strategically allocating your firm’s capital Guidelines for generating high returns in the long term to build sustainable shareholder wealth Giroux uses academic research, personal experience, and uncomplicated mathematics to reveal approaches and actions that create long-term value. He provides case studies from Kodak, Comcast, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Danaher, General Electric, Microsoft, and others showing how capital allocation has―and hasn’t―worked in real-life situations. And he shows how to use capital allocation to head off possible activist investors. Capital Allocation offers everything you need to know for deploying capital wisely to outperform your competitors over the long term.

The capital allocation process is a fundamental, organizational capability that drives value creation. The bulk of extant empirical research, as well as evidence from prominent field studies, concludes that the capital allocation process is a significant capability weakness: managers appear to make consistently inefficient capital allocation decisions. This paper asks whether managers are truly allocating capital so inefficiently, or can a more robust measure of allocation efficiency demonstrate that the capital allocation process is instead a capability strength. In the first stage of the empirical analysis, managers are found to be allocating capital more than twice as efficiently than prior literature suggests. The second stage validates the new measure by demonstrating that managers are capable of enhancing performance through strategic capital allocation.

Internal capital allocation is both economically important ($640 billion in the U.S. annually) and critical to firm strategy. Yet since Bower's 1986 book, the topic has been largely ignored in the strategy literature. My dissertation comprises three essays that begin to fill this gap by examining the strategic implications of resource allocation behavior and outcomes. The first essay, Do Firms Really Allocate Capital So Inefficiently?, tackles the prevailing conclusion that the bulk of capital allocation is inefficient. I define an alternative (strategic) definition of efficiency and demonstrate not only that managers are more than twice as efficient as prior literature suggests, but also that strategic capital allocation affects firm value. The second essay, Chasing their Tails: Why Do Firms Subsidize Underperforming Segments?, examines why multidivisional firms delay the exit decision by cross-subsidizing their underperforming business units. I conclude first that these cross-subsidizing investments appear to be motivated by anticipated synergies between the units. However, I also demonstrate these synergies are illusive because they don't enhance market value. The third essay, Corporate Investment and Managerial Foresight, investigates the ability of some firms to make unique investment decisions that enhance future value. I find that managerial characteristics, in particular a tendency to be overconfident, is associated with managerial foresight.

By adopting a practical, market-oriented approach to capital allocation, this book sheds light on the complex issue of cash flow deployment and the creation of shareholder value. In order to run a company efficiently, it is not sufficient to simply be a competent businessperson. One must also possess the skills of a knowledgeable investor. The management must determine where to invest capital given the diverse range of investment options available, such as mergers and acquisitions (M&A), dividends, share repurchase programs, and organic growth opportunities. This book provides a useful analytical framework for corporate executives to consider when allocating capital, along with empirical findings from peer group studies and company case studies. The book helps answer the following questions: · What are the primary factors that drive your company's shareholder value? Are they aligned with the strategy the company is pursuing? · What are the key dynamics and trade-offs between return on investments (ROIC), growth, and earnings quality? · What are the current market expectations embedded in the stock price? · Given the capital allocation priorities, what does an “optimal” capital structure look like? · How do you set, and in turn communicate, the capital allocation and funding priorities? Written by an expert with more than 25 years of experience, this book helps business executives improve their skills as capital allocators by better understanding the financial markets.