In October 2013 GT Advanced Technology closed a deal to supply industrial-sapphire material to Apple; the material was to be used to improve the quality of iPhone screens. Prior to this deal, GTAT had been a leading supplier of equipment used to create industrial-sapphire, not a producer of the material itself. Apple helped to finance the scaling up of GTAT's industrial-sapphire manufacturing facilities by providing GTAT with a prepayment that was secured by an equipment lien; however, their agreement did not stipulate that Apple had an obligation to purchase any of GTAT's industrial-sapphire output. In September 2014 Apple announced that its production plans had changed and its new iPhone would not have a sapphire crystal screen. Soon thereafter, GTAT filed for bankruptcy. This case asks students to consider why GTAT took on the terms of such a risky deal, how their risk might have been mitigated, and what options were open to both GTAT and Apple in the aftermath of the deal.

【書誌情報】

ページ数：17ページ

サイズ：A4

商品番号：HBSP-CU159

発行日：2016/5/9

登録日：2016/6/21