THE REAL OPTIONS SOLUTION：FINDING TOTAL VALUE IN A HIGH-RISK WORLD

Harness the power of real options
Real options theory is based on the Nobel Prize--winning work on financial options, and has captured the interest of executives, managers, and investors who need to understand the future profitability of an asset. Originally developed to value technology initiatives and companies, the method is now being applied broadly across various businesses and industries. The Real Options Solution offers comprehensive coverage of the real options approach with a five-step framework and examples for applying the author's unique total value model based on real options analysis. This approach will help executives and investors minimize the risk of committing to new ventures and delivers a framework flexible enough to apply to business initiatives in all types of companies.

F. PETER BOER is President and CEO of Tiger Scientific, Inc., a firm specializing in science and technology consulting and investments. He is the author of The Valuation of Technology (Wiley), and is an Adjunct Professor of Business and Engineering at Yale University, where he teaches valuation and other subjects. Dr. Boer speaks and lectures frequently for the Industrial Research Institute and is actively engaged with companies that are using options-based methods to evaluate their R&D portfolios.

Introduction.

PART ONE: A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON VALUE.

The Crisis in Valuation.

Economic Value: The DCF "Gold Standard" and its Limitations.

The Total Value Model.

Enter the Options Dragon.

Why Plans are Options.

PART TWO: THE SOURCE OF WEALTH: MASTERING RISK, INNOVATION, AND THE LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURNS.

Diminishing Returns: The Dusty Road to Devolution.

Five Millennia of Value Destruction.

Does Risk Deserve its Bad Name?

Taming the Risk Bogeyman.

The Enigma of Intellectual Capital.

Innovation: The Fountain of Prosperity.

Can Government Manage Risk and Value?

Epilogue.

Endnotes.

Index.