Several merchants signed a binding arbitration agreement with American Express Co. The arbitration agreement included a clause prohibiting class action arbitration. Later, after a serious dispute arose involving a federal statute, the merchants wanted to pursue class action arbitration against American Express arguing that it would be too expensive to pursue the claims individually. Assuming the Federal Arbitration Act applies, how should a court rule on the issue

What is private equity investing? who participates in it and why? how is palamon positioned in the industry? how does private equity investing compare with public market investing? what are the similarities and differences between the two? why is palamon interested in teamsystem? does it fit with palamon’s investment strategy? how much is 51% of teamsystem’s common equity worth? use both a discounted cash flow and a multiple-based valuation to justify your recommendation. what complexities do cross-border deals introduce? what are the specific risks of this deal? what should louis elson recommend to his partners? is it a go or not? if it is a go, what nonprice terms are important? if it’s not a go, what counterproposal would you make?