Publications

May 2011
Article

Consequences and Institutional Determinants of Unregulated Corporate Financial Statements: Evidence from Embedded Value Reporting

By: George Serafeim

I analyze Embedded Value (EV) reporting by firms with life insurance operations to assess the impact of unregulated financial reporting on transparency and to examine the institutional characteristics that promote unregulated reporting. Under EV accounting the present... View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Mergers and Acquisitions; Financial Reporting; Cash Flow; Contracts; Equity; Profit; Value; Corporate Disclosure; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business Earnings

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Program

Senior Executive Program—Africa

optimal execution Improve your organization's ability to innovate, including creating new digital processes and offerings Build a sustainable, accountable organization with greater transparency and stronger governance Develop enduring... View Details

Program

Senior Executive Leadership Program—Middle East

deliver value to customers Lead authentically and ethically at all levels and foster a culture of accountability across the organization Build confidence in yourself as a leader, decision-maker, and negotiator Develop enduring bonds with... View Details

August 2009 (Revised February 2013)
Case

Eddie Bauer (A)

By: Paul Healy, Sharon Katz and Aldo Sesia

In June 2005, Eddie Bauer, the specialty apparel retailer, emerged from bankruptcy. Under the plan of reorganization former creditors converted their debt into common shares, taking 100% ownership in the reconstituted company. Large banks-including Bank of America and... View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Mergers and Acquisitions; Restructuring; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Stock Shares; Valuation; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Retail Industry; United States

March 2018
Teaching Note

Making Target the Target: Boycotts and Corporate Political Activity (A) and (B)

By: Nien-hê Hsieh and Victor Wu

Through the challenges facing Target, the case examines the ways in which corporations can become involved in political and legislative debates and processes, ranging from campaign contributions to lobbying. In 2016, Target CEO Brian Cornell must determine how to... View Details

Web

Live from Klarman Hall - Alumni

responsibility for learning. That’s fundamentally different from the traditional model of teaching — the learned expert transferring knowledge to eager students. At HBS, the teacher asks questions, and the students make statements that... View Details

17 May 2017
Research & Ideas

Minorities Who 'Whiten' Job Resumes Get More Interviews

United States. Some of the resumes included information that clearly pointed out the applicants’ minority status, while others were whitened, or scrubbed of racial clues. The researchers then created email accounts and phone numbers for... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

November 2005 (Revised July 2009)
Case

Cutter & Buck (A)

By: William A. Sahlman and Victoria Winston

Only three short months into her new position as CEO of publicly traded golf apparel manufacturer Cutter & Buck, Fran Conley discovers accounting irregularities that call into question the reliability of this company's financial statements. Working closely with her... View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Crime and Corruption; Corporate Disclosure; Governing and Advisory Boards; Lawsuits and Litigation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Going Public

18 Sep 2006
Research & Ideas

When Words Get in the Way: The Failure of Fiscal Language

reports is arbitrary, the net economic benefit to each generation is well-defined. "We hope that our paper will direct attention toward the real effects of economic policies and away from statements about magnitudes that can easily... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

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Initiatives & Projects - Faculty & Research

faculty Co-Chairs George Serafeim and Ethan Rouen. The mission of the Project was to drive the creation of financial accounts that reflect a company’s financial, social, and environmental performance. The ambition was to create View Details

Program

Driving Corporate Performance

targets and measures Implement more effective performance measurement and management control systems Link a customized Balanced Scorecard (BSC) strategy map to a succinct, powerful strategy statement for your organization Balance... View Details

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Dean Srikant Datar | About

Education, for Faculty Development, and for Faculty Recruiting. A graduate with distinction from the University of Bombay, Datar received gold medals upon graduation from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and the Institute of Cost and Works View Details

Web

Help - Alumni

Help Account Information 66ms Frequently Asked Questions HBS Account & Login HarvardKey Login HBS Email Two-step verification (Duo) Spam Email & Phishing Profile Updates & Subscriptions LinkedIn Alumni... View Details

08 Nov 2016
First Look

November 8, 2016

reduce risk, though the effectiveness depends upon the role of capital structure in volatility. To address this question, we build a statistical model of equity volatility that accounts for leverage. Our approach blends Merton’s insights... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

04 May 2010
First Look

First Look: May 4

economic obstacle of time and place by connecting excess supply (of physician capacity) with excess demand (for patient care). Could this model be adapted to other industries, such as legal and accounting services? Alternatively, should... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

January 2025
Case

A Tiger in the Tank: Exxon Sues Investors

By: Clayton S. Rose, Sarah Sasso and James Weber

In June 2024, investors were trying to make sense of ExxonMobil’s (Exxon) lawsuit against two impact investors, Arjuna Capital (Arjuna) and Follow This, that had just been dismissed by the U.S. District Court of Northern Texas. Exxon’s suit challenged the rights of two... View Details