Filter Results:
(6,716)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(6,716)
- People (11)
- News (1,663)
- Research (3,945)
- Events (34)
- Multimedia (140)
- Faculty Publications (2,804)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(6,716)
- People (11)
- News (1,663)
- Research (3,945)
- Events (34)
- Multimedia (140)
- Faculty Publications (2,804)
- 2012
- Working Paper
A Framework for Research on Corporate Accountability Reporting
By: Karthik Ramanna
This paper provides an accounting-based conceptual framing of the phenomenon of corporate accountability reporting. Such reporting is seen as arising from a delegator's (e.g., a citizenry) demand to hold a delegate (e.g., shareholders) to account. When effective,... View Details
Keywords: Integrated Corporate Reporting; For-Profit Firms; Framework; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Research; Environmental Sustainability; Social Issues
Ramanna, Karthik. "A Framework for Research on Corporate Accountability Reporting." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 12-021, September 2011. (Revised July 2012, October 2012.)
- March 2024
- Module Note
Accounting Standards for the 21st Century
By: Jonas Heese
Over the past two decades, accounting standards have evolved to meet the demands of a rapidly changing business environment. This module note focuses on understanding the impact of these standards on measuring firm performance and financial position in the context of a... View Details
Heese, Jonas. "Accounting Standards for the 21st Century." Harvard Business School Module Note 124-056, March 2024.
- 07 Oct 2019
- News
Weighting accounts for impact
- 2014
- Article
The Governance of Social Enterprises: Mission Drift and Accountability Challenges in Hybrid Organizations
By: Alnoor Ebrahim, Julie Battilana and Johanna Mair
We examine the challenges of governance facing organizations that pursue a social mission through the use of market mechanisms. These hybrid organizations, often referred to as social enterprises, combine aspects of both charity and business at their core. In this... View Details
Keywords: Governance; Hybrid Organizations; Nonprofit; Performance Measurement; Legal Form; Agency Theory; Stakeholder Management; Mission and Purpose; Social Enterprise; Corporate Accountability
Ebrahim, Alnoor, Julie Battilana, and Johanna Mair. "The Governance of Social Enterprises: Mission Drift and Accountability Challenges in Hybrid Organizations." Research in Organizational Behavior 34 (2014): 81–100.
- 2021
- Working Paper
Accounting for Product Impact in the Oil and Gas Industry
By: Katie Panella, George Serafeim and Katie Trinh
We apply the product impact measurement framework of the Impact-Weighted Accounts Initiative (IWAI) in two competitor companies within the oil and gas industry. We design a monetization methodology that allows us to calculate monetary product impact estimates of... View Details
Keywords: Product Innovation; Impact; Impact Investing; Impact Measurement; ESG; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; ESG Ratings; Social Corporate Responsibility; Corporate Social Responsibility; Social Impact; Oil; Oil ＆ Gas; Oil And Gas; IWAI; Impact-Weighted Accounts; Product Design; Product Positioning; Society; Environmental Sustainability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Product
Panella, Katie, George Serafeim, and Katie Trinh. "Accounting for Product Impact in the Oil and Gas Industry." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 21-140, June 2021.
- August 2018 (Revised April 2019)
- Case
Fair Value Accounting at Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (A)
By: Jonas Heese, Suraj Srinivasan, Francois Brochet and Christine Johnson
In May 2018, Berkshire Hathaway announced an unprecedented loss of more than $1 billion for the first quarter of 2018. Warren Buffett blamed this loss on the new accounting rules for equity securities which he criticized. In the case ‘Fair Value Accounting at Berkshire... View Details
Keywords: Equity Securities; FASB; Fair Value Accounting; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Financial Services Industry
Heese, Jonas, Suraj Srinivasan, Francois Brochet, and Christine Johnson. "Fair Value Accounting at Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 119-030, August 2018. (Revised April 2019.)
- 09 Mar 2011
- Working Paper Summaries
Accounting Scholarship That Advances Professional Knowledge and Practice
- March 2021 (Revised April 2021)
- Case
Wirecard: The Downfall of a German Fintech Star
By: Jonas Heese, Charles C.Y. Wang and Tonia Labruyere
Wirecard was a German fintech company, member of the DAX30, that provided payment processing and related services. Wirecard had enjoyed large growth rates over the years and most investors and analysts were enthusiastic about the company's prospects. Wirecard's... View Details
Keywords: Accounting Fraud; Scandal; Accounting Audits; Accounting; Financial Reporting; Financial Institutions; Financial Markets; Corporate Governance; Governance Compliance; Corporate Accountability; Governance Controls; Financial Services Industry; Germany; Singapore; Dubai
Heese, Jonas, Charles C.Y. Wang, and Tonia Labruyere. "Wirecard: The Downfall of a German Fintech Star." Harvard Business School Case 121-058, March 2021. (Revised April 2021.)
- September 2004 (Revised January 2006)
- Tutorial
Introduction to Cost Accounting Systems
By: David F. Hawkins, V.G. Narayanan, Jacob Cohen and Michele Jurgens
Covers the basics of cost system design, demonstrating in a clear, step-by-step fashion how costs are assigned to cost objects. Key concepts include direct and indirect costs, two-stage allocation, cost pools, and cost drivers. Also provides a brief review of several... View Details
- 2017
- Other Teaching and Training Material
Financial Accounting Reading: Revenue Recognition
By: David F. Hawkins
The overarching goal of the revenue recognition chapter is to help students better understand the substance and implementation challenges of the joint FASB/IASB revenue recognition standard. This Reading includes four Interactive Illustrations: "Time Value of Money for... View Details
Hawkins, David F. "Financial Accounting Reading: Revenue Recognition." Core Curriculum Readings Series. Harvard Business Publishing 5066, 2017.
Taking Gender Into Account
We conceptualize leadership development as identity work and show how subtle forms of gender bias in the culture and in organizations interfere with the identity work of women leaders. Based on this insight, we revisit traditional approaches to standard leadership... View Details
- 1988
- Chapter
Originality in Management Accounting Systems: Field Studies of the Processes
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Kaplan, Robert S. "Originality in Management Accounting Systems: Field Studies of the Processes." In New Directions in Creative and Innovative Management, edited by Y. Ijiri and R. L. Kuhn, 103–114. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger Publishing Company, 1988.
- Apr 2011 - 15 Apr 2011
- Conference Presentation
The Globalization of Corporate Environmental Disclosure: Accountability or Greenwashing?
- June 2024 (Revised February 2025)
- Case
Accounting for Loans at SoFi Technologies
By: Joseph Pacelli and Michael Norris
At the release of its first quarter earnings report on May 1, 2023, digital bank SoFi beat its earnings guidance by 25%. On May 2, Wedbush Securities analyst David Chiaverini issued a report downgrading the stock. A second downgrade followed from Chiaverini on May 15.... View Details
Keywords: Accounting; Banks and Banking; Financing and Loans; Valuation; Stocks; Banking Industry; United States
Pacelli, Joseph, and Michael Norris. "Accounting for Loans at SoFi Technologies." Harvard Business School Case 124-057, June 2024. (Revised February 2025.)
- March 2011
- Article
Accounting Scholarship That Advances Professional Knowledge and Practice
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Recent accounting scholarship has used statistical analysis on asset prices, financial reports and disclosures, laboratory experiments, and surveys of practice. The research has studied the interface among accounting information, capital markets, standard setters, and... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Disclosure; Asset Pricing; Risk Management; Surveys; Capital Markets; Measurement and Metrics; Valuation; Fair Value Accounting; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Financial Reporting
Kaplan, Robert S. "Accounting Scholarship That Advances Professional Knowledge and Practice." Accounting Review 86, no. 2 (March 2011): 367–383.
- October 2010 (Revised July 2013)
- Case
ActionAid International: Globalizing Governance, Localizing Accountability
By: Alnoor Ebrahim and Rachel Gordon
As a global NGO working in 45 countries, ActionAid International aims to eradicate poverty by addressing its underlying causes such as injustice and inequality. This case follows a series of radical transformations implemented by the organization's CEO, Ramesh Singh—a... View Details
Keywords: Local Range; Globalized Firms and Management; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Leading Change; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Structure; Nonprofit Organizations; Power and Influence; Johannesburg; London
Ebrahim, Alnoor, and Rachel Gordon. "ActionAid International: Globalizing Governance, Localizing Accountability." Harvard Business School Case 311-004, October 2010. (Revised July 2013.)
- Article
Better Accounting Transforms Health Care Delivery
By: Robert S. Kaplan and Mary L. Witkowski
The paper describes the theory and preliminary results for an action research program that explores the implications from better measurements of health care outcomes and costs. After summarizing Porter's outcome taxonomy (Porter 2010), we illustrate how to use process... View Details
Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management; Research; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry
Kaplan, Robert S., and Mary L. Witkowski. "Better Accounting Transforms Health Care Delivery." Accounting Horizons 28, no. 2 (June 2014): 365–383.
- 2022
- Working Paper
A Conceptualization of Sub-Living Wages: Liabilities, Leverage, and Risk
By: Drew Keller, Katie Panella and George Serafeim
Currently the accounting system records employee wages as an expense in the income statement. However, paying below living wages can expose an organization to reputational and operational risks. In this paper, we offer an alternative conceptualization of the issue of... View Details
Keywords: Accounting; Impact Accounting; Leverage; Wages; Compensation and Benefits; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Business and Government Relations; Social Issues; Human Capital
Keller, Drew, Katie Panella, and George Serafeim. "A Conceptualization of Sub-Living Wages: Liabilities, Leverage, and Risk." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 22-076, June 2022.
- Research Summary
Governance and Accountability in Social Sector Organizations
This research examines governance in two types of organizations: international NGOs and socioeconomic hybrids.
First, over the past decade, many of the world's most prominent international nongovernmental organizations and networks (INGOs) ... View Details