Publications

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March 2001 (Revised April 2002)
Case

Rent-Way, Inc. (A)

By: David F. Hawkins

The company uses the units of activity method to account for its rental inventory. A prominent hedge fund advisor recommends the company's stock be sold short. View Details

Keywords: Mathematical Methods; Stock Shares; Fair Value Accounting; Quality; Investment Funds; Service Industry

12 Jul 2011
First Look

First Look: July 12

the Use of Unverifiable Estimates in Required Goodwill Impairment Authors:Karthik Ramanna and Ross L. Watts Publication:Review of Accounting Studies (forthcoming) Abstract SFAS 142 requires managers to estimate the current fair View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

February 2013
Article

Towards an Understanding of the Role of Standard Setters in Standard Setting

By: Abigail M. Allen and Karthik Ramanna

We investigate the effect of standard setters in standard setting: we examine how certain professional and political characteristics of FASB members and SEC commissioners predict the accounting "reliability" and "relevance" of proposed standards. Notably, we find FASB... View Details

Keywords: FASB; Politics; Relevance; Reliability; Standard Setting; Accounting; Standards; Fair Value Accounting; Government and Politics; Personal Characteristics

SSRN

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20 Nov 2012
First Look

First Look: November 20

time. Read the paper: http://www.europeanceo.com/business-and-management/2012/07/iso-standards-stamp-approval/ Children Develop a Veil of Fairness Authors:Alex Shaw, Natalia Montinari, Marco Piovesan, Kristina Olson, Francesca Gino, and... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

30 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 30

to balance his role as a business leader and a political ruler. Purchase this case:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/410063-PDF-ENG SIPEF: Biological Assets at Fair Value under IAS 41 Edward J. Riedl and... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

16 Sep 2008
First Look

First Look: September 16, 2008

http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/07-099.pdf Consequences of Voluntary and Mandatory Fair Value Accounting: Evidence Surrounding IFRS Adoption in the EU Real Estate Industry Authors:Karl A. Muller, III, Edward... View Details

29 May 2014
Research & Ideas

Research Symposium 2014

amortization from its constitution, in favor of fair value accounting. Ramanna said that there are no unequivocal villains in thin political market situations, but rather "a quilt of special interests."... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Accounting; Health

March 2000
Background Note

Transfer Pricing

By: Robert S. Kaplan

Discusses use of market prices, negotiated prices, variable costs, dual rate, and full costs for transfer prices. View Details

Keywords: Fair Value Accounting; Cost Accounting; Price; Price Bubble; Negotiation; Cost Management; Cost of Capital; Financial Markets; Strategic Planning; Accounting Industry

August 2002 (Revised August 2003)
Case

Electronic Arts Introduces The Sims Online

By: Youngme E. Moon

Electronic Arts (EA), the world's largest independent game publisher, is preparing to launch an online, subscription-based version of the most popular PC game in history: The Sims. The new game is called "The Sims Online" and it differs from the original game in two... View Details

Keywords: Fair Value Accounting; Decision Making; Price; Product Launch; Market Entry and Exit; Internet; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

18 Dec 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, December 18, 2018

Case 119-030 Fair Value Accounting at Berkshire Hathaway Inc. In May 2018, Berkshire Hathaway announced an unprecedented loss of more than $1 billion for the first quarter of 2018. Warren Buffett blamed this... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

June 1987 (Revised August 1988)
Case

American Bank

By: Robert S. Kaplan

American Bank is developing a new system to compute product costs. The deregulated, more competitive environment for commercial banks has created both problems and opportunities for banking operations. In order to price existing products and assess the desirability of... View Details

Keywords: System; Consolidation; Commercial Banking; SWOT Analysis; Fair Value Accounting; Cost Management; Price; Banking Industry; North and Central America; United States

31 Jul 2012
First Look

First Look: July 31

observed corporate accountability reports can be used to determine whether and how those reports create or destroy value for shareholders and other constituencies. Download the paper: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1934322 When Supply-Chain... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

15 Aug 2011
Research & Ideas

A New Model for Business: The Museum

for-profit businesses today." Product curation, by necessity, requires talent and care. "Most consumers bristle at constraints on choice or heavy-handed guidance about what they should want, even though (ironically) they value it when... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

March 2011 (Revised January 2015)
Teaching Note

The IASB at a Crossroads: The Future of International Financial Reporting Standards

By: Karthik Ramanna

Teaching Note for 111084 and 113089. View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development; Strategy; Corporate Governance; Fair Value Accounting; Financial Reporting; Standards; Problems and Challenges; Emerging Markets; Financial Services Industry; China

30 Apr 2007
Research & Ideas

All Eyes on Slovakia’s Flat Tax

Slovakia highlights the fact that the beliefs and views of a country on what is fair [do] matter for the long-term sustainability of reforms," says Alfaro. Alfaro, Dessain, and Jensen joined forces for an e-mail interview with HBS... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

28 Apr 2015
First Look

First Look: April 28

Understanding Ordinary Unethical Behavior: Why People Who Value Morality Act Immorally By: Gino, F. Abstract—Cheating, deception, organizational misconduct, and many other forms of unethical behavior are among the greatest challenges in... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Sep 2009
First Look

First Look: September 1

Building on previous research, we argue that verifiability and conservatism, while detracting from accounting's role in equity valuation, are critical features of GAAP under efficient contracting. We recognize the advantage of using fair... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

November 2012 (Revised August 2013)
Case

A Politician in a Leather Suit and the Paradox of Japanese Capitalism

By: Karthik Ramanna and Matthew Shaffer

Two lost decades later, capitalism in Japan embodies peculiar contradictions—preserving wealth and social stability in the face of declining economic power. Scant transparency in Japanese corporate practices plays an important role in this phenomenon. Sometimes... View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Economic Systems; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Fairness; Values and Beliefs; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Civil Society or Community; Japan; Tokyo