Publications

March 2016 (Revised October 2023)
Case

Central European Distribution Corporation: Hostile Takeover, Bankruptcy Makeover

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah L. Abbott

In early 2013, Central European Distribution Corporation (CEDC), a large publicly traded producer and distributer of vodka and spirits in Eastern and Central Europe, has suffered significant declines in its financial performance, is at risk of defaulting on its debt,... View Details

Keywords: Hostile Takeover; Accounting Restatement; Activist Shareholder; Restructuring; Mergers and Acquisitions; Financial Statements; Corporate Governance; Investment Activism; Distribution Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States; Russia; Europe

27 Sep 2018
Research & Ideas

Religion in the Workplace: What Managers Need to Know

Phillips appealed, the US Supreme Court took the case. Almost 100 organizations filed amicus briefs with the court, weighing in on one side of the issue or the other. “This isn’t about a cake,” Craig said in a statement before the Supreme... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Food & Beverage; Apparel & Accessories

05 Sep 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, September 5, 2017

forthcoming Journal of Financial Economics The Effects of Media Slant on Firm Behavior By: Baloria, Vishal P., and Jonas Heese Abstract—The media can impose reputational costs on firms because of its important role as an information... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

11 Apr 2012
Research & Ideas

The High Risks of Short-Term Management

Companies that manage for short-term gain rather than long-term growth have been blamed for everything from popularizing celebrity CEOs to causing a significant chunk of the current financial crisis. Now new research findings suggest that... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Financial Services

January 2010 (Revised April 2013)
Case

Aubrey McClendon's Special Incentive Compensation at Chesapeake Energy (A)

By: Paul Healy, Clayton S. Rose and Aldo Sesia

Aubrey McClendon, founder and CEO of Chesapeake Energy, was, according to Fortune Magazine, the highest paid U.S. CEO in 2008 receiving over $100 million in total compensation. McClendon received this compensation despite a significant drop in the company's stock price... View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Financial Reporting; Price; Stock Options; Valuation; Joint Ventures; Business Growth and Maturation; Economic Growth; Growth and Development Strategy; Change Management; Energy Industry; United States

14 Nov 2007
First Look

First Look: November 14, 2007

that while the manufacturer's dependence advantage diminishes its performance, the supplier's dependence advantage has a null effect. We discuss the implications of these findings for studies of interorganizational interdependence. The Influence of View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

22 Nov 2010
Research & Ideas

Seven Strategy Questions: A Simple Approach for Better Execution

Along with identifying a primary customer, you must also define your core values in a way that ranks the priority of shareholders, employees, and customers. Value statements that are lists of aspirational behaviors aren't good enough.... View Details

Keywords: by Robert Simons

16 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Breaking the Code of Change

expressed as shareholder value. Its focus is on formal structure and systems. It is driven from the top with extensive help from consultants and financial incentives. Change is planned and programmatic. Theory O has as its purpose the... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Beer & Nitin Nohria

01 Nov 2020
Research & Ideas

Good Leadership Is an Act of Kindness

exhaust themselves attending to a special needs child or ailing parent. Everyone frets over their physical and financial well-being. Who among us isn't anxious, stressed out, and off our game right now? From bolstering remote... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Susan Seligson

28 May 2019
Research & Ideas

Investor Lawsuits Against Auditors Are Falling, and That's Bad News for Capital Markets

liability standards, requiring plaintiffs such as institutional investors to prove that auditors knew, or should have known, their clients’ financial statements contained errors. In both decisions, Rule... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services; Financial Services

13 Mar 2023
Op-Ed

How Leaders Should Leave

and two or three adviser friends outside the organization you can trust. Your resignation should be rational, not emotional. What are the financial implications if you don’t have an immediate new job, and what benefits will you lose? Can... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

June 2017 (Revised January 2019)
Case

Signet Jewelers: Assessing Customer Financing Risk

By: Gerardo Pérez Cavazos, Suraj Srinivasan and Monica Baraldi

Marc Cohodes, a renowned short seller, has identified weaknesses in Signet's business strategy, which he argues is heavily reliant on providing loans to customers with subprime credit scores. He believes that the company accounts for its receivables portfolio using... View Details

Keywords: Short Selling; Bad Debt Expense; Accounting; Financial Reporting; Financial Statements; Finance; Financing and Loans; Valuation; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; United States

June 2021 (Revised November 2024)
Case

MicroStrategy: Accounting for Cryptocurrency

By: Jonas Heese and Annelena Lobb

On February 15, 2021, Alina Moss, an analyst who covered the technology company MicroStrategy, pondered a rise in MicroStrategy’s share price. Moss had dialed into the company earnings call. When it ended, Moss had more questions than answers. MicroStrategy had... View Details

Keywords: Cryptocurrency; Share Price; Electronic Commerce; Intangible Assets; Assets; Accounting; Financial Statements; Financial Management; Financial Reporting; Analytics and Data Science; E-commerce

11 Aug 2009
First Look

First Look: August 11, 2009

two days in the future do not show this want/should pattern, and we discuss a potential explanation. Signaling Firm Performance Through Financial Statement Presentation: An Analysis Using Special Items... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

May 2024
Case

A New Aiera for Equity Research

By: Joseph Pacelli, Charles CY Wang and James Barnett

Aiera (pronounced “era”) co-founder and CEO Ken Sena considers strategic pathways to growth for the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform used to source, verify, and transcribe earnings calls, company presentations, and other corporate events. View Details

Keywords: Financial Reporting; Financial Statements; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; AI and Machine Learning; Growth and Development Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; United States

15 Jun 2009
Research & Ideas

GM: What Went Wrong and What’s Next

reluctance to take environmental issues seriously. But these were not overnight developments. Beyond that, did GM's financial controls become too powerful a force for the product engineers to overcome? Did the marketers not see what... View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Auto

May 2014
Case

Groupon, Inc.

By: Krishna G. Palepu, Blythe J. McGarvie and James Weber

Internet coupon site "Groupon" grew revenues rapidly and went public, but struggled to impress investors or operate profitably. Did it have a sustainable business model? Groupon sold coupons called Groupons which purchasers used to acquire goods or services at... View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Corporate Governance; Entrepreneurship; Financial Management; Financial Reporting; Financial Statements; Organizational Culture; Strategy; Web Services Industry; United States

July 1997 (Revised September 2004)
Case

Depreciation at Delta Air Lines and Singapore Airlines (A)

By: William J. Bruns Jr. and Jeremy Cott

Depreciation policies at Delta Air Lines and Singapore Airlines are compared and contrasted against a summary of operating data from each airline. Questions focus attention on differing depreciation policies. View Details

Keywords: Cost Accounting; Policy; Financial Statements; Air Transportation Industry