Publications

December 2016
Article

Through the Mud or in the Boardroom: Examining Activist Types and Their Strategies in Targeting Firms for Social Change

By: Charles Eesley, K. A. DeCelles and Michael Lenox

We examine the variety of activist groups and their tactics in demanding firms’ social change. While extant work does not usually distinguish among activist types or their variety of tactics, we show that different activists (e.g., social movement organizations vs.... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Tactics; Investment Activism

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01 Jun 2005
News

Change of Pace

policy and the expression of faith in public life. He will also lend his expertise to nuts-and-bolts issues, such as assessing the financial risks involved in the diocese’s possible support for a housing project in the West Bank city of Ramallah. “It’s View Details

Keywords: GOP; Catholic; Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Personal Services

01 Jun 2023
News

The Exchange: The Tech Leader’s Tightrope

Image by John Ritter Image by John Ritter In the wake of the Snowden leaks in 2015, the New York Times dropped the bombshell news that one company had played a unique role in enabling the National Security Agency’s domestic spy program. The report, “AT&T Helped US Spy... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities; Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities

02 Jun 2019
News

A Data-Driven Approach to Gun Policy

Illustration by Decue Wu HBS professor Deepak Malhotra recalls the moment he learned about the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, a tragedy that took the lives of 20 first-graders and six staff members on December 14, 2012. “I had... View Details

Keywords: Jennifer Gillespie; Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities; Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities

October 2022
Article

It’s Not Just the Prices: Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing for Initiation of Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation at Three International Sites—A Case Review

By: Michael Nurok, Vin Pellegrino, Marc Pineton de Chambrun, Jonathan Warsh, Meredith Young, Erik Dong, Neil Parrish, Syed Shehab, Alain Combes and Robert S. Kaplan

The United States spends more for intensive care units (ICUs) than do other high-income countries. We used time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) to analyze ICU costs for initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for respiratory failure to estimate... View Details

Keywords: Healthcare; Cost; Time-Driven ABC; Health Care and Treatment; Cost Management; Activity Based Costing and Management; Health Industry

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October 1988 (Revised June 1993)
Case

Siemens Electric Motor Works (A): Process-Oriented Costing

Explores how a cost system can help support a firm's decision to change strategies. In the process, the students are introduced to a simple activity-based cost system. Siemens Electric Motor Works found itself facing an increasingly competitive environment and so made... View Details

Keywords: Production; Activity Based Costing and Management; Manufacturing Industry

Article

Dissecting Costs of CT Study: Application of TDABC (Time-driven Activity-based Costing) in a Tertiary Academic Center

By: Robert S. Kaplan, Yoshimi Anzai, Marta E. Heilbrun, Derek Haas, Luca Boi, Kirk Moshre, Satoshi Minoshima and Vivian S. Lee

The lack of understanding the true costs (not charges) of delivering health care services poses tremendous challenges in the containment of health care costs. In this study, we applied an established cost accounting method, time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC),... View Details

Keywords: Healthcare Costs; Medical Imaging; Computed Tomography; Activity-Based Costing; Cost Accounting; Activity Based Costing and Management; Health Care and Treatment; Performance Efficiency; Health Industry

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April 1993 (Revised September 1996)
Case

General Mills, Inc.: Analyzing an Annual Report

By: William J. Bruns Jr. and Marc H. Zablatsky

A directed analysis of the General Mills 1992 Annual Report. Focuses on the basics of reading an annual report including analysis of financial statements, calculations of financial ratios, and study of the layout and message of an annual report. View Details

Keywords: History; Cost Management; Activity Based Costing and Management; Financial Statements; Financial Strategy

April 2008 (Revised August 2008)
Supplement

Shareholder Activists at Friendly Ice Cream (B)

By: V.G. Narayanan, Fabrizio Ferri and James Weber

This case study briefly describes the outcome of the Shareholder Activists at Friendly Ice Cream (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Investment Activism; Business and Shareholder Relations; Conflict and Resolution; Outcome or Result

March 2007 (Revised August 2014)
Case

Survey Masters LLC (A)

By: William J. Bruns

Partners in a service firm are reviewing results for 2006, wondering whether large or small projects are more profitable. Present reports make small projects look more profitable. However, activity-based accounting reveals that large projects are more profitable and... View Details

Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management; Financial Reporting; Cost vs Benefits; Financial Strategy; Service Industry

Article

The Innovation of Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing

By: Robert S. Kaplan and Steven R. Anderson

Keywords: Innovation and Invention; Activity Based Costing and Management

June 13, 2021
Guest Column

Big Oil Gets Clean and the World Stays Dirty: Public Pressure on Fossil Fuel Companies Can Only Do So Much

By: John Mulliken

Keywords: Climate Change; Business and Shareholder Relations; Public Opinion; Investment Activism; Energy Industry

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February 2023
Supplement

Peloton Interactive (B)

By: Suraj Srinivasan, Lynn S. Paine and David Lane

Supplements “Peloton Interactive (A)” (HBS No. 323-005), describing company restructuring and changes to management and the board of directors between February 8 and early October 2022. View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Growth Management; Investment Activism; Leadership; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Sports Industry; United States

July 2015
Exercise

An Activist Approach: Confidential Role Assignment for Castle Rock Management

By: Guhan Subramanian and Kait Szydlowski

A three party, multiple-issue negotiation exercise dealing with a potential merger between two leading department stores, called for by an activist investor hedge fund in a letter to both companies. Company management will now attempt to navigate next moves, which are... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Activist Investors; Takeover Defense; Negotiation Types; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Governance; Investment Activism; Retail Industry

21 Dec 2013
News

Kenneth A. Schechter, 83, Dies; With Help, He Flew Blind

Keywords: Korean War; Navy; obituraries; Insurance Carriers and Related Activities; Insurance Carriers and Related Activities

December 2011 (Revised September 2015)
Case

Carl Icahn and Clorox

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Kathleen Durante

This case outlines the takeover attempt by activist investor, Carl Icahn, for the Clorox Company. The board of the company repeatedly rejected Icahn's offers as inadequate. He made three bids over the course of three months. View Details

Keywords: Investment Activism; Governing and Advisory Boards