Publications

20 Aug 2012
Research & Ideas

The Acquirers

understudied subject of business research. After all, the economic activity generated by these deals is huge—North American M&A deals in 2011 were estimated at $450 billion. But another reason, says Harvard Business School's Matthew... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard; Financial Services

01 Mar 2012
News

Social Investing Pioneers

Palandjian Photo courtesy Tracy Palandjian Cohen Main article: Where Innovation Rules Governments and philanthropies have long sought to improve the lives of society’s least fortunate and most vulnerable, often with discouraging results. Money spent doesn’t reliably... View Details

Keywords: Roger Thompson; Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles; Finance; Social Assistance; Health, Social Assistance

Fast Answer

Industrial classification systems

searching as many descriptions are incomplete or may be absent from a database. On the other hand, industry classification systems do not keep up with the latest industry trends, so new buzz words or ways of connecting related View Details

September 1990 (Revised April 1993)
Case

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.

By: William J. Bruns Jr.

Following the company's purchase as a part of a leveraged buyout, the new management team of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. had to decide what to do about the build-up of excess inventory of its independent wholesale customers. The case introduces students to the problems... View Details

Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management; Customer Satisfaction; Business or Company Management; Business Growth and Maturation; Consumer Products Industry

Find at Harvard

28 Aug 2017
Research & Ideas

Should Industry Competitors Cooperate More to Solve World Problems?

Source: Cecilie_Arcurs George Serafeim has a startling suggestion to fix the world’s biggest environmental, social, and governance (ESG) problems such as water pollution, deforestation, and wealth inequality: encourage companies within industries to do less competing... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Financial Services; Manufacturing; Agriculture & Agribusiness; Mining

July 2021 (Revised July 2022)
Case

Brigham & Women's Hospital: Using Patient Reported Outcomes to Improve Breast Cancer Care

By: Robert S. Kaplan, Navraj S. Nagra and Syed S. Shehab

Dr. Andrea Pusic, breast cancer reconstruction surgeon, wants to extend outcomes measurement beyond traditional surgical metrics of infections, complications, and survival rates. The case describes her development of a new mobile phone app, which collects patients’... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Outcome or Result; Cost Management; Activity Based Costing and Management; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Health Testing and Trials; Surveys; Health Industry; Boston

September 2003 (Revised February 2007)
Case

PolyMedica Corporation (A)

By: David F. Hawkins and Jacob Cohen

The Securities and Exchange Commission and investors question PolyMedica Corp.'s practice of capitalizing rather than expensing of direct-response advertising. View Details

Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management; Business Earnings; Advertising; Private Sector; Budgets and Budgeting; Cost Management; Capital Markets; Marketing; Private Equity; Pharmaceutical Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

May 1987 (Revised November 1998)
Case

John Deere Component Works (A)

By: Robert S. Kaplan

The division has recognized the inadequacies of its existing, traditional cost system for estimating product costs. Describes the innovative activity-based system that was developed to more accurately trace overhead costs to individual products. Provides students with... View Details

Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management; Cost Accounting; Cost Management; Cost vs Benefits; Production; Budgets and Budgeting; Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Management; Consumer Products Industry

Web

Digital Transformation - HBS Online

New Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy Build the skill set and strategic acumen to compete in the digital world through a combination of forward-looking coursework, unique team activities with a diverse global network, and a... View Details

01 Jun 2000
News

HBS Community Reaches Out

The School's longtime commitment to public service was once again demonstrated at this year's annual Project Outreach. On Saturday, March 25, more than four hundred HBS students, partners, faculty, and staff volunteered to perform community View Details

May 2015
Teaching Note

Aviva Investors

By: George Serafeim

Keywords: Responsibility; Responsibilities To Society; Sustainability; Sustainability Reporting; Corporate Social Responsibility; Corporate Sustainability; Activist Investors; Investment Management; Investment Strategy; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Integrated Corporate Reporting; Environmental Sustainability; Investment Activism

May 1995 (Revised April 1998)
Case

AT&T Paradyne

By: Robert S. Kaplan

A company making data communication devices has adopted a Total Quality philosophy for working with suppliers, employees, and customers. The finance group finds its existing cost system has become obsolete because of a shift from manual to automatic production... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Product; Corporate Accountability; Activity Based Costing and Management; System; Performance Efficiency; Financial Reporting; Operations; Technology Industry; Telecommunications Industry