Auditing - Publications - Faculty & Research

January 2017
Case

The Six CEOs of Tyco International Ltd.

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

In September 2016, Johnson Controls, Inc. completed the acquisition of Tyco International PLC, a $9.9 billion business with operating profits of $884 million. The purchase consideration was $14.4 billion. Although the deal was billed as a merger, Ireland-based Tyco... View Details

Keywords: Tyco; Dennis Kozlowski; Edward Breen; Fire Safety; Fire Protection; Security; Packaging; Securities And Exchange Commission; Fraud; Accounting; Accounting Audits; Earnings Management; Financial Statements; Goodwill Accounting; Acquisition; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Conglomerates; Business Divisions; Business Exit or Shutdown; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Headquarters; Business Model; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Restructuring; Crime and Corruption; Engineering; Applied Optics; Chemicals; Construction; Metals and Minerals; Ethics; Finance; Cash Flow; Public Equity; Stock Options; Financing and Loans; Initial Public Offering; Profit; Revenue; Geographic Location; Geographic Scope; Global Range; Globalized Firms and Management; Multinational Firms and Management; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Disclosure; Health Care and Treatment; Business History; Executive Compensation; Selection and Staffing; Courts and Trials; Lawfulness; Lawsuits and Litigation; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Strategy; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Consolidation; Corporate Strategy; Diversification; Expansion; Horizontal Integration; Value; Chemical Industry; Construction Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Electronics Industry; Energy Industry; Industrial Products Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Mining Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; Semiconductor Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Utilities Industry; Republic of Ireland; Switzerland; Bermuda; United States; New Hampshire

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01 Sep 2023
News

The Exchange: Where Ethics Meet Economics

Max Bazerman and Mike Luca (Image by John Ritter) What makes people behave the way they do—and to what degree are design choices influencing that? Associate Professor Mike Luca studies the design of online platforms, while Professor Max Bazerman’s work focuses on... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services; Information

03 Oct 2007
Research & Ideas

Dealing with the ‘Irrational’ Negotiator

professional accounting firm, conduct an audit of the records pertinent to this dispute and to mail the results to the employee. (This would be far less expensive than going to court.) Having this information would diminish the employee's... View Details

Keywords: by Deepak Malhotra & Max H. Bazerman

23 Apr 2018
Research & Ideas

Sponsorship Programs Could Actually Widen the Gender Gap

suggests that key aspects of sponsorship actually benefit men more than women. Relative interests and a collaborative experiment Baldiga worked in the professional services industry—as an audit manager at Price Waterhouse—for several... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

Web

Industry Information - Alumni

for full access). Adweek Long running publication dedicated to advertising and marketing. Tiered subscription model (free registration for a limited number of articles per month; subscribe for full access). Alliance for Audited Media... View Details

24 Feb 2022
Op-Ed

Want to Prevent the Next Hospital Bed Crisis? Enlist the SEC

transparency on their slice of the pie. Trustworthiness. When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created the SEC, the 1933 law was often called the “Truth in Securities Act.” The SEC has helped build trust by requiring auditing of... View Details

Keywords: by Regina Herzlinger and Richard Boxer; Health

17 Nov 2020
Research & Ideas

Why a Blended Workforce May Be Key to Lasting Competitive Advantage

In recent years, companies have been anxious about the lack of skilled workers to fill pivotal jobs. But then came COVID-19 and a subsequent recession. The ensuing business turmoil and record-high unemployment may have temporarily distracted companies from their... View Details

Keywords: by Joseph B. Fuller

September 2020
Case

An Introduction to Money Laundering: 'The Hunter'

By: Eugene Soltes, Guilhem Ros and Grace Liu

Money laundering schemes disguise the criminal origins of an estimated 2% to 5% of the world’s gross domestic product. Money laundering not only enables criminals to escape detection, but may also be used to finance further criminal operations including terrorism. This... View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Accounting Audits; Financial Reporting; Financial Institutions; Banks and Banking; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Governance Controls; International Relations; National Security; Ethics; Accounting Industry; Banking Industry; United States; Europe

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June 2005
Teaching Note

Accounting Fraud at WorldCom (TN)

By: Robert S. Kaplan

Teaching Note to (9-104-071). View Details

Keywords: Accounting Audits; Financial Reporting; Financial Statements; Accounting; Crime and Corruption; Governing and Advisory Boards; Telecommunications Industry

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01 Dec 2022
News

Action Plan: To the Letter

typefaces to shape your customer’s experience Look for every opportunity. Few companies think to do a brand audit focused on typography, leading to a muddled visual identity, says Chacko. “One of the easiest things you can do is ask,... View Details

Keywords: April White; design; typography; change management; leadership; Special Design Services; Professional Services

23 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

Overcoming Nervous Nelly

her own experience to find a surprisingly effective way to use that self-awareness to improve performance. In college, Brooks was the lead singer of a cover band and sang in an a cappella group. She watched anxiety derail countless View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

04 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

How Schmoozing with the Boss Helps Men Get Promoted

recruitment, hiring, and promotion processes and by conducting pay audits to evaluate salaries by gender. Yet Cullen’s research suggests that companies may need to consider more subtle underlying forces that are holding women back,... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

24 Nov 2003
Research & Ideas

Boards and Corporate Governance: A Balanced Scorecard Approach

directors. Independent directors are now expected to play a greater role, audit committees are required to take on greater responsibilities, and senior managers and boards are being held more accountable for the veracity of company... View Details

Keywords: Re: Robert S. Kaplan & Krishna G. Palepu

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Involvement in Faculty & Student Ventures | About

as needed. The Dean’s Office will use the annual reporting process and periodic audits to monitor compliance. Definitions For the purposes of this policy statement, the following definitions apply: A faculty membe r is anyone with a... View Details

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Frequently Asked Questions | HBS Online

programs conclude with a required deadline. Details on individual course or program requirements are communicated to enrolled participants at the start of the course or program. Can I audit an HBS Online course? Because HBS Online expects... View Details

30 Mar 2018
What Do You Think?

What Should Mark Zuckerberg Do?

request. The following day, Zuckerberg personally met with employees and posted a promise to audit and restrict access to user information by the developers of apps. He also agreed to testify before a United States congressional committee... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Web Services; Information Technology

08 Feb 2021
Book

How to Make the World Better, Not Perfect

one small way he could do his part, according to his new book Better, Not Perfect: A Realist’s Guide to Maximum Sustainable Goodness. In the book, Bazerman shares lessons from his own experiences and provides practical advice to help readers View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

19 Sep 2016
Research & Ideas

Why Isn't Business Research More Relevant to Business Practitioners?

MIT Sloan Management Review article, The Impossibility of Auditor Independence, which argued that “it is psychologically impossible for auditors to maintain their objectivity” and that “cases of audit failure are inevitable, even with the... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Education

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Harvard Business School

on the boards of the National Urban League and Northern Virginia Urban League. He also served on the boards of five Fortune 500 firms. Brittain leant his expertise to the Yale Corporation Audit Committee and the Dean's Board of Advisors... View Details

November 2005 (Revised December 2016)
Case

Bally Total Fitness (A): The Rise, 1962–2004

By: John R. Wells, Elizabeth A. Raabe and Gabriel Ellsworth

From a single, modest club in 1962, Bally Total Fitness had grown to become—in management’s words—the “largest and only nationwide commercial operator of fitness centers” in the United States in 2004. Bally had faced its share of challenges, but the last couple of... View Details