Costs And Consequences - Publications - Faculty & Research

01 Oct 2008
Research & Ideas

How Much Time Should CEOs Devote to Customers?

customer intimacy but product innovation; the CEO will need to spend time with his chief scientists, medical opinion leaders, government regulators, and CEOs of the companies distributing pharmaceuticals, but not so much time with end... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

17 Mar 2015
First Look

First Look: March 17

govern partnering relationships through fixed-price contracts, whereas in others, firms use more flexible time and materials or performance-based contracts. How do these choices affect the costs View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

15 Dec 2020
Research & Ideas

The Unspoken Messages of COVID-19 Restrictions

fact, Harvard University research suggests that reopening restaurants last spring, shortly after the pandemic’s first wave, may have led some people to assume that eating out was safe—despite the now-documented links between indoor dining View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Food & Beverage

18 Feb 2009
First Look

First Look: February 18, 2009

useful and saleable by-product. The term "by-product synergy" (BPS) has been coined to describe this practice. By converting waste into by-product, the firm not only reduces its waste disposal cost... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

13 Mar 2014
Research & Ideas

Can We Get To Where We Need To Go?

Summit attendees worked on identifying "bottlenecks and pain points" while devising potential solutions to the country's infrastructure woes. Many of the problems have a direct impact on business. For example, airline flight... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Transportation; Air Transportation; Auto

01 Oct 2013
First Look

First Look: October 1

new distribution methods, rising costs of production in China, and changing customer behavior. The company lacked a clear strategy and suffered from organizational... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

25 Apr 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research, April 25

the former and disapprove of action in the latter, despite identical consequences. The difference is often explained in terms of the intention principle—whether the consequences are intended or incidental.... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

05 Jun 2007
First Look

First Look: June 5, 2007

relatively informative about ability but are difficult to influence through managerial effort, may have the unintended consequence of generating inefficiencies in firms' employment contracts. Companies and... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

23 Apr 2020
Research & Ideas

This Crisis Loan Program Preserved Jobs—and Made Money

more stable career path. The firms themselves also grew stronger, and the French government eventually saved more in unemployment benefits than the program cost, according to the study, Employment Effects of Alleviating Financing... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Financial Services

Mar 2012
Article

Choosing the United States

exhaustive analysis. At the same time, managers ignore substantial hidden costs associated with non-U.S. locations and overlook the benefits they could reap were they to invest instead in local communities.... View Details

17 Mar 2009
First Look

First Look: March 17, 2009

extremely encouraging, questions about raising his next venture round and the overall environment has made him question the wisdom of this plan. This case provides students an opportunity to explore the true View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Blog

What's the Right Fit for You–An In-Person or Virtual Program?

When Hitoshi Yamasaki of Mitsubishi applied to the HBS Executive Education Advanced Management Program (AMP) in 2020, he already knew something about the learning experience at HBS. Several years earlier, he had attended the General Management Program (GMP) View Details

23 Jan 2007
First Look

First Look: January 23, 2007

technology would provide the country with greater agricultural production, a major source of exports, without the need to convert additional areas of the Cerrado or Amazon to farmland. However, producers have been slow to adopt it due to the initial View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

March 1985 (Revised November 1988)
Case

Precision Parts, Inc. (A)

By: William A. Sahlman

Contains a description of a decision confronting two entrepreneurs in mid-1981. They are considering purchasing a small manufacturer of precision electromechanical parts. Among the issues in the case are the following: 1) Should Taylor and Grayson buy Precision Parts,... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Venture Capital; Financing and Loans; Cost vs Benefits; Investment Return; Strategy; Management Practices and Processes; Risk and Uncertainty; Outcome or Result; Manufacturing Industry

Citation

Educators

Purchase

November 1994
Case

Hewlett-Packard: French Manufacturing Operations

By: Robin Cooper, Patricia Bost and Robert S. Kaplan

Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management; Cost Accounting; France

Citation

Find at Harvard

13 Nov 2012
First Look

First Look: November 13

attractiveness, which is the cost of factor inputs relative to a country's competitiveness. This analysis reveals important insight into the economic trajectory of individual countries. Our framework also offers a novel methodology for... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

October 2000 (Revised March 2004)
Case

Software Associates

By: Robert S. Kaplan

The president of a small consulting firm has just seen his second-quarter profit and loss statement, showing an increase in revenues but a substantial decline in profits. He asks his chief financial officer to explain the results. The CFO works hard to accumulate... View Details

Keywords: Budgets and Budgeting; Cost; Financial Statements; Production; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Information Technology Industry; Consulting Industry

Citation

Educators

Purchase

31 Mar 2009
First Look

First Look: March 31, 2009

be attributed to donor firms' concerns about the potentially negative consequences of scrutiny over outsourcing for themselves and for their affiliated candidates. Download the paper:... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

23 Jun 2009
First Look

First Look: June 23

outperformance." This case provides an opportunity to evaluate Goldman's decision to raise capital, the cost to the firm of Buffett's investment, and the decision by Warren Buffett to make the... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

December 2012 (Revised October 2022)
Case

Plastiq

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Gaurav Jain, Liroy Haddad, Luke Langford and Matt Noble

The young CEO of a venture-backed startup needs to figure out his go to market strategy and the right profile for his first key sales hires. Should he develop partnerships with channels that would provide leverage or build out a direct sales force? And should the sales... View Details