Publications

13 Sep 2012
Research & Ideas

Why Public Companies Underinvest in the Future

Financial data on US companies is easy to come by—if they are listed on the stock market. More than 99 percent of them are not, presenting a challenge for researchers intent on studying how privately held firms operate. “It seemed natural... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish

14 Nov 2017
First Look

New Research and Ideas: November 14, 2017

Benjamin Abstract—I present the institutions and incentives of online reviews, including attracting initial reviews, assuring truthful reviews of genuine experiences, and avoiding inflated or deceptive reviews. I also explore the... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

27 Mar 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research, March 27, 2018

(benefits) for firms with weak (strong) nonfinancial performance and disclosure. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=54302 Government Incentives and Financial Intermediaries:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

30 Aug 2016
First Look

August 30, 2016

forthcoming Journal of Marketing Research Incentives versus Reciprocity: Insights from a Field Experiment By: Chung, Doug J., and Das Narayandas Abstract—We conduct a field experiment in which we vary the sales force compensation scheme... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

01 Aug 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, August 1

funded HIV clinic in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Intervention: The study involved three arms. First, participants in the provider visit incentive (PVI) arm received $30 after attending each scheduled provider visit. Second, participants in the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Paid for Success: Options for Compensating CEOs

When large public companies perform poorly, do the CEOs running them share the financial pain? That question, according to HBS associate professor Brian Hall, is not answered by looking at their salary and bonus but rather by a careful... View Details

Keywords: by Judith A. Ross

March 2002
Case

Akamai's Underwater Options (B): The Decision

By: Brian J. Hall, Houston Lane and Jonathan Lim

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Motivation and Incentives; Stock Options; Attitudes; Compensation and Benefits

25 Aug 2015
First Look

First Look Tuesday

stability. In light of this goal, reforms should reduce the ex-ante incentives for MMFs to take excessive risk and increase the ex post resilience of MMFs to system-wide runs. Our analysis suggests that requiring MMFs to have subordinated... View Details

April 2022 (Revised August 2022)
Case

Conflicts of Interest at Uptown Bank

By: Jonas Heese

In 2013, two employees debated whether to blow the whistle on their employer, Bell Bank, after completing an internal review that revealed undisclosed conflicts of interest. Bell Bank’s Asset Management business disproportionately invested clients’ money in Bell Bank’s... View Details

03 Dec 2008
What Do You Think?

Can Housing and Credit be “Nudged” Back to Health?

"greed and corruption helped create the crisis, ... simple human frailty played a vital role." They suggest providing incentives to make financial products easier, not more difficult, to... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

27 Feb 2006
Research & Ideas

Corporate Values and Employee Cynicism

engaging in aggressive discounting, the price of butterfat had skyrocketed, and the CEO was coping with a brain tumor. Dreyer's senior executives decided that they needed to restructure the company financially. The day after they announced the restructuring to the... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

January 1991 (Revised March 2010)
Case

Westchester Distributing, Inc. (A)

By: Robert L. Simons and Robert Boxwell

Focuses on the three-way interaction among internal controls, employee behavior, and incentives. Salesmen are illegally providing kickbacks to customers of this beer-distribution firm. In turn, salesmen are reimbursing themselves by filing fraudulent expense reports.... View Details

Keywords: Financial Reporting; Crime and Corruption; Corporate Governance; Governance Controls; Salesforce Management; Behavior; Motivation and Incentives; Distribution Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

18 Jul 2005
Research & Ideas

Time to Rethink the Corporate Tax System?

characterize profits to tax authorities and capital markets separately). There is also much anecdotal evidence on the profusion of tax shelters and compensation incentives for managing effective tax rates. Managers appear to have become... View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen

05 Mar 2013
First Look

First Look: March 5

pricing in quarters where they have a financial incentive to close a deal, resulting in mispricing that costs the vendor 6%-8% of revenue. Robustness checks demonstrate that price discrimination by the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 1997
Case

Peoria Engine Plant (A): (Abridged)

By: Robert S. Kaplan and Amy P. Hutton

Describes the cost control system used at an automobile engine plant for labor and overhead costs. The finance staff prepares daily, weekly, and monthly variance reports against budgets. Department supervisors, finance staff, and the plant manager discuss the use and... View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Cost Management; Financial Reporting; Performance Improvement; Budgets and Budgeting; Auto Industry

January 2004
Background Note

Cross-Border Listings and Depositary Receipts

By: Mihir A. Desai, Maria Raga-Frances, Ami Dave, Mark Veblen and Kathleen Luchs

This case describes the varied instruments that have evolved to facilitate investments in foreign corporations, emphasizing American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) and cross-border listings. It describes the different types of ADRs and the regulatory requirements foreign... View Details

Keywords: Financial Markets; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Business History; Research; Motivation and Incentives; United States