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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(2,910)
- People (5)
- News (489)
- Research (1,860)
- Events (2)
- Multimedia (19)
- Faculty Publications (1,059)
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- August 2016 (Revised January 2017)
- Case
Accounting for the iPhone Upgrade Program (A)
By: Jonas Heese, Krishna G. Palepu, H. David Sherman and Monica Baraldi
On September 9, 2015, Apple Inc. announced the “iPhone Upgrade Program,” a new way to purchase iPhone models 6s and 6s Plus in Apple’s retail stores throughout the U.S. Next to the strategic implications of the Upgrade Program, financial analysts tried to understand... View Details
Keywords: Accounting; Apple Inc.; iPhone 6s; International Accounting; Electronics Industry; California; United States
Heese, Jonas, Krishna G. Palepu, H. David Sherman, and Monica Baraldi. "Accounting for the iPhone Upgrade Program (A)." Harvard Business School Case 117-020, August 2016. (Revised January 2017.)
- February 2014
- Article
Accountability of Independent Directors—Evidence from Firms Subject to Securities Litigation
By: Francois Brochet and Suraj Srinivasan
We examine which independent directors are held accountable when investors sue firms for financial- and disclosure-related fraud. Investors can name independent directors as defendants in lawsuits, and they can vote against their re-election to express displeasure over... View Details
Keywords: Independent Directors; Litigation Risk; Class Action Lawsuits; Director Accountability; Reputation; Boards Of Directors; Corporate Governance; Debt Securities; Corporate Accountability; Lawsuits and Litigation
Brochet, Francois, and Suraj Srinivasan. "Accountability of Independent Directors—Evidence from Firms Subject to Securities Litigation." Journal of Financial Economics 111, no. 2 (February 2014): 430–449.
- July 2012
- Case
New Century Financial Corporation (Abridged)
By: Krishna G. Palepu, Suraj Srinivasan and Ian Cornell
After years of rapid growth and stock price appreciation, New Century Financial Corporation, one of the largest subprime loan originators in the U.S., reported accounting problems in early 2007. The resulting liquidity crisis forced the company to file for Chapter 11... View Details
Keywords: Audit Committees; Financial Management; Control Systems; Securities; Loan Evaluation; Accounting; Value; Financial Services Industry; United States
Palepu, Krishna G., Suraj Srinivasan, and Ian Cornell. "New Century Financial Corporation (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Case 113-002, July 2012.
- 2019
- White Paper
Impact-Weighted Financial Accounts: The Missing Piece for an Impact Economy
By: George Serafeim, T. Robert Zochowski and Jennifer Downing
Reimagining capitalism is an imperative. We need to create a more inclusive and sustainable form of capitalism that works for every person and the planet. Massive environmental damage, growing income and wealth disparity, stress, and depression within developed... View Details
Keywords: Impact-Weighted Accounts; IWAI; Background; Economic Systems; Economy; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Measurement and Metrics; Financial Statements
Serafeim, George, T. Robert Zochowski, and Jennifer Downing. "Impact-Weighted Financial Accounts: The Missing Piece for an Impact Economy." White Paper, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA, September 2019.
- 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; Accounting Industry; United States; Europe
Soltes, Eugene, Guilhem Ros, and Grace Liu. "An Introduction to Money Laundering: 'The Hunter'." Harvard Business School Case 121-011, September 2020.
- February 2005 (Revised December 2012)
- Background Note
Assessing Accounting Risk
By: David F. Hawkins
Describes a framework that financial analysts can use to assess the likelihood of accounting misstatements in financial statements. View Details
Hawkins, David F. "Assessing Accounting Risk." Harvard Business School Background Note 105-054, February 2005. (Revised December 2012.)
- September 1992 (Revised September 2004)
- Background Note
Accounting for Current Assets
By: William J. Bruns Jr.
An introduction to accounting for current assets: receivables, inventories, and other current assets. Included are discussions of FIFO, LIFO, average cost, and explanation of accounting for manufactured inventories. To be assigned with cases on inventory valuation as... View Details
Bruns, William J., Jr. "Accounting for Current Assets." Harvard Business School Background Note 193-048, September 1992. (Revised September 2004.)
- October 1989
- Background Note
Managing Major Accounts
By: Frank V. Cespedes
Written as an introduction to a module in the second-year MBA course, Marketing Implementation. Discusses issues encountered in the selling and management of major accounts. The topics covered include: 1) reasons for the increasing importance of major account... View Details
Keywords: Accounting Audits; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Behavior; Market Participation; Relationships; Salesforce Management
Cespedes, Frank V. "Managing Major Accounts." Harvard Business School Background Note 590-046, October 1989.
- April 2025
- Case
Thrivent: From Insurance Agents to Financial Advisors
By: Hubert Joly, Leonard A. Schlesinger and Tom Quinn
Thrivent, a midwestern financial services company with a centuries-long history rooted in Lutheranism, had reached $10 billion in revenue mostly by selling life insurance. In the 2020s, however, CEO Terry Rasmussen began a transformation process centered around the... View Details
Keywords: Change Management; Transformation; Talent and Talent Management; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Value and Value Chain; Forecasting and Prediction; Employee Relationship Management; Retention; Selection and Staffing; Job Design and Levels; Human Capital; Leading Change; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; United States; Minneapolis
- December 1999 (Revised November 2010)
- Background Note
Inflation Accounting and Analysis
By: David F. Hawkins
Describes alternative approaches to accounting for business activities during periods of inflation. Presents hints and techniques for analyzing financial statements during inflationary periods. A rewritten version of an earlier note. View Details
Hawkins, David F. "Inflation Accounting and Analysis." Harvard Business School Background Note 100-063, December 1999. (Revised November 2010.)
- 2024
- Working Paper
Employer-Based Short-Term Savings Accounts
By: Sarah Holmes Berk, John Beshears, Jay Garg, James J. Choi and David Laibson
We study the introduction of a choice architecture design intended to increase short-term savings among employees at five U.K. firms. Employees were offered the opportunity to opt into a payroll deduction program that auto-deposits funds from each paycheck into a... View Details
Berk, Sarah Holmes, John Beshears, Jay Garg, James J. Choi, and David Laibson. "Employer-Based Short-Term Savings Accounts." NBER Working Paper Series, No. 32074, January 2024.
- July 2014
- Article
Accounting for Crises
By: Venky Nagar and Gwen Yu
We provide among the first empirical evidence consistent with recent macro global-game crisis models, which show that the precision of public signals can coordinate crises (e.g., Angeletos and Werning, 2006; Morris and Shin, 2002, 2003). In these models,... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Disclosure; Mathematical Methods; Game Theory; Financial Markets; Forecasting and Prediction; Accounting; Financial Crisis
Nagar, Venky, and Gwen Yu. "Accounting for Crises." American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics 6, no. 3 (July 2014): 184–213.
- 2020
- Working Paper
Accounting for Product Impact in the Consumer Finance Industry
By: George Serafeim and Katie Trinh
We apply the product impact measurement framework of the Impact-Weighted Accounts Initiative (IWAI) in two competitor credit card providers within the consumer finance industry. We design a monetization methodology that allows us to calculate monetary impact estimates... View Details
Keywords: Product Innovation; Impact; Impact Investing; Impact Measurement; ESG; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; ESG Ratings; Social Corporate Responsibility; Corporate Social Responsibility; Social Impact; Consumer Finance; Financial Services; Financial Inclusion; Product; Product Design; Product Positioning; Society; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Personal Finance; Credit Cards; Financial Services Industry
Serafeim, George, and Katie Trinh. "Accounting for Product Impact in the Consumer Finance Industry." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 21-061, November 2020. (Revised December 2020.)
- 2025
- Chapter
Employer-Based Short-Term Savings Accounts
By: Sarah Holmes Berk, John Beshears, Jay Garg, James J. Choi and David Laibson
We study the introduction of a choice architecture design intended to increase short-term savings among employees at five U.K. firms. Employees were offered the opportunity to opt into a payroll deduction program that auto-deposits funds from each paycheck into a... View Details
Keywords: Personal Finance; Compensation and Benefits; Well-being; Behavior; Investment Funds; Employees; United Kingdom
Berk, Sarah Holmes, John Beshears, Jay Garg, James J. Choi, and David Laibson. "Employer-Based Short-Term Savings Accounts." Chap. 21 in The Elgar Companion to Consumer Behaviour and the Sustainable Development Goals, edited by Lucia A. Reisch and Cass R. Sunstein, 359–386. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2025.
- May 2014 (Revised January 2015)
- Case
The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board
By: Julie Battilana and Michael Norris
In 2014, as the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) has just brought former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on as chairman of the board, Jean Rogers, founder and CEO struggles with how best to ensure the nonprofit's financial sustainability while... View Details
Keywords: Sustainability; Sustainability Reporting; Reporting; Environmental Sustainability; Accounting; Accounting Industry; United States
Battilana, Julie, and Michael Norris. "The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board." Harvard Business School Case 414-078, May 2014. (Revised January 2015.)
- 2013
- Working Paper
Accountability of Independent Directors—Evidence from Firms Subject to Securities Litigation
By: Francois Brochet and Suraj Srinivasan
We examine which independent directors are held accountable when investors sue firms for financial and disclosure related fraud. Investors can name independent directors as defendants in lawsuits, and they can vote against their re-election to express displeasure over... View Details
Brochet, Francois, and Suraj Srinivasan. "Accountability of Independent Directors—Evidence from Firms Subject to Securities Litigation." Working Paper, 2013. (Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 13-104, June 2013.)
- June 2021 (Revised November 2024)
- Case
MicroStrategy: Accounting for Cryptocurrency
By: Jonas Heese and Annelena Lobb
On February 15, 2021, Alina Moss, an analyst who covered the technology company MicroStrategy, pondered a rise in MicroStrategy’s share price. Moss had dialed into the company earnings call. When it ended, Moss had more questions than answers. MicroStrategy had... View Details
Keywords: Cryptocurrency; Share Price; Electronic Commerce; Intangible Assets; Assets; Accounting; Financial Statements; Financial Management; Financial Reporting; Analytics and Data Science; E-commerce
Heese, Jonas, and Annelena Lobb. "MicroStrategy: Accounting for Cryptocurrency." Harvard Business School Case 121-066, June 2021. (Revised November 2024.)
- December 2012
- Case
Trouble Brewing for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
By: Suraj Srinivasan and Michael Norris
In October 2011, noted hedge fund manager David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital delivered a presentation at an investors' conference analyzing the business and accounting quality weaknesses of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Until then Green Mountain had exhibited rapid... View Details
Keywords: Accounting Fraud; Accounting Quality; Accounting Red Flags; Accounting Restatements; Accounting Scandal; Accounting Information; Financial Accounting; Financial Analysts; Financial Analysis; Financial Intermediaries; Hedge Funds; Financial Ratios; Financial Statement Analysis; Valuation Methodologies; Earnings Quality; Accounting; Quality; Earnings Management; Valuation; Crime and Corruption; Mergers and Acquisitions; Financial Reporting; Investment Funds; Financial Statements; Food and Beverage Industry
Srinivasan, Suraj, and Michael Norris. "Trouble Brewing for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters." Harvard Business School Case 113-035, December 2012.
- 12 Feb 2015
- Working Paper Summaries
Auditor Lobbying on Accounting Standards
- August 1972 (Revised September 2000)
- Background Note
Introduction to Accumulated Value, Present Value, and Internal Rate of Return
A simple, intuitive introduction to the usually-difficult topics of discounting and present value. While the mechanics of computing present value and internal rate of return are covered well, the emphasis is more about how to think about these concepts (for example,... View Details
Keywords: Accounting
Hammond, John S. "Introduction to Accumulated Value, Present Value, and Internal Rate of Return." Harvard Business School Background Note 173-003, August 1972. (Revised September 2000.)