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- 2012
- Article
The Unbundling of Advertising Agency Services: An Economic Analysis
By: Mohammad Arzaghi, Ernst R. Berndt, James C. Davis and Alvin J. Silk
We address a puzzle surrounding the shift from bundling to unbundling of U.S. advertising agency services and the slow pace of change over several decades. We model an agency’s decision as a tradeoff between the fixed cost to the advertiser of establishing a... View Details
Keywords: Bundling; Unbundling; Advertising Agency Services; Fixed Cost; Higher Media Prices; Volume; Diversification; Advertising; Change; Advertising Industry; United States
Arzaghi, Mohammad, Ernst R. Berndt, James C. Davis, and Alvin J. Silk. "The Unbundling of Advertising Agency Services: An Economic Analysis." Review of Marketing Science 10, no. 1 (2012).
- March 1994 (Revised October 1994)
- Case
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.: Target Costing System
Describes Nissan's sophisticated target costing system in the context of new product introduction. On the basis of consumer analysis and a life cycle contribution study, Nissan conducts an exhaustive analysis of component costs to determine whether a new model can be... View Details
Cooper, Robin. "Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.: Target Costing System." Harvard Business School Case 194-040, March 1994. (Revised October 1994.)
- Article
The Relationship Between Workplace Stressors and Mortality and Health Costs in the United States
By: Joel Goh, Jeffrey Pfeffer and Stefanos A. Zenios
Even though epidemiological evidence links specific workplace stressors to health outcomes, the aggregate contribution of these factors to overall mortality and health spending in the United States is not known. In this paper, we build a model to estimate the excess... View Details
Goh, Joel, Jeffrey Pfeffer, and Stefanos A. Zenios. "The Relationship Between Workplace Stressors and Mortality and Health Costs in the United States." Management Science 62, no. 2 (February 2016): 608–628.
- 24 Jan 2005
- Research & Ideas
Rethinking Activity-Based Costing
analysis for a customer service department for its first fiscal quarter. The percentage of time spent on activities is determined from employee surveys. Once activity quantities are known or forecast, cost-driver rates are used to... View Details
Keywords: by Robert S. Kaplan & Steven R. Anderson
- October 2000 (Revised March 2004)
- Background Note
Variance Analysis and Flexible Budgeting
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Facilitates the teaching of cases on variance analysis and flexible budgeting. Uses algebra, diagrams, and numerical examples to illustrate the calculation of price, quantity, and mix variances for revenues and costs, and a flexible budget for analyzing indirect and... View Details
Kaplan, Robert S. "Variance Analysis and Flexible Budgeting." Harvard Business School Background Note 101-039, October 2000. (Revised March 2004.)
- July 2010
- Supplement
Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Pricing and Profitability Analysis (CW)
By: Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery
Pricing is one of the most difficult decisions marketers make and the one with the most direct and immediate impact on the firm's financial position. This toolkit will introduce the fundamental terminology and calculations associated with pricing and profitability... View Details
- December 1978 (Revised November 1985)
- Background Note
Economic Cost-Benefit Analysis
By: James E. Austin
Keywords: Cost vs Benefits
Austin, James E. "Economic Cost-Benefit Analysis." Harvard Business School Background Note 379-073, December 1978. (Revised November 1985.)
- May 2022
- Article
Variance Analysis: New Insights from Health Care Applications
By: Robert S. Kaplan and Susanna Gallani
We use a health care application to illustrate how variance analysis can be used to benchmark costs across similar service delivery sites. Variances for personnel costs, typically the largest cost component in service organizations, are calculated for price, quantity,... View Details
Keywords: Variance Analysis; Benchmarking; Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing; Health Care; Activity Based Costing and Management; Health Care and Treatment; Service Delivery; Service Industry
Kaplan, Robert S., and Susanna Gallani. "Variance Analysis: New Insights from Health Care Applications." Issues in Accounting Education 37, no. 2 (May 2022): 27–36.
- 2010
- Chapter
From Visible Harm to Relative Risk: Centralization and Fragmentation of Pharmacovigilance
By: Arthur A. Daemmrich
Adverse drug reactions pose distinct but potentially catastrophic risks to patients, physicians, pharmaceutical firms, and regulators. Between the early 1960s and the present, national systems were built to collect, standardize, and respond to individual reports of... View Details
Keywords: Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Health Testing and Trials; Business and Government Relations; Risk and Uncertainty; Safety; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States
Daemmrich, Arthur A. "From Visible Harm to Relative Risk: Centralization and Fragmentation of Pharmacovigilance." Chap. 13 in The Fragmentation of U.S. Health Care: Causes and Solutions, edited by Einer Elhauge, 301–322. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.
- 07 Oct 2014
- Working Paper Summaries
Lifting the Veil: The Benefits of Cost Transparency
- 2015
- Book
Economic Analysis of the Digital Economy
By: Avi Goldfarb, Shane Greenstein and Catherine Tucker
As the cost of storing, sharing, and analyzing data has decreased, economic activity has become increasingly digital. But while the effects of digital technology and improved digital communication have been explored in a variety of contexts, the impact on economic... View Details
Goldfarb, Avi, Shane Greenstein and Catherine Tucker, eds. Economic Analysis of the Digital Economy. University of Chicago Press, 2015.
- 1983
- Article
Cost-Benefit Analysis Defended
By: Dutch Leonard and Richard Zeckhauser
Leonard, Dutch, and Richard Zeckhauser. "Cost-Benefit Analysis Defended." QQ: Report from the Center for Philosophy and Public Policy 3, no. 3 (1983).
- 2010
- Chapter
Cost Structure Patterns in the Asset Management Industry
By: Dennis Campbell and Frances X. Frei
This chapter examines patterns in the cost structure of asset management firms and establishes two important trends in cost behavior. First, when revenues are growing, "indirect" costs related to sales, distribution, marketing, personnel, technology, and occupancy are... View Details
- 2011
- Working Paper
The Cost of Capital for Alternative Investments
By: Jakub W. Jurek and Erik Stafford
This paper studies the cost of capital for alternative investments. We document that the risk profile of the aggregate hedge fund universe can be accurately matched by a simple index put option writing strategy that offers monthly liquidity and complete transparency... View Details
Keywords: Cost of Capital; Financial Liquidity; Investment; Investment Return; Mathematical Methods; Risk and Uncertainty
Jurek, Jakub W., and Erik Stafford. "The Cost of Capital for Alternative Investments." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 12-013, September 2011. (NBER Working Paper Series, No. 19643, November 2013.)
- 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.)
- September 1997 (Revised February 2000)
- Exercise
Exercises in Option Pricing and Real Option Analysis
By: Benjamin C. Esty
Contains five problems, one each on basic option pricing, abandonment value, the value of waiting to invest, contingent claims analysis (equity as a call option), and strategic decision making in an option framework. The goal is for students to recognize option value... View Details
- September 2010 (Revised January 2011)
- Background Note
Using Regression Analysis to Estimate Time Equations
This note presents a simple way to estimate time equations using regression analysis in Excel. The note quickly outlines regression analysis, then presents a real-life case example from the natural gas industry that students can use to gain experience developing and... View Details
Martinez-Jerez, Francisco de Asis, and Ariel Andres Blumenkranc. "Using Regression Analysis to Estimate Time Equations." Harvard Business School Background Note 111-001, September 2010. (Revised January 2011.)
- 2018
- Chapter
Transportation Cost and the Geography of Foreign Investment
By: Laura Alfaro and Maggie Chen
Falling transportation costs and rapid technological progress in recent decades have precipitated an explosion of cross-border flows in goods, services, investments, and ideas led by multinational firms. Extensive research has sought to understand the geographic... View Details
Alfaro, Laura, and Maggie Chen. "Transportation Cost and the Geography of Foreign Investment." In Handbook of International Trade and Transportation, edited by Bruce Blonigen and Wesley W. Wilson. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2018.
- 2025
- Working Paper
Methane Abatement Costs in the Oil and Gas Industry: Survey and Synthesis
By: Joseph E. Aldy, Forest Reinhardt and Robert N. Stavins
There is growing recognition of the relative importance of anthropogenic emissions of methane as a contributor to global climate change. An important source of such emissions in some countries, including the United States, is the oil and gas (O&G) sector. This points... View Details
Keywords: Emission Reduction; Environmental Sustainability; Climate Change; Pollutants; Energy Industry
Aldy, Joseph E., Forest Reinhardt, and Robert N. Stavins. "Methane Abatement Costs in the Oil and Gas Industry: Survey and Synthesis." NBER Working Paper Series, No. 33564, March 2025.
- 2008
- Working Paper
Cost of External Finance and Selection into Entrepreneurship
By: Ramana Nanda
This paper examines the extent to which the positive relationship between personal wealth and entry into entrepreneurship is due to financing constraints. I exploit a tax reform and use unique micro-data from Denmark to study how exogenous changes in the cost of... View Details
Keywords: Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Cost; Financing and Loans; Personal Finance; Human Capital; Wealth; Denmark
Nanda, Ramana. "Cost of External Finance and Selection into Entrepreneurship." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 08-047, January 2008.