Filter Results:
(2,022)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(2,022)
- People (3)
- News (317)
- Research (1,358)
- Events (2)
- Multimedia (8)
- Faculty Publications (679)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(2,022)
- People (3)
- News (317)
- Research (1,358)
- Events (2)
- Multimedia (8)
- Faculty Publications (679)
- 2009
- Article
Placing the Normative Logics of Accountability in 'Thick' Perspective
By: Alnoor Ebrahim
This article provides a critical reflection on the heavily normative nature of current accountability debates. In particular, it explores three streams of normative discourse on nonprofit accountability: improving board governance, improving performance-based... View Details
Keywords: Fair Value Accounting; Accounting; Governance; Performance Evaluation; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Goals and Objectives; Management Practices and Processes; Power and Influence; Social and Collaborative Networks; Organizational Structure; Relationships; Accounting Industry
Ebrahim, Alnoor. "Placing the Normative Logics of Accountability in 'Thick' Perspective." American Behavioral Scientist 52, no. 6 (2009): 885–904.
- 20 Mar 2013
- News
Sizing Up Social Impact
- Research Summary
Reforming Social Science
By: Max H. Bazerman
Social science research affects all of us. When researchers learned organ donation rates are higher in countries where human organs are automatically available for donation unless you specifically “opt-out” of the system, as opposed to countries like the U.S., where... View Details
- 2023
- Working Paper
Accountability of Corporate Emissions Reduction Targets
By: Xiaoyan Jiang, Shawn Kim and Shirley Lu
Firms are increasingly announcing targets to reduce their carbon emissions, but it is unclear whether firms are held accountable for these targets. In this paper, we examine emissions targets that ended in 2020 to investigate the prevalence of missed targets, how firms... View Details
Keywords: Carbon Emissions; Corporate Disclosure; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Climate Change
Jiang, Xiaoyan, Shawn Kim, and Shirley Lu. "Accountability of Corporate Emissions Reduction Targets." SSRN Working Paper Series, No. 4676649, December 2023.
- 28 Sep 2009
- Research & Ideas
Improving Accountability at the World Bank
accountability at the project and policy levels since the early 1990s, particularly through the establishment and enforcement of social and environmental safeguards and complaint and response mechanisms. But... View Details
Keywords: by Alnoor Ebrahim
- 16 Feb 2022
- News
Holding Business to Account
financial return and social change on behalf her clients. Following Walden’s acquisition, she founded Boston Common Asset Management, in 2003. By the fall of 2020, Boston Common had $3 billion under management and a mission to be, as... View Details
- 29 Jan 2021
- News
Holding Business to Account
before the model Aiyer envisioned would be christened “impact investing,” she launched Walden Capital Management in 1994 to pursue these dual goals of financial return and social change on behalf her clients. Following Walden’s... View Details
- Article
Designing Social Networks: Joint Tasks and the Formation and Endurance of Network Ties
By: Sharique Hasan and Rembrand Koning
Can managers influence the formation of organizational networks? In this article, we evaluate the effect of joint tasks on the creation of network ties with data from a novel field experiment with 112 aspiring entrepreneurs. During the study, we randomized individuals... View Details
Keywords: Accelerators; Entrepreneur; Social Networks; Field Experiment; Entrepreneurship; Organizational Design; Networks; Social and Collaborative Networks; Social Media; Information Technology Industry; India
Hasan, Sharique, and Rembrand Koning. "Designing Social Networks: Joint Tasks and the Formation and Endurance of Network Ties." Art. 4. Journal of Organization Design 9 (2020).
- 16 Jul 2020
- News
Accounting for Real Change
Ronald Cohen (MBA 1969) Ronald Cohen (MBA 1969) In an opinion piece in the Financial Times, “Crisis Offers a Chance to Rewrite Accounting to Include Impact,” Sir Ronald Cohen (MBA 1969) writes that the global pandemic is creating a new... View Details
- 17 Jul 2014
- Panel Discussion
Monitoring the Monitors: How Social Factors Influence Supply Chain Auditors
By: Jodi L. Short and Michael W. Toffel
Keywords: CSR; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Social Responsibility; Outsourced Production; Outsourcing; Sustainability; Sustainability Management; Auditing; Audit Quality; Gender; Conflicts Of Interest; Bias; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Electronics Industry; Manufacturing Industry; China; India; Pakistan; Bangladesh; Mexico; Brazil; Viet Nam; Indonesia; Philippines; Sri Lanka; Taiwan; South Korea
Short, Jodi L., and Michael W. Toffel. "Monitoring the Monitors: How Social Factors Influence Supply Chain Auditors." Elevate Limited Webinar, July 17, 2014. (Webinar coordinated by Elevate Limited.)
Social Strategies That Work
Over a billion people use social platforms on the Internet, making them the most frequently visited category of sites. Some platforms, such as eHarmony, MeetUp, and Twitter, allow us to connect to strangers. eHarmony alone is estimated to account for one in six new... View Details
- October 2010 (Revised July 2013)
- Case
ActionAid International: Globalizing Governance, Localizing Accountability
By: Alnoor Ebrahim and Rachel Gordon
As a global NGO working in 45 countries, ActionAid International aims to eradicate poverty by addressing its underlying causes such as injustice and inequality. This case follows a series of radical transformations implemented by the organization's CEO, Ramesh Singh—a... View Details
Keywords: Local Range; Globalized Firms and Management; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Leading Change; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Structure; Nonprofit Organizations; Power and Influence; Johannesburg; London
Ebrahim, Alnoor, and Rachel Gordon. "ActionAid International: Globalizing Governance, Localizing Accountability." Harvard Business School Case 311-004, October 2010. (Revised July 2013.)
- 2012
- Working Paper
A Framework for Research on Corporate Accountability Reporting
By: Karthik Ramanna
This paper provides an accounting-based conceptual framing of the phenomenon of corporate accountability reporting. Such reporting is seen as arising from a delegator's (e.g., a citizenry) demand to hold a delegate (e.g., shareholders) to account. When effective,... View Details
Keywords: Integrated Corporate Reporting; For-Profit Firms; Framework; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Research; Environmental Sustainability; Social Issues
Ramanna, Karthik. "A Framework for Research on Corporate Accountability Reporting." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 12-021, September 2011. (Revised July 2012, October 2012.)
- Research Summary
Social Choice and Voting Rules
By: Jerry R. Green
This research program is based on the idea that good voting systems should take into account the frequency with which different choice problems arise. Traditional social choice theory requires properties over a fixed domain of choice problems but does not offer the... View Details
- Article
The Influence of Ownership on Accounting Information Expenditures
This paper analyzes the association between ownership, top management incentives, and expenditures on accounting information. We argue that organizations with privately appointed boards of directors such as for-profit and non-governmental nonprofit organizations use... View Details
Keywords: Governance; Motivation and Incentives; Accounting; Health Care and Treatment; Ownership; Health Industry
Eldenburg, Leslie, and Ranjani Krishnan. "The Influence of Ownership on Accounting Information Expenditures." Contemporary Accounting Research 25, no. 3 (Fall 2008).
- 2007
- Chapter
Beyond Dependence: Conceptualizing Information and Accountability in NGO-Funder Relations
By: Alnoor Ebrahim
This paper explores the linkages between information systems and accountability in nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations (NGOs). The information systems in four NGOs are introduced: two Indian NGOs engaged in natural resource management and rural development, an... View Details
Keywords: Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Corporate Accountability; Information Management; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Non-Governmental Organizations; Information Technology; India; District of Columbia
Ebrahim, Alnoor. "Beyond Dependence: Conceptualizing Information and Accountability in NGO-Funder Relations." In Reconceptualising NGOs and Their Roles in Development: NGOs, Civil Society and the International Aid System, edited by Paul Opoku-Mensah, David Lewis, and Terje Tvedt, pp. 119–159. Aalborg, Denmark: Aalborg University Press, 2007.
- 14 Sep 2023
- Blog Post
MBAs Accelerate Their Social Enterprise Ventures
The Social Enterprise Accelerator is offered to students in the summer between their first and second year, supporting student founders in the development of their social impact startup. During the summer of... View Details
- 2007
- Working Paper
Accountability in Complex Organizations: World Bank Responses to Civil Society
By: Alnoor Ebrahim and Steve Herz
Civil society actors have been pushing for greater accountability of the World Bank for at least three decades. This paper outlines the range of accountability mechanisms currently in place at the World Bank along four basic levels: (1) staff, (2) project, (3) policy,... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Compensation and Benefits; Business and Community Relations; Social Enterprise; Motivation and Incentives
Ebrahim, Alnoor, and Steve Herz. "Accountability in Complex Organizations: World Bank Responses to Civil Society." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 08-027, October 2007.
- 15 Sep 2008
- Research & Ideas
The Coming Transformation of Social Enterprise
nation's social enterprise organizations. Today, the United States has more than 1.4 million non-profit organizations, and they account for 5 percent of GDP. Annual contributions have grown faster than the... View Details
Keywords: by Roger Thompson
- November 2023 (Revised October 2024)
- Supplement
Accounting Outages at Plug Power? (C)
By: Jonas Heese, Joseph Pacelli and James Barnett
Set in June 2023, the C case explores Plug Power’s recovery from its financial restatements, how it benefited from government subsidies, and new strategic alliances. View Details
Keywords: Environmental Accounting; Financial Reporting; Ethics; Finance; Management; Social Enterprise; Energy Industry; Green Technology Industry; United States; Europe
Heese, Jonas, Joseph Pacelli, and James Barnett. "Accounting Outages at Plug Power? (C)." Harvard Business School Supplement 124-019, November 2023. (Revised October 2024.)