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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(6,435)
- People (3)
- News (1,207)
- Research (4,476)
- Events (35)
- Multimedia (67)
- Faculty Publications (2,916)
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- October 2022
- Case
Cost Plus Drugs
By: Alexander MacKay and James Barnett
In September 2022, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs Company CEO Alex Oshmyansky considered the future of the company. Cost Plus Drugs was a retailer for more than 340 generic oral medications, selling their drugs at significantly lower prices than typical pharmacies.... View Details
Keywords: Business Ventures; Decision Making; Entrepreneurship; Ethics; Health; Markets; Social Enterprise; Society; Strategy; Health Care and Treatment; Business Divisions; Factories, Labs, and Plants; Health Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States; Texas
MacKay, Alexander, and James Barnett. "Cost Plus Drugs." Harvard Business School Case 723-362, October 2022.
- December 1994
- Background Note
Cost System Analysis
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Describes six characteristics of cost systems: standard vs. actual costs; job-order vs. process costing; variable vs. full costs; disaggregate vs. aggregate cost accumulation; and specific vs. average rates for labor and overhead. A rewritten version of an earlier... View Details
Kaplan, Robert S. "Cost System Analysis." Harvard Business School Background Note 195-181, December 1994.
- Article
Dissecting Costs of CT Study: Application of TDABC (Time-driven Activity-based Costing) in a Tertiary Academic Center
By: Robert S. Kaplan, Yoshimi Anzai, Marta E. Heilbrun, Derek Haas, Luca Boi, Kirk Moshre, Satoshi Minoshima and Vivian S. Lee
The lack of understanding the true costs (not charges) of delivering health care services poses tremendous challenges in the containment of health care costs. In this study, we applied an established cost accounting method, time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC),... View Details
Keywords: Healthcare Costs; Medical Imaging; Computed Tomography; Activity-Based Costing; Cost Accounting; Activity Based Costing and Management; Health Care and Treatment; Performance Efficiency; Health Industry
Kaplan, Robert S., Yoshimi Anzai, Marta E. Heilbrun, Derek Haas, Luca Boi, Kirk Moshre, Satoshi Minoshima, and Vivian S. Lee. "Dissecting Costs of CT Study: Application of TDABC (Time-driven Activity-based Costing) in a Tertiary Academic Center." Academic Radiology 24, no. 2 (February 2017): 200–208.
- October 2004
- Case
Costing Alternative Choices
By: David F. Hawkins and Jacob Cohen
Discusses the role of differential cost and revenues in solving alternative choice problems. View Details
Hawkins, David F., and Jacob Cohen. "Costing Alternative Choices." Harvard Business School Case 105-035, October 2004.
- February 1997 (Revised July 2001)
- Background Note
Introduction to Activity-Based Costing
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Introduces the fundamental notions of activity-based costing (ABC). Motivates ABC by means of a simple example, a single and a diversified pen factory. Proceeds to show how ABC assigns costs more accurately to products and customers by: 1) identifying the activities... View Details
Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management
Kaplan, Robert S. "Introduction to Activity-Based Costing." Harvard Business School Background Note 197-076, February 1997. (Revised July 2001.)
- 2020
- Working Paper
Transaction Cost Economics in the Digital Economy: A Research Agenda
By: Frank Nagle, Robert Seamans and Steve Tadelis
Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) theory has played an important role in understanding when it is more efficient for a transaction between two parties to occur within the market or within an organization. However, as more transactions occur in a digitally-mediated... View Details
Keywords: Transaction Cost Economics; Digital Economy; Economics; Cost; Markets; Research; Digital Transformation
Nagle, Frank, Robert Seamans, and Steve Tadelis. "Transaction Cost Economics in the Digital Economy: A Research Agenda." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 21-009, July 2020.
- Research Summary
Cost Management Systems
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Robert S. Kaplan continues to explore the design and use of activity-based cost management systems for manufacturing and service companies. His most recent work, done collaboratively with Professor Michael E. Porter, applies time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC)... View Details
- July 1, 2022
- Editorial
New Transparency Rule Helps Rein in Health Care Costs
By: Regina E. Herzlinger and Cynthia A. Fisher
Over the last year, consumer prices have grown 60% faster than wages. Employers can help their employees contend with this high inflation by addressing a long-running source: health care costs. View Details
Herzlinger, Regina E., and Cynthia A. Fisher. "New Transparency Rule Helps Rein in Health Care Costs." Boston Herald (July 1, 2022).
- April 2006 (Revised November 2020)
- Background Note
Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Introduces the role for time-driven activity-based costing. Identifies the value from an accurate costing model, describes the difficulties of traditional ABC, and illustrates how time-driven ABC provides a simpler and more powerful method. View Details
Kaplan, Robert S. "Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing." Harvard Business School Background Note 106-068, April 2006. (Revised November 2020.)
- October 2016 (Revised March 2022)
- Background Note
Cost Variance Analysis
By: Robert S. Kaplan and Susanna Gallani
This note was written to provide students with fundamental concepts and methods for the analysis of cost variances. It focuses on the decomposition of cost variances into price, quantity, and mix variance components, an approach that allows students to identify the... View Details
Keywords: Cost Accounting
Kaplan, Robert S., and Susanna Gallani. "Cost Variance Analysis." Harvard Business School Background Note 117-006, October 2016. (Revised March 2022.)
- October 1992 (Revised May 1993)
- Background Note
Standard Costs and Variances
By: William J. Bruns Jr.
An introduction to standard costs and cost variances. Discussion, formulae, and examples introduce the idea of comparing actual costs to those that were expected. View Details
Bruns, William J., Jr. "Standard Costs and Variances." Harvard Business School Background Note 193-050, October 1992. (Revised May 1993.)
- March 2005 (Revised March 2006)
- Background Note
Activity-Based Costing and Capacity
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Discusses the use of budgeted rather than historical data in an activity-based costing (ABC) model and argues for calculating rates using practical capacity, not actual utilization. An ABC model need not be limited to analysis of historical data. When cost driver rates... View Details
Kaplan, Robert S. "Activity-Based Costing and Capacity." Harvard Business School Background Note 105-059, March 2005. (Revised March 2006.)
- 1998
- Book
Understanding Costs
By: W. J. Bruns Jr., R. S. Kaplan, R. Cooper, A. Schleifer Jr. and Donella Marie Rapier
Keywords: Cost
Bruns, W. J., Jr., R. S. Kaplan, R. Cooper, A. Schleifer Jr., and Donella Marie Rapier. Understanding Costs. Business Fundamentals . Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1998.
- November 1992 (Revised April 1993)
- Background Note
Accounting for Indirect Costs
By: William J. Bruns Jr.
An introduction to processes by which indirect costs are first assigned to cost centers and then assigned to products or services produced. A simple schematic illustrates how expenditures are assigned to service centers or production centers, service centers to... View Details
Bruns, William J., Jr. "Accounting for Indirect Costs." Harvard Business School Background Note 193-070, November 1992. (Revised April 1993.)
- 2014
- Book
Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis
By: Charles T. Horngren, Srikant M. Datar and Madhav Rajan
Cost Accounting defined the cost accounting market and continues to innovate today by consistently integrating the most current practice and theory into the text. This acclaimed, market-leading text emphasizes the basic theme of "different costs for different... View Details
Horngren, Charles T., Srikant M. Datar, and Madhav Rajan. Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis. 15th ed. Prentice Hall, 2014.
- 1999
- Chapter
Activity-Based Costing
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management
- November 1991 (Revised August 1994)
- Background Note
Relevant Costs and Revenues
Develops the idea that the relevance of costs and revenues depends on what decisions are under consideration. Revenues and costs are relevant if they would be different under one decision choice than under the other. Teaching purpose: Basic background material for... View Details
Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Cost; Revenue; Framework; Managerial Roles; Risk and Uncertainty
Schleifer, Arthur, Jr. "Relevant Costs and Revenues." Harvard Business School Background Note 892-010, November 1991. (Revised August 1994.)
- March 1993 (Revised April 1995)
- Case
Signalling Costs
NutraSweet's worldwide patent-protected monopoly on aspartame, the low-calorie high-intensity sweetener, ended with the 1987 entry of the Holland Sweetener Co. (HSC) into the European market. Following the arrival of a challenger, NutraSweet acted to reduce sharply the... View Details
Keywords: Patents; Competition; Price; Market Entry and Exit; Food and Beverage Industry; United States; Europe
Brandenburger, Adam M. "Signalling Costs." Harvard Business School Case 793-125, March 1993. (Revised April 1995.)
- 1987
- Chapter
How Cost Accounting Systematically Distorts Product Costs
By: Robert S. Kaplan and Robin Cooper
Kaplan, Robert S., and Robin Cooper. "How Cost Accounting Systematically Distorts Product Costs." Chap. 8 in Accounting and Management: Field Study Perspectives, edited by W. J. Bruns Jr. and R. S. Kaplan, 204–228. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1987.
- October 1991 (Revised May 1993)
- Background Note
Brief Introduction to Cost Accounting
By: William J. Bruns Jr.
Introduces the reasons for and basics of cost accounting and cost management systems. Simple definitions of forms used in cost accounting are included. Cost behavior is discussed. Questions to which answers are needed when analyzing or designing a cost system are... View Details
Bruns, William J., Jr. "Brief Introduction to Cost Accounting." Harvard Business School Background Note 192-068, October 1991. (Revised May 1993.)