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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(7,403)
- People (11)
- News (2,036)
- Research (4,435)
- Events (34)
- Multimedia (214)
- Faculty Publications (3,371)
- 2023
- Working Paper
Toward Decision-Useful Carbon Information
By: Gunther Glenk
Companies are increasingly viewed as crucial drivers for timely decarbonization. Current accounting practices for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, however, often leave corporate carbon disclosures and abatement obscured. Here I introduce a taxonomy for assuring the... View Details
Keywords: Carbon Emissions; Decarbonization; Carbon Accounting; Net-zero Emissions; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Environment; Environmental Impact; Management; Sustainable Cities; Corporate Disclosure; Environmental Accounting; Environmental Management; Climate Change; Accounting Industry; Accounting Industry; Accounting Industry; Accounting Industry; Accounting Industry; Accounting Industry; Accounting Industry; Accounting Industry; Accounting Industry; Accounting Industry; Accounting Industry; Accounting Industry; Accounting Industry; Accounting Industry; Europe; North America; South America; Africa; Asia
Glenk, Gunther. "Toward Decision-Useful Carbon Information." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 24-026, September 2023. (TRR 266 Accounting for Transparency Working Paper Series, No. 121, May 2023.)
- September 2016
- Article
The Effect of Target Difficulty on Target Completion: The Case of Reducing Carbon Emissions
By: Ioannis Ioannou, Shelley Xin Li and George Serafeim
Targets are an integral component of management control systems and play a significant role in achieving desirable performance outcomes. We focus on a key environmental performance objective—reduction of carbon emissions—as a setting in which to examine how target... View Details
Keywords: Sustainability; Target-setting; Management Accounting; Management Accounting And Control Systems; Control Systems; Sustainable Development; Environment; Goals and Objectives; Climate Change; Management Systems; Accounting; Environmental Sustainability
Ioannou, Ioannis, Shelley Xin Li, and George Serafeim. "The Effect of Target Difficulty on Target Completion: The Case of Reducing Carbon Emissions." Accounting Review 91, no. 5 (September 2016): 1467–1492.
- 2016
- Working Paper
Consequences to Directors of Shareholder Activism
By: Ian D. Gow, Sa-Pyung Sean Shin and Suraj Srinivasan
Using a comprehensive sample for 2004–2012, we examine the impact of shareholder activist campaigns on the careers of directors of targeted firms. We find that activism is associated with directors being almost twice as likely to leave—and performance-sensitivity of... View Details
Keywords: Shareholder Activism; Hedge Funds; Independent Directors; Director Reputation; Accountability; Shareholder Voting; Voting; Retention; Investment Funds; Management Teams; Investment Activism
Gow, Ian D., Sa-Pyung Sean Shin, and Suraj Srinivasan. "Consequences to Directors of Shareholder Activism." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 14-071, February 2014. (Revised May 2016.)
- 2020
- Blog
LinkedIn Articles: Our Impact on the Environment
By: George Serafeim
Serafeim, George. "Our Impact on the Environment." LinkedIn Articles (blog). September 29, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/our-impact-environment-george-serafeim/.
- December 1984 (Revised May 1998)
- Teaching Note
Kennedy and the Balance of Payments; Balance of Payments: Accounting and Presentation; Kennedy and the Balance of Payments, Exercise Worksheet; & Answers, Teaching Note
By: David B. Yoffie
Teaching Note for (9-383-073), (9-384-005), (9-384-006), and (9-385-243). View Details
Keywords: United States
- Editorial
How to Turn Around a Country
By: Paul Kazarian and George Serafeim
Change is hard. Especially trying to change an entire country and its public sector that consists of more than 650,000 employees and has an annual budget of approximately 80 billion euros. This is the case of Greece, once the fastest-growing eurozone country, which has... View Details
Keywords: Greece; Europe; European Union; Turnaround; Accountability; Sovereign Finance; Leadership; Corporate Accountability; Public Sector; Accounting; Economic Growth; Change; European Union; Greece
Kazarian, Paul, and George Serafeim. "How to Turn Around a Country." Kathimerini (January 19, 2016).
- April 2012 (Revised June 2014)
- Case
Capitalizing for the Future: HSBC in 2010
By: Anette Mikes and Dominique Hamel
Following the financial crisis of 2007/2008, HSBC CEO Michael Geoghegan saw a fundamental change in global opportunities and risks. With increasing regulation and fierce competition between banks, the Western hemisphere was going to be a tougher place to do business.... View Details
Keywords: Accounting; Competitive Strategy; Control Systems; Finance; Financial Crisis; Banks and Banking; Emerging Markets; Risk Management; Business Strategy; Banking Industry
Mikes, Anette, and Dominique Hamel. "Capitalizing for the Future: HSBC in 2010." Harvard Business School Case 112-097, April 2012. (Revised June 2014.)
- April 2024 (Revised October 2024)
- Case
New Belgium Brewing and Climate Change
By: Michael W. Toffel, Kenneth P. Pucker and Michael Norris
In 2023, Colorado-based craft brewery New Belgium Brewing was considering how best to meet its emissions reduction targets. After decades of growth, the beermaker had grown to become one of the largest craft brewers in the U.S., and was purchased in 2019 by Japanese... View Details
Keywords: Beer; Carbon Accounting; Carbon Credits; Operation Management; Renewable Energy; Supply Chain; Environmental Sustainability; Climate Change; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Accounting; Food and Beverage Industry; United States; Colorado
Toffel, Michael W., Kenneth P. Pucker, and Michael Norris. "New Belgium Brewing and Climate Change." Harvard Business School Case 624-069, April 2024. (Revised October 2024.)
- March 2004
- Article
How Do You Stop the Books From Being Cooked? A Management Control Perspective on Financial Accounting Standard Setting and the Section 404 Requirement of the Sarbanes/Oxley Act
By: S. Datar and M. G. Alles
Datar, S., and M. G. Alles. "How Do You Stop the Books From Being Cooked? A Management Control Perspective on Financial Accounting Standard Setting and the Section 404 Requirement of the Sarbanes/Oxley Act." International Journal of Disclosure and Governance 1, no. 2 (March 2004): 119–137.
- March 2016 (Revised April 2019)
- Technical Note
ESG Metrics: Reshaping Capitalism?
By: George Serafeim
In the past twenty-five years, the world had seen an exponential growth in the number of companies reporting environmental, social and governance (ESG) data. Investor interest in ESG data also grew rapidly. A growing belief that increasing levels of social inequality... View Details
Keywords: Capitalism; Sustainability; Accountability; Corporate Social Responsibility; Responsibilities To Society; Environment; Social Impact Investment; ESG; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Measurement and Metrics; Integrated Corporate Reporting; Corporate Accountability; Accounting; Economic Systems
Serafeim, George, and Jody Grewal. "ESG Metrics: Reshaping Capitalism?" Harvard Business School Technical Note 116-037, March 2016. (Revised April 2019.)
- March 2016 (Revised October 2023)
- Case
Central European Distribution Corporation: Hostile Takeover, Bankruptcy Makeover
By: Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah L. Abbott
In early 2013, Central European Distribution Corporation (CEDC), a large publicly traded producer and distributer of vodka and spirits in Eastern and Central Europe, has suffered significant declines in its financial performance, is at risk of defaulting on its debt,... View Details
Keywords: Hostile Takeover; Accounting Restatement; Activist Shareholder; Restructuring; Mergers and Acquisitions; Financial Statements; Corporate Governance; Investment Activism; Distribution Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States; Russia; Europe
Gilson, Stuart C., and Sarah L. Abbott. "Central European Distribution Corporation: Hostile Takeover, Bankruptcy Makeover." Harvard Business School Case 216-059, March 2016. (Revised October 2023.)
- December 2012
- Article
Evidence on the Use of Unverifiable Estimates in Required Goodwill Impairment
By: Karthik Ramanna and Ross L. Watts
SFAS 142 requires managers to estimate the current fair value of goodwill to determine goodwill write-offs. In promulgating the standard, the FASB predicted managers will, on average, use the fair value estimates to convey private information on future cash flows. The... View Details
Keywords: Goodwill Impairment; Fair-value Accounting; FASB; SFAS 142; Fair Value Accounting; Standards; Cash Flow; Agency Theory; Motivation and Incentives; Forecasting and Prediction; Goodwill Accounting
Ramanna, Karthik, and Ross L. Watts. "Evidence on the Use of Unverifiable Estimates in Required Goodwill Impairment." Review of Accounting Studies 17, no. 4 (December 2012): 749–780.
- Forthcoming
- Article
Disclosure Standards and Communication Norms: Evidence of Voluntary Sustainability Standards as a Coordinating Device for Capital Markets
By: Khrystyna Bochkay, Jeffrey Hales and George Serafeim
In this paper, we examine how the development of voluntary sustainability standards has affected the nature of information covered in conference calls. Using industry-specific dictionaries of sustainability terms contained in the disclosure standards developed by the... View Details
Keywords: Voluntary Disclosure; Accounting Standards; Sustainability Reporting; Sustainability Standards; ESG; ESG Disclosure; Accounting; Corporate Disclosure; Environmental Sustainability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Standards; United States
Bochkay, Khrystyna, Jeffrey Hales, and George Serafeim. "Disclosure Standards and Communication Norms: Evidence of Voluntary Sustainability Standards as a Coordinating Device for Capital Markets." Review of Accounting Studies (forthcoming). (Pre-published online March 17, 2025.)
- 2022
- Article
Regulatory Treatment of Changes in Fair Value and the Composition of Banks' Investment Portfolios
By: Michael Iselin, Jung Koo Kang and Joshua Madsen
In their implementation of Basel III, U.S. bank regulators are again including changes in the fair value of available-for-sale (AFS) debt securities in Tier 1 capital, but only for the largest U.S. banks. This paper investigates a potential impact of expanding this... View Details
Keywords: Fair Value Accounting; SFAS 115; Basel III; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Banks and Banking; Debt Securities; Credit; Risk and Uncertainty; Investment Portfolio; Decision Making; Banking Industry; United States
Iselin, Michael, Jung Koo Kang, and Joshua Madsen. "Regulatory Treatment of Changes in Fair Value and the Composition of Banks' Investment Portfolios." Journal of Financial Reporting 7, no. 1 (2022): 123–143.
- Article
Impact-Weighted Financial Accounts: A Paradigm Shift
By: Ethan Rouen and George Serafeim
The last decade has seen an exponential increase in corporate sustainability activities and efforts by investors to use these activities in their portfolio formation, valuation, and stewardship activities. This paper explains the need for a uniform strategy to measure... View Details
Keywords: Impact-Weighted Accounts; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Measurement and Metrics; Standards
Rouen, Ethan, and George Serafeim. "Impact-Weighted Financial Accounts: A Paradigm Shift." CESifo Forum 22, no. 3 (May 2021): 20–25.
- January–February 2018
- Article
The New CEO Activists
By: Aaron K Chatterji and Michael W. Toffel
Though corporations have been lobbying the government and making campaign donations for a long time now, in recent years a dramatic new trend has emerged in U.S. politics: CEOs are taking very public stands on thorny political issues that have nothing to do with their... View Details
Keywords: Government Policy; Rights; Leadership & Corporate Accountability; Sustainability; Leadership; Corporate Accountability; Policy; Social Issues; Communication Intention and Meaning; United States
Chatterji, Aaron K., and Michael W. Toffel. "The New CEO Activists." Harvard Business Review 96, no. 1 (January–February 2018): 78–89. (Winner of the 2019 HBR Warren Bennis Prize as best 2018 HBR article on leadership. Featured in the HBR Ideacast podcast and an HBR Webinar.)
- 2023
- Working Paper
Cost-Efficient Decarbonization of Portland Cement Production
By: Gunther Glenk, Anton Kelnhofer, Rebecca Meier and Stefan Reichelstein
Accounting for nearly 8% of global annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the cement industry is considered difficult to decarbonize. While a sizeable number of abatement levers for Portland cement production is becoming technologically ready for deployment, many are... View Details
Keywords: Decarbonization; Carbon Abatement; Carbon Accounting; Carbon Emissions; Carbon Regulation; Carbon Tax; Net-zero Emissions; Management; Environmental Management; Sustainable Cities; Accounting; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Environmental Accounting; Energy; Environmental Sustainability; Construction Industry; Steel Industry; Pulp and Paper Industry; Real Estate Industry; Consulting Industry; Energy Industry; Green Technology Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Utilities Industry; Industrial Products Industry; Europe; North America; South America; Africa; Asia
Glenk, Gunther, Anton Kelnhofer, Rebecca Meier, and Stefan Reichelstein. "Cost-Efficient Decarbonization of Portland Cement Production." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 24-025, October 2023. (TRR 266 Accounting for Transparency Working Paper Series, No. 120, May 2023.)
- January 2022
- Teaching Note
'Why I Blew the Whistle': Mauro Botta v. PwC
By: Aiyesha Dey and Jonas Heese
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 122-005. View Details
- February 2013
- Teaching Note
Australia: Commodities and Competitiveness (TN)
By: Laura Alfaro, Richard H.K. Vietor and Hilary White
For the past few decades, Australia has dealt with the benefits and costs of repeated mining booms—inflation, a housing bubble, a current account deficit and growing dependence on China. Between 1996 and 2007, however, Australia had most of these issues under control... View Details
- July 2012
- Supplement
Generation Investment Management, Video
By: Sandra J. Sucher
Examines the Investment process of Generation Investment Management, a "sustainable" investing firm established in 2004 by David Blood and U.S. Vice President Al Gore. Places students in the position of David Lowish, director of global industrials, who must decide... View Details
Keywords: Leadership And Managing People; Accountability; Investment Management; Social Issues; Investment; Corporate Accountability; Ethics; Development Economics; Natural Environment; Financial Services Industry; Energy Industry
Sucher, Sandra J. "Generation Investment Management, Video." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 612-704, July 2012.