Publications

October 2012 (Revised July 2013)
Case

Olympus (A)

By: Jay W. Lorsch, Suraj Srinivasan and Kathleen Durante

As 2012 approached, the woes of the financial crisis seemed to be fading, companies were resuming business as usual, and some of the scrutiny on corporate governance practices began to recede as well. That is until another major financial scandal emerged in Japan in... View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Corporate Governance; Electronics Industry; Health Industry; Japan

01 Mar 2017
News

Alumni and Faculty Books for March 2017

creative new markets. Lessons in Corporate Finance: A Case Studies Approach to Financial Tools, Financial Policies, and Valuation by Paul Asquith View Details

January 2024
Case

Post-Wirecard: BaFin under Mark Branson

By: Jonas Heese, Carlota Moniz and Daniela Beyersdorfer

In November 2023, Mark Branson, the head of Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), reflected on the efficacy of the reforms initiated since the Wirecard scandal. BaFin had been discredited after Wirecard’s downfall in 2020. The press had derided it... View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Crime and Corruption; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Government Administration; Failure; Trust; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; Germany

03 Oct 2013
HBS Seminar

Yanbo Wang, Boston University

29 Jan 2007
Research & Ideas

The Business Press Is a Watchdog that Bites

When tales of financial fraud hit the newsstands, business people and academics usually assume that it was analysts or auditors who brought the wrongdoing to light.... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Journalism & News; Publishing

03 Apr 2009
What Do You Think?

How Much Obsolescence Can Business and Society Absorb?

those often sharing their ignorance on blog sites) that is revealing many aspects of the current economic bust—including fraud and questionable management decisions—is dying as well. Along with this there is... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Publishing; Journalism & News

28 May 2019
Research & Ideas

Investor Lawsuits Against Auditors Are Falling, and That's Bad News for Capital Markets

other financial improprieties. But new research shows that lawsuits against auditors for accounting violations have fallen over the past 20 years, and it’s not because accountants have become so much better... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services; Financial Services

25 Jun 2019
News

The Finance 202: Proposals to tax the wealthy are gaining steam. That could help some 2020 Democrats.

November 2004 (Revised January 2006)
Case

Martha Stewart (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Christopher Bruner

Explores Martha Stewart's December 2001 sale of ImClone Systems common stock, the ensuing federal investigations into possible insider trading, and Stewart's criminal prosecution and sentencing. Discusses the impact of publicity on Stewart's company, Martha Stewart... View Details

Keywords: Capital Markets; Corporate Governance; Financial Markets; Management Teams; Law; Government and Politics

September 2024
Case

Comun: Partners in Peril

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Alexis Lefort

In spring 2023, Abiel Gutierrez and Andres Santos, co-founders of Comun, faced a critical decision at their fintech startup serving Latino immigrants. Having launched their product the previous year, they experienced rapid growth but encountered rising fraud and... View Details

Keywords: Fintech; Business Development; Venture Capital; Business Startups; Partners and Partnerships; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; Latin America; United States

10 Oct 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, October 10, 2017

forthcoming New York: Palgrave Macmillan New Perspectives on the History of Political Economy By: Fredona, Robert, and Sophus A. Reinert, eds. Abstract—This volume offers a snapshot of the resurgent historiography of political economy in... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

June 2023
Case

Dan McCrum - Unmasking Wirecard

By: Jonas Heese, Charles C.Y. Wang, Tonia Labruyere and Carlota Moniz

Dan McCrum, an investigative journalist for the Financial Times, had spent the past six years fighting to expose German payment processing firm Wirecard. The company had enjoyed years of exponential growth and was viewed by several investors as the poster child of... View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Accounting; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; Europe; United Kingdom; Germany

09 Sep 2024
HBS Case

McDonald’s and the Post #MeToo Rules of Sex in the Workplace

studies. In 2016, 15 McDonald’s employees filed complaints with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that they had been sexually harassed. And then the #MeToo movement emerged in 2017, raising awareness of sexual... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman; Food & Beverage

February 2014
Teaching Note

Olympus (A)

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Suraj Srinivasan

As 2012 approached the woes of the financial crisis seemed to be fading, companies were resuming business as usual and some of the scrutiny on corporate governance practices began to recede as well. That is until another major financial scandal emerged in Japan in the... View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Corporate Governance; Corporate Accountability; Electronics Industry; Japan

December 2016
Case

Public Mission, Private Funding: The University of California, Berkeley

By: William C. Kirby and Joycelyn W. Eby

UC Berkley, long known as one of the leading public universities in both the U.S. and the world, has seen turbulent times recently. While student enrollment and costs have increased steadily in recent years, the school, which has been fiercely proud of its public... View Details