Publications

Educators

16 Sep 2010
News

Idea Takes Root

early August to lead the effort — the International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC). Eccles is a leading voice in support of integrating financial and nonfinancial information into a single View Details

Keywords: Roger Thompson; Corporate Services

19 Nov 2018
Working Paper Summaries

Lazy Prices

Keywords: by Lauren Cohen, Christopher J. Malloy, and Quoc Nguyen; Financial Services

November 1999 (Revised November 2003)
Background Note

Perspective, Institutions and Basic Issues

By: David F. Hawkins

This case describes the basic institutions involved in the setting of generally accepted accounting principles and the fundamental issues that institutions must address. View Details

Keywords: Financial Reporting

2014
Working Paper

Linguistic Complexity in Firm Disclosures: Obfuscation or Information?

By: Brian J. Bushee, Ian D. Gow and Daniel Taylor

Prior research argues that the linguistic complexity of a firm’s disclosures reflects managerial obfuscation. However, complex language can be used either to obfuscate or to convey information, with the effect likely depending on the incentives of the source. We... View Details

Keywords: Communication; Financial Reporting

February 1978 (Revised April 1979)
Background Note

Alternative Funds Flow Statement Formats

By: David F. Hawkins

Keywords: Financial Reporting

16 Sep 2015
Op-Ed

The Real Duty of the Board of Directors

interests of the corporation itself. As one of us responded in a recent interview with John Authers of the Financial Times, “The shareholders don’t actually own the corporation. They own shares in the corporation. The corporation owns... View Details

Keywords: by Robert G. Eccles & Tim Youmans

Research Summary

Mastering Strategy Execution

By: Robert Simons

Professor Robert Simons’ research encompasses three areas of management accountability that are the foundation for successful strategy execution: organization design, performance measurement and control, and risk management. In addition, Simons is interested in the... View Details

February 2001 (Revised April 2001)
Case

Warnaco Group, Inc. (A)

By: David F. Hawkins

Warnaco's history of nonrecurring charges is traced from 1990 through 2000 along with the stock market and security analysts' response to these charges. Teaching Purpose: To expose students to the accounting for a variety of new recurring accounting items. View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Financial Reporting; Restructuring; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Retail Industry

August 2018 (Revised July 2020)
Case

Revenue Recognition at HBP

By: Paul Healy and Siko Sikochi

In early 2014, Paul Bills, CFO of Harvard Business Publishing (HBP), sat down with David Wan, the company’s CEO, to discuss budget preparations for the coming year. Bills noted that the performance of Corporate Learning, one of HBP’s three business units, would be... View Details

Keywords: Accrual Accounting; Budgets and Budgeting; Revenue Recognition; Financial Reporting; Publishing Industry; Education Industry; United States

Educators

03 Dec 2018
Research & Ideas

How Companies Can Increase Market Rewards for Sustainability Efforts

flavijus For the first time, a link has been drawn between public sentiment about a company’s sustainability practices and how that company is valued in the market. The results are important both for investors searching for under-valued, socially responsible companies,... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

December 1997
Case

Baylor Books, Inc.

By: William J. Bruns Jr. and Jeremy Cott

The owner of a trade book publishing company must consider proper accounting for books returned and potentially returnable by book stores. Company and industry data are supplied. Costs of failure to publish books under contract and a cost accounting system for books... View Details

Keywords: Cost Accounting; Financial Reporting; Publishing Industry

March 2011 (Revised October 2011)
Case

Mittel Technologies, AG

By: David F. Hawkins

CFO of German heavy equipment manufacturer examines through company examples potential impact of proposed changes to revenue recognition rules. View Details

Keywords: Revenue Recognition; Manufacturing Industry; Germany

Educators

26 Jan 2021
Research & Ideas

A New Way to Cut Credit Card Debt: Pay Off One Purchase at a Time

aim at their credit card debt, which totaled $825 billion at the end of 2020 in the United States alone. As balances have climbed, the percent of household income allocated to repayment has decreased 17 percent over the last decade, and nearly 30 percent of consumers... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Financial Services

December 2018 (Revised August 2022)
Teaching Note

Revenue Recognition at HBP

By: Siko Sikochi and Paul Healy

In early 2014, Corporate Learning, one of three business units at Harvard Business Publishing (HBP), was in the process of revamping its flagship product, Harvard Manage-Mentor (HMM) from version 11.0 (HMM11) to version 12.0 (HMM12). The revamped software would be... View Details

Keywords: Accrual Accounting; Budgets and Budgeting; Revenue Recognition; Financial Reporting; Publishing Industry; Education Industry; United States