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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(2,843)
- People (5)
- News (489)
- Research (1,876)
- Events (2)
- Multimedia (19)
- Faculty Publications (1,059)
- Forthcoming
- Article
Variable Leases Under ASC 842: Evidence on Properties and Consequences
The new lease standard (ASC 842) allows firms to keep variable leases off-balance-sheet, in part based on the assumption that future expenses are difficult to estimate reliably. We show that variable-lease expenses are both prevalent and substantial, exhibiting... View Details
Heese, Jonas, Albert Shin, and Charles C.Y. Wang. "Variable Leases Under ASC 842: Evidence on Properties and Consequences." Review of Accounting Studies (forthcoming). (Pre-published online June 26, 2025.)
- 2010
- Working Paper
Accounting Scholarship that Advances Professional Knowledge and Practice
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Recent accounting scholarship has used statistical analysis on asset prices, financial reports and disclosures, laboratory experiments, and surveys of practice. The research has studied the interface among accounting information, capital markets, standard setters, and... View Details
Keywords: Accounting; Business Education; Information; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Risk Management; Measurement and Metrics; Business Processes; Performance Improvement; Practice
Kaplan, Robert S. "Accounting Scholarship that Advances Professional Knowledge and Practice." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 11-043, October 2010.
- September 1960 (Revised April 1983)
- Background Note
Note on Financial Forecasting
Introduction to basic techniques of constructing pro forma statements and cash budgets. Illustrated by examples, supplemented by exercises. View Details
Helfert, Erich A. "Note on Financial Forecasting." Harvard Business School Background Note 206-048, September 1960. (Revised April 1983.)
- June 2020 (Revised February 2021)
- Case
Accounting for Leases at American Airlines (A)
By: Jonas Heese, Gerardo Pérez Cavazos and Julia Kelley
In March 2020, as coronavirus reduced demand for air travel, an analyst was forecasting American Airlines’ (American’s) first quarter financial results. To develop a forecast, she needed to familiarize herself with Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-02, “Leases... View Details
Keywords: Accounting; Financial Reporting; Financial Statements; Finance; Governance; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Governing and Advisory Boards; Leasing; Accounting Industry; Accounting Industry; North and Central America; United States
Heese, Jonas, Gerardo Pérez Cavazos, and Julia Kelley. "Accounting for Leases at American Airlines (A)." Harvard Business School Case 120-069, June 2020. (Revised February 2021.)
- June 2001 (Revised January 2006)
- Background Note
Mechanics of Financial Accounting, The
By: David F. Hawkins and Jacob Cohen
Explains in simple terms and numerical examples how the language of accounting is spoken and communicated to financial statement users. Describes terms such as "debits," "credits," "journal entries," "t-accounts," and "financial statements." View Details
Hawkins, David F., and Jacob Cohen. "Mechanics of Financial Accounting, The." Harvard Business School Background Note 101-119, June 2001. (Revised January 2006.)
- March 2024
- Module Note
Accounting Standards for the 21st Century
By: Jonas Heese
Over the past two decades, accounting standards have evolved to meet the demands of a rapidly changing business environment. This module note focuses on understanding the impact of these standards on measuring firm performance and financial position in the context of a... View Details
Heese, Jonas. "Accounting Standards for the 21st Century." Harvard Business School Module Note 124-056, March 2024.
- February 2013
- Case
Diamond Foods, Inc.
By: Suraj Srinivasan and Tim Gray
The Diamonds Foods, Inc. case describes the major accounting blow up at the company in late 2011 that was triggered by a report by Off Wall Street, a prominent short selling research firm. Diamond Foods, a high flying growth company in 2011, grew from a walnut farmers'... View Details
Keywords: Accounting Restatements; Accounting Scandal; Accounting; Financial Analysis; Financial Statement Analysis; Short Selling; Revenue Recognition; Board Of Directors; Audit Committees; Auditing; Financial Reporting; Financial Statements; Agribusiness; Accrual Accounting; Earnings Management; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Disclosure; Corporate Governance; Valuation; Revenue; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; California; Cambridge
Srinivasan, Suraj, and Tim Gray. "Diamond Foods, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 113-055, February 2013.
- April 2022
- Supplement
MicroStrategy: Accounting for Cryptocurrency (B)
By: Jonas Heese and Annelena Lobb
In early 2022, the technology firm MicroStrategy unveiled a series of letters with the SEC that questioned its accounting practices around its holdings of Bitcoin. Since 2020, the firm had shifted its strategy to include not just selling software but buying and holding... View Details
Keywords: Cryptocurrency; Bitcoin; Holding Structures; SEC; Accounting; Finance; Financial Strategy; Technology Industry
Heese, Jonas, and Annelena Lobb. "MicroStrategy: Accounting for Cryptocurrency (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 122-079, April 2022.
- November 1988 (Revised January 1989)
- Background Note
Note on Tax and Accounting Issues in Mergers and Acquisitions
Presents a simplified introduction to tax and accounting issues relevant to mergers and acquisitions. Mergers, asset purchase, and stock acquisition are dealt with in the context of taxable vs. non-taxable transactions. Accounting treatment of the transactions is... View Details
Meerschwam, David M. "Note on Tax and Accounting Issues in Mergers and Acquisitions." Harvard Business School Background Note 189-104, November 1988. (Revised January 1989.)
- January 2010
- Case
The Future of Financial Reporting
By: Karthik Ramanna
Multimedia/video case on the SEC's work on improvements to financial reporting. Students review topical audio and video from various sources including SEC footage, and interviews with others involved, such as Bob Pozen, (past head of Fidelity and chairman of the SEC's... View Details
Ramanna, Karthik. "The Future of Financial Reporting." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Case 110-701, January 2010.
- October 1992 (Revised May 1993)
- Background Note
Diversity in Accounting Principles: A Problem, a Strategic Imperative, or a Strategic Opportunity?
By: William J. Bruns Jr.
Provides an introduction to the diversity of generally accepted accounting principles. An example shows how financial reports in one firm could differ depending on accounting methods and principles selected. Presents arguments that this may be a problem, an imperative... View Details
Bruns, William J., Jr. "Diversity in Accounting Principles: A Problem, a Strategic Imperative, or a Strategic Opportunity?" Harvard Business School Background Note 193-045, October 1992. (Revised May 1993.)
- Article
Tread Lightly Through These Accounting Minefields
By: H. David Sherman and S. David Young
In the current economic climate, there is tremendous pressure—and personal incentive for managers—to report sales growth and meet investors' revenue expectations. As a result, more companies have been issuing misleading financial reports, according to the SEC,... View Details
Sherman, H. David, and S. David Young. "Tread Lightly Through These Accounting Minefields." Harvard Business Review 79, no. 7 (July–August 2001): 129–135.
- 26 Apr 2016
- News
The Quiet War on Corporate Accountability
- 17 Sep 2007
- Working Paper Summaries
Evidence on the Effects of Unverifiable Fair-Value Accounting
Keywords: by Karthik Ramanna & Ross L. Watts
- 2020
- Working Paper
How ESG Issues Become Financially Material to Corporations and Their Investors
By: George Serafeim
Management and disclosure of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues have received substantial interest over the last decade. In this paper, we outline a framework of how ESG issues become financially material, affecting corporate profitability and valuation.... View Details
Keywords: Materiality; ESG; Pharmaceutical Companies; Business Ethics; Sustainability; Environment; Disclosure; Disclosure And Access; Regulation; Social Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Social Issues; Corporate Governance; Ethics; Corporate Disclosure; Corporate Accountability; Resource Allocation; Finance; Accounting; Valuation
Freiberg, David, Jean Rogers, and George Serafeim. "How ESG Issues Become Financially Material to Corporations and Their Investors." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-056, November 2019. (Revised November 2020.)
- September 2001
- Background Note
Financial Reporting Environment, The
Provides a framework for understanding the role of financial reporting and various intermediaries as mechanisms for reducing both adverse selection and moral hazard problems in capital markets. Financial reports reduce adverse selection by providing basic information... View Details
Keywords: Financial Reporting; Financial Statements; Capital Markets; Venture Capital; Corporate Disclosure; Conflict of Interests
Healy, Paul M., Amy P. Hutton, Robert S. Kaplan, and Krishna G. Palepu. "Financial Reporting Environment, The." Harvard Business School Background Note 102-029, September 2001.
- December 1998
- Case
Origins of National Income Accounting
By: David A. Moss and Joseph P Gownder
Set in the Great Depression, this case explores the origins of national income accounting in the United States. Highlights Senator La Follette's 1932 proposal for the federal government to begin collecting national income statistics. View Details
Keywords: Accounting; Financial Crisis; Analytics and Data Science; Mathematical Methods; United States
Moss, David A., and Joseph P Gownder. "Origins of National Income Accounting." Harvard Business School Case 799-080, December 1998.
- 15 Jul 2020
- News
Predictable financial crises
- March 2011
- Article
Accounting Scholarship That Advances Professional Knowledge and Practice
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Recent accounting scholarship has used statistical analysis on asset prices, financial reports and disclosures, laboratory experiments, and surveys of practice. The research has studied the interface among accounting information, capital markets, standard setters, and... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Disclosure; Asset Pricing; Risk Management; Surveys; Capital Markets; Measurement and Metrics; Valuation; Fair Value Accounting; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Financial Reporting
Kaplan, Robert S. "Accounting Scholarship That Advances Professional Knowledge and Practice." Accounting Review 86, no. 2 (March 2011): 367–383.