Publications

July 2005 (Revised September 2020)
Case

The U.S. Current Account Deficit

By: Laura Alfaro, Rafael Di Tella, Ingrid Vogel, Renee Kim, Sarah Jeong, Matthew Johnson and Jonathan Schlefer

Investors and policymakers throughout the world were confronted with the risk of painful economic consequences arising from the large U.S. current account deficit. In 2007, the U.S. current account deficit was $731 billion, equivalent to 5.3% of GDP. The implications... View Details

Keywords: World Economy; Macroeconomics; Borrowing and Debt; Currency; Foreign Direct Investment; Business and Government Relations; United States

January 2008 (Revised May 2013)
Background Note

Accounting for Interest Rate Derivatives

Explains the accounting for interest rate derivatives under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 133. View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Financial Instruments; Interest Rates; Standards

January 1997
Teaching Note

International Oil: Confirmation of Accounts Receivable TN

By: David F. Hawkins

Keywords: Accounting; Energy Industry

January 1987
Article

The Rise and Fall of Management Accounting

By: Robert S. Kaplan

Keywords: Management; Accounting; Change

19 Jun 2008
Working Paper Summaries

Accounting Information as Political Currency

Keywords: by Karthik Ramanna & Sugata Roychowdhury; Accounting

May 2014 (Revised January 2015)
Case

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board

By: Julie Battilana and Michael Norris

In 2014, as the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) has just brought former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on as chairman of the board, Jean Rogers, founder and CEO struggles with how best to ensure the nonprofit's financial sustainability while... View Details

Keywords: Sustainability; Sustainability Reporting; Reporting; Environmental Sustainability; Accounting; Accounting Industry; United States

October 2001 (Revised February 2007)
Background Note

Accounting for Employee Stock Options

Employees who have been granted stock options have the right to purchase shares of their company's stock at a specified price within a specified time period. The accounting for such employee stock options has been a controversial and complex topic for decades. The... View Details

Keywords: Employee Stock Ownership Plan; Accounting

26 Jul 2013
Working Paper Summaries

Accountability of Independent Directors-Evidence from Firms Subject to Securities Litigation

Keywords: by Francois Brochet & Suraj Srinivasan

1977
Book

Management Accounting and Control of Data Processing

By: R. L. Nolan

Keywords: Management; Cost Accounting; Data and Data Sets

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

Keywords: Cost Accounting; Cost Management

05 Jan 2014
News

The American accountability crisis

Article

Competition and Cost Accounting

By: V.G. Narayanan and Michael Smith

The central theme of Competition and Cost Accounting is that strategic considerations may make it desirable for a firm to have divisions and product managers internalize something other than their true costs. In the case of transfer prices, a high transfer price... View Details

Keywords: Cost Allocation; Transfer Pricing; Decentralization; Bertrand And Cournot Competition; Cost Accounting

March 2005
Article

Accountability Myopia: Losing Sight of Organizational Learning

By: Alnoor Ebrahim

Keywords: Organizations; Learning; Corporate Accountability

12 May 2008
Research & Ideas

Accounting Information as Political Currency

potentially controversial business activities—outsourcing, for example—understate their earnings if it might boost a candidate's chances of election. The research by HBS professor Karthik Ramanna and a colleague from MIT, Professor Sugata... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

September 1983
Article

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Boundary Spanning Supervision on Turnover and Promotion in Research and Development

By: Michael Tushman and R. Katz

Keywords: Human Resources; Research and Development; Information; Management

September 2019 (Revised December 2023)
Case

Accounting Fraud at Tesco Stores (A)

By: Jonas Heese, Suraj Srinivasan and Julia Kelley

This case describes the accounting fraud at Tesco Stores Limited (TSL), which was discovered by a senior accountant in TSL’s finance department. The accountant was concerned about TSL’s handling of commercial income, which, according to the accountant, overstated... View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Crime and Corruption; Organizational Culture; Corporate Accountability

2003
Chapter

Accountability Myopia: Losing Sight of Organizational Learning

By: Alnoor Ebrahim

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Corporate Accountability; Governance Compliance

06 Aug 2014
News

An Insider's Account of the Yahoo-Alibaba Deal

Keywords: international deal; China; Internet; Yahoo; News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; Information

February 2025 (Revised March 2025)
Case

Accounting for Bitcoin at Block

By: Charles C.Y. Wang, Seil Kim and Sa-Pyung Sean Shin

Abstract: This case explores Block Inc.'s accounting practices for Bitcoin transactions and their impact on financial reporting. Following a 10% stock price drop after missing revenue estimates in Q3 2024, Block faced scrutiny over its Bitcoin-driven revenue model.... View Details

Keywords: Cryptocurrency; Bitcoin; Fair Value Accounting; Revenue Recognition; Business Model; Fluctuation; Volatility; Revenue; Standards; Valuation