Fixed Cost - Publications - Faculty & Research

06 May 2014
First Look

First Look: May 6

team-theory predictions; however, certain findings, such as a negative correlation between delegation and firm size, call for a consideration of agency costs as well. Publisher's link:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

09 May 2012
Research & Ideas

Clayton Christensen’s “How Will You Measure Your Life?”

is taught in every fundamental course in finance and economics. That is, in evaluating alternative investments, we should ignore sunk and fixed costs, and instead base decisions on the marginal costs and... View Details

02 Jan 2024
Research & Ideas

10 Trends to Watch in 2024

The lightning-fast ascent of generative AI isn’t the only sea change on the horizon for businesses in the new year. The global economy is in flux as war, climate change, trade issues, and infrastructure problems demand attention. Many companies continue to struggle to... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

12 Feb 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, February 12, 2019

costly for both employees and employers, in terms of direct medical costs as well as costs stemming from lost productive time and missed days at work. Resilience training has been shown to improve workplace... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

W. Carl Kester

Carl Kester is a Baker Foundation Professor and the George Fisher Baker Jr. Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus at Harvard Business School. He is a member of the Finance Unit. He served as Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs (2006-2010), Chairman of the... View Details

Keywords: asset management; banking; education industry; financial services; investment banking industry; pharmaceuticals; private equity (LBO funds)

26 Mar 2013
Working Paper Summaries

How Elastic Are Preferences for Redistribution? Evidence from Randomized Survey Experiments

Keywords: by Ilyana Kuziemko, Michael I. Norton, Emmanuel Saez & Stefanie Stantchev

28 Aug 2023
Research & Ideas

The Clock Is Ticking: 3 Ways to Manage Your Time Better

there are costs of working remotely when others are in the office together without you. “Our results suggest how important it is to be intentional about where you work, but also to be aware of how that affects the others on your team. ”... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

Web

Business & Environment

allocation strategy; and focusing more attention on customers and employees to fix the company’s damaged reputation. On the day the letter became public, Vail’s stock price jumped 6%, representing an increase in almost $350 million of... View Details

24 Feb 2015
First Look

First Look: February 24

competition, and this logic breaks down in thin political markets. The result is a structural flaw in the determination of critical institutions of our capitalist system, which, if ignored, can undermine the legitimacy of the system. The book closes with ideas on how... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

09 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 9

massive cost overruns and delays. Second, the United States captured most of these economic benefits, partially because of its geographical situation and partially because it could leverage its military might to obtain a better agreement... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Research Summary

The New Social Contract: Contractors, Firms, and Agencies

The emergence of a 'new social contract' linking employees and organizations - perhaps most notable for the absence of a promise of lifelong job security - has been widely remarked. A related trend, less noted but potentially important, has been the emergence of a... View Details

14 Dec 2021
Op-Ed

To Change Your Company's Culture, Don't Start by Trying to Change the Culture

insulted and angry. But Twitter hasn’t backed down from the idea and has even promoted Davis. Employee dissatisfaction, the company said, is sometimes the cost of shaking things up. "Culture gets changed by doing real work in line with... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Beer

19 Sep 2023
HBS Case

How Will the Tech Titans Behind ChatGPT, Bard, and LLaMA Make Money?

monetized. At minimum, I can tell you that we are going to need new business models, and the integration of generative AI is going to transform how we monetize software and the business model. Rand: How so? Wu: Our notions of fixed View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand; Technology; Information Technology

Web

Lifelong Learning - Alumni

industries, and enable ownership of digital assets? 377 01 Mar 2024 HBS Alumni Bulletin On the Radar An early warning system for the next generation of biosecurity threats Re: Matthew McKnight (MBA 2012); By: Janine White 713 01 Mar 2024 HBS Alumni Bulletin Vital Signs... View Details

November 2011
Case

Pacific Grove Spice Company

By: William E. Fruhan and Craig Stephenson

Pacific Grove Spice Company is a profitable, rapidly growing manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of quality spices and seasonings. The company's business model requires significant investment in accounts receivable, inventory, and fixed assets to support sales.... View Details

Keywords: Capital Expenditures; Investments; Acquisitions; Securities Analysis; Debt Securities; Opportunities; Cost of Capital; Valuation; Investment; Capital Budgeting; Business Model; Cash Flow; Financing and Loans; Acquisition; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

Citation

Educators

Purchase

31 Mar 2022
Op-Ed

Navigating the ‘Bermuda Triangle’ in Professional Services

If professional service leaders wish to scale up their enterprises, they must first answer a critical question: Why? How would scale provide an advantage for my firm? Scale can benefit a professional service firm in four ways: Cost... View Details

Keywords: by Ashish Nanda

26 Sep 2023
Book

Digital Strategy: A Handbook for Managing a Moving Target

the use of the forceful technologies indicated above makes the fixed costs of producing, storing, and using data exponentially lower than they were in the past. Concurrently, the marginal View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Information Technology; Technology

01 Feb 2011
First Look

First Look: Feb. 1

propose a general mechanism of partner choice, "screening," that is similar to the economic theory of mechanism design. Imposing the appropriate costs and rewards may induce the informed individuals to screen themselves... View Details

Web

Health Care - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

Harvard Business Review The Strategy That Will Fix Health Care by Michael E. Porter and Thomas H. Lee Sep 2011 Harvard Business Review How to Solve the Cost Crisis in Health Care by Robert S. Kaplan and... View Details

Web

Behavioral Finance & Financial Stability

sentiment in the US stock market More Info Leverage and the Beta Anomaly By: Malcolm P. Baker & Jeffrey Wurgler AUG 2020 Baker, Hoeyer, and Wurgler propose a simple tradeoff theory to explain the well-known weak empirical relationship between beta risk and the View Details

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