Publications

02 Aug 2011
Working Paper Summaries

To Groupon or Not to Groupon: The Profitability of Deep Discounts

Keywords: by Benjamin Edelman, Sonia Jaffe & Scott Duke Kominers; Retail; Technology

2013
Working Paper

FIN Around the World: The Contribution of Financing Activity to Profitability

By: Russell Lundholm, George Serafeim and Gwen Yu

We study how the availability of domestic credit influences the contribution that financing activities make to a firm's return on equity (ROE). Using a sample of 51,866 firms from 69 countries, we find that financing activities contribute more to a firm's ROE in... View Details

Keywords: Domestic Credit; Return Of Equity; Corporate Performance; Financial Statement Analysis; Financial Statements; Valuation; Cost of Capital; Asset Pricing; Economic Growth

SSRN

22 Apr 2002
Research & Ideas

Profits and Prophets: The Role of Values in Investment

As chair of the investment committee for a college, Sam Hayes was faced with a challenging dilemma: Should the committee invest only in socially responsible funds even though the outcome might mean fewer scholarships and teaching positions, putting the school at a... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

February 2024
Teaching Note

Masdar City: Aiming for Sustainable and Profitable Real Estate

By: Boris Vallee and Sean Bracken

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 223-036. View Details

2007
Blog

Harvard Business Online—Marketing Know:How: How To Profit from Scarcity

By: John A. Quelch

Read Now

October 1998 (Revised December 1999)
Case

Lockheed Martin IMS: Making a Contribution and a Profit

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Courtney Purrington

Examines Lockheed Martin's attempt to move from its traditional reliance on defense/aerospace contracts into providing outsourced government services in the social sector. The protagonist reflects on the past 24 years of rapid growth in the company and the myriad... View Details

Keywords: Social Enterprise; Partners and Partnerships; Diversification; Performance Effectiveness; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Welfare; Private Ownership; Public Ownership; Privatization; Strategic Planning; United States

November 2004
Article

Linking Customer Management Effort to Customer Profitability in Industrial Markets

By: Douglas Bowman and Das Narayandas

Keywords: Customers; Management; Profit; Markets

December 2014
Article

Market Competition, Earnings Management, and Persistence in Accounting Profitability Around the World

By: Paul M. Healy, George Serafeim, Suraj Srinivasan and Gwen Yu

We examine how cross-country differences in product, capital, and labor market competition, and earnings management affect mean reversion in accounting return on assets. Using a sample of 48,465 unique firms from 49 countries, we find that accounting returns mean... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Performance; Valuation; Equity Valuation; Persistence; Competitive Advantage; Institutions; Earnings Management; Labor Market; Capital Markets; Competition; Profit; Performance; Supply and Industry; Financial Statements; Government and Politics; Globalized Markets and Industries

SSRN

2001
Book

TechVenture: New Rules on Value and Profit from Silicon Valley

By: Mohanbir S. Sawhney, Ranjay Gulati and Anthony Paoni

Keywords: Information Technology; Business Ventures; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Value; Profit; California

October 2017
Case

Still Leading (B1): Hon. Bob McDonald – Profiting from Purpose

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Marcus Millen

Robert (Bob) A. McDonald just completed his service as the 8th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), successfully leading the beginnings of a transformation for one of the nation’s most scrutinized departments. Reflecting back, McDonald looked to the... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Personal Development and Career; Transition

Educators

July 1981
Background Note

Managing against Expectations (A): An Introduction to Profit Variance Analysis

2007
Book

Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing: A Simpler and More Powerful Path to Higher Profits

By: R. S. Kaplan and Steven R. Anderson

Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management; Profit

Research Summary

How to Manage Customers for Increased Profits and Customer Satisfaction

By: Frances X. Frei

For many service firms, the customer plays an important role in contributing to the cost and/or quality of the service. This is very different than many manufacturing contexts, for example, where the firm has virtually complete control over product cost and quality. ... View Details

March 2006 (Revised September 2006)
Case

Slots, Tables, and All That Jazz: Managing Customer Profitability at the MGM Grand Hotel

By: Dennis Campbell, Francisco de Asis Martinez-Jerez, Marc Epstein and Joshua Bellin

The MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas had detailed information on loyal gaming customers, but could its information systems also be tailored to nongaming customers? As the nongaming business sectors became increasingly profitable both at the MGM Grand and in Las Vegas... View Details

Keywords: Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Value and Value Chain; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Accommodations Industry; Nevada

Educators