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    Measurement and MetricsRemove Measurement and Metrics →

    New research on measurements and metrics from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including analytics, online metrics, auditing firms, and measuring social impact.
    Page 1 of 16 Results
    • 15 Mar 2022
    • Research & Ideas

    This Workplace Certification Made Already Safe Companies Even Safer

    by Rachel Layne

    New research by Michael Toffel and colleagues confirms what workplace safety advocates have long claimed: Adopting OHSAS 18001 reduces worker injuries and improves a brand's image. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 06 Dec 2021
    • Research & Ideas

    The Popular Stock Metric That Can Lead Investors Astray

    by Rachel Layne

    Investors may rely too heavily on a financial measure that no longer reflects the economic fundamentals of modern business. What should investors do? Research by Charles C.Y. Wang and colleagues. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 08 May 2020
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Corporate Environmental Impact: Measurement, Data and Information

    by George Serafeim, DG Park, David Freiberg, and T. Robert Zochowski

    This paper proposes a methodology for investors, companies, or regulators to use established environmental resources, reasonably accessible in the public domain, to measure an organization’s environmental impact from operations. These measurements contain information that is different from environmental ratings widely used by investors and other stakeholders.

    • 18 Feb 2020
    • Working Paper Summaries

    A Preliminary Framework for Product Impact-Weighted Accounts

    by George Serafeim, Katie Trinh, and Robert Zochowski

    Although there is growing interest in environmental, social, and governance measurement, the impact of company operations is emphasized over product use. A framework like this one that captures a product’s reach, accessibility, quality, optionality, environmental use emissions, and end of life recyclability allows for a systematic methodology that can be applied to companies across many industries.

    • 11 Feb 2019
    • Working Paper Summaries

    The IBM PC

    by Carliss Y. Baldwin

    The IBM PC was the first computer platform to be open by choice and not because of financial constraints. Initially, this openness kept IBM competitive. But IBM’s control over two strategic bottlenecks— standards embedded in the Basic Input Output System, and system integration and manufacturing of the computer itself—turned out to be weak.

    • 07 Jan 2019
    • Research & Ideas

    The Better Way to Forecast the Future

    by Roberta Holland

    We can forecast hurricane paths with great certainty, yet many businesses can't predict a supply chain snafu just around the corner. Yael Grushka-Cockayne says crowdsourcing can help. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 28 Nov 2018
    • HBS Case

    On Target: Rethinking the Retail Website

    by Dina Gerdeman

    Target is one big-brand retailer that seems to have survived and even thrived in the apocalyptic retail landscape. What's its secret? Srikant Datar discusses the company's relentless focus on online data. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 12 Mar 2018
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Using Online Prices for Measuring Real Consumption Across Countries

    by Alberto Cavallo, W. Erwin Diewert, Robert C. Feenstra, Robert Inklaar, and Marcel P. Timmer

    The increasing availability of big data can improve measurement of real consumption in closer to real time. This study shows that online prices may enhance data of the International Comparisons Program, dramatically improving the frequency and transparency of purchasing power parities compared with traditional data collection methods.

    • 05 Mar 2018
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Nowcasting Gentrification: Using Yelp Data to Quantify Neighborhood Change

    by Edward L. Glaeser, Hyunjin Kim, and Michael Luca

    This study finds that data from digital platforms (in this case, Yelp) can help forecast which neighborhoods are gentrifying and provide new ways to measure business landscape changes that accompany demographic changes.

    • 09 Mar 2017
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Exploring the Relationship Between Architecture Coupling and Software Vulnerabilities: A Google Chrome Case

    by Robert Lagerström, Carliss Y. Baldwin, Alan MacCormack, Dan Sturtevant, and Lee Doolan

    Managing software vulnerabilities is a top issue in today’s society. By studying the Google Chrome codebase, the authors explore software metrics including architecture coupling measures in relation to software vulnerabilities. This paper adds new findings to research on software metrics and vulnerabilities, bringing the field closer to generalizable and conclusive results.

    • 18 Jan 2017
    • Working Paper Summaries

    The Ties that Bind: Railroad Gauge Standards, Collusion, and Internal Trade in the 19th Century US

    by Daniel P. Gross

    The author studies the conversion of 13,000 miles of railroad track to standard gauge in the southern United States in 1886 as a large-scale natural experiment in technology standards adoption that instantly integrated the South into the national transportation network.

    • 28 Feb 2013
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Do Display Ads Influence Search? Attribution and Dynamics in Online Advertising

    by Pavel Kireyev, Koen Pauwels & Sunil Gupta

    The introduction of online metrics such as click through rate (CTR) and cost per acquisition (CPA) by Google and other online advertisers has made it easy for marketing managers to justify their online ad spending in comparison to the budgets used for television and other media. However, these metrics suffer from two fundamental problems: (a) they do not account for attribution, since they give credit to the last click and ignore the impact of other ad formats that may have helped a consumer move down the conversion funnel, and (b) they ignore the dynamics, since they only account for the immediate impact of ads. As firms spend more of their ad dollars on online search and display, managers and researchers alike recognize a need for more careful attribution adjustment that takes into account the journey consumers follow before conversion as well as account for the impact of ads over time. In this paper, the authors use time series models to infer the interaction between search and display ads and also capture their impact over time. Examining data from a bank that used online advertising to acquire new customers for its checking account, the authors found that display ads have a significant impact on search applications, as well as clicks. The majority of this spillover was not instant, but took effect only after two weeks. On the other hand, search advertising did not lead to an increase in display applications. However, search ads showed significant dynamic effects on search applications that made them very cost effective in the long run. Key concepts include: Classic metrics used in practice are highly biased since they do not account for the effects documented in this study. As a result, firms may be making suboptimal budget allocation decisions. Managers should carefully consider the interaction and dynamic effects of search and display advertising. In the study, revised measures of ad effectiveness lead to a very different budget allocation than the one used currently by the firm. Even though the proposed allocation gives credit to display due to its effect on search applications, the search ad budget should be increased by 36% from its current level due to its strong dynamic effects. The display ad budget should be decreased by 31%. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 13 Feb 2013
    • Research & Ideas

    5 Weight Loss Tips From Behavioral Economists

    by Carmen Nobel

    Behavioral economists study what motivates people to buy, save, donate, and any other number of actions that build society. The following studies reveal proven methods of encouraging healthy eating and exercise. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 04 Feb 2013
    • Research & Ideas

    Are the Big Four Audit Firms Too Big to Fail?

    by Martha Lagace

    Although the number of audit firms has decreased over the past few decades, concerns that the "Big Four" survivors have become too big to fail may be a stretch. Research by professor Karthik Ramanna and colleagues suggests instead that audit firms are more concerned about taking risks. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 14 Jun 2010
    • Research & Ideas

    The Hard Work of Measuring Social Impact

    by Julia Hanna

    Donors are placing nonprofits on the hot seat to measure social performance. Problem is, there is little agreement on what those metrics should be. Professor Alnoor Ebrahim on how nonprofit managers should respond. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 04 Oct 2004
    • Research & Ideas

    Start to Measure Your E-commerce Success

    by Marc J. Epstein

    After the dot-com fallout, surviving companies needed to sharpen strategy and analyze metrics much better. Visiting professor Marc J. Epstein shows how to put metrics to work. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.

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