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• Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | December 2018

  Revenue Recognition at HBP

  Siko Sikochi and Paul Healy

  In early 2014, Corporate Learning, one of three business units at Harvard Business Publishing (HBP), was in the process of revamping its flagship product, Harvard Manage-Mentor (HMM) from version 11.0 (HMM11) to version 12.0 (HMM12). The revamped software would be hosted exclusively on HBP’s server, allowing updates to take place continuously. Given the change, accounting standards required HBP to change the recognition of revenue from the date of software delivery (for HMM11) to ratable recognition over its contract life (for HMM12). As Paul Bills (CFO of HBP) and David Wan (HBP’s CEO) discussed the accounting change, they recognized that its impact on Corporate Learning’s and HBP’s performance could be material and would have to be reflected in the budget. In addition, they wondered how the new accounting would affect the company’s policy for awarding sales incentive compensation on HMM, as well as how they communicated with employees and the firm’s sole shareholder, the Harvard Business School.

  Keywords: Accrual Accounting; Budgets and Budgeting; Revenue Recognition; Financial Reporting; Publishing Industry; Education Industry; United States;

  Citation:

  Sikochi, Siko, and Paul Healy. "Revenue Recognition at HBP." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 119-015, December 2018.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | November 2018

  Governance Transition at Anadolu Group

  Paul M. Healy and Esel Y. Cekin

  Kamil Yazici and Izzet Ozilhan founded and built Anadolu Group Holding; a family business that grew into a multi-billion-dollar regional powerhouse. For 57 years they were equal partners in running the company. They then handed over a leadership role to a next generation family member; Izzet’s son Tuncay; who became the CEO and later also chairman. Under Tuncay’s leadership; the company was primarily run by professional managers; supplemented by a limited number of second- and third-generation family members in senior executive positions. However; in 2017; when the number of next-generation family members reached 85; Kamil and Tuncay began work on a governance structure they hoped would sustain the company when they left. Under their plan; family members would no longer be allowed to hold general management positions. As a result; Tuncay retired as CEO and other family members with senior executive roles resigned. A holding company was created to bring all the company’s subsidiaries under a common structure. And a process was created to allow some members of the two surviving families to hold board seats. Although the stock market reacted positively to the increased transparency brought about by the changes; it remains to be seen whether the new formula will achieve its goal of successfully transitioning the company from a family-managed business to professionally-run company.

  Keywords: family-managed business; professionally-run company; second-generation; third-generation; governance; governance changes; succession planning; corporate culture; shareholders; board of directors; long-term sustainability; conglomerate; Family Business; Corporate Governance; Change Management; Management Succession; Leadership; Transition; Organizational Structure; Consumer Products Industry; Turkey; Central Asia; Middle East;

  Citation:

  Healy, Paul M., and Esel Y. Cekin. "Governance Transition at Anadolu Group." Harvard Business School Case 119-048, November 2018.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | August 2018 (Revised August 2018)

  Revenue Recognition at HBP

  Paul Healy and Anywhere Sikochi

  In early 2014, Paul Bills, CFO of Harvard Business Publishing (HBP), sat down with David Wan, the company’s CEO, to discuss budget preparations for the coming year. Bills noted that the performance of Corporate Learning, one of HBP’s three business units, would be affected by a business model change for its largest product that required a change in the timing of revenue recognition. Corporate Learning was in the process of revamping its flagship product, Harvard Manage-Mentor (HMM) from version 11.0 (HMM11) to version 12.0 (HMM12). The revamped software would be hosted exclusively on HBP’s server rather than on its clients’ servers, allowing updates to take place continuously. Given the change, accounting standards required HBP to change the recognition of revenue from the date of software delivery (for HMM11) to ratable recognition over its contract life (for HMM12). As Bills and Wan discussed the accounting change, they recognized that its impact on Corporate Learning’s and HBP’s performance could be material and would have to be reflected in the budget. In addition, they wondered how the new accounting would affect the company’s policy for awarding sales incentive compensation on HMM, as well as how they communicated with employees and the firm’s sole shareholder, the Harvard Business School.

  Keywords: Accrual Accounting; Budgets and Budgeting; Revenue Recognition; Financial Reporting; Publishing Industry; Education Industry; United States;

  Citation:

  Healy, Paul, and Anywhere Sikochi. "Revenue Recognition at HBP." Harvard Business School Case 119-029, August 2018. (Revised August 2018.)  View Details

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