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    • All HBS Web  (70)
      • Faculty Publications  (26)

      Variance Analysis Remove Variance Analysis →

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      • May 2022
      • Article

      Variance Analysis: New Insights from Health Care Applications

      By: Robert S. Kaplan and Susanna Gallani
      We use a health care application to illustrate how variance analysis can be used to benchmark costs across similar service delivery sites. Variances for personnel costs, typically the largest cost component in service organizations, are calculated for price, quantity,...  View Details
      Keywords: Variance Analysis; Benchmarking; Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing; Health Care; Activity Based Costing and Management; Health Care and Treatment; Service Delivery; Service Industry
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      Kaplan, Robert S., and Susanna Gallani. "Variance Analysis: New Insights from Health Care Applications." Issues in Accounting Education 37, no. 2 (May 2022): 27–36.
      • 2021
      • Chapter

      Digital Infrastructure

      By: Shane Greenstein
      What determines the supply of innovative digital infrastructure and how does variance in supply shape the performance of digital services? The essay reviews research into the economic impact of deployment, innovation, and adoption of digital infrastructure. It...  View Details
      Keywords: Information Technology; Infrastructure; Economics; Policy; Research; Analysis; United States
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      Greenstein, Shane. "Digital Infrastructure." In Economic Analysis and Infrastructure Investment, edited by Edward L. Glaeser and James Poterba. National Bureau of Economic Research, and University of Chicago Press, 2021.
      • March 2021
      • Article

      The Customer May Not Always Be Right: Customer Compatibility and Service Performance

      By: Ryan W. Buell, Dennis Campbell and Frances X. Frei
      This paper investigates the impact of customer compatibility – the degree of fit between the needs of customers and the capabilities of the operations serving them – on customer experiences and firm performance. We use a variance decomposition analysis to quantify the...  View Details
      Keywords: Customer Compatibility; Satisfaction; Profitability; Service Operations; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Satisfaction; Performance
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      Buell, Ryan W., Dennis Campbell, and Frances X. Frei. "The Customer May Not Always Be Right: Customer Compatibility and Service Performance." Management Science 67, no. 3 (March 2021): 1468–1488.
      • Article

      Are Cost Advantages from a Modern Indian Hospital Transferable to the United States?

      By: R. S. Kaplan, F. Erhun, V.G. Narayanan, B. Mistry and K. Brayton, et al
      We use time-driven activity-based costing to estimate the cost of personnel and space for an elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery at two U.S. hospitals, Intermountain and Baylor Heart, and Narayana Health (NH), in India. All three hospitals use modern...  View Details
      Keywords: Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing; Health Care and Treatment; Cost; Organizational Structure; Performance Efficiency; India; United States
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      Kaplan, R. S., F. Erhun, V.G. Narayanan, B. Mistry, and K. Brayton, et al. "Are Cost Advantages from a Modern Indian Hospital Transferable to the United States?" American Heart Journal 224 (June 2020): 148–155.
      • Fall 2017
      • Article

      An Empirical Analysis of Investment Return Dispersion in Emerging Markets Private Equity

      By: Josh Lerner and Mark Baker
      The authors use transaction-level data to compare the dispersion of private equity (PE) returns in emerging markets (EMs) to the same in developed markets (DMs). They regress within-market absolute deviation from the mean on an EM indicator and controls. They find...  View Details
      Keywords: Private Equity; Emerging Markets; Investment Return; Analysis
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      Lerner, Josh, and Mark Baker. "An Empirical Analysis of Investment Return Dispersion in Emerging Markets Private Equity." Journal of Private Equity 20, no. 4 (Fall 2017): 15–24.
      • November 2016 (Revised April 2018)
      • Case

      Darby's Investment in Sirma: Professionalizing an Entrepreneurial Firm

      By: Suraj Srinivasan and Eren Kuzucu
      In March 2010, Burak Dalgın (HBS MBA 2004) led private equity firm Darby's investment in Sırma, a local Turkish water and beverage company. Sırma was owned and managed by members of two Turkish business families. The existing management, while being highly...  View Details
      Keywords: Control Systems; Variance Analysis; Emerging Markets; Debt; Family Ownership; Turkey; Valuation; Business or Company Management; Private Equity; Financial Reporting; Investment; Budgets and Budgeting; Food and Beverage Industry; Turkey
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      Srinivasan, Suraj, and Eren Kuzucu. "Darby's Investment in Sirma: Professionalizing an Entrepreneurial Firm." Harvard Business School Case 117-033, November 2016. (Revised April 2018.)
      • October 2016 (Revised December 2016)
      • Module Note

      Strategy Execution Module 6: Evaluating Strategic Profit Performance

      By: Robert Simons
      This module reading demonstrates how to calculate and analyze the profit generated by different business strategies. Formulas and examples are provided to calculate profit generated by changes in market share, revenue growth, efficiency improvements, and support costs....  View Details
      Keywords: Management Control Systems; Implementing Strategy; Execution; Evaluating Business Performance; Profitability Analysis; Variance Analysis; Measuring Effectiveness; Measuring Efficiency; Activity-Based Costing; Flexible Budget; Accounting; Strategy
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      Simons, Robert. "Strategy Execution Module 6: Evaluating Strategic Profit Performance." Harvard Business School Module Note 117-106, October 2016. (Revised December 2016.)
      • October 2016 (Revised March 2022)
      • Background Note

      Cost Variance Analysis

      By: Robert S. Kaplan and Susanna Gallani
      This note was written to provide students with fundamental concepts and methods for the analysis of cost variances. It focuses on the decomposition of cost variances into price, quantity, and mix variance components, an approach that allows students to identify the...  View Details
      Keywords: Cost Accounting
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      Kaplan, Robert S., and Susanna Gallani. "Cost Variance Analysis." Harvard Business School Background Note 117-006, October 2016. (Revised March 2022.)
      • September 2016 (Revised October 2018)
      • Case

      Springfield Hospital

      By: Susanna Gallani and Robert Kaplan
      One of the key roles of costing systems is to support the evaluation of performance and facilitate appropriate resource allocations. Through participation in a comparative cost study, management at Springfield Hospital, known for its heavy focus on operational...  View Details
      Keywords: Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing; Variance Analysis; Activity Based Costing and Management; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry
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      Gallani, Susanna, and Robert Kaplan. "Springfield Hospital." Harvard Business School Case 117-025, September 2016. (Revised October 2018.)
      • 2019
      • Working Paper

      The Customer May Not Always Be Right: Customer Compatibility and Service Performance

      By: Ryan W. Buell, Dennis Campbell and Frances X. Frei
      This paper investigates the impact of customer compatibility – the degree of fit between the needs of customers and the capabilities of the operations serving them – on customer experiences and firm performance. We use a variance decomposition analysis to quantify the...  View Details
      Keywords: Customer Compatibility; Satisfaction; Profitability; Customer Relationship Management; Service Operations; Customer Satisfaction; Banking Industry; Retail Industry
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      Buell, Ryan W., Dennis Campbell, and Frances X. Frei. "The Customer May Not Always Be Right: Customer Compatibility and Service Performance." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 16-091, February 2016. (Revised December 2019.)
      • Article

      Time-driven Activity-based Costing of Multivessel Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting across National Boundaries to Identify Improvement Opportunities: Study Protocol

      By: F. Erhun, B. Mistry, T. Platcheck, A. Milstein, V.G. Narayanan and R. S. Kaplan
      Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is a common treatment for coronary artery disease—a disease that affects over 10% of US adults and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. In 2005, the mean cost for a CABG procedure among Medicare beneficiaries in the...  View Details
      Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management; Health Disorders; Health Care and Treatment; United States; India
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      Erhun, F., B. Mistry, T. Platcheck, A. Milstein, V.G. Narayanan, and R. S. Kaplan. "Time-driven Activity-based Costing of Multivessel Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting across National Boundaries to Identify Improvement Opportunities: Study Protocol." BMJ Open 5, no. 8 (2015).
      • 2014
      • Working Paper

      The Organizational and Geographic Drivers of Absorptive Capacity: An Empirical Analysis of Pharmaceutical R&D Laboratories

      By: Francesca Lazzeri and Gary P. Pisano
      Scholars and practitioners alike now recognize that a firm's capacity to assimilate and use know-how from external sources—what Cohen and Levinthal (1990) called "absorptive capacity"—plays a central role in innovation performance. In recent years, a common strategy...  View Details
      Keywords: Geographic Location; Industry Clusters; Knowledge Acquisition; Pharmaceutical Industry; San Francisco; San Diego; Massachusetts
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      Lazzeri, Francesca, and Gary P. Pisano. "The Organizational and Geographic Drivers of Absorptive Capacity: An Empirical Analysis of Pharmaceutical R&D Laboratories." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 14-098, April 2014.
      • January 2013
      • Case

      Luotang Power: Variances Explained

      By: Robert Simons and Craig Chapman
      The general manager of Luotang Power, a coal-fired power plant located in central China, reviews annual results before a meeting with the board of directors. He thought the company performed well during the year and both plant availability and fuel economy had improved...  View Details
      Keywords: China; Financial Statements; Management Accounting; Variance Analysis; Environmental Regulations; Incentives; Electric Power Generation; Contracts; Valuation; Energy Generation; Accounting; Performance Evaluation; Energy Industry; China
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      Simons, Robert, and Craig Chapman. "Luotang Power: Variances Explained." Harvard Business School Brief Case 913-533, January 2013.
      • January 2013 (Revised March 2017)
      • Teaching Note

      Luotang Power: Variances Explained (Brief Case)

      By: Robert Simons and Craig Chapman
      The primary objective is to explore the concepts of variance analysis in performance from one year to the next and the predictability of contracting counterparts to extract value from contract positions where they can. The general manager of a coal-fired power plant...  View Details
      Keywords: Variance Analysis; Strategy And Execution; Profitability Analysis; Management Control Systems; Contracts; Valuation; Energy Generation; Accounting; Performance Evaluation; China
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      Simons, Robert, and Craig Chapman. "Luotang Power: Variances Explained (Brief Case)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 913-534, January 2013. (Revised March 2017.)
      • September 2009
      • Article

      A Detailed Analysis of the Reduction Mammaplasty Learning Curve: A Statistical Process Model for Approaching Surgical Performance Improvement

      By: Matthew Carty MD, Rodney Chan, Robert S. Huckman, Daniel C. Snow and Dennis Orgill

      Background: The increased focus on quality and efficiency improvement within academic surgery has met with variable success among plastic surgeons. Traditional surgical performance metrics, such as morbidity and mortality, are insufficient to improve the...  View Details

      Keywords: Experience and Expertise; Health Care and Treatment; Medical Specialties; Outcome or Result; Performance Efficiency; Performance Improvement
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      Carty, Matthew, MD, Rodney Chan, Robert S. Huckman, Daniel C. Snow, and Dennis Orgill. "A Detailed Analysis of the Reduction Mammaplasty Learning Curve: A Statistical Process Model for Approaching Surgical Performance Improvement." Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 124, no. 3 (September 2009): 706–714.
      • March 2009
      • Article

      Applicant and Examiner Citations in U.S. Patents: An Overview and Analysis

      By: Juan Alcacer, Michelle Gittelman and Bhaven Sampat
      Prior art patent citations have become a popular measure of patent quality and knowledge flow between firms. Interpreting these measurements is complicated, in some cases, because prior art citations are added by patent examiners as well as by patent applicants. The...  View Details
      Keywords: Citations; Patents; Knowledge Sharing; Measurement and Metrics; Quality; United States
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      Alcacer, Juan, Michelle Gittelman, and Bhaven Sampat. "Applicant and Examiner Citations in U.S. Patents: An Overview and Analysis." Research Policy 38, no. 2 (March 2009): 415–427.
      • 2008
      • Working Paper

      Applicant and Examiner Citations in U.S. Patents: An Overview and Analysis

      By: Juan Alcacer, Michelle Gittelman and Bhaven Sampat
      Researchers studying innovation increasingly use indicators based on patent citations. However, it is well known that not all citations originate from applicants—patent examiners contribute to citations listed in issued patents—and that this could complicate...  View Details
      Keywords: Citations; Innovation and Invention; Patents; Research; United States
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      Alcacer, Juan, Michelle Gittelman, and Bhaven Sampat. "Applicant and Examiner Citations in U.S. Patents: An Overview and Analysis." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 09-016, August 2008.
      • Other Article

      What Do We Know About Variance in Accounting Profitability?

      By: Anita M. McGahan and Michael E. Porter
      In this paper, we analyze the variance of accounting profitability among a broad cross-section of firms in the American economy from 1981 to 1994. The purpose of the analysis is to identify the importance of year, industry, corporate-parent, and business-specific...  View Details
      Keywords: Strategy; United States
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      McGahan, Anita M., and Michael E. Porter. "What Do We Know About Variance in Accounting Profitability?" Management Science 48, no. 7 (July 2002): 834–851.
      • October 2000 (Revised March 2004)
      • Background Note

      Variance Analysis and Flexible Budgeting

      By: Robert S. Kaplan
      Facilitates the teaching of cases on variance analysis and flexible budgeting. Uses algebra, diagrams, and numerical examples to illustrate the calculation of price, quantity, and mix variances for revenues and costs, and a flexible budget for analyzing indirect and...  View Details
      Keywords: Cost; Price; Mathematical Methods; Revenue; Budgets and Budgeting
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      Kaplan, Robert S. "Variance Analysis and Flexible Budgeting." Harvard Business School Background Note 101-039, October 2000. (Revised March 2004.)
      • November 1997 (Revised April 2017)
      • Teaching Note

      Compagnie du Froid, S.A.

      By: Robert Simons, Antonio Dávila, Kathryn Rosenberg and Jennifer Packard
      Teaching Note for (9-197-085).  View Details
      Keywords: Management Control Systems; Strategy And Execution; Variance Analysis; Performance Measurement; Food and Beverage Industry; Europe
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      Simons, Robert, Antonio Dávila, Kathryn Rosenberg, and Jennifer Packard. "Compagnie du Froid, S.A." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 198-035, November 1997. (Revised April 2017.)
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