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Learn about corporate accountability and social responsibility, and the operational structures of corporations.

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Latest Stories in Accounting

November 10, 2022
Written
The ESG Generation Gap: Millennials and Boomers Split on Their Investing Goals
Younger investors are more willing to put money behind environmental and social goals — even if it’s costlier.
Sustainability
Illustration of young woman balancing on a tightrope with a coin in one hand and a globe in the other hand. | iStock/treety
October 27, 2022
Written
Digital Assets and Climate Change Pose New Challenges for Accountants
Mary Barth explains why investors need better information on new and hard-to-quantify risks.
Accounting
Two men standing on either side of a wide open gap on white platforms in front of a blue sky, looking down in puzzlement. iStock/Martin Barraud
September 21, 2022
Written
China’s Steep Barriers for IPOs Come with Serious Economic Costs
By making it harder for companies to go public, Beijing is stifling innovation and growth, Charles Lee finds.
Accounting
Illustration of the Beijing stock exchange logo next to a declining graph. Reuters/Florence Lo
June 03, 2022
Written
The Marketplace of Ideas: Information About Innovation Boosts Patent Trading
Corporate disclosure can bring more efficiency to a busy yet often-overlooked market.
Innovation
Illustration of three floating heads, with arrows and dollar bills coming out of their heads and mouths to indicate the exchange of ideas and money. Illustration by Cory Hall
June 03, 2022
Written
When Corporate Earnings Reports Talk, Consumers Listen
It’s not just investors paying attention. Plus: Why not to announce good news on a Friday.
Accounting
Shoppers walk through an indoor shopping mall carrying shopping bags and coffee and talking. Rachel Wisniewski/Reuters
May 04, 2022
Written
How Partisanship Crept into a Program to Boost Investment in Low-Income Areas
Political bias has influenced the rollout of the federal Opportunity Zone program, according to a new study.
Government
A photo illustration of a row of small wooden houses overlaid with blue and red blocks, and blueprint line art. Credit: iStock/sommart
April 19, 2022
Written
The Promise and Pitfalls of Investing for Change
Navigating the line between opportunity and uncertainty in the ESG boom
Finance
Illustration of various cuttings of a map, pieced together to form a larger map that shows a road curving along it. Illustration by Tyler Comrie
April 08, 2022
Written
Are Big Companies’ Net-Zero Pledges a Well-Intentioned Shell Game?
The world of climate promises and carbon offsets is “like the Wild West, where anything goes,” says Stefan Reichelstein.
Sustainability
Small green stickers that say "eco friendly" posted on top of an engraving of a factory belching smoke. | Credit: Tyler Comrie.
December 13, 2021
Written
A Dozen of Our Favorite Insights Stories of 2021
Just some of the original ideas and fascinating research coming from Stanford GSB faculty this year.
Career & Success
A person working on a computer, reading the Insights articles page on the Stanford GSB web page. | Credit: iStock/BrianAJackson.
December 02, 2021
Written
Want to Kick-Start Climate Action? Make Companies Report Their Carbon Footprints.
A “modest proposal” to give corporations a real incentive to cut emissions.
Sustainability
A photo illustration of a name tag. Instead of “Hello my name is,” the tag reads “Hello my footprint is,” and doodles of smoke stacks are drawn where the name would be.
August 20, 2021
Written
The Fast and the Incurious: How High-Speed Stock Trading Pushes Out Smart Money
Automated trades are tactically brilliant, but these “speed demons” can discourage serious market research.
Finance
A trader reacts as he works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. Photo by: Reuters/Andrew Kelly
July 26, 2021
Written
What Executives Are Really Saying When They Dodge Questions
Linguistic analysis helps interpret what’s behind non-answers during corporate earnings calls.
Corporate Governance
Silhouette of three board members in a dark conference room. Credit: iStock/FangXiaNuo
April 19, 2021
Written
Why Some Companies Stood by Workers When COVID-19 Battered Business
A new study finds that corporate decisions to either protect workers or lay them off had a lot to do with ... compassion.
Leadership
Woman working at home while surrounded daughter’s art supplies. Credit: Reuters/Caitlin Ochs
March 23, 2021
Written
Info Games: How Corporations Wield Disclosures as a Merger Tool
During corporate takeovers, buyers often tailor their public statements to drive down the price of takeover targets, a new study shows.
Accounting
Chess pieces on a board. Credit: iStock/marchmeena29
March 19, 2021
Written
The Trickle-Down Tragedy of Corporate Fraud
When companies shut down because of executive malfeasance, bottom-tier workers suffer most — especially when it comes to future earnings.
Accounting
Lighted bundle of dynamite. | Illustration by Álvaro Domínguez.
February 08, 2021
Written
Executive Bonuses Might Work Better Than You Think
Cash and equity incentives promote individual and collective performance benefits, new research finds.
Management
A bike made for 3 with a bag of money dangling from a stick off the front. Credit: Alvaro Dominguez
January 19, 2021
Written
Homogeneity at the Top
New research drills down on C-suite diversity in Fortune 100 firms and finds there’s a lot more work to do.
Corporate Governance
Layered illustrations of mens profiles in similar shades of white and light gray. Credit: Tricia Seibold and iStock/Leontura
January 15, 2021
Written
How to Pressure Test Your Strategic Vision
Learning to construct, debate, and communicate a logically valid argument is an essential pillar in making great strategy.
Leadership
An illustration of chess as the queen and rooks deliver checkmate to king. Credit: iStock/BeholdingEye
May 18, 2020
Written
The Future of Hydrogen May Be Here
A new study shows that power-to-gas systems harnessing renewable energy can produce cleaner, cost-effective hydrogen for industry.
Sustainability
Hydrogen chemical symbols are displayed on a sign at a hydrogen station. Credit: Reuters/Issei Kato
May 05, 2020
Written
How Much Is Your Slice of That Unicorn Really Worth?
A new online calculator estimates the true value of stock at venture-backed startups.
Finance
A photo of an origami unicorn made of a dollar bill. Credit: iStock/shutter2photos