This listing contains abstracts and ordering information for case studies written and published by faculty at Stanford GSB.
Publicly available cases in this collection are distributed by Harvard Business Publishing and The Case Centre.
Stanford case studies with diverse protagonists, along with case studies that build “equity fluency” by focusing on DEI-related issues and opportunities are listed in the Case Compendium developed by the Center for Equity, Gender and Leadership at the Berkeley Haas School of Business.
Human Capital: Discussed and Measured or Undiscussed and Unmeasured (Activision Blizzard)
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) amended its rules regarding human capital disclosures in 2020. This case summarizes those amendments and reviews how Activision Blizzard (ATVI) disclosed information to shareholders regarding its human…
The Himalayan Cataract Project
Cataracts robbed an estimated 65 million people around the world of their vision. In the Himalayas, where hundreds of thousands of people went needlessly blind from cataracts, doctors Sanduk Ruit and Fred Hollows began to tackle this health crisis in 1995…
Revenue Recognition at Groupon and Uber Technologies
Revenue Recognition at Microsoft Corporation
In July 2017, software and device giant Microsoft [NasdaqGS: MSFT] adopted a new accounting standard that market observers described as one of “the most historic accounting changes to hit the U.S. capital markets in decades.” Twelve years in the making…
Fair Value Accounting for Financial Securities at Alphabet
Beginning in fiscal year 2018, a new and relatively unnoticed accounting rule took effect that had the potential for a major impact on the reported earnings of companies holding financial assets or owing financial liabilities. Dubbed the Financial…
Havilah Merchants Nigeria Ltd: Generating Cash from a Company's Value Chain
Valeant Pharmaceuticals: Aggressive Accounting Games
The Pfizer-Allergan Tax Inversion
In November 2015, U.S.-based biopharmaceuticals company Pfizer [NYSE: PFE] and Ireland-based pharmaceutical company Allergan [NYSE: AGN] announced a $160 billion merger to move Pfizer’s domicile out of the United States to Ireland in the largest inversion…
JetBlue And The New Revenue Recognition Standard
In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issued a converged standard on revenue recognition (ASC Topic 606 and IFRS 15, respectively) aimed at ameliorating difficulties associated…
Etsy: Keeping it Real by Keeping Taxes Low
Etsy was an online craft bazaar founded in 2005 in a loft in Brooklyn, New York. The company was known for its emphasis on social responsibility, transparency, authenticity, and its somewhat nontraditional approach to business. In January 2015, Etsy conv…
Sticks and Stones? How Companies Respond to “Tax Shaming”
An increasing number of global corporations have experienced negative publicity over complicated tax structures established to minimize their tax burdens. In the case of U.S. companies, there has been a growing outcry over “inversions,” a means of…
Sustainable Investing at Generation Investment Management
In 2015, Generation Investment Management celebrated the successful 10-year track record of its flagship Global Equity Fund, which outperformed its benchmark index by over 500 basis points per year. A mainstream investment firm whose founders included…
FedEx and Pension Accounting
Susan Barney, chief financial officer of Parcel Expeditors (Parcel), a thriving same-day package delivery company headquartered in the United States, had to make some decisions. The management of Parcel was planning to take the company public in the…
BP and Contingent Liabilities
On April 20, 2010, as BP p.l.c., the third-largest listed oil producer in the world, was preparing to report strong first quarter results, an explosion occurred on its drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, killing 11 workers and injuring 16 others. Over the…
Depreciation at Deutsche Lufthansa AG
Wildfire Interactive Inc. (B)
Wildfire Interactive Inc. (A)
The Farm Winery
BreatheScreen Inc. Transaction Analysis and Financial Statements
Dr. John Anderson plans to license a technology that will be used to develop a device that would help physicians detect early-stage cancers. Patients would breathe directly into the device, which would analyze a user’s breath for traces of key compounds…
Global Carbon Emissions: An Interactive Illustration
This case illustrates the tragedy of the commons through an interactive game to be played by students. At a United Nations world climate conference, students are divided into 10 regional blocs. With less than a day to go and no agreement among the…