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Why We Need to Update Financial Reporting for the Digital Era

Harvard Business Review

The market caps of just four companies, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft, now exceed $3 trillion. Their combined assets of $944 billion are an order of magnitude lower than the combined assets of $7,700 billion of the largest 3,177 companies in 1986, when the aggregate market capitalization reached $3 trillion for the first time.

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Calculating the Market Value of Leadership

Harvard Business Review

In recent years, investors have learned that defining the market value of a firm cannot just be based on finances. GAAP and FASB standards require financial reporting of earnings, cash flow, and profitability – all measures that investors have traditionally examined.

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A Blueprint for Digital Companies’ Financial Reporting

Harvard Business Review

On June 25, 2018, Facebook lost market capitalization of more than $100 billion in just two hours of trading after it announced its quarterly performance, despite exceeding analysts’ earnings forecasts. In a market like social media, a firm’s success can depend on the winner-take-all profits that come from market leadership.).

Report 8
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The Dangers of Digital Protectionism

Harvard Business Review

Still others hope to create market barriers for global companies — a form of digital protectionism. These solutions lie at the intersection of technology development by companies and policy formulation by governments. India’s finance ministry has proposed such an approach to the central bank. In contrast, the U.S.