Harvard Business Review

MARCH 31, 2017

If you’re not a numbers person, finance is daunting. But having a grasp of terms like EBITDA and net present value are important no matter where you sit on the org chart. Stop avoiding finance because you’re afraid of numbers. Think of it this way, “Finance is the way businesses keep score.

Finance 8

Finance Skills EBITDA Net Present Value 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 25, 2013

Just 36 percent of CMOs, for example, have quantitatively proven the short-term impact of marketing spend, according to the 2013 CMO Survey (and for demonstrating long-term impact, that figure drops to 32 percent). This lack of an analytical approach has traditionally formed a barrier between marketing and finance.

CFO 8

CFO Short-term Long-term Benchmarking 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 22, 2010

From where I sit as an economist, it's still all about the economy and the long-term impact of the problems laid bare by the Great Recession. During the financial crisis, the world came to the apparently shocking realization that debt financing entails risks.

GDP 15

GDP Net Present Value Crisis Cost 15

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 10, 2011

To make sure they're comparing apples to apples, they discount those future cash flows to arrive at their net present value. That's the finding of a new survey on how financial professionals determine their cost of capital, presented in a separate post on HBR.org today.

CAPM 13

CAPM Cost Discounted Cash Flow Cost of Capital 13

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

In both places, we know the instability will worsen macroeconomic performance in the short term. If that is the case, and the faster growth generates higher profits for them over the long term, that might well compensate for any short-term losses from the disruption. Tunisia and Egypt are cases in point.

NPV 12

NPV Short-term Discount Politics 12

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Rail accounted for only 20% of long-haul shipments in Brazil, compared with 80% in most countries. Any proposal, the rules said, should: remove obstacles to growing revenues, minimize up-front expenditure, provide benefits immediately (rather than paying off in the long term), and. reuse existing resources.

Strategy 8

Strategy Proposal Guidelines Net Present Value 8

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 24, 2011

But why compare apples (book value) to oranges (share price and dividends)? Buffett explains that book value is the best proxy for "intrinsic value," the net present value of all estimated future cash flows. Consider that since 1965, Berkshire's book value grew 434,057% and the S&P index grew only 5,430%.

Letter 15

Letter P&L Net Present Value Insurance 15