Remove Long-term Remove Management Remove Present Value Remove Skills
article thumbnail

Beware of Short-term Management, Not the Short-term Investor

Harvard Business Review

Much has been made in recent years about the pernicious influence of short-term investors on corporate performance. I believe these arguments often miss a nuance: It is not the short-term investor but short-term management that is the problem. Indirectly though, these short-term traders can destroy value.

article thumbnail

How to Improve Your Finance Skills (Even If You Hate Numbers)

Harvard Business Review

But having a grasp of terms like EBITDA and net present value are important no matter where you sit on the org chart. The Refresher: Net Present Value. Make improving your financial skills “ a survival issue ,” says Knight. If you’re not a numbers person, finance is daunting. Related Video.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

What Shareholder Value is Really About

Harvard Business Review

Creating Shareholder Value. Critics imply that managing for shareholder value is all about maximizing the short-term stock price. Companies that manage for shareholder value, the thinking goes, do whatever it takes to engineer an ever-higher market price. That is a profound misunderstanding.

article thumbnail

Stop Focusing on Profitability and Go for Growth

Harvard Business Review

Today, the average cost of equity capital sits at close to half that: just 8% for the roughly 1600 companies comprising the Value Line Index. So, in real terms, debt financing is essentially free. In these circumstances, strategies that generate faster growth create more value for most companies than those that improve profit margins.

ROE 12