Harvard Business Review

MAY 8, 2012

This week, Microsoft is announcing an unusual initiative that it hopes will change how the company operates: an internal fee on carbon. As Microsoft takes on more of its customers' operations through cloud-based services, reliance on the utility grid creates real operational and price risk (from outages and volatile prices).

Energy 15

Energy Variable Costs Travel Operations 15

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 11, 2014

First, making significant amounts of your own power at zero variable cost is more than nice; it’s a hedge against volatility and smooths out expenses, which makes business planning easier. Consider Walmart’s significant commitments to energy efficiency and renewables. ” Third, the brand value of walking the talk is significant.

ROI 9

ROI Variable Costs Energy Benefits 9

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

For example, the Lordstown, Ohio, factory that makes the Chevy Cruze is running one shift a day, down from three a few years ago, and last year produced 180,000 vehicles, down from 248,000 in 2013. Capital-intensive factories have a high-fixed-cost, low-variable-cost operating model.

Fixed Costs 14

Fixed Costs Assets Cash Flow Variable Costs 14