Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

For example, at the end of its 2015 fiscal year, Apple’s balance sheet stated tangible assets of $290 billion as a contribution to its annual revenues, with approximately $141 billion worth of intangible assets — a combination of intellectual capital, brand equity, and (investor and consumer) goodwill.

Balance Sheet 14

Balance Sheet Assets Insurance Operations 14

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 26, 2018

Similarly, Microsoft paid $26 billion for loss-making LinkedIn in 2016, and Facebook paid $19 billion for WhatsApp in 2014 when it had no revenues or profits. This becomes clear when you look at a company’s two most important financial statements: the balance sheet and the income statement.

Balance Sheet 8

Balance Sheet Assets Revenue Accounts 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 28, 2018

By 2016, the rise of smart phones seemed to have made the company less relevant: Its revenues were at almost the same level they had been a full decade earlier. Nikon, the legendary Japanese camera maker, provides a textbook study in how smart managers can work with strategic investors to transform a struggling business.

Balance Sheet 12

Balance Sheet Cash Flow Banking Fixed Costs 12

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 25, 2017

China’s four largest banks have quadrupled the share of foreign assets on their balance sheets since 2007 to $1 trillion—that make gives them larger foreign portfolios than German or Italian banks. In 2005, the United States absorbed 67% of all net global capital flows; by 2016, that share had fallen by half.

Banking 8

Banking Assets Balance Sheet Marketing 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 2, 2016

The strategy works, temporarily putting more cash on the positive side of the balance sheet. By calling itself a platform rather than a taxi dispatcher, Uber has been able to work in a regulatory gray area that slashes overhead while inflating revenue. In the corporate program, there’s only room for one.

Assets 8

Assets Balance Sheet Operations A/B Testing 8