Accounting for Product Impact in the Telecommunications Industry

27 Pages Posted: 1 Apr 2021 Last revised: 15 May 2021

See all articles by George Serafeim

George Serafeim

Harvard Business School

Katie Trinh

Brown University, Department of Economics, Students

Date Written: March 24, 2021

Abstract

We apply the product impact measurement framework of the Impact-Weighted Accounts Initiative (IWAI) in two competitor companies within the telecommunications industry. We design a monetization methodology that allows us to calculate monetary impact estimates of network efficiency, rural service provision, and connectivity, among other factors. Our results indicate substantial differences in the impact that competitors have through their products. These differences demonstrate how impact reflects corporate strategy and informs decision-making on industry-specific areas, including service provision geographies.

Keywords: Product Innovation, impact, impact investing, impact measurement, ESG, ESG performance, ESG (environmental/social/governance) performance, ESG ratings, social corporate responsibility, corporate social responsibility, social impact, telecommunications

Suggested Citation

Serafeim, George and Trinh, Katie, Accounting for Product Impact in the Telecommunications Industry (March 24, 2021). Harvard Business School Accounting & Management Unit Working Paper No. 21-105, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3815302 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3815302

George Serafeim (Contact Author)

Harvard Business School ( email )

Boston, MA 02163
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=15705

Katie Trinh

Brown University, Department of Economics, Students ( email )

Providence, RI
United States

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