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Harvard Business School Brief CasesAccountingBiovail Corporation: Revenue Recognition and FOB Sales AccountingBiovail Corporation, a major Canadian pharmaceutical company, announces that it will miss its quarterly earnings target by $25 to $45 million, blaming $10 to $15 million of the shortfall on a truck accident that occurred on the last day of the quarter. Explores the concepts of revenue recognition, the ethics of earnings management, relationships with analysts, and the enforcement role of the SEC.Danshui Plant No. 2A plant in southern China has a contract to assemble 2.4 million Apple iPhones. Three months into the contract, the plant is operating at a loss. The plant manager analyzes the budget and considers whether changing from a static to flexible budget can help uncover the performance problems.Depreciation at Delta Air Lines: The "Fresh Start"After Delta adopts fair value accounting as part of its "fresh start" emergence from bankruptcy, the company changes its approach to depreciating its aircraft. Introduces students to depreciation policy and links between accounting policies and financial reporting choices.Jimmy Fu and Moog, Inc.: Understanding Shareholders' EquityJimmy Fu is interviewing for a job at Moog, Inc. In the job offer, the vesting and termination language for the stock plan leads Jimmy to investigate the Shareholders' Equity section of the Moog balance sheet and he finds more activity than he expects.Luotang Power: Variances ExplainedThe general manager of a coal-fired power plant in central China prepares for a presentation to the board of directors. He believes his company performed well in the previous year in several key metrics but the performance is not reflected in the financial results.Lyons Document Storage Corporation: Bond MathA manager must analyze the refunding of bonds issued in 2000, when interest rates were higher. Students must calculate the present value of interest and principal payments.Merrimack Tractors and Mowers: LIFO or FIFO?A CFO proposes use of FIFO to maintain earnings growth, accepting possible tax consequences. The case demonstrates that firms often have choices about accounting policies.The Talbots, Inc. and Its Subsidiaries: Accounting for GoodwillFocusing on the firm's acquisition of J. Jill, the case demonstrates what goodwill is, how it originates, how it is measured at acquisition, and how it is amortized or impaired.FinanceBlaine Kitchenware: Capital StructureIn response to an unsolicited takeover, a kitchen appliance maker contemplates using excess liquidity and additional borrowing for a stock repurchase. The company must determine the effects of increasing leverage on the cost of capital, firm value, and share price.Ceres Gardening Company: Funding Growth in Organic ProductsAn aggressive player in the organic gardening industry offers steep discounts and vendor financing to its retailers in an effort to increase market penetration. Students analyze the company's financial statements and make projections.Flash Memory, Inc.A small firm in the computer and electronic device memory market must invest heavily in new product development to stay competitive. The Chief Financial Officer is in the process of preparing the investing and financing plans for the next three years and must consider alternatives for additional funding in light of increased working capital requirements.Groupe Ariel S.A.: Parity Conditions and Cross-Border ValuationGroupe Ariel evaluates a proposal from its Mexican subsidiary to purchase and install cost-saving equipment at a manufacturing facility. Ariel corporate policy requires a discounted cash flow (DCF) and an estimate for the net present value (NVP) for capital expenditures in foreign markets. A major challenge of the case is which currency to use, the Euro or the peso.Hansson Private Label, Inc.: Evaluating an Investment in ExpansionA manufacturer of private-label personal care products must decide whether to fund an unprecedented expansion of manufacturing capacity. This case requires students to complete a fundamental analysis of the project, including the development of cash flow projections and net present value calculations.Harmonic Hearing Co.Two employees from a small manufacturer of hearing aids consider purchasing the company from the founder. Two financing alternatives are presented: one is virtually all debt-financed, the other all equity. The financing structure will significantly affect future products and firm performance.Hill Country Snack Food Co.The CEO of a snack food company believes in maximizing shareholder value by maintaining large cash balances and funding new initiatives internally using equity finance over debt finance. As he approaches retirement, analysts and investors want the company to adopt a more aggressive capital structure.Jones Electrical DistributionDespite several years of rapid sales growth and good profits, Jones Electrical Distribution experiences short-term cash shortages. The company is unable to take discounts on accounts payable and increasingly relies on loans from the bank to cover expenses. Company owner Nelson Jones weighs the options for managing sales growth against additional financing needs.Mercury Athletic: Valuing the OpportunityThe head of business development at Active Gear Advantage, a mid-size athletic footwear company, sees the opportunity to acquire Mercury Athletic and double the size of his business. Students gain exposure to basic DCF valuation using WACC.Midland Energy Resources, Inc.: Cost of CapitalThe senior vice president of project finance for a global oil and gas company must determine the weighted average cost of capital for the company as a whole and each of its divisions. Students become familiar with WACC and CAPM and associated data and formulas.Monmouth, Inc.A leading producer of engines and massive compressors for the natural gas industry considers whether to acquire a tool company. Students must choose an approach for valuing the company and consider how the offer should be structured.New Heritage DollA mid-sized, privately-owned, domestic firm evaluates two investment alternatives. The case explores basic issues in capital budgeting and requires students to analyze financial information from competing capital budgeting projects and choose a single investment project.Pacific Grove Spice CompanyA manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of spices and seasonings utilizes debt to fund the necessary growth in assets to support sales. The bank is concerned about the total amount of interest-bearing debt on the firm's balance sheet and has asked the company to provide a plan to reduce it.Polar Sports, Inc.A fashion skiwear company generates over 80% of sales between September and January and relies on seasonal production to respond promptly to customer orders. The VP of operations considers the costs and benefits of switching to level production.Sterling Household Products CompanyA manufacturer of laundry soap, cosmetics, cleaning and disinfecting products, and other consumer goods consider acquiring the germicidal and sanitation product unit from a company in the health care industry. A complete investment analysis may reveal whether the purchase price adds enough value to the firm.Valuation of AirThread ConnectionsA senior associate in the business development group at American Cable Communications must prepare a preliminary valuation for acquiring AirThread Connections, a regional cellular provider. This case can be used as a capstone valuation exercise for first-year MBA students in an introductory finance course.Winfield Refuse Management: Raising Debt vs. EquityA small, publicly traded company specializing in non-hazardous waste management considers a major acquisition in the Midwestern U.S. The chief financial officer wants the company to reconsider a long-standing policy to avoid long term debt and fund the acquisition through a bond issue.General ManagementApplied Research Technologies, Inc.: Global Innovation's ChallengesStudents analyze the decisions and the leadership styles of both a unit manager and a division VP of ART, Inc., an organization whose culture of innovation has spawned many successful brands—but this same culture might also be putting one division and its leader at risk.Calveta Dining Services, Inc.: A Recipe for Growth?Calveta Dining Services enjoyed three decades of growth under its founder Antonio Calveta. Now that Antonio is retired, can his son Frank carry out Antonio's directive to double revenue within five years while still maintaining Calveta's distinctive pro-employee culture?Clayton Industries: Peter Arnell, Country Manager for ItalyIn Italy, the new country manager of a U.S.-based HVAC company is under pressure to solve a range of problems that thwart the home office's strategic plans. His options are constrained by a depressed economy, difficult union relations, rising materials prices, intense competition, and nationalistic buying preferences.A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the Fast Lane at Landon Care ProductsA driven superstar performer at a cosmetics firm has an impressive record of accomplishments but is limited by an inability to function effectively in a team setting, as a 360 performance evaluation makes clear.Evergreen Natural Markets 2012Kathleen Norton, the CEO of a successful food retailer with a track record of growth through local acquisition, has her leadership skills tested when her company purchases seven stores outside of the home base.Sugar BowlShelby Givens, the Westlake Lanes general manager, has successfully transformed her family-owned bowling alley into an urban lounge called Sugar Bowl. When investors offer to buy the business, Givens must evaluate whether she should accept the offer or retain involvement in the venture she worked so hard to create.Westlake Lanes: How Can This Business Be Saved?A general manager tries to improve a failing business that is owned and operated by her family. She uses her recent MBA training to devise a short term turnaround strategy while also proposing a longer term transformation plan to the board.HR ManagementCeleritas, Inc.: Leadership Challenges in a Fast-Growth IndustryCeleritas is a leading data communications company in a crowded and highly competitive market. With sales suddenly declining after years of record growth, Celeritas has begun to lose its status as a top player. The CEO calls for an offsite meeting to address several problems he believes are causing the recent slide.Raleigh & Rosse: Measures to Motivate Exceptional ServiceIn January 2010, U. S. luxury goods retailer Raleigh & Rosse is being sued by its employees for encouraging "off the clock" hours. At the center of the class action lawsuit is the famous Raleigh & Rosse performance measurement system previously thought to be the core of the retailer's success.International BusinessBella Healthcare IndiaBella Healthcare India was originally established as a low-cost manufacturing facility for a U.S.-based cardiology equipment developer but has since evolved into its own research and development center. After a failed joint product development effort with its parent company in the U.S., is the Bella Bangalore team ready to launch a new product and if so, which project should it choose?Kent Chemical: Organizing for International GrowthWith a global expansion strategy placing increasing demands on his organization, the president of Kent Chemical International is proposing a third reorganization effort after two failed attempts to better align his business with its U.S.-based parent company.Levendary Cafe: The China ChallengeLevendary Cafe has grown from a small Colorado-based restaurant into a $10 billion business with international expansion plans. Despite its solid track record, Wall Street is nervous about Levendary and its new CEO, Mia Foster. Foster is working hard to prove herself worthy of the job and her first order of business is to address concerns about the Levendary Chinese expansion plan.Meli MarineAn inter-Asian container shipping company is facing an important strategic decision after an interesting acquisition opportunity presents itself— if the board purchases larger ships, should they enter the global Asian-North American shipping business?United Cereal: Lora Brill's Eurobrand ChallengeThe European division for a multinational breakfast foods company prepares to launch a new cereal product. The VP for the division must decide whether to make the new cereal the first branded cereal product for the European division and how to create an organizational structure to support the new product strategy.MarketingAlpen Bank: Launching the Credit Card in RomaniaAlpen Bank considers whether to launch a credit card business in Romania. The firm rejected the idea several years earlier because of poor economic conditions in Romania. However, the country is emerging from a recession and incomes are rising along with disposable income. Students decide whether to launch the new business and how to acquire new customers.Atius GolfA maker of high-performance golf balls considers introducing a new product line called Elevate to appeal to casual golfers. The new line will be available through "off-course" specialty stores and big box retailers at lower price. The board of directors is divided on whether to support the decision.Atlantic Computer: A Bundle of Pricing OptionsAtlantic Computer, a leading player in the high-end server market, has developed a new server, the Tronn, and a software tool, called the "Performance Enhancing Server Accelerator," or PESA, that allows the Tronn to perform up to four times faster than its standard speed. How should Atlantic price the Tronn and PESA?Brannigan Foods: Strategic Marketing PlanningThe vice president and general manager of the soup division is concerned about declining sales and profitability. Hoping to reverse the trends, he asks 4 managers to review an analysis of the soup industry and recommend a turnaround strategy. Students must perform a quantitative analysis of each proposal before making a final recommendation.Classic Knitwear and Guardian: A Perfect Fit?In response to shareholder demands for margin improvements, the CMO of Classic Knitwear, a private-label non-fashion knitwear manufacturer, considers partnering with another company to produce a new line of high-margin, insect-repellant clothing.Clean Edge Razor: Splitting Hairs in Product PositioningA health and beauty manufacturing company launches a new technologically advanced vibrating razor into the highly competitive men's market for shaving products. The product manager struggles with positioning the product either as a "niche" razor for the high-end market or as a mainstream razor for the average consumer.Cottle-Taylor: Expanding the Oral Care Group in IndiaThe director for oral care products in India develops a marketing plan to support 20% growth in India but her boss wants to see 30% growth. To reach the revised goal, she must develop a new marketing plan while considering many factors including the regional differences between rural and urban consumers and the level of acceptance for modern dental standards across India.Culinarian Cookware: Pondering Price PromotionFaced with ambiguous results from a previous price promotion, Culinarian must decide if a new promotion will damage its premium brand or improve brand awareness and stimulate sales. What role should price promotion play in the company's sales growth goals?The Fashion ChannelThe new Senior Vice President of Marketing for The Fashion Channel is preparing to recommend a change in the company's traditional marketing approach by introducing a market segmentation program. Students must evaluate consumer research results, calculate financial scenarios, and make their own recommendation.Flare Fragrances Company, Inc: Analyzing Growth OpportunitiesFlare Fragrances experiences a decline in annual sales growth and considers introducing a new line of perfume or expanding distribution. Students study a wide range of factors including brand management, consumer demographics, product positioning, and pricing.Giant Consumer Products: The Sales Promotion Resource Allocation DecisionIn an effort to boost sagging sales, the Frozen Food Division undertakes a risky trade promotion. Focuses on cannibalization, brand equity erosion, and strategic channel issues.Harrington Collection: Sizing Up the Active-Wear MarketIn the wake of slumping sales and sagging profit margins, a leading manufacturer and retailer of high-end women's apparel must decide whether to expand into the high-growth active-wear market. The case explores the financial implications, assesses trade and competitor reactions, considers the risks, and determines whether the company's Vigor division will be able to successfully launch and manage a new product line.Launching Krispy Natural: Cracking the Product Management CodeA market leader for the sweet snack market wants to enter the salty snacks market with a reinvented line of premium crackers. Market test results exceed expectations in one city and fall short in 3 others. The marketing director must interpret the test market results, consider possible competitive response, and develop a recommendation for a national rollout.Manchester Products: A Brand Transition ChallengeManchester, a furniture company, has acquired an extremely powerful brand but can use its name for only three years-so the VP of Marketing must design a plan that transitions the new brand's power back to the company. The case examines decision-making related to brand equity, communications, and other aspects of marketing strategy.MedNet.com Confronts "Click-Through" CompetitionIn January 2007, "MedNet.com" is a leading website that provides science-based health information free of charge to online visitors. Its business model relies on advertising sales, primarily to pharmaceutical companies. In the face of fierce advertising competition, MedNet is forced to defend this model. However, in defending the value MedNet delivers, company executives may be building the case for why niche sites may be a better investment for the advertiser's budget.Metabical: Positioning and Communications Strategy for a New Weight Loss DrugThe marketing director at a pharmaceutical company must carefully consider the positioning and communications strategy for the launch a new weight-loss drug. Poor positioning of the drug in the highly competitive market for weight-loss solutions could spell disaster.Metabical: Pricing, Packaging, and Demand Forecasting Recommendations for a New Weight-Loss DrugA pharmaceutical company develops a new weight loss drug called Metabical. The senior marketing manager explores three different pricing models and considers the effects on profitability before making a final recommendation.Mountain Man Brewing Co.: Bringing the Brand to LightMountain Man Beer Company brews just one beer, Mountain Man Lager, known as "West Virginia's beer," popular among blue-collar workers. When the company experiences declining sales, the CEO considers launching a new beer, Mountain Man Light, in the hope of attracting younger drinkers. Mountain Man Lager's brand equity is a key asset for the company. Will Mountain Man Light enhance, detract from, or irreversibly damage the brand?Natureview FarmNatureview Farm, a Vermont-based producer of organic yogurt with $13 million in revenues, is the leading national brand sold into natural foods stores. When the company faces financial pressure to increase revenues to $20 million due to a planned exit by its venture capital investors, the VP of marketing must decide whether to expand into the supermarket channel.Olympic Rent-A-Car U.S.: Customer Loyalty BattlesA rental car company must decide how to respond after a competitor changes its loyalty rewards program. Marketing and operations managers review the firm's financial performance and the current loyalty reward program as they consider their options.P.V. Technologies, Inc.: Were They Asleep at the Switch?A leading manufacturer of photovoltaic inverters used in solar energy technology receives a bad evaluation from its largest customer. The company must consider the consequences to its reputation while considering among four possible responses to the situation.Reed Supermarkets: A New Wave of CompetitorsThe marketing VP at a high-end, conventional supermarket chain is concerned about increased competition from dollar stores and limited-assortment stores offering very low price points. She must decide how to change the current marketing and positioning plan to increase market share.Reliance Baking Soda: Optimizing Promotional SpendingThe new Domestic Brand Director needs to create a marketing budget that delivers a profit increase of 10%, weighing the value of advertising, price increases, and the role of the brand within the company. Students are expected to create and defend a similar budget.Rosewood Hotels and Resorts: Branding to Increase Customer Profitability and Lifetime ValueRosewood Hotels & Resorts is a small firm running 12 individually branded luxury properties. Its new leadership is contemplating whether the firm should significantly increase the prominence of the corporate identity, making Rosewood a corporate brand. Students must calculate how customer lifetime value would be affected by a shift from individual branding to corporate branding.Saxonville Sausage CompanySaxonville Sausage, a $1.5 billion manufacturer of pork sausage products, is experiencing financial stress because its leading product lines have lately produced declining revenues-except an Italian sausage named Vivio, which has recently experienced a significant increase in revenues, as has the entire Italian sausage category nationwide. What steps should the company take to expand Vivio into a powerful national brand?Soren Chemical: Why Is the New Pool Product Sinking?Soren Chemicals launches a new water clarifier for residential swimming pools called Coracle and is surprised by poor sales. Coracle is chemically similar to the company's highly successful water clarifier for large pools at recreational facilities and offers the same superior product performance. The marketing manager suspects the go-to-market strategy may be flawed but can she diagnose the problem before the end of the selling season?The Springfield Nor'easters: Maximizing Revenues in the Minor LeaguesThe marketing director of a new minor-league baseball team must design, conduct, and then interpret survey research to determine optimal ticket pricing that will yield large attendance figures and contribute to the owner's goal of breaking even in the first year of play. The pricing assignment becomes more challenging when other variables like concessions revenue are considered. Students are asked to complete a quantitative assignment as part of case analysis, and they must also grapple with less quantifiable factors.TruEarth Healthy Foods: Market Research for a New Product IntroductionTruEarth Healthy Foods wants to build on its successful introduction of fresh whole grain pasta by introducing a similar product concept for pizza. Acting as brand managers, students analyze the data and decide whether to bring the new product to market.Operations ManagementAIC Netbooks: Optimizing Product AssemblyA manufacturer of printed circuit boards diversifies it product portfolio by launching its own line of mobile consumer electronics. After three months of production, the production manager must consider ways to increase efficiency and lower costs.Baria Planning Solutions, Inc.: Fixing the Sales ProcessA consulting firm that specializes in using spend analysis to help companies identify savings is concerned about the disappointing performance of the sales team in signing up new clients. The sales director must analyze the current process flow to identify the problems facing the sales organization.Bayonne Packaging, Inc.A printer and paper converter specializes in delivering innovative packaging solutions for its customers. Despite tripling sales, the firm posted its first loss in over 10 years. The VP of Operations must analyze the production process and recommend improvements.Bergerac Systems: The Challenge of Backward IntegrationA manufacturer of diagnostic instruments for veterinary practices relies on two suppliers for the plastic cartridges used for a range of blood and blood chemistry tests. The CEO is concerned about inconsistent deliveries and considers acquiring one of the suppliers or expanding existing capacity.FoldRite Furniture Company: Planning to Meet a Surge in DemandFoldRite improves manufacturing quality and efficiency by developing stylish, environmentally friendly products. Now a new plan is needed to meet high demand, control manufacturing and inventory costs, and mitigate risk.The Morrison CompanyA developer and manufacturer of radio frequency identification tags (RFID) experiences a dramatic increase in sales over the past year. The increase exacerbates existing manufacturing problems and has led to increased shipping delays and inadequate inventory on hand.Scientific Glass Incorporated: Inventory ManagementScientific Glassware provides specialized glassware for laboratory and research facilities. Excess inventory is tying up extra capital needed to fund the company's expansion plans. The inventory manager is tasked with developing a more effective strategy for managing inventory.Organizational BehaviorAndrew Ryan at VC BrakesAndrew Ryan's excitement over a change initiative at VC Brakes turns to concern when organizational challenges surface. A subsequent restructuring puts him on the wrong side of politics and he must decide whether to leave or stay with the losing initiative.BoldFlash: Cross-Functional Challenges in the Mobile DivisionA new leader makes organizational changes to improve the product development process, but the changes may not go far enough.Campbell and Bailyn's Boston Office: Managing the ReorganizationCompetitive pressures drive organizational changes at a securities brokerage firm, with serious potential consequences for customers, employees, and the firm as a whole.Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant: Motivating Through Good and Bad TimesA plant manager confronts morale issues when, on the heels of an industry downturn, an incentive program stops producing payouts that employees have come to expect.Jamie Turner at MLI, Inc.Set in an industrial lighting company, this Brief Case describes the evolution of an interpersonal mismatch between a previously successful manager, Jamie Turner, and his new boss.Johannes Linden: Managing the Global Executive CommitteeIn the wake of an unexpected drop in manufacturing costs, the director of a large Swiss appliance manufacturer must convince his Global Executive Committee to revise revenue forecasts and sales targets for the upcoming year.Kay Sunderland: Making the Grade at Attain LearningAccount manager Kay Sunderland is surprised that her colleague Mike Morgan is potentially jeopardizing an important account by ignoring their employer's communication policy. Sunderland must decide how to handle the situation with both the client and her colleague Morgan.Martha Rinaldi: Should She Stay or Should She Go?Martha Rinaldi has been an assistant product manager at leading beverage company Potomac Waters since graduating from business school. Rinaldi is frustrated by her relationships with her boss and a close co-worker.MediSys Corp.: The IntensCare Product Development TeamMedical equipment maker MediSys is developing an innovative system for monitoring intensive care patients. Six months into the project, the product development team struggles through significant problems with design, schedule, a large competitive threat, and their own group dynamics.RL Wolfe: Implementing Self-Directed TeamsPlastic pipe manufacturer RL Wolfe introduces the concept of self-directed teams (SDTs) to its Corpus Christi plant in 2004. By 2007, Corpus Christi is outperforming the firm's other plants, and the production director seeks to understand which aspects of SDTs are working, which are not, and whether the other plants might be persuaded to accept the SDT approach.Ron Ventura at Mitchell Memorial HospitalStar vascular surgeon Ron Ventura's contract is up for renewal. He has improved the vascular surgery practice and generated much new case flow but is abrasive. How should his boss approach the upcoming performance feedback interview?Teaching Note available.Stone Finch, Inc.: Young Division, Old DivisionTo stimulate innovation and hasten growth in a young technology solutions division, an aggressive CEO milks the firm's cash cow, an old manufacturing unit. That unit soon faces key employee departures and sinking morale - and the newer unit runs into similar difficulties.TerraCog Global Positioning Systems: Conflict and Communication on Project AerialWhen a new product launch is threatened by cost problems, the firm's units are unable to come together and make a critical decision and a young executive must lead them forward.Thomas Green: Power, Office Politics, and a Career in CrisisA promising career appears to be headed off the rails as conflict deepens between a young marketing manager and his boss. Can this career be saved?Treadway Tire Company: Job Dissatisfaction and High Turnover at the Lima PlantLine foremen in a manufacturing plant are caught in the middle of an adversarial relationship between workers and management.SalesDesigns by Kate: The Power of Direct SalesThe sales representatives at Designs by Kate sell private-label jewelry at hosted parties. They also recruit, train, and manage teams of new sales reps. Sales have started to decline and the company must revisit the commission structure to determine if it is still effective.Service ManagementComfort Class Transport: Does Customer Service Need an Overhaul?Customer satisfaction with vehicles and drivers at a chauffeured limousine transport company is high and management has plans to expand the company into new markets. However, underperformance in the customer service call center could threaten the company's future.Delwarca Software Remote Support UnitA software firm provides telephone support for customers facing complex software integration issues. The manager of the remote support unit implements a new call triage process that fails to decrease customer waiting times and overall dissatisfaction. He must analyze the process and make recommendations for improvement.Playa Dorada Tennis Club: Expansion StrategyPlaya Dorada Beach & Resort in Boca Raton, Florida faces a growing seasonal demand for tennis services. The director of the tennis operations analyzes court capacity and pricing structure as he considers plans for expansion.Porcini's Pronto: "Great Italian cuisine without the wait!"Looking for expansion opportunities, a chain of full-service Italian restaurants considers launching a new chain of lower-cost, limited-menu restaurants. The vice president of marketing must develop the concept and also analyze three expansion strategies before the project can be approved.WrapItUp: Developing a New Compensation PlanA restaurant chain based in California offers made-to-order sandwich wraps using fresh, healthy ingredients. Management pilots a profit-sharing program at two restaurants to address concerns that employee turnover is high, customer satisfaction is decreasing, and revenue growth is flat.

Open main menuSearchLie detectionRead in another languageWatch this pageEditLie detection is an assessment of a verbal statement with the goal to reveal a possible intentional deceit. Lie detection may refer to a cognitive process of detecting deception by evaluating message content as well as non-verbal cues.[1]It also may refer to questioning techniques used along with technology that record physiological functions to ascertain truth and falsehood in response. The latter is commonly used by law enforcement in the United States, but rarely in other countries because it is based on pseudoscience. There are a wide variety of technologies available for this purpose.[2]The most common and long used measure is the polygraph, which the U.S. National Academy of Sciences states, in populations untrained in countermeasures, can discriminate lying from truth telling at rates above chance, though below perfection.[3][4]They added that the results apply only to specific events and not to screening, where it is assumed that the polygraph works less well.[3]General accuracy and limitations of assessmentEditThe cumulative research evidence suggests that machines do detect deception better than chance, but with significant error rates[5]and that strategies used to "beat" polygraph examinations, so-called countermeasures, may be effective.[6]Despite unreliability, results are admissible in court in some countries such as Japan. Lie detector results are very rarely admitted in evidence in the US courts.[7]In 1983 the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment published a review of the technology[5]and found:"...there is at present only limited scientific evidence for establishing the validity of polygraph testing. Even where the evidence seems to indicate that polygraph testing detects deceptive subjects better than chance, significant error rates are possible, and examiner and examinee differences and the use of countermeasures may further affect validity."[8]In the 2007 peer-reviewed academic article "Charlatanry in forensic speech science", the authors reviewed 50 years of lie detector research and came to the conclusion that there is no scientific evidence supporting that voice analysis lie detectors actually work.[9]Lie detector manufacturer Nemesyscothreatened to sue the academic publisher for libel resulting in removal of the article from online databases. In a letter to the publisher, Nemesysco's lawyers wrote that the authors of the article could be sued for defamation if they wrote on the subject again.[10][11][12]Nevertheless, extraneous "noise" on the polygraph can come from embarrassment or anxiety and not be specific to lying.[13]When subjects are aware of the assessment their resulting emotional response, especially anxiety, can impact the data. Additionally, psychological disorders can cause problems with data as certain disorders can lead a person to make a statement they believe to be truth but is actually a fabrication. As well as with all testing, the examiner can cause biases within the test with their interaction with the subject and interpretation of the data.[2]HistoryEdit20th centuryEditThe study of physiological methods for deception tests measuring emotional disturbances began in the early 1900s.Vittorio Benussi was the first to work on practical deception tests based on physiological changes. He detected changes in inspiration-expiration ratio—findings confirmed by N.E. Burtt. Burtt conducted studies that emphasized the changes in quantitative systolic blood-pressure. William Moulton Marston studied blood-pressure and noted increase in systolic blood pressure of 10 mm Hg or over indicated guilt through using the tycos sphygmomanometer, with which he reported 90–100% accuracy. His studies used students and actual court cases. Then in 1913 W.M. Marston determined systolic blood-pressure by oscillatory methods and his findings cite definite changes in blood pressure during the deception of criminal suspects. In 1921, John Augustus Larson criticized Marston's intermittent blood pressure method because emotional changes were so brief they could be lost. To adjust for this he modified the Erlanger sphygmograph to give a continuous blood pressure and pulse curve and used it to study 4,000 criminals.[14]21st centuryEditTwo meta-analyses conducted by 2004 found an association between lying and increased pupil size and compressed lips. Liars may stay still more, use fewer hand gestures, and make less eye contact. Liars may take more time to answer questions but on the other hand, if they have had time to prepare, they may answer more quickly than people telling the truth would, and talk less, and repeat phrases more. They do not appear to be more fidgety, blink more, or have a less-relaxed posture.[4][15][16]Paul Ekman has used the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) and "when combined with voice and speech measures, [it] reaches detection accuracy rates of up to 90 percent." However, there is currently no evidence to support such a claim. It is currently being automated for use in law enforcement and is still being improved to increase accuracy. His studies use micro-expressions, which last less than one-fifth of a second, and "may leak emotions someone wants to conceal, such as anger or guilt." However, "signs of emotion aren't necessarily signs of guilt. An innocent person may be apprehensive and appear guilty," Ekman reminds us. With regard to his studies, lies about emotions at the moment have the biggest payoff from face and voice cues while lies about beliefs and actions, such as crimes use cues from gestures and words are added. Ekman and his associates have validated many signs of deception, but do not publish all of them as not to educate criminals[4]James Pennebaker uses the method of Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC), published by Lawrence Erlbaum, to conduct an analysis of written content. He claims it has accuracy in predicting lying. Pennebaker cites his method as "significantly more effective than human judges in correctly identifying deceptive or truthful writing samples"; there is a 67% accuracy rate with his method, while trained people have 52% accuracy. There were five experimental procedures used in this study. Study 1–3 asked participants to speak, hand write or type a true or false statement about abortion. The participants were randomly assigned to tell a true or false statement. Study 4 focused on feelings about friends and study 5 had the students involved in a mock crime and asked to lie. Human judges were asked to rate the truthfulness of the 400 communications dealing with abortion. The judges read or watched the statement and gave it a yes or no answer about if this statement was false or not. LIWC correctly classified 67% of the abortion communications and the judges correctly classified 52%. His studies have identified that deception carries three primary written markers. The first is fewer first-person pronouns. Those lying "avoid statements of ownership, distance themselves from their stories and avoid taking responsibility for their behavior" while also using more negative emotion words such as "hate, worthless and sad." Second, they use "few exclusionary words such as except, but or nor" when "distinguish[ing] what they did from what they did not do."[4]More recently evidence has been provided by the work of CA Morgan III and GA Hazlett that a computer analysis of cognitive interview derived speech content (i.e. response length and unique word count) provides a method for detecting deception that is both demonstrably better than professional judgments of professionals and useful at distinguishing between genuine and false adult claims of exposure to highly stressful, potentially traumatic events.[17]This method shows particular promise as it is non confrontational as well as scientifically and cross culturally valid.General questioning and testing techniquesEditThere are typically three types of questions used in polygraph testing or voice stress analysis testing:Irrelevant questions establish a baseline to compare other answers by asking simple questions with clear true and false answers.Comparison questions have an indirect relationship to the event or circumstance, and they are designed to encourage the subject to lie.Relevant questions are compared against comparison questions (which should represent false answers) and irrelevant questions (which should represent true answers). They are about whatever is particularly in questionThe control question test and the guilty knowledge testEditThe control question test (CQT) uses control questions, with known answers, to serve as a physiological baseline in order to compare them with questions relevant to a particular incident. The control question should have a greater physiological response if truth was told and a lesser physiological response for lying.[13]The guilty knowledge test (GKT) is a multiple-choice format in which answer choices or one correct answer and additional incorrect answers are read and the physiological response is recorded. The controls are the incorrect alternative answers. The greater physiological response should be to the correct answer.[13]Its point is to determine if the subject has knowledge about a particular event.[2]Both are considered to be biased against those that are innocent, because the guilty who fear the consequences of being found out can be more motivated to cheat on the test. Various techniques (which can be found online) can teach individuals how to change the results of the tests, including curling the toes, and biting the tongue. Mental arithmetic was found to be ineffective by at least one study, especially in students counting backward by seven. A study has found that in the guilty knowledge test subjects can focusing on the alternative answers and make themselves look innocent.[13]PolygraphEditMain article: PolygraphLie detection commonly involves the polygraph; however it is not considered reliable.[5]It detects autonomic reactions.[4]These changes in body functions are not easily controlled by the conscious mind and include bodily reactions like skin conductivity and heart rate.[18]They also may consider respiration rate, blood pressure, capillary dilation, and muscular movement. While taking a polygraph test the subject wears a blood pressure device to measure blood pressure fluctuations. Respiration is measured by wearing pneumographs around the chest, and finally electrodes are placed on the subject's fingers to measure skin conductivity. To determine truth it is assumed the subject will show more signs of fear when answering the control questions compared with the relevant questions. If a person is showing a deception there will be changes in the autonomic arousal responses to the relevant questions. Results are considered inconclusive if there is no fluctuation in any of the questions.[19]These measures are supposed to indicate a short-term stress response which can be from lying or significance to the subject. The problem becomes that they are also associated with mental effort and emotional state, so they can be influenced by fear, anger, and surprise for example. This technique may also be used with CQT and GKT.[2]There are many issues with polygraph tests because many people have found ways to try and cheat the system. Some people have been known to take sedatives to reduce anxiety; using antiperspirant to prevent sweating; and positioning pins or biting parts of the mouth after each question to demonstrate a constant physiological response.[20]Activities of the body not easily controlled by the conscious mind are compared under different circumstances. Usually this involves asking the subject control questions where the answers are known to the examiner and comparing them to questions where the answers are not known. Critics claim that "lie detection" by use of polygraphy has no scientific validity because it is not a scientific procedure.[21]Government agencies, such as the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, and even the Department of Energy currently use polygraphs. They are regularly used by these agencies to screen employees.[22]The problem with evaluating the effectiveness of polygraphs through field studies is that the use of confessions overestimates accuracy. Someone who has failed the test is more likely to confess than someone who has passed, contributing to polygraph examinersnot learning about mistakes they have made and thus improving.[13]Cognitive polygraphEditRecent developments that permit non-invasive monitoring using functional transcranial Doppler (fTCD) technique showed that successful problem-solving employs a discrete knowledge strategy (DKS) that selects neural pathways represented in one hemisphere, while unsuccessful outcome implicates a non-discrete knowledge strategy (nDKS).[23]A polygraphic test could be viewed as a working memory task. This suggests that the DKS model may have a correlate in mnemonic operations. In other words, the DKS model may have a discrete knowledge base (DKB) of essential components needed for task resolution, while for nDKS, DKB is absent and, hence, a "global" or bi-hemispheric search occurs. Based on the latter premise, a 'lie detector' system was designed as described in United State Patent No. 6,390,979. A pattern of blood-flow-velocity changes is obtained in response to questions that include correct and incorrect answers. The wrong answer will elicit bi-hemispheric activation, from correct answer that activates unilateral response. Cognitive polygraphy based on this system is devoid of any subjective control of mental processes and, hence, high reliability and specificity; however, this is yet to be tested in forensic practice. See also cognitive biometrics.ERPEditMain article: Event-related potentialsEvent-related potentials assess recognition, and therefore may or may not be effective in assessing deception. In ERP studies P3 amplitude waves are assessed, with these waves being large when an item is recognized.[13]However, P100 amplitudes have been observed to have significant correlation to trustworthiness ratings, the importance of which will be discussed in the EEG section. This, along with other studies leads some to purport that because ERP studies rely on quick perceptual processes they "are integral to the detection of deception."[24]EEGEditMain article: ElectroencephalographyElectroencephalography, or EEG, measures brain activity through electrodes attached to the scalp of a subject. The object is to identify the recognition of meaningful data through this activity. Images or objects are shown to the subject while questioning techniques are implemented to determine recognition. This can include crime scene images, for example.[2]Perceived trustworthiness is interpreted by the individual from looking at a face, and this decreases when someone is lying. Such observations are "too subtle to be explicitly processed by observers, but [do] affect implicit cognitive and affective processes." These results, in a study by Heussen, Binkofski, and Jolij, were obtained through a study with an N400 paradigm including two conditions within the experiment: truthful faces and lying faces. Faces flashed for 100ms and then the participants rated them. However, the limitations of this study would be that it only had 15 participants and the mean age was 24.[24]Eye-trackingEditJohn Kircher, Doug Hacker, Anne Cook, Dan Woltz and David Raskin have developed eye-tracking technology at the University of Utahthat they consider a polygraph alternative. This is not an emotional reaction like the polygraph and other methods but rather a cognitive reaction. This technology measures pupil dilation, response time, reading and rereading time, and errors. Data is recorded while subjects answer true or false questions on a computer.[22]They have found that more effort is required by lying than giving the truth and thus their aim is to find indications of hard work. Individuals not telling the truth might, for instance, have dilated pupils while also taking longer to answer the question.[22]Eye-tracking offers several benefits over the polygraph: lower cost, 1/5th of the time to conduct, subjects do not need to be "hooked up" to anything, and it does not require qualified polygraph examiners to give the test.[22]Voice stress analysisEditVoice stress analysis (also called voice risk analysis) uses computers to compare pitch, frequency, intensity and micro tremors. In this way voice analysis "detect[s] minute variations in the voice thought to signal lying." It can even be used covertly over the phone, and has been used by banking and insurance companies as well as the government of the United Kingdom. Customers are assessed for truth in certain situations by banks and insurance companies where computers are used to record responses. Software then compares control questions to relevant questions assessed for deception. However, its reliability has been debated by peer-reviewed journals.[2]"When a person lies, an involuntary interference of the nerves causes the vocal cords to produce a distorted sound wave, namely a frequency level which is different from the one produced by the same person when telling the truth."[25]Several studies published in peer reviewed journals showed VSA to perform at chance level when it comes to detecting deception. Horvath, McCloughan, Weatherman, and Slowik, (2013),[26]for example, tested VSA on the recordings of interrogation of 74 suspects. Eighteen of these suspects later confessed, making the deception the most likely ground truth. With 48% accurate classification, VSA performed at chance level. Several other studies showed similar results (Damphousse, 2008; Harnsberger, Hollien, Martin, & Hollien, 2009).[27][28][29]In 2003, the National Research Council concluded “Overall, this research and the few controlled tests conducted over the past decade offer little or no scientific basis for the use of the computer voice stress analyser or similar voice measurement instruments”.[30]FMRIEditFunctional magnetic resonance imaging is a technique used for multiple purposes which shows the uses of oxygen by the brain, allowing for the identification of which portions of the brain are using more oxygen, and thus being used during a specific task. This is called the Blood Oxygen Level Dependent or BOLD hemodynamic response.[31]The first model of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was built by Raymond Damadian and his colleagues in 1976. It revolutionized the field of anatomical study by providing images in real-time and 3-Dmodels of human parts. The technique is also used in drug development, a wide-variety of research efforts, and diagnostically.[2]Studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have shown that it has potential to be used as a method of lie detection.[32][33][34][35]While a polygraph detects changes in activity in the peripheral nervous system, fMRI has the potential to catch the lie at the 'source'. To use an MRI as a lie detector, an fMRI should be used by placing a magnetic band as a scanner on a subject's head. However, the neurobiological systems that relate to lying are currently poorly understood. The current consensus is that faced with a forced choice paradigm, in which a subject has the choice of telling the truth or spontaneously generating a lie, lying can be distinguished due to increased prefrontal and parietal lobe activity. More specifically, the superior medial and inferolateral prefrontal cortices show net activation in the process of spontaneous lie generation (which involves suppression of the truthful response as well as generating a conceivable lie). There also is evidence of increased activation in the anterior cingulate cortex when lies are told.[31]The fMRI shows the use of oxygen by the brain, allowing for the identification of which portions of the brain are using more oxygen during a specific task. By studying the brain images, researchers are able to map the systematic procedure the brain went through to produce the action or decision. Subjects are often offered monetary incentive if they can successfully deceive the process in hopes of generating a 'real world' scenario. Using this method, an initial 2005 study on individuals ( not group averages as previous studies) without pattern recognition and automation showed that lies can be distinguished 78% of the time.[36]That statistic has risen, in one study, to 100% when predicting a lie in an individual when baseline lie/truth levels were closely studied with training from pattern recognition technology (machine learning). fMRI does rely upon the individual remaining still and safeguards in the analysis such that the questions can not be gamed by the participant (G. Ganis 2010). Studies have been done on Chinese individuals and their language and cultural differences did not change results. To show the robustness of this fMRI technology, a study (S. Spence 2011) was done that showed fMRI lie detection / truth verification technology worked even in a group of 52 schizophrenic patients, 27 of whom were experiencing delusions at the time of the study.Attempts to introduce fMRI lie detection evidence in US Federal and State courts have been unsuccessful.[citation needed]In 2007 in episode 93 of the TV program MythBusters, the three members of the build team attempted to fool a non-automated fMRI test done by Cephos Corporation. Although two of the members were unsuccessful at fooling Cephos, the third member was able to successfully fool Steve Laken of Cephos, according to this member by keeping his mind in constant activity. The one out of three failure rate suggested that fMRI-based lie detection required further development.[37]Also in 2007, the University of Pennsylvania group, used fMRI to test a Washington Post journalist Joel Garreau.[38]The reporter was asked to pretend to apply for a job using a resume that included among other true items, three specific biographical items that were false. The test was able to detect two out of three items the reporter lied about.[39]In 2016, the University of Pennsylvania group found that under similar experimental conditions, fMRI was 21% more likely to detect a lie than the polygraph.[40]fNIRSEditMain article: Functional near-infrared spectroscopyFunctional near-infrared spectroscopy also detects oxygen and activity in the brain like the fMRI, but instead it looks at blood oxygen levels. It is advantageous to the fMRI because it is portable, however its image resolution is of lower quality than the fMRI.[2]Brain observationsEditElectroencephalography is used to detect changes in brain waves.Cognitive chronometry, or the measurement of the time taken to perform mental operations, can be used to distinguish lying from truth-telling. One recent instrument using cognitive chronometry for this purpose is the timed antagonistic response alethiometer, or TARA.Brain-reading uses fMRI and the multiple voxels activated in the brain evoked by a stimulus to determine what the brain has detected, and so whether it is familiar.Nonverbal behaviorEditLearn moreThis article contains content that is written like an advertisement.People often evaluate lies based on non-verbal behavior, but are quick to place too much merit in misleading indicators, such as: avoidance of eye contact, increased pauses between statements, and excessive movements originating from the hands or feet.[41]Non-invasive lie detection using non-verbal behavior is performed by the Silent Talker Lie Detector. Silent Talker monitors large numbers of microexpressions over time slots and encodes them into large vectors which are classified as showing truthful or deceptive behavior by artificial intelligence or statistical classifiers. Silent Talker research has been peer-reviewed in the Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology[42]and in the Journal of Neural Computing and Applications.[43]The architecture was invented between 2000 and 2002 by a team at Manchester Metropolitan University.DrugsEditMain article: Truth serumTruth drugs such as sodium thiopental, ethanol, and cannabis (historically speaking) are used for the purposes of obtaining accurate information from an unwilling subject.[44]Information obtained by publicly disclosed truth drugs has been shown to be highly unreliable, with subjects apparently freely mixing fact and fantasy.[45]Much of the claimed effect relies on the belief of the subjects that they cannot tell a lie while under the influence of the drug.See alsoReferencesLast edited 3 months ago by LastDodoContent is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted.Terms of UsePrivacyDesktop