August 9, 2016

Developers dig into open offices ... Analyzing a medical technology startup ... Tracking the progress of immigrant entrepreneurship.

Shareholder Activism on Sustainability Issues

Testing the effect that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) proposals have on firms' subsequent ESG performance and market valuation, Jody Grewal, George Serafeim, and Aaron Yoon find that 42 percent are financially beneficial and associated with subsequent increases in environmental and social performance.

Ominous Background Music is Bad for Sharks

Experimental research reveals the influential power of music to determine how people feel about the most vilified predator in the ocean. Elizabeth Keenan and Andrew P. Nosal discuss the study “The Effect of Background Music in Shark Documentaries on Viewers' Perceptions of Sharks.”

How Can We Hold the “Leadership Industry” Accountable?

After reading the new book "Management BS," James Heskett asks whether there are significant disconnects between business theory and business reality. What do YOU think?

Financial Regulation in a Quantitative Model of the Modern Banking System

This study at the intersection of macroeconomics and banking explores the optimal regulation of banks. Studying and quantifying the effects of capital requirements in a model that features regulated (commercial) and unregulated (shadow) banks, the authors find that a higher capital requirement makes regulated banks safer, but does not affect the riskiness of shadow banks. The net benefit of such a policy would depend on the level of fragility of the unregulated banks.

August 2, 2016

Can rituals decrease performance anxiety? ... How to attract attention on the internet ... The risk of eliminating what you are known for.

Retail Execs Underplay Current Performance to Investors--but Why?

In quarterly earnings calls with investors and analysts, some retail managers may underplay how their companies are actually performing, according to recent research by Kenneth Froot and colleagues.