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May 2010

Rating the Raters of Corporate Governance

Independent examination reveals inconsistencies

Policy

Voters Love Winners (And So Do Endorsers)

How endorsers can gain the upper hand

Leadership

Get Over Yourself

Why we think we’re forces to be reckoned with

April 2010

Finance & Accounting

Hedging Your Bets Is Still a Gamble

Hedge funds and other alternative assets can underestimate risk, overestimate returns

Marketing

Desire to Acquire

Powerlessness and compensatory consumption

Social Impact

Why Did They Stay?

Perspectives on Katrina survivors’ “choice” to stand their ground or evacuate

Economics

The Surprising Importance of Grades

Sending signals in the job market

Marketing

Surveying Sensitive Topics

New tools help correct for survey bias

March 2010

Social Impact

And the Poor Get Poorer

The economics of higher global temperatures.

The Sounds of Silence

Consumers cue on corporations’ crisis communications

Policy

Pensions in Peril

The funding status of state-sponsored pension plans

Policy

Timing Is Everything

The duration of climate agreements influences their success

Corner Office Compensation

Post-employment benefits explain CEO compensation

February 2010

Trusting the Stock Market

Impressions influence investors decisions

Policy

Congenital Defect

Systemic hospital cost inflation

Finance & Accounting

The Financial Hazards of Aging

Why older adults choose riskier investments

Marketing

The Devil Is in the Detailing

Modeling physician choice of prescription drugs

Policy

Are Restaurants Really Supersizing America?

Restricting restaurant meals may not trim Americans’ expanding waistlines

Strategy

To Settle or Not to Settle

Negotiations and attorney interests in medical malpractice cases

January 2010

Consistent Contributors

Putting the team first helps solve the “cooperation problem”

Strategy

Membership Has Its Punishments

Loyalty programs dissuade firms from pricing products competitively

Data Analytics

Really, I Can Return It? Sold!

Optimizing your returns policy

Operations

We Will Be Right with You

Managing customers with vague promises

December 2009

Finance & Accounting

The Real Costs of Credit Access

Evidence from the payday lending market

Policy

Fetal Influence on Familiar Ailments

The effect of in-utero conditions on long term health

Explaining Stock Price Drift

Trading costs lead the way

Marketing

Balance in Advertising

Tailored marketing messages can counter consumers’ negative emotions

Operations

Rational Rationing

Allocating scarce resources in uncertain conditions

Leadership

Biases that Bind

The Role of Stereotypes in Decision-Making Processes

November 2009

Marketing

Name-Letter Branding

How your name can influence your choices

Policy

The Effects of Health On Wealth

Major illness leads to financial catastrophe for the uninsured

Leadership

Losing Touch

Power diminishes perception and perspective

Policy

Beneficial or Detrimental Legislation?

The pros and cons of Sarbanes-Oxley

Finance & Accounting

In with the “In” Crowd

In venture capital, high school rules prevail

October 2009

Is Accounting that’s Good for General Motors Good for Detroit?

Business and government accounting practices diverge

Marketing

The Art of Persuasion

Aligning consumer goals with level of abstraction

Leadership

Don’t Stand by Me

The role of personal connections in failing projects

Policy

Tort Reform No Miracle Cure

Limiting liability has limited impact on healthcare costs

Marketing

Colored by the Company You Keep

The effects of context on brand evaluations

Pyramidal Blind Spots

Perils of international joint ventures

Strategy

Reading the Org Chart

What a firm’s structure can tell us

September 2009

Suspiciously Short

CEOs with stock options may purposely miss earnings targets

Finance & Accounting

There’s No Place Like Home

Investment bias toward domestic funds

Marketing

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

How loss-aversion influences choice

Finance & Accounting

Agreeing to Disagree

Differing beliefs lead to price drift

August 2009

Finance & Accounting

The Biochemistry of Financial Risk

Testosterone’s influence on financial decisions

Leadership

Beware the Siren’s Song

Maintain self-control by avoiding temptation

Finance & Accounting

Mysterious Profit

‘Peso events’ drive returns to the carry trade

Marketing

Rational Retail Pricing

Demand-based pricing versus past-price dependence

Policy

Super-Premium Ice Cream

Merger effects on product variety

Finance & Accounting

Currency Exchange Rates

Micro effects of macro announcements

July 2009

The Price of a Billable Hour

Social networks affect transaction costs

Banks, Bonds, and Accounting Quality

Poor financial reporting can determine your lending options

Economics

Rationalization in Decision Making

Why we don’t always choose our favorite option

Finance & Accounting

Walking Away

Moral, social, and financial factors influence mortgage default decisions

Strategy

$1,000 Cash Back

Implications for customer and dealer negotiations

June 2009

Driven Offshore

An unintended consequence of Sarbanes-Oxley

Economics

Counterfeit Competition

Driving up price and quality

Marketing

Sales Force Effectiveness

First ask the right questions

Operations

Global Dual Sourcing Strategies

Should you source your carbon fiber bicycle frames from Mexico or China?

May 2009

Marketing

What’s in a Message Frame?

Sharing the good and the bad leads to more persuasive messaging

Marketing

Too Conscious to Decide?

Unconscious evaluation enhances complex decision making

Entrepreneurship

People Are Talking

Anticipate product performance through online discussions

Politics & Elections

The "Teddy Bear Effect" for Black CEOs

Black male CEOS are more successful when their facial features are perceived as less threatening.

Policy

Liquidity Rules

Manage innovation or risk repeating history

April 2009

Living Outside the Box

Living abroad boosts creativity

The Global “Idea” Market

Innovation and international trade in technology

Organizations

Why Boycotts Succeed—and Fail

Identifying corporate vulnerabilities that can lead to damaged reputations

Walking the Walk

Creating a market orientation

March 2009

Policy

Reforming Credit Reform

Federal accounting rules downplay the costs of extending credit

Policy

Uncertainty Principles

Uncovering flaws in old price cap notions

Culture and Commitment

When should advertisers focus on you versus your entire family?

February 2009

Strategy

To Sell but Not to Missell

Sales agents’ conflicts between prospecting and advising

Policy

Predicting Politics

Prediction markets out-predict political pollsters

Policy

A (Sales)Taxing Proposition

How Internet sales taxes affect customer behavior

Measuring Trust

Introducing the Financial Trust Index

January 2009

Data Analytics

Learning from Zillow and Zoots

Improved performance through service inventory management

Strategy

Golf Lessons

Competing with superstars adversely affects performance

December 2008

Marketing

Don’t Interrupt Me Now

Media “transportation” and advertising effectiveness

Finance & Accounting

Don’t Look Now

When it comes to monitoring your investments, putting off until tomorrow what you could do today can pay off

Economics

Seeing Profit Despite Misunderstood Pricing Strategy

Implications in real-world market situations

November 2008

Careers

Transparent Barriers

What is preventing racial minorities from attaining leadership positions in the corporate world?

Finance & Accounting

Does Function Follow Organizational Form?

Lending practices of large and small banks

Marketing

Jack of All Trades or Master of One?

Performance perceptions of multi-feature products

October 2008

Science as Team Sport

Collaborating at a distance pays off

Seeing Is Believing, Unless It Isn’t

Loss of control makes the mind misperceive

Brand Scandal Spillover

When will a brand scandal spill over and how should competitors respond?

Organizations

When Does Coordination Require Centralization?

Contrary to expectations, decentralization might be the best strategy when the need for coordination among divisions is paramount

Leadership

Stacking the Deck Against Racism

A psychological explanation for impartiality

September 2008

Finance & Accounting

The VIX, CIV, and MFIV

Measuring up the accuracy of option-based predictors of volatility

Communicating the Risks of Investments in Intellectual Property

International financial reporting standards may be better than U.S. standards

Social Impact

Strategic Activism and Nonmarket Strategy

When firms become the target of activists

Operations

Firm Size and Service Level

When is it advantageous for a service-oriented firm to differentiate itself along service-quality dimensions?

August 2008

Strategy

Own-Brand and Cross-Brand Retail Pass-Through

How much of a manufacturer’s promotional pricing gets passed through to the end customers?

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