Governance →
- 12 Feb 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
Enhancing the Practical Relevance of Research
Research is relevant when it has the potential to improve the decision making of managers or policymakers. Elaborating on his remarks at the 2015 Production and Operations Management Society conference, Toffel explains why research relevance matters and how scholars can increase the relevance of their research. Journals, professional societies, and doctoral programs can also foster research that is more useful and influential in society at large.
- 13 Jan 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
Forward Guidance in the Yield Curve: Short Rates versus Bond Supply
Since late 2008, central banks have been conducting monetary policy through two primary instruments: quantitative easing (QE), in which they buy long-term government bonds and other long-term securities, and “forward guidance,” in which they guide market expectations about the path of future short rates. This paper analyzes the effects of forward guidance on both short rates and QE. Results show that forward guidance on QE tends to impact longer maturities than forward guidance on short rates, even when expectations about bond purchases by the central bank concern a shorter horizon than expectations about future short rates.
- 06 Jan 2016
- Book
Accounting for Legitimacy
With little scrutiny from the public, industry experts are quietly rewriting accounting rules to benefit their businesses, says Karthik Ramanna in a new book, Political Standards: Corporate Interest, Ideology, and Leadership in the Shaping of Accounting Rules for the Market Economy. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 05 Jan 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
The Integrity of Private Third-party Compliance Monitoring
Michael Toffel and Jodi Short examine how conflict of interest and other risks lead to inaccurate monitoring of health, labor, and environmental standards.
- 14 Dec 2015
- Research & Ideas
Deflategate and the Sustained Success of the New England Patriots
A new Harvard Business School case study by Marco Iansiti challenges students to explain the continued success of the New England Patriots football team and the dynamics behind the Deflategate episode. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 03 Dec 2015
- Op-Ed
How "New Nuclear" Power Could Save the Planet—If Regulators Would Allow It
The barriers to rapid progress in next-generation nuclear power are certainly not technical and probably not even economic, argues Joseph Lassiter. The greatest barriers today are in outdated nuclear regulations. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 18 Nov 2015
- Research & Ideas
Who Really Determines CEO Salary Packages?
Every CEO is different, as is every company. So why does one executive compensation package tend to look just like another? The answer lies in the prevalence of interlocking directorates and the use of compensation consultants, according to research by Susanna Gallani. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 17 Nov 2015
- Lessons from the Classroom
How Activist Investors Became Respectable
Once reviled as villains operating on the fringes of the market, activist investors like Carl Icahn are now powerful forces at work in the mainstream of business, says Professor Joseph Fuller. And their influence is only growing. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 17 Nov 2015
- Working Paper Summaries
Self-Interest: The Economist's Straitjacket
Research explores the downsides of self-interest on businesses, government, and the economy as a whole.
- 19 Oct 2015
- Research & Ideas
Business Research that Makes for Smarter Public Policy
Just as researchers in the life sciences often target their work to tackle the most dangerous diseases, business scholars are using their research to make a difference in government policy. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 08 Oct 2015
- Working Paper Summaries
Market Reaction to Mandatory Nonfinancial Disclosure
How does the equity market respond to the adoption of mandatory nonfinancial disclosure? Research by George Serafeim and colleagues.
- 02 Oct 2015
- Working Paper Summaries
Gradualism in Monetary-Policy: A Time Consistency Problem?
Jeremy C. Stein and Adi Sunderam develop a model of monetary policy in which the observed degree of policy inertia is not optimal from an ex ante perspective, but rather reflects a fundamental time consistency problem.
- 01 Oct 2015
- Working Paper Summaries
Efficiencies and Regulatory Shortcuts: How Should We Regulate Companies like Airbnb and Uber?
With the rise of service technology platforms such as Uber, a new regulatory approach is needed providing more flexibility that ensures service providers, users and third parties are adequately protected.
- 29 Sep 2015
- Research & Ideas
Work 3.0: Redefining Jobs and Companies in the Uber Age
Companies like HourlyNerd and Lyft are redefining the job marketplace—but government has not caught up to the shift. Mess this up and we’ll stifle a major driver of innovation, business creation, and jobs, argues Andrei Hagiu. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 16 Sep 2015
- Op-Ed
The Real Duty of the Board of Directors
Robert G. Eccles and Tim Youmans argue that a board's primary duty is not to the shareholders, but to the corporation itself. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 10 Jun 2015
- Research & Ideas
The Transparency Revolution in Corporate Reporting
Professor George Serafeim looks at how standardizing the way companies report data on their social and environmental initiatives could effect revolutionary change in the stock market. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 21 Jan 2015
- Lessons from the Classroom
Managing the Family Business: Market Basket’s Lessons About Buyouts
As the Market Basket CEO showdown demonstrated, family businesses can be messy affairs—and buyouts the best solution to conflict. So why don't we see more of them? Family business expert John A. Davis explains when buyouts make sense. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 15 Dec 2014
- Research & Ideas
Deconstructing the Price Tag
A new study by Bhavya Mohan, Ryan Buell, and Leslie John has an important conclusion for retailers: Explaining what it costs to produce a product can potentially increase its sales. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 24 Nov 2014
- Research & Ideas
Corrupting Silence: Companies Must Speak Up Against Bribes
Does corruption really pay? Paul Healy finds that corruption may not be as lucrative—or as unavoidable—as it may seem. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
Net Neutrality: A Fast Lane to Understanding the Trade-offs
Shane Greenstein and colleagues identify the economic dimensions involved with net neutrality and show that many questions can be informed by simple economic models of the market for internet services.