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    • COVID-19 Business Impact Center
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      Cold Call
      A podcast featuring faculty discussing cases they've written and the lessons they impart.
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      • 05 Jan 2021
      • Cold Call Podcast

      Using Behavioral Science to Improve Well-Being for Social Workers

      For child and family social workers, coping with the hardships of children and parents is part of the job. But that can cause a lot of stress. Is it possible for financially constrained organizations to improve social workers’ well-being using non-cash rewards, recognition, and other strategies from behavioral science? Assistant Professor Ashley Whillans describes the experience of Chief Executive Michael Sanders’ at the UK’s What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care, as he led a research program aimed at improving the morale of social workers in her case, “The What Works Centre: Using Behavioral Science to Improve Social Worker Well-being.”  Open for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.

      Read the Transcript

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      Mergers and AcquisitionsRemove Mergers and Acquisitions →

      Page 1 of 11 Results
      • 14 Jan 2021
      • Working Paper Summaries

      Dog Eat Dog: Measuring Network Effects Using a Digital Platform Merger

      by Chiara Farronato, Jessica Fong, and Andrey Fradkin

      With heated debate over antitrust regulation of online platforms, this study finds that when a larger platform acquired its greatest competitor, users were not better off with a single platform compared to two competitors, despite marked efficiency improvements experienced by the acquiring platform.

      • 30 Nov 2020
      • Working Paper Summaries

      Short-Termism, Shareholder Payouts, and Investment in the EU

      by Jesse M. Fried and Charles C.Y. Wang

      Shareholder-driven “short-termism,” as evidenced by increasing payouts to shareholders, is said to impede long-term investment in EU public firms. But a deep dive into the data reveals a different story.

      • 05 Jun 2019
      • Research & Ideas

      If Your Customers Don't Care What You Charge, What Should You Charge?

      by Kristen Senz

      Consumer inertia is the tendency of some customers to buy a product, even when superior options exist. Alexander J. MacKay discusses how that habit affects competitive strategy and even regulatory oversight. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

      • 04 Jun 2019
      • Working Paper Summaries

      Political Influence and Merger Antitrust Reviews

      by Mihir N. Mehta, Suraj Srinivasan, and Wanli Zhao

      This paper uses a large sample of United States mergers between 1998 and 2010 to study how political connections help firms obtain favorable antitrust regulatory outcomes for mergers. Given that antitrust regulators are subject to congressional oversight, the authors predict and find evidence that outcomes systematically favor firms that are constituents of politicians serving on judiciary committees.

      • 30 May 2019
      • Working Paper Summaries

      US Antitrust Law and Policy in Historical Perspective

      by Laura Phillips Sawyer

      Since the late 19th century, American antitrust law and policy has responded to multiple changes: technological advances that have transformed business structures, political imperatives that have reformed regulations and informed prosecutorial discretion, and economic theories that have reshaped the boundaries of government interventions into the economy. Today, antitrust remains a contested field.

      • 10 Apr 2019
      • Working Paper Summaries

      Trade Secrets Protection and Antitakeover Provisions

      by Aiyesha Dey and Joshua White

      The study examines managers’ responses when facing an increased threat of their firm being acquired. Results add to our knowledge of the use of antitakeover provisions, showing that managers, particularly in high-innovation firms, increase certain provisions to protect long-term innovation output in the presence of elevated acquisition risk.

      • 25 Jan 2016
      • Research & Ideas

      When Negotiating a Price, Never Bid with a Round Number

      by Carmen Nobel

      Investors who offer “precise” bids for company shares yield better outcomes than those who offer round-number bids, according to research by Petri Hukkanen and Matti Keloharju. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

      • 03 Sep 2009
      • What Do You Think?

      Are Retention Bonuses Worth the Investment?

      by Jim Heskett

      There is a time and place for retention bonuses but they should be used sparingly, wrote many respondents to this month's column, says Professor Jim Heskett. Others challenged the value of bonuses, and suggested compelling alternatives. (Online forum now closed; next forum begins October 2.) Closed for comment; 42 Comment(s) posted.

      • 15 Dec 2008
      • Research & Ideas

      The Surprisingly Successful Marriages of Multinationals and Social Brands

      by Sarah Jane Gilbert

      What happens when small iconic brands associated with social values—think Ben & Jerry's—are acquired by large concerns—think Unilever? Can the marriage of a virtuous mouse and a wealthy elephant work to the benefit of both? Professors James E. Austin and Herman B. "Dutch" Leonard discuss their research. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.

      • 28 Nov 2005
      • Research & Ideas

      Unilever: Transformation and Tradition

      by Geoffrey Jones

      In a new book, professor Geoffrey Jones looks at Unilever's decades-old transformation from fragmented underperformer to focused consumer products giant. This epilogue summarizes the years 1960 to 1990. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.

      • 02 Apr 2001
      • Research & Ideas

      Not All M&As Are Alike—and That Matters

      by Joseph L. Bower

      In this Harvard Business Review article, Professor Joseph L. Bower shares some of the results of his year-long study of M&A activity sponsored by HBS. Discover how five distinct merger and acquisition strategies scenarios play out—and his recommendations for success. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.

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