- 22 Oct 2019
- Research & Ideas
Use Artificial Intelligence to Set Sales Targets That Motivate
Setting sales targets has always been an inexact science, with serious consequences if done poorly. Using AI-based advanced analytics might be the answer, argues Doug Chung. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 17 Oct 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Persuasion by Populist Propaganda: Evidence from the 2015 Argentine Ballotage
This paper studies data generated prior to the 2015 Argentine presidential ballotage, when a government propaganda campaign was used to attack the opposition candidate and influence voter preferences. Results show the propaganda was persuasive.
- 17 Oct 2019
- Research & Ideas
‘Chick Beer’ for Women? Why Gender Marketing Repels More Than Sells
Just how far will women go to avoid products labeled "for women?" Research by Leslie K. John and colleagues explores why gender marketing usually offends the very people a company is trying to attract. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 16 Oct 2019
- Research & Ideas
Read Our Most Popular Stories of the Quarter
From using machine learning to study CEOs to the value of work-from-anywhere policies, these were the stories that clicked most with our readers over the last three months. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 16 Oct 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Core Earnings? New Data and Evidence
Using a novel dataset of earnings-related disclosures embedded in the 10-Ks, this paper shows how detailed financial statement analysis can produce a measure of core earnings that is more persistent than traditional earnings measures and forecasts future performance. Analysts and market participants are slow to appreciate the importance of transitory earnings.
- 15 Oct 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
Goldman Sachs’ $500 Million Bet on Small Businesses
Launched during the financial crisis in 2009, the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program provided free business education, support, and access to capital for small businesses, graduating 7,300 participants. Len Schlesinger discusses the program's impact. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 15 Oct 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Vote Choice Formation and the Minimal Effects of TV Debates: Evidence from 61 Elections in 9 OECD Countries
This study of 61 elections around the world finds that vote choices aggregate a lot of information obtained during the electoral season, but the contribution of TV debates to this process is negligible.
- 14 Oct 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Undisclosed Debt Sustainability
Presenting a scenario in which non-Paris Club lending and borrowing is fully disclosed, this study illustrates that transparency has potential effects of decreased debt sustainability for investors such as China, and significant welfare gains for recipient countries. Effects are particularly strong if the debt is large.
- 10 Oct 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Birds of a Feather ... Enforce Social Norms? Interactions Among Culture, Norms, and Strategy
Does culture eat strategy for breakfast? By analyzing the role of a company's social norms—how they develop and why people reinforce them, despite their personal beliefs—this paper offers new insights about the power of culture.
- 09 Oct 2019
- Research & Ideas
For Better Ideas, Bring the Right People to the Brainstorm
Better ideas emerge when extroverts and people open to new experiences put their heads together, according to research by Rembrand M. Koning. But what about introverts? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 07 Oct 2019
- Sharpening Your Skills
How Companies Can Make Up with (Very) Unhappy Customers
It happens to the best of companies. One fine day a public relations nightmare explodes and shatters your hard-won trust with customers. What should you do next? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 04 Oct 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Soul and Machine (Learning)
This paper argues with examples and predictions that while marketing science theory, engineering, and machine learning capabilities are changing the way we think about marketing, true advances will come when marketing managers know when to trust the machine and when to trust their instincts.
- 02 Oct 2019
- What Do You Think?
What Grade Would You Give Walmart CEO Doug McMillon?
SUMMING UP: James Heskett's readers gave Walmart high marks for its response to gun violence but suggested the company could have been even more proactive. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 02 Oct 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
The Value Potential of New Business Models
A business model determines the opportunity’s value creation potential and suggests how the resulting value might be distributed among participants pursuing that model. Strategists need to understand the interaction of elements of the job to be done and asset configuration in order to create differing strategic prescriptions.
- 02 Oct 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
The Limitations of Dynamic Capabilities
This paper explains the role dynamic capabilities play in competitive advantage, identifies the conditions that make them valuable by establishing their relationship to resources and market positioning, and describes two types and various levels of the phenomenon. Developing such capabilities is desirable, but there are limitations to their effectiveness.
- 02 Oct 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
Can Gimlet Turn a Podcast Network into a Disruptive Platform?
John Deighton and Jeffrey Rayport discuss how two former public radio producers launched the Gimlet Media podcast network, entering the last frontier of digital media. Can they turn a content supplier into a disruptive platform? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 30 Sep 2019
- Book
6 Steps to Building a Better Workplace for Black Employees
To support black employees, business leaders must challenge biases and help employees be themselves, according to a new book co-edited by Anthony J. Mayo, Laura Morgan Roberts, and David A. Thomas Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 30 Sep 2019
- Book
Book Excerpt: Why a Volume on Race, Work, and Leadership
In this excerpt from Race, Work, & Leadership: New Perspectives on the Black Experience, the authors discuss the deterioriating state of race relations in the US. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 30 Sep 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Comments on Macri's Macro by Federico Sturzenegger
Rafael Di Tella analyzes a paper by Federico Sturzenegger, the Governor of the Central Bank of Argentina under President Mauricio Macri, detailing the country’s efforts to stabilize the economy following 12 years of a populist administration.
Decarbonization Factors
This paper contributes to a growing knowledge base about how climate change impacts investor expectations, capital allocations and thereby pricing and returns. It provides actionable insights into how to decarbonize portfolios and evaluate the likely performance and carbon exposure differences across strategies.