Research
Have Private Equity Returns Really Declined?
In a recent paper, “Demystifying Illiquid Assets – Expected Returns for Private Equity,” Ilmanen, Chandra and McQuinn (of AQR) give a perspective on the past, present, and expected future performance of private equity. They conclude that “private equity does not seem to offer as attractive a net-of-fee return edge over public market counterparts as it did 15-20 years ago from either a historical or forward-looking perspective.” This analysis provides our perspective based on more recent and, we think, more reliable data and performance measures – the historical perspective is more positive than Ilmanen et al. portray. More
The Impact of the Opioid Crisis on Firm Value and Investment
The increasing rates of opioid abuse has had a significant impact on the United States. This epidemic has implications for firms which must now contend with a lower pool of available and productive workers. To minimize endogeneity, we use historic rates of physician opioid prescriptions to proxy for current opioid abuse. We show a negative relationship between opioids and firm performance, after controlling for local economic and demographic conditions. More
Backhanded Compliments: How Negative Comparisons Undermine Flattery
Backhanded compliments seem like praise but can leave a sting. This study explores the psychology of backhanded compliments. Flatterers deploy backhanded compliments to garner liking while conveying social status. Recipients view praise of this kind as strategic put-downs and penalize would-be flatterers even as the backhanded compliment undermines their motivation and perseverance. More
Marketing Mix Response Across Retail Formats – The Role Of Shopping Trip Types
We study differences in the effects of prices, non-price promotions, and brand line length on brand shares at different retail formats. Our conceptual framework rests on the presence of trip level fixed and category level variable utility components and shows how the trade-off between these components results in (i) different formats visited on different types of shopping trips; and (ii) differential marginal sensitivities of brand shares to changes in marketing mix variables across trip types.
MoreThe Importance of Price Beliefs in Consumer Search
A consumer's decision to engage in search depends on the beliefs the consumer has about an unknown product characteristic such as price. In this paper, we elicit the distribution of price beliefs and explicitly study their role in a consumer's decision to search.
MoreWhy Empirical Research Is Good for Operations Management, and What Is Good Empirical Operations Management?
Empirical research in operations management has increased steadily over the last 20 years. In this paper, we discuss why this is good for our field and offer some comments on the qualities we admire in an empirical operations management paper.
MoreMicrofoundations Of Corporate Social Responsibility And Irresponsibility
This study examines the importance of social perception of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and irresponsibility (CSI). Drawing from social psychology literature on stereotypes, we argue that two fundamental dimensions of social perception—warmth and competence—help explain the underlying processes and conditions under which CSR leads to specific outcomes.
MoreA new equilibrium: Private equity‘s growing role in capital formation and the critical implications for investors
The last 20 years have been a period of tremendous growth for the PE industry. From its roots in the 1970s and 80s in the buyout and venture capital spaces, private capital has expanded dramatically in both scope and scale. Funds have gotten larger, the investor pool has broadened and the largest players have transformed themselves into fully diversified alternative asset managers, with offerings across a wide range of geographies and asset classes. More
New Drugs, New Ideas: Payment Policy Innovations for High-Cost Pharmaceuticals
Access challenges associated with high-cost pharmaceuticals have jump started discussion of solutions ranging from state-based boards reviewing drug price increases to harnessing Medicare’s purchasing power for “price negotiation” to old-fashioned price-setting. More
A Tale of Two Volatilities: Sectoral Uncertainty, Growth, and Asset-Prices
What is the impact of higher technological volatility on asset prices and macroeconomic aggregates? I find the answer hinges on its sectoral origin. Volatility that originates from the consumption (investment) sector drops (raises) macroeconomic growth rates and stock prices.
MoreCommercial Real Estate As An Asset Class
We survey the properties of commercial real estate (CRE) as an asset class. We first illustrate its importance relative to the US economy and to other asset classes. We then discuss CRE ownership patterns over time. While the academic literature has emphasized Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), about two thirds of CRE is owner-occupied.
MoreDo Yelp Reviews Influence Consumer Choice In the Presence Of Government Ratings? Evidence From U.S. Nursing Homes
In the U.S. healthcare sector, government report cards have long existed to disclose quality information to the public whereas consumer online reviews on healthcare entities have only emerged recently. Although the effects of both government report cards and consumer online reviews have been extensively studied, they are explored in separate contexts. And little work exists that systematically studies the joint effects these two sources of quality information on consumer choice.
MoreOmnichannel Marketing: The Challenge Of Data-Integrity
Channels have traditionally been viewed as intermediaries that facilitate the transfer of products from manufacturers to consumers. Innovations in digital technologies help firms to integrate the customer experience across channels and devices. This new phenomenon is referred to as “omnichannel marketing.”
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