We consider the allocation of inventory to stores in a “merchandise test,” whereby a fashion retailer deploys a new product to stores in limited quantities in order to learn about demand prior to the main selling season. Our problem formulation includes practical considerations like fixed costs and multiperiod inventory considerations but is challenging to analyze directly. Instead, we take a bounding approach that isolates the novel aspect of our problem: the impact of test inventory allocation on demand learning.
Experts from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) met with bankers and investors to shed light on the unique challenges and advantages of investing in two federal government programs designed to infuse capital into small and rural businesses at the Community Development Investment Workshop on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at the Kenan Center in Chapel Hill.
The debate surrounding returns of private equity vs. public markets continues with a recent paper by AQR. What do the latest data tell us?
When large firms are in search of new leadership, oftentimes a former leader is the answer. There have been many high-profile examples of boomerang CEOs being both resounding successes and spectacular failures. So what do the numbers say?
The most important economic challenge of our time is the large, and growing, wealth gap. Increasing income disparities and declining opportunities have diminished America's middle class. On Nov. 6-7, the Closing the Wealth Gap conference was held at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School in Chapel Hill.
Please join the Kenan Institute for an exclusive conversation with Squad Founder and CEO Isa Watson on Thursday, Feb. 13. The event takes place in Kenan Center 204 and is part of the Dean’s Speaker Series, hosted by UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School's Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Dave Hoffman.
The Entrepreneurship Center’s final Luminary Talk highlights Jessica McDonald, a three-time NWSL Champion and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Champion that currently plays forward for the North Carolina Courage and the U.S. Women's National Team.
Many providers of defined-contribution investment plans, such as 401(k) plans, have advocated for broader access to private investments. In this Kenan Insight, we examine the operating, regulatory and legal constraints involved in allowing that access, and explore what, if anything, retail investors are likely to gain from investing in private funds.
Following last week’s debate about the overheating economy, Kenan Institute experts return this week for round two – this time focusing on policy. In this week's insight, Kenan Institute’s Executive Director Greg Brown and Chief Economist Gerald Cohen debate the pandemic’s influence on U.S. fiscal policies.
Stakeholders can and should play an important role in business decisions, but how can their interests be incorporated into business practices to create win-win solutions? In this week’s Insight, our experts dive into this question and discuss whether stakeholder capitalism models can help us find the right solution.
Inflation hit a 40-year high of 7.8% in February. We estimate energy prices will raise inflation by another percentage point in March. If sustained, the runup in gas prices will take a $100 billion-sized bite out of households’ wallets, weighing on consumer spending – and ultimately, inflation.
Please join us for “How Leadership Is Changing for Your Generation,” an exclusive conversation with Zach Clayton of Three Ships and Bill George of Harvard Business School. Their fireside chat is offered through the Dean’s Speaker Series, hosted by the Kenan Institute in partnership with UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Interim Dean Jennifer Conrad.
Abstract Traditionally, e-commerce marketplaces have enabled third-party sellers to sell to potential consumers and have earned commission from the sales. In recent years, e-commerce platforms have begun to leverage private...
As a destination for both migration and business growth, North Carolina must reassess the capabilities of local entrepreneurial and small-business ecosystems to ensure that its diverse population of aspiring entrepreneurs and small-business owners has equitable access to opportunities.
The pandemic taught us that equity investors would be wise to seek to invest in firms with resilient supply chains. But is there a reliable way to identify firms whose supplier-customer relationships are less vulnerable to disruptions?
Inflation has come down but may still have some fight left in it. One concern is what happens going forward as the relief from pandemic price pressures disappears, but deflationary tailwinds are no longer there.
We show that stock returns follow predictable patterns before the publication of anomaly trading signals. Moreover, anomaly trading signals derived from financial data are themselves predictable, making it possible to trade before financial statements are released. A trading strategy based on predicted signals earns an annualized return of 3.65% in the quarter before the signal is released.
Every year, millions of students enroll in post-secondary programs with hopes of attaining the education they need to get ahead in the job market. But in the U.S. higher education system, “college acts like a lottery,” says Ben Miller, director of the Postsecondary Education Center for American Progress. Some students graduate with applicable skills and higher earning potential, while others leave unemployed with ever-increasing piles of debt.
The United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) has named Ted Zoller a Justin G. Longenecker Fellow. Zoller, T.W. Lewis Clinical Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and director of the Kenan Institute-affiliated Entrepreneurship Center, was inducted into the fellowship on Jan. 25 at the USASBE’s annual conference in St. Petersburg, Florida.