Faculty Research
In a new study titled 鈥淪oft Information in the Financial Press and Analyst Revisions,鈥� Professor and Chairperson of Accounting Mark Bradshaw and three co-authors discovered a significant correlation between media coverage and stronger market reactions to sell-side analysts鈥� research revisions. Their paper will be published in .
Professor Mary Ellen Carter
Associate Professor of Accounting Mary Ellen Carter and co-authors demonstrate that higher competition in supplier industries is associated with more intense pay-for-performance incentives for CEOs in a paper forthcoming in the .
Professor of Accounting Jeffrey Cohen鈥檚 co-authored paper, 鈥淎udit Partners鈥� Judgments and Challenges in the Audit of Internal Control over Financial Reporting,鈥� was published in the November 2020 issue of . In March, it was announced as the winner of the Price College of Business鈥檚 .听
In March,聽Tingliang Huang, associate professor of business analytics, and two co-authors published their study, 鈥淎 Theoretical Analysis of the Lean Start-up Method,鈥� in聽. Another paper by Huang and a co-author, 鈥淒ynamic Probabilistic Selling When Customers Have Boundedly Rational Expectations,鈥� is forthcoming in聽, and it is now available online through the journal鈥檚 鈥淎rticles in Advance鈥� series.
Professor Gerald Kane (left) and William S. McKiernan 鈥�78 Faculty Fellow Sam Ransbotham
Professor of Information Systems Gerald C. Kane and William S. McKiernan 鈥�78 Faculty Fellow Sam Ransbotham worked with two colleagues on the paper 鈥淎voiding an Oppressive Future of Machine Learning: A Design Theory for Emancipatory Assistants,鈥� which was published in an special issue on Next-Generation Information Systems Theories in March. The paper hypothesizes that machine learning could lead to an oppressive future they call 鈥淚nformania,鈥� and it proposes design principles for a code-based 鈥渆mancipatory assistant鈥� system that would help human users avoid such a fate.
In 2013, when Detroit filed for the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, Assistant Professor of Management and Organization Suntae Kim was in the midst of conducting a 22-month ethnography of a local alternative business incubator. This past January, his paper on how the incubator adapted to the ongoing crisis was accepted for publication at .
In addition to his three recent papers on how COVID-19 has impacted the restaurant industry, Assistant Professor of Information Systems Zhuoxin (Allen) Li鈥檚 co-authored paper 鈥淧eer Effects in Competitive Environments: Field Experiments on Information Provision and Interventions鈥� appeared in the March issue of . Touching on recent efforts to combat grade inflation, the paper explores the differing impacts of 鈥渃ompetitive鈥� grade deflation policies on male and female students.
Assistant Professor of the Practice Juan Montes during the 1992 summit of Mt. Everest
What can climbing the world鈥檚 tallest mountain teach us about building organizational resilience? In a recent article, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Management and Organization Juan Montes and a co-author shared broadly applicable insights gleaned from their expedition up Mount Everest鈥檚 little-used Kangshung Face route, which includes a 4,000-foot wall of rocks and ice. From his adventure, Montes derived lessons on how companies can meet crises like those brought on by COVID-19.
Under the direction of Alicia Munnell, Professor and Peter F. Drucker Chair in Management Sciences, researchers at Boston College鈥檚 Center for Retirement Research (CRR) published new research on defined contributions assets (in the ), homeownership patterns and home equity (in ), and Social Security鈥檚 missing 鈥渢rust fund鈥� (in the ). Munnell, the center鈥檚 director, also co-authored working papers on and for people who claim Social Security benefits, as well as six new CRR .听
If systems for internal reporting within government agencies are not reformed, external whistleblowing and First Amendment protections may continue to be necessary, according to a recent paper by Professor of Management and Organization聽Richard Nielsen, published in聽. Nielson and a co-author also published 鈥淪ocial Situational Business Ethics Framing for Engaging with Ethics Issues鈥� in the聽, which also just accepted another paper by Nielsen, 鈥淓thical and Political-Economic Dimensions and Potential Reforms of the Hybrid, Leveraged, High-Frequency, Artificial Intelligence Trading Model,鈥� for publication.
Associate Professor of Marketing Nailya Ordabayeva
When a financially successful peer comes onto the scene, people react by highlighting their excellence in other domains, according to a new study by Associate Professor of Marketing Nailya Ordabayeva and two co-authors. The findings of their paper, 鈥淪tatus Pivoting,鈥� show that comparisons with high-status individuals made consumers more likely to buy and display mugs and bumper stickers that celebrated parenthood, spirituality, or family. Ordabayeva also presented her research on how political polarization and financial vulnerability influence consumers at the 2020 Association for Consumer Research Conference in October.
Sam Ransbotham, professor and William S. McKiernan 鈥�78 Family Faculty Fellow in the Information Systems department, published a co-authored paper in on how electronic medical records influence malpractice claims, as well as a paper titled 鈥淐apturing Value in Platform Business Models That Rely on User-Generated Content鈥� in . With three co-authors including Professor of Information Systems Gerald Kane, Ransbotham also wrote a paper titled 鈥淎voiding an Oppressive Future of Machine Learning: A Design Theory for Emancipatory Assistants,鈥� which was published in a special issue of on next-generation information systems.
Professor Sandra Waddock, Galligan Chair of Strategy and Carroll School Scholar of Corporate Responsibility
How can we reorient business practices around human life and sustainability? Professor Sandra Waddock, the Galligan Chair of Strategy and Carroll School Scholar of Corporate Responsibility, explores this question in her new book, Transforming Towards Life-Centered Economics: How Business, Government, and Civil Society Can Build a Better World, with . She also co-authored the new book (Routledge) and the paper 鈥淚nvoking Indigenous Wisdom for Management Learning,鈥� which was published in . In addition to leading three recent webinars through the , she she was the sole author on papers published in the journals and .
A recent change to U.S. patent law has introduced an elective program that allows firms and entrepreneurs to get their patents examined more quickly. Assistant Professor of Information Systems聽Mike Teodorescu聽and a co-author investigated the implications of this change in a recent paper, which was published in聽聽alongside an animated聽. With his wife Debbie, a physician at Mass General Hospital, Teodorescu also co-authored a paper about SurgiBox, a new ultraportable operating room that she spearheaded and helped design. Their paper was published in聽聽in January.
Assistant Professor of Accounting Benjamin Yost
The personal capital gains tax liabilities of CEOs have an impact on their decisions about corporate mergers and acquisitions, according to a forthcoming study in by Assistant Professor of Accounting Benjamin Yost and two co-authors. Yost and two colleagues also published a paper in the December 2020 issue of the that explores acquiring companies' disclosures during merger negotiations with the target firm. Their findings suggest that acquirers strategically disclose information intended to depress the target聽company's stock price in order to obtain more favorable terms, confirming their prediction聽that "acquirers deliberately disclose information intended to affect the target's stock price when doing so is beneficial."
Can presenting a product alongside another similar product improve consumer perceptions of both? Min Zhao, an associate professor of marketing, investigates this question with a co-author in 鈥淛oint or Separate? The Effect of Visual Presentation on Imagery and Product Evaluation,鈥� forthcoming in the .
In the News
Assistant Professor of the Practice Lourdes Germ谩n
COVID-19 has dealt significant blows to the fiscal health of American cities, with particular impacts on small and rural municipalities and low-income communities, Assistant Professor of the Practice Lourdes Germ谩n said in a with The Kresge Foundation鈥檚 Aaron Seybert. The philanthropic foundation also invited Germ谩n to co-author a recently published with Seybert on ways to leverage public finance tools to help cities recover.
How can working parents balance careers, job searches, and family demands during a global pandemic, while still taking care of themselves? The tapped Associate Research Professor Brad Harrington, executive director of the Boston College Center for Work and Family, to be part of a panel of experts who addressed parents鈥� pressing questions. In November, Harrington also discussed the pandemic鈥檚 disproportionate impacts on women in the workforce on WBUR鈥檚 , noting that many more women than men have left their jobs to take care of children who are now attending school virtually from home.
In a conversation with聽, Assistant Professor of Finance聽Rawley Heimer聽explained the findings of his聽聽with Carroll School doctoral candidate Charlotte Haendler, which indicate that under the Trump administration鈥檚 Consumer Financial Protection Boards, complaints filed from low-income and predominantly African-American zip codes were 30 percent less likely to result in the consumer receiving financial restitution than claims filed from high-socioeconomic status zip codes. Their paper attributes this socioeconomic gap in outcomes, which was 鈥渟carcely present鈥� under the Obama administration, to more 鈥渋ndustry-friendly鈥� CFPB leadership under the Trump administration.
The Wall Street Journal is publishing a series of excerpts from The Transformation Myth, Professor Gerald Kane鈥檚 forthcoming co-authored book about how COVID-19 is accelerating a digital transformation in business. The , published in October, profiles health insurance company Anthem鈥檚 drive to go digital-first, while the concerns Hilton鈥檚 digitally driven response to the crisis. A , published in January, focuses on how Shell Polymers, a startup within Shell Chemicals, doubled down on customer service and employee support during the pandemic. The explains how CarMax reached customers in a crisis.听
As the socially-distanced holiday season ramped up, Associate Professor of Business Analytics Nan Liu spoke to Boston University鈥檚 about how the pandemic has changed holiday shopping. Buying holiday gifts early in the season or online 鈥渃an help in reducing the peaks of customer arrivals to the stores,鈥� he said.
Opportunity Zones (OZs) seem like a win-win: boosting growth in low-income communities by offering tax breaks to investors who channel capital into them. But the tax program has yet to fully deliver on that promise, according to聽聽coauthored by Assistant Professor of Business Analytics聽Dmitry Mitrofanov.听Propmodo, which covers commercial real estate聽trends,聽聽鈥渢he most comprehensive analysis yet of opportunity zone property market dynamics.鈥� The authors show that residential property values were no higher in designated OZs than in comparable areas鈥攊ndicating that residents of OZs have yet to benefit鈥攁nd suggest revisions to the policy.
Alicia Munnell, Peter F. Drucker Chair in Management Sciences and director of the Boston College Center for Retirement Research,
In a recent blog post for , Peter F. Drucker Chair in Management Sciences Alicia Munnell, who directs the Boston College Center for Retirement Research, wrote that 鈥淐OVID-19 is Not a Retirement Story鈥濃�攖hat is, the pandemic鈥檚 impact on employer retirement plans and Social Security has been minimal in comparison with its impacts on the country鈥檚 poorest citizens. Other recent posts in Munnell鈥檚 weekly MarketWatch blog have touched on COVID鈥檚 impact on , the proposal, and the implications of the pandemic for state and local . Munnell was also quoted by , , , and , among others.
As many New Englanders know, some Dunkin鈥� fans go so far as to think of the coffee chain鈥檚 brand as an extension of themselves. Associate Professor of Marketing Nailya Ordabayeva spoke to about how the Massachusetts-based company鈥檚 franchise location choices further their brand鈥檚 appeal to middle- and working-class Americans.
Why do only 11 percent of companies profit from AI? Professor and William S. McKiernan '78 Family Faculty Fellow聽Sam Ransbotham聽(Information Systems) explores this topic as a co-host of聽Me, Myself, and AI, a collaborative podcast created by聽MIT Sloan Management Review聽and Boston Consulting Group. With support from both organizations, Ransbotham led a team of six researchers who surveyed 3,000 executives at companies that are working with AI technologies, and published their findings in a report in聽. Their research was featured in聽, and Ransbotham was quoted in an聽聽feature, also published on聽Forbes.com.
Haub Family Professor and Finance Department Chair Ronnie Sadka
A March 11 article cited a paper co-authored by Haub Family Professor and Finance Department Chair Ronnie Sadka, reporting that it establishes a link between 2020鈥檚 鈥渢rading frenzies鈥� and 鈥渟tocks with high COVID-19-related media coverage.鈥� On February 18, the same paper (available online through the ) was also cited twice during at a congressional hearing about the GameStop squeeze. Sadka, the Carroll School鈥檚 senior associate dean for faculty, has been studying Robinhood鈥檚 role in COVID market disruption since early in the lockdown, and in a recent interview with , he said that the GameStop saga demonstrates why 鈥渞etail investors are becoming a systemic risk.鈥�
Associate Professor David Solomon, who is the Finance Department鈥檚 David J. Mastrocula Faculty Fellow, spoke to about his research with MIT鈥檚 Jordan Nickerson, which found a surprising correlation between the U.S.鈥檚 child car-seat laws and declining birth rates. Increasingly protective laws that extend how long young children must use large safety seats have created a space dilemma with unintended effects: Parents wanting a third child must either wait until their eldest outgrows the regulations in order to fit all three kids in the backseat, or else purchase a larger car鈥攅nough, the researchers say, to dissuade families from having three (or more) kids.听
Airline miles, discounts, and cash back鈥攃redit card rewards can make opening a new card tempting. In a Q&A with , Associate Professor of Marketing Min Zhao shared insights into how credit card owners can take full advantage of rewards and avoid common mistakes.
In his capacity as a sports lawyer, Warren K. Zola, the executive director of the Boston College Chief Executives Club and a part-time Carroll School faculty member, spoke to the in regard to recent lawsuits against the NFL about concussions and brain injury, and their implications for pro rugby players.听
Assistant Professor of Finance Simcha Barkai (left) and Assistant Professor of Finance Rawley Heimer
For the second year in a row, two of the top awards in academic finance went to Carroll School faculty. Assistant Professor of Finance Simcha Barkai鈥檚 paper 鈥溾�� took the number-one spot among three papers that received the American Finance Association鈥檚 coveted Dimensional Fund Advisors Prize. Barkai鈥檚 paper was selected from all articles in non-corporate finance published in the Association鈥檚 Journal of Finance in 2020. Assistant Professor of Finance Rawley Heimer鈥檚 co-authored paper 鈥溾�� was chosen as one of two 鈥淒istinguished Papers鈥� in the same category for 2020. According to Heimer鈥檚 study, young people undersave by 26 percent because they overestimate the likelihood of dying from a rare event like a car crash, while older people, expecting to live longer than actuarial data suggests, resist dipping into their savings.听
Associate Professor of Accounting Mary Ellen Carter and two co-investigators received a $14,500 grant from the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) through its . Their proposed project, 鈥淐OVID-19 Motivated Changes to Executive Compensation and Incentives,鈥� was one of seven winners chosen from 36 proposals from around the world.
Curtis Chan, assistant professor of management and organization, was chosen from among nearly 900 nominations as one of聽Poets & Quants鈥櫬�Top 50 Undergraduate Professors of 2020. A聽聽on the news outlet鈥檚 website highlighted his rapport with students and his unconventional path to teaching. This award comes on the heels of Chan鈥檚 recognition by the Carroll School as a 鈥淭eaching Star.鈥� Chan was also appointed to the editorial review boards of two top-tier management journals,聽Organization Science聽and the聽Academy of Management Review.
Professor of Accounting Jeffrey Cohen
Professor of Accounting Jeffrey Cohen and two co-authors received the from the American Accounting Association鈥檚 Auditing Section for their paper 鈥�,鈥� which was originally published in Contemporary Accounting Research in 2010.
Associate Professor of Finance and Hillenbrand Family Faculty Fellow Vyacheslav Fos and Professor of Finance Cliff Holderness won the for their working paper 鈥�,鈥� which is the first comprehensive study on shareholder voting rights distribution.
Associate Professor of Business Analytics Tingliang Huang
Associate Professor of Business Analytics Tingliang Huang was appointed associate editor of Decision Sciences Journal and senior editor of Production and Operations Management. He also won a 2020 Meritorious Service Award for his service as a peer reviewer for the journal .听
Two faculty in the Informations Systems department, Assistant Professor Marios Kokkodis and Associate Professor Zhuoxin (Allen) Li, were among just five recipients of the 2020 , which 鈥渞ecognizes and honors young scholars who are on a path towards making outstanding intellectual contributions to the information systems discipline.鈥�
Associate Professor of Business Analytics Nan Liu was appointed associate editor of , one of the top three journals in the field of operations and business analytics.
Nailya Ordabayeva, an associate professor of marketing, was named聽 of the Association for Consumer Research and chosen as the association鈥檚 2020 Doctoral Symposium Faculty Fellow. She was also appointed associate editor of the , which awarded her 2020 article聽 鈥�The Impostor Syndrome from Luxury Consumption鈥澛烬 .