Publications

12 Nov 2014
Op-Ed

A Challenge to the New Congress: Pass Housing Finance Reform

housing finance agencies? We must not capitulate to the status quo and hold our breath, dreading the next bubble. We must continue to chart reform. If the Congress remains unable to advance the agenda, the Enterprises will remain mired in... View Details

Keywords: by Nicolas Retsinas & Rob Couch; Construction; Real Estate

20 May 2019
Research & Ideas

Activist CEOs Are Rising Up—and Their Customers Are Listening

When former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced earlier this year he was thinking about running for president of the United States, it wasn’t a new idea. Past CEOs seeking the White House have included Carly Fiorina, Ross Perot, Herman Cain, Steve Forbes, Mitt... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

December 2007 (Revised August 2014)
Case

Xanadu on Broadway

By: Anita Elberse

Can one of Hollywood's biggest flops magically turn into a Broadway hit? Xanadu, an adaptation of a 1980 Olivia Newton-John roller-disco film described by one critic as "the epic failure to end all epic failures," opened on Broadway in July 2007. Producer Rob Ahrens,... View Details

Keywords: Theater Entertainment; Product Marketing; Product Launch; Demand and Consumers; Risk and Uncertainty; Creativity; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

01 Dec 2012
News

Corruption 101

that underlie corruption everywhere. As an emerging professional he must also carefully weigh the trust value of the personal relationships he is forming; his own comfort zone for ethical trade-offs; and the inherent View Details

Keywords: Credit Intermediation and Related Activities; Credit Intermediation and Related Activities; Credit Intermediation and Related Activities; Credit Intermediation and Related Activities

23 Jul 2001
Research & Ideas

Looking for CEOs in All the Wrong Places

when the candidate list has been winnowed to a few individuals, the directors again return to the forefront, calling upon their many contacts to provide information about candidates' personal and professional qualifications. "There... View Details

Keywords: by Peter K. Jacobs; Employment

10 Jun 2014
First Look

First Look: June 10

Risk Officer By: Mikes, Anette Abstract—This paper tracks the evolution of the role of two chief risk officers (CROs) and the tools and processes... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

02 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 2

corporate directors' fiduciary duties in that state. This change limited incentives to take actions favoring equity over debt. We show that, as predicted, this increased the likelihood of equity issues, increased investment, and reduced... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

08 Nov 2016
First Look

November 8, 2016

volatility. Using our model we quantify how capital injections impact the risk of financial institutions and estimate firm-specific precautionary capital needs. In addition, the longstanding observation that... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Nov 2011
First Look

First Look: Nov. 1

and teaching on risk management, we identify three categories of risk and elaborate on the ways companies can identify View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

29 Oct 2013
First Look

First Look: October 29

software in private fixed investment in the United States. We argue that these findings point to a large potential undercounting of "digital dark matter" and related IT spillovers from university View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

19 Jan 2021
In Practice

Leadership Advice for Biden: Restore a Sense of Calm

might not like particular policies). This will give a big boost to business and consumer confidence. Under Biden and Harris, drama and View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

03 Feb 2009
First Look

First Look: February 3, 2009

behavior, distorted risk preferences, corrosion of organizational culture, and reduced intrinsic motivation. Rather than dispensing goal setting as a benign, over-the-counter treatment for motivation,... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

June 2000 (Revised June 2000)
Case

Microsoft Office 2000

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

Describes the history of Microsoft's Office product suite. Discusses evolution of the Office 2000 project. Set at the end of the project when Steven Sinofsky, Office vice president, must decide upon the direction for the next version of Office, as well as make changes... View Details

Keywords: Applications and Software; Product Development; Risk and Uncertainty; Change; Innovation and Management; Information Technology Industry

24 Aug 2010
First Look

First Look: August 24

magnitude of 3% to 7% lower than corresponding buy-and-hold fund returns. Using factor models of risk and the estimated dollar-weighted performance gap, we find that the real alpha of hedge fund investors is... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 2007
Case

The Campaign for Bank Insurance in Antebellum New York

By: David A. Moss and Cole Bolton

The New York State Legislature had come to a standstill in 1829 as lawmakers refused to charter any new banks or recharter any existing banks. Four of New York's forty banks had failed since 1825, and many legislatures believed that a significant change in the banking... View Details

Keywords: History; Risk Management; Government Legislation; Insurance; Decision Choices and Conditions; Banks and Banking; Banking Industry

July 2011
Background Note

Just an MOU or a Real Deal?

By: Lena G. Goldberg and Mary Beth Findlay

Notwithstanding the professed intention of a party to an MOU, a "preliminary" agreement can have binding effect. This note explores the circumstances under which MOUs may give rise to binding and enforceable agreements. View Details

Keywords: Curriculum and Courses; Contracts; Legal Liability; Management; Risk Management

September 1996 (Revised August 1999)
Case

Massachusetts Automobile Insurance 1999

By: Richard F. Meyer

The data and background are provided to enable students to determine what deductible insurance they wish to have in Massachusetts. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Risk Management; Insurance Industry