Finance
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- 2024
- Working Paper
Corporate Actions as Moral Issues
By: Zwetelina Iliewa, Elisabeth Kempf and Oliver SpaltWe study how a representative sample of the U.S. population evaluates a broad range of corporate actions from a nonpecuniary perspective. Our core findings, based on large-scale online surveys, are that (i) self-reported nonpecuniary concerns are large, both for stock market investors and non-investors; (ii) concerns about the treatment of workers and CEO pay rank highest, higher than concerns about workforce diversity and fossil energy usage; (iii) moral universalism (Enke (2024)) emerges as a key driver of nonpecuniary preferences, explaining substantial variation both across participants as well as across corporate actions. Combined, our findings provide new evidence on the importance of moral concerns as a driver of nonpecuniary preferences in the context of corporate actions.
- 2024
- Working Paper
Corporate Actions as Moral Issues
By: Zwetelina Iliewa, Elisabeth Kempf and Oliver SpaltWe study how a representative sample of the U.S. population evaluates a broad range of corporate actions from a nonpecuniary perspective. Our core findings, based on large-scale online surveys, are that (i) self-reported nonpecuniary concerns are large, both for stock market investors and non-investors; (ii) concerns about the treatment of workers...
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- February 2025
- Case
Blue Owl Financing of Ping Identity
By: Victoria Ivashina and Srimayi MylavarapuIn the fall of 2022, Blue Owl Capital's investment committee evaluated a potential investment in the technology sector. The proposed transaction centered on Ping Identity Corporation (“Ping”), a fast-growing identity access management (IAM) software company that was being taken private by Thoma Bravo. Blue Owl was invited to play a leading role in an $875 million debt financing package to support the acquisition. Ping’s strong fundamentals made the opportunity appealing: the company operated in a high-growth market, generated the majority of its revenues from subscription-based services, and demonstrated significant growth in its product offerings and customer base. However, despite these strengths, Ping had yet to generate meaningful cash flow. This presented Blue Owl with a high-risk, high-reward scenario. The critical question for the team was whether Blue Owl should proceed with the transaction despite the risks, and whether the proposed deal structure offered adequate protection against potential downsides. By examining the specifics of Ping Identity’s debt financing, this case provides a platform to explore private debt lending in the technology sector, highlighting the nuances of lending in this space and the elements required to compete effectively.
- February 2025
- Case
Blue Owl Financing of Ping Identity
By: Victoria Ivashina and Srimayi MylavarapuIn the fall of 2022, Blue Owl Capital's investment committee evaluated a potential investment in the technology sector. The proposed transaction centered on Ping Identity Corporation (“Ping”), a fast-growing identity access management (IAM) software company that was being taken private by Thoma Bravo. Blue Owl was invited to play a leading role in...
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- 2025
- Working Paper
Using Satellites and Phones to Evaluate and Promote Agricultural Technology Adoption: Evidence from Smallholder Farms in India
By: Shawn Cole, Grady Killeen, Tomoko Harigaya and Aparna KrishnaThis paper evaluates a low-cost, customized soil nutrient management advisory service in India. As a methodological contribution, we examine whether and in which settings satellite measurements may be effective at estimating both agricultural yields and treatment effects. The intervention improves self-reported fertilizer management practices, though not enough to measurably affect yields. Satellite measurements calibrated using OLS produce more precise point estimates than farmer-reported data, suggesting power gains. However, linear models, common in the literature, likely produce biased estimates. We propose an alternative procedure, using two-stage least squares. In settings without attrition, this approach obtains lower statistical power than self-reported yields; in settings with differential attrition, it may substantially increase power. We include a “cookbook'' and code that should allow other researchers to use remote sensing for yield estimation and program evaluation.
- 2025
- Working Paper
Using Satellites and Phones to Evaluate and Promote Agricultural Technology Adoption: Evidence from Smallholder Farms in India
By: Shawn Cole, Grady Killeen, Tomoko Harigaya and Aparna KrishnaThis paper evaluates a low-cost, customized soil nutrient management advisory service in India. As a methodological contribution, we examine whether and in which settings satellite measurements may be effective at estimating both agricultural yields and treatment effects. The intervention improves self-reported fertilizer management practices,...
About the Unit
Our strategy is to assemble and nurture a faculty whose interests and skills complement each other, and who work well together:
a) to produce a broad range of finance-related research that is published in top-tier scientific and practitioner journals, and that addresses issues of present and future importance to managers (including regulators and policy makers);
b) to develop highly-relevant and intellectually rigorous MBA and executive education courses; and
c) to mentor future academics through the Business Economics doctoral program.
Our applied focus and access to business organizations are major advantages which are reinforced by our students and our case-based approach. We have a faculty with broad expertise, and we have resources, field contacts, and institutional support, all of which we can leverage to do richer work and be more productive than we could at other institutions.
Recent Publications
Corporate Actions as Moral Issues
- 2024 |
- Working Paper |
- Faculty Research
Blue Owl Financing of Ping Identity
- February 2025 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
Big Media’s Game of Thrones
- January 2025 |
- Teaching Note |
- Faculty Research
Using Satellites and Phones to Evaluate and Promote Agricultural Technology Adoption: Evidence from Smallholder Farms in India
- 2025 |
- Working Paper |
- Faculty Research
Arsenal Capital Partners’ Refinancing of Pinnacle
- January 2025 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
Balancing Impact: Modeling the Future at British International Investment
- January 2025 |
- Supplement |
- Faculty Research
Balancing Impact: Modeling the Future at British International Investment
- January 2025 |
- Supplement |
- Faculty Research
Balancing Impact: Modeling the Future at British International Investment
- January 2025 |
- Supplement |
- Faculty Research