Fisher Research and Insights Forefront

Detroit riverfront
June 5, 2024
The New York Times

Officer of Detroit nonprofit accused of stealing $40 million

Despite official documents that show the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy took steps to safeguard its finances — including oversight from its board of directors and annual audits — an official is accused of stealing tens of millions of dollars. Brian Mittendorf, the H.P. Wolfe Chair in Accounting, says more skepticism is needed to ensure nonprofits are protected against theft.
These ETFs let you invest like the rich — but you might want to keep your money
June 3, 2024
MarketWatch

These ETFs let you invest like the rich — but you might want to keep your money

Above-average management fees for overvalued investments are a toxic mix, according to research focused on ETFs, conducted by Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate, PhD candidate Byungwook Kim, and their colleagues.
How a major real estate settlement could affect Ohio homebuying
May 28, 2024
Axios

How a major real estate settlement could affect Ohio homebuying

The National Association of Realtors recently agreed to settle a big lawsuit that questioned how real estate agents are paid — and who foots the bill. Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate and academic director of The Ohio State University Center for Real Estate, expects brokerage earnings to decline as commissions eventually become more closely linked to an agent's effort.
A photo of Telesilla Kotsi denoting her as one of Poets&Quants' Best 40-Under-40 Professors.
May 18, 2024
Poets&Quants

2024 Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors: Telesilla Kotsi

Meet Telesilla Kotsi, assistant professor of operations and business analytics at Fisher, and learn why she was chosen as among Poets&Quants' Best 40-Under-40 Professors.
When consumers would prefer a chatbot over a person
May 13, 2024
The Ohio State University

When consumers would prefer a chatbot over a person

Fear of embarrassment can lead people to avoid a human touch when they're shopping, according to new research from Jianna Jin, who led the study as a doctoral student at Fisher. The paper, authored with co-authors Jesse Walker, assistant professor, and Rebecca Walker Reczek, the Berry Chair of New Technologies in Marketing, found that people preferred interacting with chatbots when they felt embarrassed about what they were buying online ― items like antidiarrheal medicine or, for some people, skin care products.
Stock manager monitoring electronic displays of stocks.
May 13, 2024
Marketplace

Why the number of publicly traded companies in the U.S. is dipping

The number of publicly listed companies has been nearly halved since the 1990s. A big reason, according to René Stulz, the Everett D. Reese Chair of Banking and Monetary Economics at Fisher, has been a shift in what companies are producing.
Wealth managers, charities defend fees from donor-advised funds
May 12, 2024
The Wall Street Journal

Wealth managers, charities defend fees from donor-advised funds

Brian Mittendorf, the H.P. Wolfe Chair in Accounting at Fisher, says an “interesting partnership” has developed between charities and financial-services companies. At the center of this relationship: shared opposition to proposed rules by the U.S. Treasury Department that would penalize certain payments from charitable funds to wealth advisers who steer the investments.
Voters at voting booth.
May 9, 2024
Politico

Turmoil at Vote.org

Brian Mittendorf, the H.P. Wolfe Chair in Accounting, says unusual compliance practices and "sloppy record keeping and inconsistencies with accounting treatment" are part of the problems that are plaguing the prominent voter-registration group.
Elliot Bendoly headshot
May 7, 2024
Fisher College of Business

Bendoly recognized for top-10 research

Research co-authored by Operations and Business Analytics Professor Elliot Bendoly has been named one of the top-10 papers ever published by the journal Production and Operations Management.
Illustration of money and a stressed investor.
April 26, 2024
Institutional Investor

Private credit makes money for managers. For their LPs? Not so much.

Allocators want a piece of the private credit pie, but new research from Fisher's Isil Erel, the David A. Rismiller Chair in Finance, Michael Weisbach, the Ralph Kurtz Chair in Finance, and Assistant Professor of Finance Thomas Flanagan, shows that their investments might not pay off.
A retail store with shoppers.
April 25, 2024
The Wall Street Journal

The tricky logistics behind direct-to-consumer sales strategies

Suppliers that are stepping up efforts to reach shoppers are having to mount costly new supply chains built to the task. But those efforts, combined with investment in separate sales channels like social commerce, can lead to more growth and a entirely new future of retails, says Professor of Logistics Terry Esper.
Looking back on a decade of leadership with Anil Makhija
April 22, 2024
The National Center for the Middle Market

Looking back on a decade of leadership with Anil Makhija

As part of the National Center for the Middle Market's podcast, Anil K. Makhija, dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business at Fisher, joins the conversation to share his unique insights into the genesis, growth and triumphs of the NCMM, the profound impact the NCMM has had at Fisher and Ohio State, and the incredible value that strategic partnerships between academia and industry can provide.
A recycling can.
April 22, 2024
Fisher College of Business

Paper, plastics and penalties: How audits can improve curbside recycling

The success of curbside recycling programs relies on consumers knowing what is recyclable. But what's the best way to keep non-recyclables from contaminating the delicate recycling stream? New research from Fisher reveals that a combination of education and penalization is surprisingly effective at reducing household recycling contamination ― and doesn’t discourage overall participation.
The IRS building.
April 22, 2024
The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Inconsistent regulations, crackdown on civil liberties hinder nonprofits, experts say

Brian Mittendorf, the H.P. Wolfe Chair in Accounting at Fisher, was among 50 nonprofit leaders, regulatory experts and lawyers who participated in an event hosted by the Urban Institute in partnership with the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Mittendorf co-presented research into the lack of transparency around donor-advised funds, which offer a way to move charitable money to political groups anonymously.
Shipping port with large ship full of containers
April 17, 2024
Fisher College of Business

International supply chain’s double edge

Creating and maintaining global supply chains can provide valuable benefits for middle market companies. Those supply chains also yield unique challenges. New research from the National Center for the Middle Market and Fisher's Center for International Business Education and Research provides valuable insights for organizations interested in establishing or optimizing their global supply chains.
Stock image of a stock ticker
April 4, 2024
Bloomberg

Private credit offers no extra gains after fees, new study finds

In a new study released by the National Bureau of Economic Research, Fisher's Michael Weisbach, the Ralph D. Kurtz Chair in Finance; Isil Erel, the David A. Rismiller Chair in Finance at Fisher; and Assistant Professor of Finance Thomas Flanagan argue that direct lenders on the whole hardly produce any alpha — or extra compensation over broad market benchmarks.
Terry Esper hosting a TEDxOhio State event.
April 1, 2024
Fisher College of Business

Theory meets practice in Fisher’s inaugural research report

Explore Fisher's latest publication highlighting the potential impact that the college's researchers and thought leaders can have for business practitioners and industries today.
Supply chain issues from the Key Bridge collapse
March 28, 2024
610-WTVN

Supply chain issues from the Key Bridge collapse

Assistant Professor of Logistics Vince Castillo shares his insights on the impact that the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge could have on a number of key product supply chains.
FCC nominee Gigi Sohn at a confirmation hearing in February 2022.
March 22, 2024
Politico

Conservative nonprofit didn’t disclose some political spending, filings show

A conservative advocacy group leading the effort to torpedo top Biden administration nominees has failed to disclose some spending on political ads, a move experts say could complicate its tax-exempt status. The spotlight on the American Accountability Foundation (AAF) also raises transparency questions about such organizations and their affiliations with so-called dark money groups which can be used to obscure their finances, say Brian Mittendorf, the H.P. Wolfe Chair in Accounting.
An apartment building near Lower.com Field.
March 21, 2024
Columbus Business First

Columbus area's largest commercial deals in 2023 don't include any office buildings

Not a single office property cracked this year’s list ranking the region’s top commercial real estate deals, according to data compiled by Columbus Business First. The trend isn't surprising or alarming, says Donald Sheets, executive director of The Ohio State University Center for Real Estate.
Stock image of a climber helping another climber on rocks.
March 21, 2024
Financial Planning

Clients want in on private markets. Should advisors hold their hands?

Private markets have plenty of detractors. For many, their worst drawback is high fees. A research paper co-authored by Michael Weisbach, the Ralph Kurtz Chair in Finance, found that private equity funds that specialize in buying out companies tend to see their net returns reduced by 6 percentage points annually because of management fees and interest costs.
Why the ‘Magnificent Seven’ and other momentum stocks may be hitting a wall
March 19, 2024
MarketWatch

Why the ‘Magnificent Seven’ and other momentum stocks may be hitting a wall

Why have momentum stocks performed so poorly over the last two decades? Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate, suggests that a change instituted by Morningstar in how it rates mutual funds could be part of the reason.
Donor-advised funds: US regulators are scrambling to catch up with the boom in these charitable giving accounts
March 18, 2024
The Conversation

Donor-advised funds: US regulators are scrambling to catch up with the boom in these charitable giving accounts

After years of concerns about how quickly the money reserved for charity gets distributed and whether donor-advised funds need to operate more transparently, proposed new federal regulations are now pending. Though the regulations would not create new requirements for how rapidly these funds distribute money, they do provide some new guidelines for what uses for DAFs are allowed by law, writes Brian Mittendorf, the H.P. Wolfe Chair in Accounting.
Elon Musk walking.
March 18, 2024
The Washington Post

Is Elon Musk’s philanthropy just a form of self-help?

If true that recent reports that Elon Musk appears very likely to be abusing rules governing nonprofits, Brian Mittendorf, the H.P. Wolfe Chair in Accounting, says Musk’s actions are likely testing the spirit of the law rather than its letter.
Headshot of Greg Allenby
March 8, 2024
Fisher College of Business

Allenby recognized as a 2024 Paul D. Converse Award recipient

Greg Allenby, the Helen C. Kurtz Chair in Marketing at Fisher, was named a recipient of a 2024 Paul D. Converse Award, which honors scholars who have made exceptional contributions to the field of marketing through research and practice. The award was established by the American Marketing Association.