Fisher Research and Insights Forefront

stock image of a stock chart
July 12, 2020
Financial Times

Hedge fund titans grab lion’s share of industry spoils

Research from Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate, and Justin Birru, assistant professor in finance, shows that investors end up paying high fees for poor returns while managers accumulate personal fortunes.
COVID-19 recovery could be long road for middle market, survey says
July 11, 2020
Crain's Cleveland Business

COVID-19 recovery could be long road for middle market, survey says

On average, executives expect it to take about 6.4 months for businesses to get back to full capacity. That's one of the findings of a new report from the National Center for the Middle Market.
Why P2P platforms should market their providers to drive consumers’ likelihood to buy
July 8, 2020
American Marketing Association

Why P2P platforms should market their providers to drive consumers’ likelihood to buy

Peer-to-peer (P2P) brands face many important decisions about their marketing communications, which represent a company’s “voice” to consumers and offer a key way to shift consumers’ purchase perceptions and behaviors. A new Journal of Marketing study, authored by Rebecca Walker Reczek, the Dr. H. Lee “Buck” Mathews Professor of Marketing, and graduate research associate John Costello explores whether platform- or provider-focused communications are more effective and why. 
stock image of coronavirus
July 6, 2020
Columbus Business First

Employers are more optimistic about an economic recovery – but layoffs keep coming

Business executives are feeling more confident in the long-term prospects of the economy, but the Covid-19 pandemic continues to take a toll in the short term.
Here are your odds the stock market will be higher on Dec. 31
June 30, 2020
MarketWatch

Here are your odds the stock market will be higher on Dec. 31

There’s a two-out-of-three chance U.S. stocks will climb over the next six months — which is right about average. Research by Kewei Hou, the Ric Dillon Endowed Professor in Investments, and Lu Zhang, the John W. Galbreath Chair in Finance, illustrates just how difficult it is to replicate market conditions or effectively time the market. 
COVID-19 and the middle market: 2Q 2020
June 30, 2020
National Center for the Middle Market

COVID-19 and the middle market: 2Q 2020

Research from the National Center for the Middle Market details COVID-19’s impact during the first three months of the pandemic.
Hedge fund fees: 2 and 20 or 2 and 50?
June 22, 2020
National Review

Hedge fund fees: 2 and 20 or 2 and 50?

Research by Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate at Fisher, and Associate Professor of Finance Justin Birru, effectively shows that investors subsidize underperforming fund managers to the tune of $7 billion a year.
Invest with the upper crust and sometimes you just get crumbs
June 19, 2020
The Wall Street Journal

Invest with the upper crust and sometimes you just get crumbs

Research by finance professors Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate, and Justin Birru provide insights into how the "performance" fees that hedge-fund managers charge can walk off with most of your return.
Combatting black driver racism and harassment
June 14, 2020
Supply Chain Quarterly

Combatting black driver racism and harassment

Professor Terry Esper continues the conversation of racism affecting delivery drivers and offers some suggestions for addressing the problem.
Stock image of an anti-racism protest
June 12, 2020
Fisher College of Business

There's a Better Way Podcast: Equality vs. equity

As part of the There's a Better Way podcast series, Dr. Cynthia Turner, chief diversity officer and assistant dean at Fisher, discusses the history of the black community in America, the difference between equality and equity, and the need for action from both the individual and the institution in fighting against systemic racism.
Do you know what your business is worth? Think again
June 12, 2020
Knowledge@Wharton

Do you know what your business is worth? Think again

According to a recent study by The National Center for the Middle Market, middle market companies with a strategic approach to their digital transformation grow faster than their peers. And while more than half of the executives surveyed said digital transformation was important, less than 10 percent said it was critical to their company’s strategy. This disconnect represents a failure to tie digital transformation to value creation.
Research: How socioeconomic status impacts the way we network
June 10, 2020
Harvard Business Review

Research: How socioeconomic status impacts the way we network

The COVID-19 pandemic is putting some differences into stark relief, writes Management and Human Resources Professor Tanya Menon. Among them is how varying socioeconomic status impacts individuals' professional networks. For those facing job losses, these networks are more critical than ever. 
Stock image of computer code
June 9, 2020
Fisher College of Business

There's a Better Way Podcast: Data ethics

As part of the “There’s a Better Way” podcast, Aravind Chandrasekaran, associate director of the Center for Operational Excellence, talks with Dennis Hirsch, professor at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, about the implications of poor corporate data ethics management for both the consumer and companies.
These Chinese stocks will be hurt the most if the U.S. forces them to delist
June 5, 2020
MarketWatch

These Chinese stocks will be hurt the most if the U.S. forces them to delist

Research from Rene Stulz, the Everett D. Reese Chair of Banking and Monetary Economics, and his colleagues is cited as being helpful in determining if there is a way of forecasting which Chinese companies would most likely be hurt the most by any eventual delisting from the U.S. Stock Exchange.
Let’s talk about race and the danger faced by black delivery drivers
June 1, 2020
Supply Chain Quarterly

Let’s talk about race and the danger faced by black delivery drivers

As our reliance on delivery services increases amid a backdrop of unrest, Associate Professor of Logistics Terry Esper, a recognized expert in "last-mile" logistics, shares his thoughts and professional insights about the tough conversations and safety considerations necessary to protect black delivery drivers.
May 28, 2020
Bloomberg Tax

Burden shifts to states after IRS eases donor-disclosure rules

It’s now on states to seek more information about nonprofit donors if they want it, after the IRS rolled back disclosure requirements. The language in the rules suggests states can require the donor information, but that would require additional state-level rules, according to Brian Mittendorf, the Fisher Designated Professor of Accounting.
Stock image of a worker in safety gear
May 14, 2020
Fisher College of Business

Worker safety negatively relates to organizational survival, study finds

As workplaces begin to re-open and safety jumps to the forefront, research by Fisher's John Gray and his colleagues shows that ensuring workplace safety doesn't necessarily equate to the long-term survival of a business. In fact, companies that provide safe workplaces are more likely to go out of business than those that do not. 
Why we've been saying 'sorry' all wrong
May 13, 2020
The BBC

Why we've been saying 'sorry' all wrong

Apologies can be tricky, but combining a dose of gratitude with a gesture that costs you something can help smooth ruffled feelings. Says Fisher's Xiaoyan Deng: "By offering your appreciation for their contributions, you increase their self-esteem. That boost of self-esteem leads to higher levels of satisfaction.” 
stock image of hands showing collaboration
May 12, 2020
Fisher College of Business

There's a Better Way Podcast: Collaborating with competitors

As part of the “There’s a Better Way” podcast, Aravind Chandrasekaran, associate director of the Center for Operational Excellence, talks with Lynn Kelley, PhD and retired continuous improvement professional, who argues for the methods and effectiveness of turning competitors into collaborating teammates.
Repeat after me: The markets are not the economy
May 10, 2020
The New York Times

Repeat after me: The markets are not the economy

The stock market and the economy have been intertwined in the American psyche since the 1929 stock crash and the onset of the Great Depression. But stocks are not a reliable gauge of overall economic health, said Rene Stulz, the Everett D.
U.S. unemployment rate soars to 14.7 percent, the worst since the Depression era
May 8, 2020
The Washington Post

U.S. unemployment rate soars to 14.7 percent, the worst since the Depression era

A forthcoming paper from Lu Zhang, the John W. Galbreath Chair and professor of finance, and his colleagues, details 130 years of unemployment rates in the U.S. as part of an examination of the impact of COVID-19 on the labor market.
May 8, 2020
Business News Daily

Fun at work is good for culture

A study by Ray Noe, the Robert and Anne Hoyt Designated Professor of Management and Human Resources at Fisher, and his colleagues discovered a link between informal learning, which is a common way employees pick up new skills that improve their job performance, and having fun at work.
COVID-19: Lessons for sourcing
May 5, 2020
Supply Chain Management Review

COVID-19: Lessons for sourcing

Despite the fact that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is very different than past events that have disrupted supply chains, it holds lessons for sourcing managers.
Selecting directors using machine learning
May 4, 2020
Medium

Selecting directors using machine learning

In principle, a company's board of directors reports to the shareholders and represents their interests. In practice, however, there is much variation in director quality and the extent to which they serve shareholders’ interests. A study by Isil Erel, the David A. Rismiller Chair in Finance, and Michael Weisbach, the Ralph Kurtz Chair in Finance, and a colleague shows how a 21st-century technology, machine learning, can help companies select higher quality directors.
Financial flexibility and market dislocations
April 29, 2020
Financial Times

Financial flexibility and market dislocations

A new working paper by Rene Stulz, the Everett D. Reese Chair of Banking and Monetary Economics, and his colleagues has quantified the divide between the haves and have-nots when it comes the riskiest of all corporate asset classes -- equity -- and has found that when the going gets tough, the financially flexible get going.