Consumers facing increased time pressure have lower levels of attention, according to HKUST scholar Kohei Kawaguchi and colleagues. The researchers explored how consumers’ attention and utility (a measure of product usefulness) are influenced by time pressure and variables such as the number of recommended products. Ultimately, they concluded that “context ... Read More

What should firms do with their patent rights when inventors jump ship? This key managerial question was recently addressed in an elegant study by HKUST’s Yanfeng Zheng and a colleague. With critical implications for firms deciding whether to maintain intellectual property after inventors leave, the authors established and empirically tested a framework ... Read More

For fledgling ventures, part of the growth process is to develop key systems, both external (such as marketing and sales) and internal (such as accounting and human resources). To date, most researchers have assumed that these systems develop uniformly as ventures scale and complete developmental milestones. According to HKUST’s Pavel I. Zhelyazkov and ... Read More

In recent years, the digital landscape has witnessed a fascinating transformation with free streaming platforms like YouTube and Spotify starting to introduce premium services, allowing subscribers to pay to avoid advertisements. Social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter (now “X”), Snap have followed suit after years of relying on advertising revenues by ... Read More

Understanding the factors that drive stakeholders’ sense of fulfillment and satisfaction (known as their “utility”) can help businesses maintain good relationships. Traditionally, stakeholder utility was believed to be based merely on the direct benefits derived from the relationship. More recently, scholars have taken a more socialized perspective on how ... Read More

In March 2021, concerns about excessive workload among junior analysts at Goldman Sachs once again highlighted the issue of long working hours in the finance industry. This followed previous instances, such as the tragic death of intern Moritz Erhard, which drew attention to grueling work conditions in investment banks. In response, many investment banks ... Read More

Why do many firms fail to enhance diversity of their board of directors? HKUST’s Yonghoon G. Lee and colleagues argue that a powerful impediment is because firms need to respond their underperformance. Specifically, they find a complex pattern of changes that happen at the boardroom. Underperforming firms increase the diversity of expertise on the board, “to ... Read More

Is green coffee bean extract a miracle cure for obesity? Are raspberry ketones or saffron extract magic weight loss ingredients? Regardless of the veracity of these claims, the celebrity physician Dr. Mehmet Oz has endorsed those and many products to the viewers of The Dr. Oz Show. This has created “the Oz effect” of increased interest—and may perhaps have ... Read More

A rule designed to protect investors may encourage managerial short-termism, to the detriment of firms. This sobering finding comes from a study led by HKUST’s Yan Xiong. According to Xiong and a U.S. colleague, the American government is tying firms’ hands with the requirement to disclose managers’ pay offers. The paper shows how managers become more myopic ... Read More

Advertising is central to e-commerce. In a world of choice, ads drive consumption by informing consumers about available products. New insights into the influence of online advertising on e-shopping behavior come from a study led by Ralf van der Lans of HKUST. The team used eye-tracking experiments to probe how ad features and site design can help or hinder ... Read More