Corporate strategies inevitably have to consider the political environment in which a firm operates. In federal systems the situation can be complicated because one political party may rule at the national level and another at the state or provincial level, indicating political pluralism, or one party may control both, indicating hegemony. New research finds ... Read More

Do independent directors provide a valuable a service to shareholders? That question has been the subject of inconclusive debate and study. However, two researchers approach the question from an unusual angle - the sudden deaths of independent directors - and show that these board members are indeed deemed beneficial to shareholder value. Using data from 229 ... Read More

A family sits down after dinner and turns on the television. Market researchers record what they are watching and repeat this for thousands of families. But is the information they collect as useful as it could be? Households are often made up of several individuals. Are they all watching the television? Who has sway over what is watched? These questions are ... Read More

Using pirated software, gambling, and visiting pornographic websites are examples of behaviors that are hard to measure because people fear the consequences of being truthful. This reluctance can hinder efforts to understand and address these problems. However, one study suggests that it may be possible to elicit more honest responses without compromising ... Read More

Firms dealing in experiential products such as newspapers, wine or ski resorts face a dilemma. Key attributes of their products are beyond their control - they cannot direct the events of the day, the growing season or snowfall. As a result, consumers don't know the exact content of the products before they purchase them. This has ramifications for how such ... Read More

Public policy is regarded as a powerful tool that can alter the external environment that firms operate in and mark a transition to a new era. Research by HKUST and Harvard scholars cautions, though, against overstating its impact after finding that other environmental factors could influence the success and failure of public policy. Zhi Huang and ... Read More

Does an employer "owe" its staff for their efforts, or is the relationship one of a shared give and take? The way that question is answered can affect an employee's performance, and it's not only their own answer that matters. If their coworkers fall in the former camp, then that, too, can have a negative effect on the employee. Riki Takeuchi and Kin Fai ... Read More

A customer walks past a shop window and sees sports shoes advertised for $800. Researchers have long shown that exposure to such high "price anchors" can increase the amount a customer is willing to pay for products in that category. But, what effects does it have on the prices consumers are willing to pay for products in unrelated categories? Will this high ... Read More

People contribute their services for free in many different ways. In the U.S., for instance, about one-quarter of adults offer voluntary service to community groups. Internationally, many people contribute to online communities such as Wikipedia and YouTube. What do they get out of it? This is a topic of some discussion among researchers. Many argue that ... Read More

Firms such as Amazon and Netflix have devised recommendation systems that help consumers to quickly wade through the mountains of information at their fingertips and zero in on the items they might be interested in buying. These systems provide a valuable service and yet, their potential is still not fully developed. Rong Zheng of HKUST and his co-authors ... Read More