Over the past few decades, a substantial body of work has developed from the study of international issues relating to top management teams, particularly in relation to how firms formulate international strategies, how and where firms tend to grow their international businesses, and the performance outcomes of the choices made by them. This review provides a ... Read More

When looking across the landscape of publicly listed companies in the U.S., it is tempting to assume that company valuations are based primarily on profitability. That is to say, it is natural to believe that a given company’s value reflects its ability to generate steady income streams that rise above and beyond expenses. But in the observed world, do ... Read More

Sell-side financial analysts produce, acquire, and disseminate information, playing an important intermediary role in capital markets. Such analysts typically work alongside other analysts in brokerage houses. However, there is only limited understanding of how they collaborate, as most studies have treated financial analysts as isolated figures. HKUST ... Read More

Research and development (R&D) is a major contributor to technological progress and economic well-being. From the standpoint of the individual firm, R&D is a key aspect of doing business and a determinant of long-term growth. In the U.S., R&D intensive firms enjoy higher market valuations and greater stock returns than their peers. HKUST researcher Shiheng ... Read More

Gone are the days of small-scale investment - the rise of institutional investors has changed the game completely. In 1950, only 6% of publicly traded US companies were owned by institutional investors, but fast forward to 2017 and that number has skyrocketed to 65%. The "Big Three" - BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street Global Investors - hold a ... Read More

In e-commerce, consumers’ return of unwanted goods is a growing logistical problem for retailers. Research by HKUST’s Man Yu and collaborators shows how third-party insurance for the cost of product return promises to make the process more sustainable as the volume of online sales continues to increase. Products bought online are returned more often than ... Read More

The rapid rise in the number of products globally has dramatically increased retailers’ demand for capacity. However, despite the continuous growth in the demand for products, the availability of retail space has not kept pace and the situation is only getting worse. One would assume then that such a shortage of capacity would negatively impact retailers ... Read More

Industry analysts are vital conduits of information between the firms they cover and the investors in those firms. Despite their central role in capital markets, little is known about how analysts make their coverage decisions and how they gain their industry knowledge—the resource that investors value above all. Filling this important gap, HKUST’s Charles ... Read More

In today’s fast-changing e-commerce landscape, businesses are increasingly relying on two novel strategies for winning customers: referral marketing and product discounting. However, this promising pairing may have a sting in the tail, according to HKUST’s Hong Xu and Kai-Lung Hui and colleagues. Although individually effective, these two marketing tools may ... Read More

Since the 1960s, agricultural production has moved towards contract farming in an attempt to lower both costs and risks of production while increasing quantities and both farmers and buyers’ profits. The authors of this paper have sought to determine and analyse the effect this move has had on the efficiency and returns enjoyed by both contract and non ... Read More