Content Type: Research Brief

Cans of Ayam Brand tuna Research Brief / Retail

A Smaller Middle Class Means Less Variety on Grocery Shelves

Researchers compare income disparity by county to product availability

Research Brief / Corporate Investment

A Skeptical Board Can Protect Shareholders From an Empire-Building CEO

Director expertise disciplines CEO into providing better information

A color photo of four catcti with a cactus blossom on the end at right. Research Brief / Taxes

A Simplified Tax Code and Post-Communist Growth

Study suggests flat tax systems boosted GDP in former Soviet republics and satellites

Surgeon thoroughly washes his hands at a sink Research Brief / Health Care

A Scheduling Tool that Considers Employee Preferences

A model for staffing O.R.s incorporates the costs of worker dissatisfaction and idle time

Volunteers wearing gloves and carrying trash bags as they clean up the area Research Brief / Compensation

A Salaryman and a Wage Earner, Paid Equally, Walk Into a Bar (to Volunteer)

Which one walks out happier?

White tiles with arrows pointed right lined up on a blue background with one red tile that shoes the arrow moving out of the line. Research Brief / Competition

A Renter and Property Owner Meet on Airbnb: Will They Ditch the Site?

The risk for matching platforms is affected by levels of fees and what’s disclosed about buyer and seller

Research Brief / Banking

A Quiet Expansion of Deposit Insurance Could Disrupt U.S. Banking

Seen as a backstop to small- and midsized banks, the program, allowing insurance in multiples of $250,000, alters banking’s risk calculus

Personal perspective view of a female doctor talking with a patient Research Brief / Nudges

A Psychological Approach to Helping Doctors Do Better at Doing No Harm

Behavioral nudges reduced doctors’ overprescribing and overtesting of older patients

Several people look down at their phones while waiting outside at an airport passenger loading zone Research Brief / Pricing

A Proposal to Improve Surge Pricing

Reduce fares in adjacent areas to draw more drivers to where demand is high

Macro of silicon wafer semiconductor with neon color - integrated circuits to manufacture CPU and GPU. Research Brief / Supply Chain

A Proposal To Improve Supplier Reliability in Tech Manufacturing

Withholding renewal of a supply agreement can be more powerful than other carrots and sticks

Bright pink background with syringes lined up in diagonal rows Research Brief / Health Care

A Proposal to Even Out Flu Vaccine Supplies

A system of manufacturer rewards and penalties, consumer taxes and subsidies could aid vaccination rates

A senior woman walking down a corridor with the assistance of a walker. view from rear. Research Brief / Health Care

A Nudge to Reduce the Government Tab for Nursing Home Care

An upfront fee for taking Medicaid patients could shorten stays

A city electrical blackout from above at night Research Brief / Energy

A More Efficient Way to Help Utilities Share the Inconvenience of Power Outages

This model could enable power companies to lower the cost of peak electricity

An aerial photo of a burned neighborhood in Paradise, California, on November 15, 2018, after one of the deadliest wildfires in recent California history. Research Brief / Risk Management

A More Effective Way to Spot Potential Wildfire Origins in the Electric Grid

Sampling method capitalizes on similarities between grid sections to stretch inspection dollars

People with luggage standing under an awning waiting for rids next to an Uber sign. Research Brief / Ride-Sharing Services

A Matching Mechanism to Reduce Uber/Lyft Customer Wait, Improve Revenue

Queuing models aren’t simple but offer big potential service improvements

Anesthetist checking the ECG machine during an operation in a hospital Research Brief / Health Care

A Major Medical Center Gets a Cheaper, Fairer Way to Assign Doctors

Model tells schedulers which anesthesiologists should be on call or on-site at specific times