The Latest

Illustration of a head with blinders Feature / Behavioral Decision Making

How People Gather Information — or Don’t — to Make Decisions

Personal beliefs, especially among the less educated, often outweigh actual data

Illustration of office buildings with a silhouette of a figure holding their arms out Research Brief / Taxes

Businesses Vastly Overestimate the Likelihood of Being Audited

Should tax-collecting agencies keep audit activity secret to discourage cheating?

Illustration of vultures sitting on a sign in a city Research Brief / Debt

Less Leveraged Than the Competition: Ready to Snag Distressed Assets in a Recession

When bad times hit, highly indebted companies often have to sell operations and equipment at fire-sale prices

Illustration of a tower taller than city buildings Research Brief / Corporate Finance

Forgoing a Tax Refund to Signal Brightening Financial Prospects

Companies that use loss carry-forwards to offset future tax liability, instead of claiming a refund, enjoy favorable lending terms

Strawberry doughnut in a box Research Brief / Advertising

Inventory Scarcity Messages in Online Retailing Can Backfire

If there are only six left, I guess I won’t be buying a dozen

People with luggage Research Brief / Economy

Modern Monetary Theory: Fiasco in Latin America, Option in U.S.?

The populist model, embraced by some on the American left, resembles policy that helped torpedo some smaller economies

Foreign pharmacy Research Brief / Retail

Quality and Price: National Pharmacy Chains Benefit Consumers in India

Independent drug stores improve to meet the competition

People on electric scooters Research Brief / Ride-Sharing Services

Scooter Recharging: Should Companies Offer Customers Carrot or Stick?

Operating costs decline when riders get free rentals for docking dying electric vehicles

Illustration of a European football game Research Brief / Ethics

Is a Bad Deed That Goes Unpunished Less Bad?

In experiments, immorality and harm are deemed more extreme merely because an act was punished

Person looking at a computer screen Research Brief / E-commerce

That Online Hotel Review You Wrote? It Matters

Consumers’ comments on TripAdvisor are substitutes for traditional ad spending

A couple watching TV Research Brief / Consumer Behavior

Monetizing TV Content: What Binge Watchers Will and Won’t Do

Fandom doesn’t mean blindly following a franchise wherever it ventures or being a vocal cheerleader

Power plant smoke stacks Research Brief / Energy

What Delivers a 20-to-1 ROI in the Energy Business?

Highly technical probabilistic risk assessments at nuclear plants improve safety and pay for themselves many times over

Illustration of salary men Research Brief / Compensation

Employees Are OK with Unequal Pay — If They Have a Say in It

Workers involved in compensation decisions might accept a co-worker’s better deal if management didn’t unilaterally decide

Courtroom illustration Feature / Politics

Narrowing a Theory on Why Judges Get Tough before Elections

They do, but only when facing a competitive election contest

Illustration of a woman meditating Research Brief / Personal Finance

Good Information Alone Won’t Drive Financial Well-Being

A review of academic research finds the path to saving more and spending less often involves emotional prompts

Person looking at billboard ads on a wall Research Brief / Branding

Luxury Goods: The Perils and Profits in Lower-Priced Markets

A study uses game theory to suggest when designer companies should license their names for down-market goods