Contributions published at Department of Business Administration (Egon Franck)

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In der ökonomischen Theorie und Praxis besteht ein breiter Konsens, dass Bildung im Allgemeinen und tertiäre Bildung im Speziellen eine Grundvoraussetzung für Innovation darstellen. Da diese Diskussion jedoch stark angelsächsisch geprägt ist, blieb die Rolle der beruflich orientierten Tertiärbildung an Fachhochschulen (FHs), die angewandte Forschung betreiben und sich auf Studierende mit einer abgeschlossenen beruflichen Grundbildung fokussieren, bisher weitgehend unklar. Eine Reihe von Studien des «Swiss Leading House VPET-ECON», die die Gründung von FHs seit Mitte der 1990er-Jahre in der Schweiz untersucht, liefert nun erste Erkenntnisse, wie und unter welchen Voraussetzungen FHs in den Bereichen «Mathematik, Informatik, Naturwissenschaft und Technik» (MINT) die regionalen Innovationsaktivitäten beeinflussen. Zusammengefasst zeigen sich zwei Dinge. Erstens wirkte sich die Gründung der FHs positiv auf die regionale Innovationsaktivität aus. Zweitens sind die positiven Innovationseffekte in Regionen mit einem grossen, einem dichten und einem high-tech-intensiven regionalen Arbeitsmarkt besonders stark. Aus diesen Erkenntnissen können konkrete Politikempfehlungen zur (räumlichen) Weiterentwicklung der FH-Landschaft Schweiz abgeleitet werden.

We consider a setting where managers manipulate the firms’ real activities in anticipation of insider trading opportunities. Managers choose strictly higher production quantities than the quantities chosen absent insider trading, implying lower firm profit but higher consumer surplus. Through comparative statics, we show the overproduction is mitigated by the degree of competition in the industry, the manager’s current equity stake in the firm, and the precision of cost information. We also analyze the effects of insider trading in several extensions including asymmetric ownership structure, potential horizontal merger, and common market maker.

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Dynamic pricing is typically implemented via pricing algorithms that react to varying levels of supply and demand. Some companies, such as Uber, also vary prices for different offers, such as standard cars or limousines for a ride. However, companies usually do not proceed to the next logical step and delegate pricing authority to their employees. This is astonishing as service employees often vary in service quality, possess unique business knowledge, hold close relationships with customers, and influence the overall customer experience. The authors investigate the consequences of delegating pricing authority to employees. They also investigate the responses of customers who face a situation where their firm transitions from fixed to dynamic prices set by the firm (control group) or service employees (treatment group). The findings demonstrate that the actual dynamic price paid affects customers’ distributive fairness perceptions, which influence their behavioral responses. The authors find support for pricing authority (firm vs. employee) acting as a second-stage moderator. The results provide supporting evidence for the stylized fact that firms keep the pricing authority with the company and do not delegate it to service employees instead.

The literature on the economics of science and technology shows that academic universities—institutions focusing on basic research—positively affect innovation activities in regional economies. Less is known about the innovation effects of universities of applied sciences (UASs)—bachelor-granting three-year colleges teaching and conducting applied research. Furthermore, the evidence for positive innovation effects is predominantly based on average effects, while heterogeneity in innovation effects due to the economic environment is far less considered. By exploiting a public policy development in Switzerland that led to the quasi-random establishment of UASs, we investigate the regional heterogeneity in innovation effects of these UASs. We rely on patent and business census data and analyze the influence and importance of three economic preconditions—labor market size, labor market density and high tech intensity—on innovation effects of UASs. Our results show that only regions with a large or a dense enough labor market or with an above average high tech intensity experience significant innovation effects of UASs. Comparing the relative importance of the three economic preconditions, we find that labor market size is the most important factor that drives heterogeneity in innovation effects of UASs.

This study examines disclosure on the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in firms’ annual reports. For a sample of European firms listed in the STOXX Europe-600 index and a reporting period of four years, we use textual analysis to assess both firms’ explicit reference to the SDGs in their annual reports as well as the implicit prevalence of SDG topics. In addition, we use content analysis to manually assess the quality of firms’ disclosure on the SDGs based on eleven reporting items. The results show a substantial increase in SDG reporting quality over time but a distinct lack of disclosure of quantitative and forward-looking information. Further analyses reveal the relevance of both financial and non-financial stakeholders. Specifically, SDG disclosure is particularly associated with a high relevance of socially responsible investors, customers or environment-related public pressure, while financial analysts, employees and the media are not associated with SDG disclosure.

In this study, we tested the validity across two scales addressing conspiratorial thinking that may influence behaviours related to public health and the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the COVIDiSTRESSII Global Survey data from 12 261 participants, we validated the 4-item Conspiratorial Thinking Scale and 3-item Anti-Expert Sentiment Scale across 24 languages and dialects that were used by at least 100 participants per language. We employed confirmatory factor analysis, measurement invariance test and measurement alignment for internal consistency testing. To test convergent validity of the two scales, we assessed correlations with trust in seven agents related to government, science and public health. Although scalar invariance was not achieved when measurement invariance test was conducted initially, we found that both scales can be employed in further international studies with measurement alignment. Moreover, both conspiratorial thinking and anti-expert sentiments were significantly and negatively correlated with trust in all agents. Findings from this study provide supporting evidence for the validity of both scales across 24 languages for future large-scale international research.

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With more and more people quitting, leaders need to find new ways to boost retention. One under-recognized way to keep employees on board is to give them the flexibility and resources they need to pursue their out-of-work passions. Drawing on their research, the authors offer practical strategies for creating “passion opportunities” so that you can attract and retain employees who want to pursue their passions outside of work. Beyond simply providing employees with flexibility, leaders need to make sure that employees feel comfortable actually using this flexibility. Given longstanding ideas about the “ideal worker,” or the notion prevalent in the U.S. that a good employee is one who dedicates their time and energy solely to work, embracing non-work passions requires igniting a mindset shift, including explicit endorsement from leaders.

We draw on the behavioral theory of the firm and prospect theory to examine how performance feedback (decision context) and the characteristics of the alternatives (decision content) that decision makers face jointly determine organizational risk-taking choices. While the behavioral theory of the firm has identified performance feedback’s important role in driving organizational risk-taking decisions, it has not considered the intrinsic attributes of alternatives, specifically the magnitude and likelihood of their outcomes, which have been the focus of prospect theory. We argue that these two attributes play a key role in decision makers’ assessment of alternatives, but because achieving organizational goals is the prime objective in organizations, performance feedback drives how decision makers process information regarding these attributes. Analyzing 23,895 fourth-down decisions from the U.S. National Football League, we find that decision makers weigh attainment discrepancy and the magnitude and likelihood of outcomes in their choices, depending on deadline proximity. Furthermore, the size and valence of attainment discrepancy modify the weight of the magnitude and likelihood of outcomes in risky choices. Our arguments and findings suggest extensions to the behavioral theory of the firm and imply modifications to prospect theory when applied to the organizational context.

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