Research

Visual content shapes online decisions, but its impact is hard to measure. New research from SMU Cox Marketing Professor Gijs Overgoor and coauthors examines how AI and neuroscience can reveal how consumers respond to advertising images and what drives click-through behavior.

SMU Cox Marketing Professor Gijs Overgoor and coauthors study large-language models (LLMs) to see how capable they are in identifying performance for video ad creative. While AI models—with LLMs the visible workhorses of AI—show promise for scaling advertising research, fine-tuning with domain-specific training data is essential.

Resale clothing platforms like ThredUp, The RealReal, and Vestiaire have transformed how consumers think about secondhand clothing. The resale fashion market is booming, even outpacing traditional retail fivefold in 2024. In new research, information technology professor Sreekumar Bhaskaran of SMU Cox and coauthor Stephen Gilbert sort through the economics and social benefit of resale channels. Industry claims by some firms about sustainability benefits of resale channels are mixed, according to the findings.

ITOM professors Amit Basu and Sree Bhaskaran collaborated with co-author to highlight evolution of online dating platforms and match tactics.

In collaboration with co-authors, Kumar Venkataraman shares research on the efficacy retail investors can still have against institutional traders.

Recent research out of the Finance department, led by Xiaowen Hu, shows that the best firms are using strategies of AI alongside human expertise. Vast amounts of data can be expertly and quickly analyzed like never before.

Haendler, assistant professor, presents new research on how mobile technology advancements by larger banks have stiffened competition for local, smaller banks. Smaller banks typically excel at relationship building and local lending.

Wayne Taylor’s latest work examines how the surge in online gambling has impacted state tax revenues and increases in irresponsible gambling.

How does under-representation of minorities matter when getting a loan for a home? “Arguably, the residential mortgage market is probably the most important credit market for households in the U.S.,” Finance Professor Ruidi Huang of SMU Cox notes about research, forthcoming in the Journal of Finance. Mortgage lending in the U.S. has traditionally been viewed as a place where hard information dominates. The study suggests that minority loan officers may use more soft information signals about minority borrowers, which makes a difference.

In the paper, "Avengers Assemble! When Digital Piracy Increases Box Office Demand," Strategy Professor Wendy Bradley of SMU Cox and coauthors explore how digital piracy impacts the demand for creative goods, specifically movies, with broad implications for the digital world.

Digital inequality limits access to resources. Removing data caps actually boosts education, aiding disadvantaged groups. Read the research from ITOM Professor Karthik Babu Nattamai Kannan.

Maria Langlois, Assistant Professor at the Cox School, published co-authored research on the positive experiences of nature on one's food choices.

SMU Cox Professor Jane Tan's research explores the innovative use of cryptocurrency in Ukraine’s 2022 fundraising campaign during Russia's attack. The study reveals key differences in donation trends between Bitcoin and Ethereum, influenced by crypto rewards.

Professor Rowena Gan of the ITOM department at SMU Cox published research on the economics of blockchain-based platforms and their tokens.

Finance Professor Alex Zhou of SMU Cox and his coauthors wanted to study what happened to bond market liquidity during the time of COVID.

When the world’s most valuable brands—Apple, Amazon, Google—enter new digital industries, do they encourage or discourage product market competition? In new research, Strategy Professor Wendy Bradley of SMU Cox and Julian Kolev of the U.S. Patents and Trademark Office analyze new products and services in the digital world, offering explanation about the rise of intangible assets among firms. This entirely new terrain of economic thought effectively blows up classical economic growth models and leans more in Schumpeter’s creative destruction.

The research goes beyond simply documenting that women are promoted less then men, the often-cited gender gap — it shows hard evidence that gender bias can explain why the gender gap exists. Their large-scale sample covers approximately 72,000 workers from over 1,000 mortgage companies, also known as shadow banks.

SMU Cox Professors Nuri Ersahin and Ruidi Huang find that state investment tax credits may deter reputable venture capitalists, altering startup dynamics negatively.

In an in-country study, SMU Cox Strategy Professor Wendy Bradley and her coauthor Caroline Fry at the University of Hawai'i highlight how the women of Sierra Leone view the path of entrepreneurship. It is a unique window into how a low-income country, plagued by headwinds, is choosing to move forward with its bright minds, and the role of women in rebuilding that future.

SMU Cox School of Business Assistant Professor of Marketing Matthew Fisher studies how reliance on technology distorts our perception of our own cognitive abilities.

In a novel study of foreign stocks, SMU Cox Finance Professor Feng Zhang and coauthors upend the finance literature.

In a forthcoming paper, Accounting Professor Hemang Desai of SMU Cox and coauthors analyze firms’ carbon reduction pledges to understand the drivers behind pledges and whether the market finds them credible.

New research by Accounting Professor Hayoung Yoon of SMU Cox, with coauthors Thompson and Urcan, shows how presumably immaterial redacted information can have material consequences for investors.

“Five Days in Dallas to Advance Commercial Diplomacy” aimed to foster creative collaboration between American firms and U.S. government agencies to help advance U.S. commercial interests abroad.

New research by Professor Toby Muhlhofer of SMU Cox and co-authors focuses on valuing illiquid assets, specifically commercial real estate and related securities. They developed an approach that complements existing methods of valuation.

We are witnessing volatile times like no other —in stock markets, energy markets, geopolitics and supply chains—as the pandemic slowly leaves behind an undefinable economic wake. These factors become embedded in the valuations and earnings expectations of firms. Novel research by Accounting Professor Sean Wang of SMU Cox with his coauthors offers a new measure to identify those firms that are bellwethers, the firms that move markets and track the volatility reflected in the market. It’s like financial market rocket science.

In new research, SMU Cox Accounting Professor Sorabh Tomar with his coauthors highlight how diversity information influences jobseeker behavior—the “innovation” of their research being the specific focus on information.

Various types of analysts measuring environmental, social, governance (ESG) factors in the financial and corporate world come to the conclusion that the “E” is the most important part of the term, as either environment or emissions. In a new study by SMU Cox Marketing Professor Milica Mormann and coauthor Felix Mormann, they actually show the effects of general and specifically-worded climate risk ratings on investment choices, the E. The research illuminates how framing or communicating can influence behavior—their work cuts across the disciplines of behavioral finance, marketing and policy as it relates to the unceasing debate on ESG-related ratings’ effectiveness and more specific climate ratings.

Rarely a day goes by where an incidence of supply chain disruption isn’t discussed in the media, particularly the semiconductor industry’s woes. Supply chain research has often centered on shock transmission, how events like the earthquake in Japan or Thai floods in 2011 affect firms’ supply chains. However, missing from the equation are insights into how firms are affected by supply chain risk—quantified at the firm level—and how they respond. New research by SMU Cox finance Professor Ruidi Huang with Ersahin and Giannetti reveals novel insights into the nature of supply chain risk. “No one really knows the real supply chain risk at the firm level,” Huang emphatically states.

In new research, assistant professors of marketing Matthew Fisher and Mili Mormann shed light on a surprising, persistent mistake that consumers make with important consequences.

New research observes how technology companies altered their intellectual property (IP) portfolio strategies after a period of piracy motivated more diversified innovation strategies.

Research by SMU Cox's Feng Zhang reveals that over two-thirds of U.S. equity mutual funds underperform the SPY ETF after fees, costing investors $1.02 trillion.

In interesting research with my co-authors Canan Savaskan and Tom Tan of SMU Cox, we analyzed this cookie selling process.

Most technology firms—and today everybody considers themselves a technology firm—think piracy is a bad thing. However, the “shock” of piracy was found to lead large technology firms like Microsoft and Adobe to innovate more, according to new findings. In the study, SMU Cox Strategy Professor Wendy Bradley and co-author Julian Kolev observe how technology companies altered their intellectual property portfolio strategies after a period of piracy. For firms that rely on software code, and these large tech firms are shrouded in code, how do you protect it?

In new research by ITOM Professor Sreekumar Bhaskaran of SMU Cox and co-authors, they re-think the congestion challenge and offer a new perspective about the traditional approaches of using the levers of price and quality.

Finance Professor Ruidi Huang of SMU Cox and his coauthors show how firms react to natural disasters and what actions can help supply chains stay resilient.

The VIX index is the most renowned volatility index, gauging investor fear or uncertainty about the economy. In new research, Accounting Professor Sean Wang of SMU Cox and his co-authors identify a group of firms that move in tandem with the VIX and find that these firms essentially act as bellwether firms, microcosms of the market itself. These firms, mini-economies unto themselves, pass along information—for example, through their insider trading and earnings announcements—to the market about the economy and its future performance. It’s a big idea.

Working in the same space, working in a co-location set up, is said to improve mental health. Read the research.

In novel research, Rowena Gan, with co-authors Gerry Tsoukalas and Serguei Netessine, shed light on the optimal design of “uncapped” initial coin offerings (ICOs), meaning that an unlimited quantity of tokens is offered on launch day.

In a study by SMU Cox Finance Professor Tarun Patel political polarization was shown to impact the economy through a study of mergers.

In a new study, researchers try to understand how essential workers co-workers treat each other and what it means for the workplace of the future.

Marketing Professor Wayne Taylor of SMU Cox and co-author Brett Hollenbeck analyze the competitive “spatial” landscape surrounding the customer and identify actionable marketing insights.

In his research, SMU Cox Assistant Professor of Accounting Sean Wang develops a method for measuring intangible capital assets.

In her research, SMU Cox finance professor Anna Cororaton explores the Paycheck Protection Program — used to aid U.S. businesses during COVID-19.

In his research, Darius Miller finds that a national security law inhibits foreign investments and decreases shareholder wealth.

Retrieving data. Wait a few seconds and try to cut or copy again.

SMU Cox marketing professor Milica Mormann’s paper “Visual Finance: The Pervasive Effects of Red on Investor Behavior” is forthcoming in Management Science.

ITOM Professor Vishal Ahuja of SMU Cox and co-authors research some of the unintended consequences from the Wright Amendment repeal.

Accounting Professor Sorabh Tomar of SMU Cox sets out on his research journey about greenhouse gas emissions disclosures by facilities.

Professor Shane Goodwin examines the agility of SMU Cox School of Business in 2020 as a model of what courageous leadership should entail during trying times.

SMU Cox Professor Sreekumar Bhaskaran explains why startups fail so often — and the skills entrepreneurs need to have to make them succeed.

Crises are inevitable, but collapsing because of them isn’t. Professor David Jacobson discusses how leadership should handle crisis management.

Professor Vishal Ahuja discusses how the benefits of telemedicine can help foster continuity between medical providers and their patients and what its future holds.

We spoke with Bruce Bullock, an expert in the energy industry, about the economic impact coronavirus has made on the oil industry in Texas and around the globe.

Explore how insurers' new products may introduce systemic risks, examining their impact on financial stability and the broader economy.

Discover how economic downturns influence shoppers' store choices, shifting preferences toward value-driven retailers during tough times.

Faculty at SMU Cox explore innovative strategies to reduce high drug development costs, addressing industry challenges with new models and collaborative approaches.

New research by Associate Professor Maribeth Kuenzi and co-authors reveals that leaders' and subordinates' perceptions of ethics and leadership often differ from each other. The employees who experience this disconnect between perception and reality may lash out in negative ways. Managing this difference of viewpoints has important implications for the workplace.

Professor Bhattacharya explores street earnings reportings by public companies, formally known as non-GAAP earnings disclosures.

Professor Miller explores and examine the economic impact of financial protectionism, including its costs and consequences on global trade and investment flows.

Explore the economics behind the valuable commodity of attention, analyzing its impact on marketing, media, and consumer behavior.

Sophisticated investors rely on street earnings signals for better insights and superior returns, revealing key strategies for smarter investing.

Explore the Dean’s legacy in elevating Cox School to prominence, showcasing key achievements and transformative leadership that shaped its success.

Cox School professors drive research excellence, enhancing business practices and policy, and contributing valuable insights to industry and academia.

The government’s retirement savings subsidies benefit the investment industry more than savers, shortchanging taxpayers and compromising retirement security.

Latest research explores how bond mutual funds could help prevent the next liquidity crunch and stabilize markets; read more on the SMU Cox faculty research.

Discover how crowd-driven insights and technology are transforming Wall Street, reshaping investment strategies and market dynamics.

Business analytics and human decision making are inextricably linked. Read more about this research.

Employee engagement is irrefutable crucial to company success. Review the research out of SMU Cox

Uncover the secrets of high-frequency traders and their influence on financial markets in this CoxToday article.

Explore why layoffs often happen in clusters, as outlined in this insightful SMU CoxToday blog post. Understand the factors driving simultaneous job cuts and their implications for businesses and employees alike.

Discover the key players driving modern market shifts and their impact on industry trends in this engaging SMU blog post.