How do successful scholars get their best research ideas? An exploration

We interview 24 marketing professors to ask how they got the ideas for 64 of their papers. More than three-quarters of the papers were inspired by holes in the literature, by a “stylized fact” that the current literature cannot explain, or by an interaction with a manager. The rest fall into several smaller categories that to a large extent can be seen as special cases of the three big ones. We describe how papers from each of the three big categories help move the literature forward. We also illustrate the range of situations contained in each category by way of several examples. Among the authors we interview, most do not use a single source. As these authors become more senior, managerial contacts play an increasing role, while the balance between literature and stylized facts appears to be unchanged.

     

Land-use changes, forest/soil conditions and carbon sequestration dynamics: A bio-economic model at watershed level in Nepal

A dynamic bio-economic model has been used at watershed level in Nepal to analyze the land-use changes, forest and soil conditions and their resultant impacts on carbon (C) sequestration. Planning horizon of the model extends over a period of 25 years. The objective function is maximization of the sum of discounted net income flows from agriculture, livestock and forestry productions; imputed value of leisure and labour hiring out activities subject to annual constraints on land, labour and capital availability along with the fulfilment of minimum cash and consumption requirements. The seven scenarios analyzed by the model are: business as usual (BAU), reduction in population growth rate from 2 to 1.5% p.a., increased prices of major crops by 10 and 20%, reduction in emigration of active labour force from the watershed from the current rate of 20–15 and 10%, and increase in discount rate from 5 to 10%. The results indicate that reduced labour emigration rates and increase in the prices of major crops lead to expansion of cultivated area and shift from one land use to the others. Land clearing becomes more severe with decline in labour emigration rate. Up to 10% increase in the prices of agricultural crops does not have noticeable effect on total land clearing. Increase in discount rate leads to less land clearing, more biomass harvesting and higher net C sequestration as compared to the BAU scenario. Assuming a C price of 10 USD per MgC and 5% discount rate, the net present value of C sequestration for the first 25 years is estimated at 1.83 mill USD in the BAU scenario, varying from 0.16 mill USD to 2.26 mill USD, as respectively the lowest and highest values for the seven scenarios analysed. A reduction in population growth and maintenance of current rate of off-farm employment are suggested for slowing down the expansion of cultivated land area, and thereby reducing the forest/soil degradation and C emissions. This in turn would enhance the income potential from C sequestration.     

Quelques inégalités sur les fonctions monotones

Abstract

Dans les lignes qui suivent nous allons donner quelques suppléments à la “note sur quelques inégalites et formules d'approximation” de ce journal. 1 En partant de l'inégalité bien connue de Hölder-Jensen sur les fonctions convexes nous allons — à l'aide de la définition de convexité que j'avais introduit dans le mémoir cité — trouver une inégalité ayant une relation étroite avec la formule de moyenne de Weierstrass 2, où f(t) et ? (t) sont deux fonctions continues, la fonction ? (t) étant décroissante lorsque x crîlt de a à b.     

A resource-based view of the firm

The paper explores the usefulness of analysing firms from the resource side rather than from the product side. In analogy to entry barriers and growth-share matrices, the concepts of resource position barrier and resource-product matrices are suggested. These tools are then used to highlight the new strategic options which naturally emerge from the resource perspective.     

Betrachtungen über den effektiven Zinsfuss bei Anleihen

Der Umstand dass der effektive Zinsfuss einer Anleihe, die im Laufe von n Jahren (Terminen) zurückgezahlt werden soll, im Allgemeinen durch eine Gleichung n:ten Grades bestimmt ist, hat bekanntlich zu der Anwendung einer ganzen Reihe von verschiedenen Näherungsmethoden zur Feststellung dieses Zinsfusses geführt. Indessen ist die Litteratur über die Frage eigentlich recht sparsam, und man hat den Eindruck dass vielleicht jeder Finanzmathematiker, der sich mit diesen Fragen effektiv beschäftigt, allmählich sein eigenes Verfahren. ausarbeitet, und dass man sich scheuht die Hülfsmittel — die man in dieser Weise anwendet, und die wohl immer recht einfach oder sogar rein empirisch sind — zu veröffentlichen; und daran tut man vielleicht nicht ganz recht. So kennt der Verfasser dieser Zeilen schon verschiedene solche einfache Methoden oder Hülfsmittel anderer Finanzmathematiker, die nicht veroffentlicht worden sind, und ebenso hat er auch selbst seit vielen Jahren verschiedene andere mehr oder wenig empirische Methoden dieser Art benutzt, von denen unten die eine etwas naher erörtert werden soll.     

Zur Theorie und Praxis der Berechnung des effektiven Zinsfusses bei Anleihen

§ 1. Einleitung.

Die folgende Darstellung des in der Überschrift genannten Problems schliesst sich direkt einem Vortrage des Verfassers im schwedischen Aktuarverein am 2.2. 1939 an, in welchem er schon die Hauptresultate des § 3 mitteilen konnte.     

On the Grouping of Tasks into Firms: Make‐or‐Buy with Interdependent Parts*

We study the division of labor within production systems and look for the optimal grouping of tasks into firms. Using a unique dataset on the global automobile industry, we present evidence consistent with the prediction that pairs of tasks requiring more frequent mutual adaptation are more likely to be performed by the same firm. By taking account of interdependencies between tasks, our econometric approach generalizes standard make‐or‐buy analysis and yields improvements in predictive accuracy.     

The link between resources and type of diversification: Theory and evidence

In this paper we theoretically and empirically investigate the idea that firms diversify in part to utilize productive resources which are surplus to current operations. Knowledge of these resources allows us to make predictions about the direction of a firm's expansion. In particular, we suggest that excess physical resources, most knowledge-based resources, and external financial resources are associated with more related diversification, while internal financial resources are associated with more unrelated diversification.     

Stagflation,new products,and speculation

The paper looks at the macroeconomic implications of some recent developments in the theory of industrial organization. In a Kaleckian model, firms are assumed to invest heavily early in the product life cycle, thus creating effective demand. Conversely, it is assumed that late in the product life cycle firms hoard, waiting for new products in which to invest. Under reasonable conditions, the rates of growth, unemployment, and inflation can be related to the fraction of new products in the economy.