How Scientists Fool Themselves–and How They Can Stop
Andrew King comments on how the widespread use of point-and-click data-analysis software has made it easy for researchers to sift through massive data sets without fully understanding the methods.
Andrew King comments on how the widespread use of point-and-click data-analysis software has made it easy for researchers to sift through massive data sets without fully understanding the methods.
Stephen Pidgeon comments on marketing managers in the media industry who need to develop the art of analytics stating, “Media is more and more about bringing analytics and creativity together and using the analysis to drive decisions.”
Andrew King argues that a majority of the examples cited in support of the theory do not fit the model. “We’ve shown that the theory is not very explanatory, it’s not very predictive, and it can only be narrowly applied.”
Quotes Sydney Finkelstein on the recent appointment of Jack Dorsey as the CEO of Twitter while also the full-time chief executive of mobile-payments firm Square. Finkelstein believes the people in Dorsey's professional inner circle will be crucial to him, perhaps more than they've ever been.
Quotes a recent report on competitiveness in which Matthew Slaughter wrote, "Since 1990, skilled STEM immigrants have … accounted for at least a third of total U.S. productivity growth."
Lebanon-based FreshAir Sensor, cofounded by Jack O’Toole T'14, won $100,000 in funding from AOL founder Steve Case over the weekend at a competition among tech entrepreneurs. Also highlighted in the story is Robert Thelen T'16, co-founder of FliQ.
An opinion piece by Sarah Hotchkiss Ketterer T’87 that challenges the age gap myth while citing The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, and offers factors that are not taken into consideration. Ketterer argues that California Govenor Jerry Brown should look at the unintended consequences before signing the California Fair Pay Act.
Mentions a group of a first-year Tuck students who were given the assignment to analyze the best market opportunities for the company Picaboo, an online application that enables users to design custom paper-bound photo books from digital pictures.
Research by Richard Townsend suggests that face time versus just Skype meetings and conference calls has a significant impact on a startup's success.
Paul Argenti says, "My guess is if they do the right things—try to get on this quickly, put a box around what's going on and limit it so it's not every single product...I would be shocked if they don't come back from this."
John Vogel argues that the EB-5 program is unfair to those families who play by the rules and wait 20 years before they can receive a green card.
Fred McKinney, managing director of minority business programs, calls on politicians to increase the Minority Business Development Agency’s (MBDA) budget from $35 million to $300 million.
Pino Audia writes that deeply ingrained company values, norms, or beliefs can make an organization reluctant to acknowledge societal change.
Dennis Lasko T '08, started the new business Pantry that streamlines the process of home-cooked meals for the single cook, the dual income no-kids couple, or for the parent feeding a family.
Paul Argenti offers his opinion about Volkswagen's efforts to skirt emissions rules for diesel vehicles and the $18 billion fine the company could be facing.
Paul Argenti says, “I do not think she is the worst CEO of all time, and I don’t think that she completely destroyed the company. In fact, I think the company probably ended up in a better place as a result of the strategy she set in motion.”
Tuck ranks 10th on a list of universities ranked by capital raised by companies founded by female MBA alumni.
Paul Argenti comments on the impact of the Volkswagen scandal on the company’s brand. “The communications people are exceptionally good at this company and did a good job.”
Emily Blanchard comments on the $18 billion fine VW may be facing. “The GM fine was the result of a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice. VW faces sanction by a different part of government—the Environmental Protection Agency—in what is effectively a case of fraud.”
Sydney Finkelstein discusses why seemingly smart and capable people act as if make-believe facts were actually true.
Mentions the Tuck Business Bridge Program in an article focused around the short window of time new hires have to prove themselves in the workplace. Bridge is filling a gap left by corporations investing less in the training of young workers than they have in previous decades.
Highlights the three-factor model of Kenneth French and Eugene Fama. According to Dimensional Fund Advisors, of which French and Fama are board members, “No other major stock investment style has come close to small value's 16.2% annualized return from 1935 through 2014.”
Recaps last year’s 32nd MBA Soccer World Cup hosted by Tuck.
Vijay Govindarajan writes about the rise of manufacturing in India. The article concludes, “While there is no single formulaic answer to manufacturing success in India, patience and a trusted local partner or advisor to guide western executives’ efforts are necessary—as well as an understanding of the challenges.”
Quotes Andrew King about recent research he conducted that tests author and Harvard business professor Clayton Christensen's theory of disruptive innovation. King spent two years researching disruption and interviewing experts cited in Christensen's work, and found that only 9 percent of cases used fit Christensen's criteria.
Andrew King and a co-author have written about the influence of Clayton Christensen’s theory of disruptive innovation. They write, “High-level theories can give managers encouragement, but they are no replacement for careful analysis and difficult choices.”
John Vogel questions the need for the EB-5 investor visa program and the way it is being managed.
Alva Taylor comments on innovation in the classroom and the challenges of reforming established philosophies and cultures when trying to implement and pivot with technology. Taylor states, “Managing that evolution requires rethinking longstanding trade-offs between standardization and innovation, efficiency and flexibility, and centralization and decentralization.”
Mathias Machado T'09, associate director in the career development office, is quoted around on-campus hiring not being a good fit for many start-up companies. Machado states, “Most will hire during spring, closer to graduation, or the actual start date of the job opportunity.”
Rod Adner comments on “frenemy” relationships of large companies, in which competing companies work together on mutually profitable endeavors. Adner and co-authors point out that carmakers are already having to decide whether to let software apps developed by "century-old antagonists" into their vehicles.
Jonathan Lewellen looks at five periods of increasing rates from 1983 to the present comparing high book and low book to market stocks (value). “The short answer is that value stocks seem to outperform growth stocks during periods when the federal-funds rate is increasing, mostly because growth stocks do relatively poorly. However, growth stocks have historically performed well in the six months leading up to rate increases."
Sydney Finkelstein comments on the track record of boomerang C.E.O.s and how corporate success depends not just on the insight and leadership of the person at the top but also on factors—changing consumer tastes, demographic shifts, the broader state of the economy—over which the C.E.O. has little control.
Noreen Doyle T'74, who was born in Ireland and has joint US and Irish citizenship, will become the first non-briton and first woman to chair the British Banker's Association in its 96-year history when she replaces Sir Nigel Wicks on October 17.
Poets and Quants says Marshall Goldsmith's latest book, Triggers, offers solid advice and strategies to overcome the triggers in our environment and achieve strong abilities of willpower, focus, and self-discipline. Goldsmith says, “Triggers is really extra-personal—or about the outside environment. It’s a book about not only, ‘How do I create the world?’ but, ‘How does the world around me create me?'”
Paul Argenti and a co-author write, "A corporate brand can actually drive business decisions that keep a company on track with its strategic objectives. It creates expectation in the minds of consumers. Meeting those expectations creates the image in consumers’ minds that the company desires."
Stephen Pidgeon T'07 was quoted on the growth and M&A activity from PwC and Deloitte. “For us, the demand has come through the smaller and more ‘premium’ companies they have acquired, which have traditionally been strong recruiters of MBAs.”