Stock option contracts provide managers with dual incentives, motivating both effort and fraud. We show that although there exists an infinity of stock option contracts that induce a given level of effort, no contract behaviorally dominates another in the sense that it induces relatively greater...

This research explores whether management by family members creates or destroys firm value. We estimate the impact of family pervasiveness in top management (family members as executive officers or board members) on firm value as measured by Tobin's Q. Results indicate that family members acting...

We analyze the choice between a one-tier and a two-tier board structure in a firm with a large shareholder sitting on the board. The board has two tasks: project selection and monitoring the ability of the manager. In a one-tier structure, the sole board performs all tasks. In a two-tier...

In a repeated interaction between a principal and two agents with inter-agents externalities and asymmetric information, we show that optimal decentralization within the organization is limited to the first period and across agents.

We investigate the reasons why universities use different combinations of fees and exams to guide admission decisions, focusing on the role of borrowing constraints on such decisions. On the one hand, we show that public universities choose exams and zero fees under borrowing constraints because...

We investigate the reasons why universities use different combinations of fees and exams to guide admission decisions, focusing on the role of borrowing constraints on such decisions. On the one hand, we show that public universities choose exams and zero fees under borrowing constraints because...

This paper studies an effect of a horizontal merger where a product consolidation by the merged firm may alter the substitutability in the industry. We show that as the number of firms in the industry increases, this type of merger becomes profitable for merging firms, while unprofitable for...

This paper studies the differences in the R&D and innovation behaviour of high-growth firms for 16 EU countries. The results confirm that R&D and innovation are important characteristics for high-growth firms in countries close to the technological frontier, but not for high-growth firms in...

Economists have offered a number of explanations on the introduction of monetary incentives within firms. These range from the classical agency model to the impact exerted by factors such as monitoring technology, influence activity and organizational structure. Numerous empirical contributions...

In this essay I assess the role that is played by the two characteristics of high-tech firms in shaping their corporate strategies: short product cycles and the involvement of intangible assets in production. Short product cycles impose high-tech firms to seek complementary assets for entering...