To explain the success of different distribution strategies in the life insurance industry, we analyze the performance of single- and multi-channel distribution firms in the German life insurance industry. We estimate cost and profit efficiency for three groups of life insurers: multi-channel...

A vast literature has emphasized that small banks are at a comparative advantage in small business lending. In this paper, we show that apart from size, which is negatively correlated with bank specialization in small business lending, organizational characteristics affect bank loan portfolio...

Organizations are betting on the social responsibility of organizations as a source for future sustainability. There is concern about how business resources are managed and how they will be managed in the future, especially in times of crisis. Giving strategic value to social responsibility is...

Measurement plays a vital role in the creation of markets, one that hinges on efficiencies gained via the universal availability of precise and accurate information on product quantity and quality. Fulfilling the potential of these ideals requires close attention to measurement and the role of...

Contract stipulations tend to be subject to commodity standards. Standards make it clearer what transactors have agreed upon. They also bring stipulations from different contracts under a common denominator. The lower the cost of measuring an attribute and the wider the range of its application,...

Using a unique dataset based on the Bank of Italy's organizational survey, we find that – after having controlled for bank size – loan officers' authority has a key role in explaining bank specialization in small business lending. In particular, banks that delegate more decision-making power...

Using a sample of long-term supply contracts collected from SEC filings, I show that hold-up concerns and information asymmetry are important determinants of contract design. Asymmetric information between buyers and suppliers leads to shorter term contracts. However, when longer duration...

In antitrust practice, it is often argued that independent distributors of goods have an incentive to undersupply brand-specific promotional services compared to a vertically integrated supplier. This paper outlines the conditions under which this claim is correct. Independent distributors have...

Directors of corporations governed by a single board (i) Have excessive and unethical powers to become quot;Sources of riskquot; and (ii) Lack processes to systematically obtain information independently of management on the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) of either their...

Directors of corporations governed by a single board are exposed to (i) reputational risk with personal liability from possessing absolute power to manage their own conflicts of interest and (ii) absence of power to systematically obtain information independently of management on the Strengths,...