Scholarly Impact

Purposeful research is a key initiative for the Hankamer School of Business. There are diverse streams of high-quality research flowing from the Business School, providing thought leadership and true impact in various fields. A few recent examples are below.

Welcome to Parenthood!? An Examination of the Far-Reaching Effects of Perceived Adoption Stigma in the Workplace

Kaylee Hackney, Matthew Quade, Dawn Carlson

Published in Human Relations, this study investigates the perceived stigma surrounding the adoption process for adoptive parents in the workplace. From a sample of 501 couples that adopted a child, the research team found that work-family conflict arises when an employee perceives adoption stigma, affecting a variety of work and family concerns. Job satisfaction is greatly impacted by the perceived stigma and can lead to workplace depression. The team also identified that the conflict causes spillover and crossover effects on the family—with both the employee and their spouse experiencing family satisfaction concerns, parent-child bonding issues and depression. 

Can Blockchain Technology Help Overcome Contractual Incompleteness? Evidence 
from State Laws

Sophia Hu, Qinxi Wu

The research team in this study examined how blockchain technology could be utilized to alleviate contractual incompleteness—a real-world problem that often leads to suboptimal investments and loss of value in supply-chain relationships. The article, published in Management Science, experiments with the staggered adoption of pro-blockchain state laws for in-state business and commerce, finding firms that adopt these laws see a more distinct shift toward blockchain-related innovation and are more likely to add customers outside of their geographical proximity. These aspects suggest blockchain technology can have a positive impact on constraints and inefficiencies resulting from contractual incompleteness. 

Model Comparison with Transaction Costs

Andrew Detzel

Published in The Journal of Finance, this research compares several asset pricing models when factoring transaction costs. The research team looked at models that ignore transaction costs—such as the Hou, Xue, and Zhang q-factor model and the Barillas and Shanken six-factor model—and models that account for these costs—such as the Fama and French five-factor model. The team found that accounting for this factor changes the outcome of model comparison exercises. While transaction costs result in less frequent rebalancing, models that factor for them tend to outperform the alternative models. 

Upgrading Adaptation: How Digital Transformation Promotes Organizational Resilience

Sean Dwyer, Hope Koch

This study, published in Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, observes how digital transformation and resilience-seeking processes overlap. Within the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic, the team analyzed how crisis management plans from 72 essential businesses adapted to meet the needs of the respective firms. They found that digital capabilities helped far beyond what was anticipated and helped accelerate digital transformation within the businesses. The researchers also discussed the role of strategic leaders in adopting new technologies—finding that leaders play a crucial role in developing ways to use new and legacy technologies to advance the organization.