RESEARCH Business Archives 2008

TOPICS: Business | Economy | Health Care | Labor and Industrial Relations | Law | Marketing

BUSINESS
Airline Mergers: A proposed merger of Delta and Northwest airlines likely won’t drive up the cost of flying, but that could change if the deal sparks a flurry of consolidation among U.S. air carriers, a University of Illinois business professor says. (4/17/08)

Financial analysts: Some Wall Street analysts are hailed as stars, packing enough wallop to send stock prices soaring or tumbling as their earnings forecasts ripple through a growing landscape of financial news outlets. But while some analysts crunch numbers better than others, the gap is small and ultimately doesn’t give investors as much of an edge as Wall Street brokerage firms lead them to believe, according to a new study co-written by three University of Illinois business professors. (4/10/08)

Gambling: Gambling addictions and drunken driving are among life-changing problems that will worsen if Illinois allows casinos to take bets 24 hours a day, a University of Illinois professor who has studied gambling for more than two decades says. (4/3/08)

Franchises: Fast-food restaurants and other chain outlets are less likely to fail when super-sized training programs prepare fledgling owners for the challenges ahead, according to a new study co-written by a University of Illinois business professor. (3/6/08)

Organizational Change: The seeds of workplace change may come from the top, but take root from the bottom up, according to a new study co-written by a University of Illinois business professor. (2/27/08)

The Market: Playing a hunch is as ingrained in financial markets as short selling, margin buying and the opening bell. But a new study by a University of Illinois professor shows that gut feelings don’t necessarily pay off when it comes to deciding the best time to trade. (2/12/08)

Communications: Web surfers may get more than just the music, videos and news updates they were looking for when they log onto trendy next-generation sites such as Last.fm, YouTube and Digg, according to new research by a University of Illinois business professor. (2/7/08)

ECONOMY
Rate Cut: Mounting worries about inflation will weigh on the Federal Reserve Board this week as it mulls a seventh cut in short-term interest rates in the last eight months, a University of Illinois economist says. (4/29/08)

Regulatory Overhaul: The Bush administration’s sweeping plan to overhaul the nation’s financial regulatory system could compound the credit crisis it seeks to cure, two University of Illinois finance professors say. (4/3/08)

Recession forecast: The U.S. economy is sputtering amid a lingering housing slump and growing jitters on Wall Street, but whether a recession lies ahead is still anyone’s guess, a trio of University of Illinois economic experts say. (1/29/08)

HEALTH CARE
Medicaid: The nation’s flawed-but-free Medicaid program discourages most Americans from buying long-term health insurance that could provide better care and spare their life savings, a new study co-written by a University of Illinois professor says. (3/17/08)

LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Arbitration: A hodge-podge of state laws has created legal landmines that are blowing away a disproportionate share of awards handed to employees in arbitration cases against their employers, according to a new University of Illinois study. (5/5/08)

Unions: A tentative deal expected to end a three-month strike by Hollywood writers also would score a rare victory for unions by giving workers a financial stake in new technology, a University of Illinois labor expert says. (2/12/08)

LAW
Online Textbooks: Textbooks have helped turn out job-ready graduates for years, but might not be the best way to connect with a new generation of tech-savvy students who carry laptop computers to class instead of pen and paper, a University of Illinois law professor says. (4/1/08)

Death Penalty: A historic capital punishment case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court could extend a de facto moratorium that has already halted executions for more than five months, a University of Illinois death penalty expert says. (2/26/08)

Steroids: Congress should step in to regulate performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports because players and owners lack incentive to effectively police themselves, former NFL tight end Josh Whitman says. (1/28/08)

MARKETING