2025 – Vanderbilt Business Review

Mar

28

2025

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By Aaron Cooper

Information Asymmetry in Mergers & Acquisitions: More Than Just Numbers

All Posts, Analysis, Finance and Business Insightbusiness, cooper, economy, finance, m&a

Feodora Chiosea via iStockPhoto In mergers and acquisitions (M&A), it’s easy to assume that information asymmetry is only about what’s in the financial statements, but it often spills over into areas like company culture, operations, and even employee motivation. For example, a startup might hide a serious research and development problem that’s about to derail its next product launch. A larger, more established company might downplay pending regulatory troubles that could lead to big fines. All these hidden realities can affect the price a buyer is willing to pay and the terms they insist on when closing the deal. Because…

Mar

24

2025

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By Jake Seo

Rise of Nashville: Double-Edged Sword of Success

All Posts, Opinioneconomy, nashville, seo

Image generated in Midjourney AI Nashville, the capital city of Tennessee and home to Vanderbilt University, has gone through remarkable transformation in recent years, but is it all a good thing? As the 21st biggest city in the US (ranked by population size), Music City has experienced considerable economic and demographic growth that have attracted an increasing number of residents, corporations, local businesses and promising career opportunities as industries from healthcare and technology to music and entertainment thrive. With cranes over the horizon and massive skyscrapers that pierce into the sky, the landscape of Nashville has undergone significant change in…

Mar

23

2025

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By Madison Keezer

Ghost Jobs: The Haunting Reality of Fake Job Postings

All Posts, Analysiseconomy, internship, jobs, keezer

Cecilie_Arcurs via iStockPhoto Do you ever feel like the job market is so scary it’s supernatural? You’re not alone. So-called “ghost jobs” are on the rise. These positions, which companies have no intention of actually filling, are discouraging and frustrating to applicants. Understanding what ghost jobs are and how to spot them can help make your job search more efficient. Ghost jobs are commonly found on public job boards like Greenhouse and LinkedIn. These postings seem to remain there for an extended period of time without ever getting filled. Greenhouse CEO Jon Stross tells the Wall Street Journal that “it’s…

Mar

02

2025

By Mark Ciampa

Using Vanderbilt’s Student Health Insurance Plan to Unpack the Business of Health Insurance

All Posts, Analysis, Industriesbusiness, ciampa, finance

peterspiro via iStockPhoto Introduction Vanderbilt University requires its students to maintain health insurance coverage throughout their education. Students can enroll in Vanderbilt’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) if they do not have personal health insurance or if they prefer the SHIP to their current insurance. The healthcare industry is notoriously complicated, containing a web of insurers, providers, hospital networks, drug manufacturers, and pharmacies to administer all aspects of patient care. Using Vanderbilt’s SHIP as an example, this article will guide students through the structure of health insurance and the entities influencing it. Fees and Benefits To maintain health insurance,…

Mar

02

2025

By Madison Keezer

Return to Office: How it’s Reshaping Work, Wallets, and the Economy

All Posts, Analysisbusiness, economy, jobs, keezer

ferrantraite via iStockPhoto During the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the workforce became accustomed to working from home. Gone were the days of standstill traffic during rush hour commute. Sweatpants during Zoom calls were here to stay. However, recent trends have indicated that the switch to working from home wasn’t the permanent cultural shift some believed it to be. Most recently, JPMorgan issued a return-to-office mandate for all 317,000 employees, generating backlash from employees. The deadline for Amazon employees to return to their desks hit on January 2, after CEO Andy Jassy announced the mandate in September 2024. It’s not just…

Mar

01

2025

By Sabrina Liang and Yiling Dai

Price of Authenticity: Problems Faced by Meet Noodles

All Posts, Featuresdai, food, interview, liang, nashville

Photo taken by Sabrina Liang As international students from China, we frequently get questions about Chinese culture. One of the most common questions is “Are Chinese restaurants here authentic?” The answer is usually a big shake of the head. American-style Chinese food is (I hate to admit but) great as an independent cuisine. If you are looking for authentic Chinese food, especially from the mid-South, inland region of China, there’s a restaurant called Meet Noodles (面对面) near campus that you should check out. There’s also more to it than its food - in November, after a deep conversation with one…

Feb

24

2025

By Owen Liu

Instant Noodles: A Simple Meal, and An Interesting Economic Indicator

All Posts, Opinioneconomy, liu, living

Image generated in Midjourney AI When you think about instant noodles, does that image of a steaming bowl of thin, wavy noodles lifted by a pair of wooden chopsticks or a fork convert into changes in the economy? Beyond their role as a quick meal, these unassuming packets of noodles can serve as an economic indicator, offering a snapshot of broader economic trends. What does a budget-friendly meal reveal about global economies? This article delves into the economics of instant noodles, exploring industry trends, consumption patterns, and what their rising demand signals about financial stability. Instant Noodles as an Economic…

Feb

17

2025

By Brenna Tucker

The Most Popular Careers for Vanderbilt Graduates and Why

All Posts, Analysis, Industriesbusiness, consulting, jobs, tucker, vanderbilt

Rudzhan Nagiev via iStockPhoto Many colleges have a pre-professional track they are known for that students often consider when applying. At a school like Vanderbilt, students are obviously driven, motivated, and intelligent people, but what is it exactly that these students are driven towards? What careers are Vandy grads drawn to and which industries are looking for them? As someone who wanted to keep as many options as possible open after college, this wasn't a huge factor in my personal decision process. However, after arriving on campus and listening to the various internships, future plans, and job prospects students were…

Feb

16

2025

By Ellie King

Blackstar and The Benefits of Vanderbilt Student-Run Businesses

All Posts, Featuresbusiness, entrepreneurship, jobs, king, vanderbilt

anyaberkut via iStockPhoto Students' ability to get hands-on experience in a business can be extremely helpful in developing real-world skills. Through student-run businesses, students take the initiative to get experiences which can help them grow and develop in numerous ways. By running a business, students get exposure to challenges they may face in future work situations, they may use the experience to test out their career interests, and finally these experiences can be used to differentiate students from other future job applicants by showing genuine initiative and entrepreneurialism. Rather than just learning in a classroom, students are gaining invaluable career…