business – 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

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, policyholders…

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…

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…

Jan

21

2025

By Owen Liu

Story Behind a Stock: MicroStrategy (MSTR) — Business Intelligence Meets Bitcoin

All Posts, Features, Industriesbitcoin, business, finance, investing, liu

Vladimir Kazakov via iStockPhoto Introduction MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) is often associated with Bitcoin and is called by some as the next Gamestop for its rise in stock price of approximately 359% this year. However, what exactly does this company do, and why has its stock price soared? This article is part of a series exploring companies whose stocks attract significant market attention, focusing on what they do and the unique strategies that have captured market attention. The goal is not to make investment recommendations but to deliver insights into industries and market trends for Vanderbilt students. MicroStrategy’s Origins and Core…

Jan

20

2025

By Nathan Park

The Rise of the New Kings of Wall Street: How Quant Firms Are Redefining the Financial Landscape and Their Impact on College Students

All Posts, Analysis, Finance and Business Insightbusiness, finance, jobs, park, student jobs

AndreyKrav via iStockPhoto For decades, the financial world was dominated by traditional investment banks like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JP Morgan. These institutions were synonymous with Wall Street success, wielding immense power and influence over the financial markets. However, a significant shift has taken place over the past decade, and a new breed of trading firms—Susquehanna International Group, Jane Street, and Citadel Securities—have quietly usurped the old guard. These firms, known as “quantitative trading firms” or simply “quant firms,” have transformed Wall Street by leveraging cutting-edge technology and data-driven strategies. They dominate the market through high-frequency trading (HFT)—a method…

Jan

08

2025

By Ellie King

Vanderbilt University’s NYC Property

All Posts, Featuresbusiness, king, new york, real estate, vanderbilt

-Albachiaraa- via iStockPhoto Vanderbilt University recently acquired 13 buildings and 150,000 square feet of property in Chelsea, NYC via a 99-year lease with the General Theological Seminary. Chancellor Diermeier announced that this space will be part of an expansion plan across a number of states and countries to expand opportunities for Vanderbilt students, faculty, alumni, and supporters. Another goal of this expansion into NYC is to benefit the city and neighborhood. Making a commitment of this magnitude is exciting and the possible opportunities are almost limitless. Students might be able to use this space to explore new career opportunities, explore…

Dec

16

2024

By Ben Nelson

Investing at Vanderbilt

All Posts, Analysis, Finance and Business Insightbusiness, finance, investing, Nelson, vanderbilt

tadamichi via iStockPhoto The stock market is a staple of American life. Movies like The Big Short or the Wolf of Wall Street have become elements of pop culture, and the Wall Street Journal currently has over 4 million subscribers. This global phenomenon is currently present in many different facets of our lives. In fact, there is an entire sector of jobs that are based on reading and predicting the stock market for other people. All of this is to say that the stock market has become a global phenomenon over the years. Better yet, it provides everyday people like…