economy – 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 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

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

02

2025

By Anna Song

The Rise of the Coffee Futures Price: What Happened?

All Posts, Analysis, Industriescoffee, economy, finance, global, song

Photo taken by Anna Song In the past month, the coffee C Price has experienced a dramatic increase from over $2/lb to over $3/lb. The current C price of over $3/lb has reached a historical high over the past 13 years. What is the C Price and what happened with this dramatic increase? The C Price and Its History Coffee is a global commodity and is the most traded good in the world. Brazil has been one of the largest producing countries of coffee and Vietnam’s exports have also been rising since the late 20th century. Some other main producing…

Jan

21

2025

By Nicolette Tolitano

Luxury Brands Race to Nashville

All Posts, Features, Industrieseconomy, fashion, nashville, retail, tolitano

helloabc via iStockPhoto Nashville is one of the fastest growing cities in the country—a status that offers countless market opportunities for luxury brands. With rising tourism and a growing real-estate market, companies such as Hermès and Dolce & Gabbana have identified it as an ideal avenue to achieving higher sales. While luxury brands reap many benefits when they touch down in Nashville, there are also challenges and potential downsides for local businesses. Today, we’ll examine both. The Rise of High-End Retail Recently, luxury retail activity in Nashville has been rampant. In mid September of 2024, TAG Heuer landed a shop…

Jan

08

2025

By Owen Liu

Four Generations, One Workforce: How Gen Z’s Values Shape Career Paths

All Posts, Analysis, Finance and Business Insighteconomy, jobs, liu, vanderbilt, work

Image generated using Midjourney AI Today’s labor force spans four unique generations, creating challenges for companies to address the varied needs of employees, from retirement benefits to cultural values. Where does our generation of college students fit into this landscape? What priorities guide us when job hunting? How do we choose between a large corporation and a small startup? This article explores the current workforce dynamics, with projections extending into 2030. What does it mean to have four generations in the workforce? According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Millennials (born between the 1980s and late 1990s) and Gen X…

Nov

18

2024

By Mark Ciampa

Research at Vanderbilt: The Money behind the Innovation

All Posts, Featuresciampa, college, economy, research, vanderbilt

Totojang via iStockPhoto At Vanderbilt, students are constantly surrounded by the effects of research funding. From posters advertising new breakthroughs, emails detailing newsworthy projects, or even the paragraph-long official titles of professors. The research ecosystem of elite universities like Vanderbilt is constantly publicized. At innovative universities like Vanderbilt, research is a business. With national academic research expenditures totaling more than $75 billion, universities race to obtain maximum funding from as many sources as possible. Research success at universities attracts both students and faculty. Research experience is a critical component of many graduate applications, such as those for medical school and…