The Internet has evolved from static web pages to e-commerce — and now to identity play — according to Professor Ulrike Schultze of SMU Cox. Through researching how people use their avatars and operate in Second Life, "one of the richest social media environments," Schultze finds new insights into how our on- and off-line identities are increasingly entangled—and how social media is evolving.

According to evidence from new research by Finance Professors Swaminathan Kalpathy and Amar Gande, U.S. Federal Reserve emergency financial assistance ("bailouts") is higher among firms whose CEOs have stronger risk-taking incentives. In “CEO Compensation at Financial Firms,” the authors disentangle whether the incentives inherent in CEO compensation contributed to the financial crisis.

Banks have played a distinctive role in the financial system. In a forthcoming Journal of Finance paper by Finance Professor Amar Gande and co-author Anthony Saunders, the nature of banks’ special role is analyzed given a burgeoning secondary market for bank debt. The secondary market for loans is now almost as large as the bond market. The secondary loan market even proved resilient during the recent financial crisis, in contrast to the dramatic decline occurred in structured finance products.

In the wake of yet another period of corporate scandals and heightened attention to social responsibility, there is a renewed focus on managing and working for an ethical organization. But firms with ethical climates may actually perform better, bringing tangible and intangible returns to employees, managers, and stakeholders. In new research about creating an ethical organizational environment, Management Professor Maribeth Kuenzi of SMU Cox and co-authors develop a model that can help firms see where they are succeeding or breaking down.

In a new paper about false memories and brand commitment, marketing professor Priyali Rajagopal of SMU Cox and co-author Nicole Montgomery decode how brand commitment influences the consumer’s memories for products. “Remembering the Best of Times or the Worst of Times? The Moderating Role of Brand Commitment on False Product Experience Memories” by Priyali Rajagopal of SMU Cox and co-author Nicole Montgomery.