Coronavirus

The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a reckoning by the workforce dubbed the “Great Resignation.” A Darden expert considers how companies can respond when it comes to retaining talent, how employees can negotiate the best deal for a job that aligns with their priorities and how to strategize through a “COVID epiphany.”

With the world on the brink of pandemic, a business was asked to make masks. How should it balance an ethical imperative against the risks of entering a new market? And what direction should it take when the crisis receded? Public-private partnerships can combine the strengths of diverse entities, driving rich, broadly beneficial results.

Lean principles have helped successful companies optimize operations and eliminate inefficiencies. Used as a tool, the methodology can create significant value for multiple stakeholders, including consumers. But the COVID-19 pandemic brought into stark relief the vulnerability of food supply chains in major shocks.

What kinds of political and social institutions matter in confronting disaster—and how do they affect a country’s response? Darden Professor Gaurav Chiplunkar examined how nations addressed the COVID-19 pandemic, measuring variables like democracy, freedom of press and trust in government.

Some economists urge countries to embrace government borrowing — but can too much debt prove a problem in a crisis? Yes, determines new research. The COVID-19 pandemic has had vastly different economic impact on governments that are fiscally constrained as opposed to those that are fiscally robust. Professor Tomio discusses the details of his study

To buffer the effects of the pandemic on the economy, the U.S. Congress has enacted a number of bipartisan COVID-19 related bills, including the CARES Act, which got a few things wrong. Darden Professor Anton Korinek shares insights on how to improve targeting and overall effectiveness of federal aid during large-scale crises.

Conventional wisdom is that active-fund managers are paid to be contrarians; they take risks and go against trends. But new research shows that sometimes they’re the herd: In the bear market of February and March 2020, institutional investors amplified price crashes and volatility by fire-selling, and they focused on cash rather than ESG metrics.

One pressing concern for pharmaceutical companies is how to effectively allocate scarce resources across projects in R&D pipelines. Professor Panos Markou shares insights on how competitors’ investments in drugs that treat the same disorder may reveal potentially useful information, which senior executives can use to improve chances of success.

Darden Professor Anthony Palomba is an expert in media management, an interdisciplinary academic discipline that examines how audiences consume media and entertainment products and services, as well as how entertainment companies compete amid shifting consumer preferences. He recently answered five questions on the rapidly shifting media landscape.

It’s a pivotal moment for the U.S. and global economies, and the U.S. Federal Reserve holds a key position of influence. Professor Frank Warnock, a former Fed economist and current research adviser with the Fed, discusses the tools available and possible next steps for the Fed as the Biden administration steps in.