Research and Publications: Department of Business Economics and Public Policy : Kelley School of Business: Indiana University

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The department is home to the authors of Managerial Economics and Business Strategy and Games and Information: An Introduction to Game Theory, two of the nation’s leading textbooks in the field.

Research and Publications

Journal Articles

Managerial Conservatism and Rational Information Acquisition

1992, Journal of Economics & Management Strategy

Eric Bennett Rasmusen

Abstract

Conservative managerial behavior can be rational and pro t-maximizing. If the valuation of innovations contains white noise and the status quo would be preferred to random innovation, then any innovation that does not appear to be substantially better than the status quo should be rejected. The more successful the rm, the higher the threshold for accepting innovation should be, and the greater the conservative bias. Other things equal, more successful rms will spend less on research, adopt fewer innovations, and be less likely to advance the industry's best practice.

Citation

Rasmusen, Eric Bennett (1992), "Managerial Conservatism and Rational Information Acquisition," Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, Vol. 1, No. 1, Spring, 175-202.