A firm that shares a name with its founder earns higher profits
Vanity can be sound business strategy
A GOOD business name can be pricey. An entrepreneur looking for the perfect one can hire a naming agency to offer ideas, but that can cost tens of thousands of dollars. That may explain why many founders follow the example of the current American president and name their businesses after themselves. A recent article* by academics from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University in North Carolina suggests that doing so not only saves money—it can also boost profits.
This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Eponymous heroes”
Finance & economics August 19th 2017
- The North American Free-Trade Agreement renegotiation begins
- The Trump administration is investigating Chinese trade practices
- China modernises its monetary policy
- The Catholic church becomes an impact investor
- Hedge funds try to promote sports betting as an asset class
- A firm that shares a name with its founder earns higher profits
- Why Africa’s development model puzzles economists
From the August 19th 2017 edition
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The great-man theory of Wall Street
Why finance is still dominated by bold individuals
Hong Kong’s property slump may be terminal
Demographics and geopolitics will make a recovery harder
Why everyone wants to lend to weak companies
An unanticipated side-effect of Donald Trump’s election victory
American veterans now receive absurdly generous benefits
An enormous rise in disability payments may complicate debt-reduction efforts
Why Black Friday sales grow more annoying every year
Nobody is to blame. Everyone suffers
Trump wastes no time in reigniting trade wars
Canada and Mexico look likely to suffer