Selected Publications
Interdependence between online peer-to-peer lending and cryptocurrency markets and its effects on financial inclusion
( Chung, Sunghun | Kim, Keongtae | Lee, Chul Ho | Oh, Wonseok )PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENTforthcoming
Abstract
Online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending has emerged as an innovative financial technology (FinTech) platform that renders financial services that are potentially more inclusive and affordable than those offered by traditional financial institutions. A similar purpose is served by cryptocurrency markets, where transaction costs are reduced and financial accessibility is improved based on disruptive technologies such as blockchain and distributed ledgers. Despite these developments, however, in the operations management literature limited attention has been devoted to the contribution of online P2P lending to the promotion of financial inclusion (i.e., the availability and usage of financial services for all groups of people) and its dynamic interplay with cryptocurrency markets. The rise of cryptocurrency markets affects the composition and activity of borrowers and investors in P2P lending markets and hence the capacity of the latter to support financial inclusion, leading to an operations management challenge in online P2P lending. We examine how cryptocurrency markets influence P2P lending markets' democratization of access to financial services, particularly P2P borrowing. To investigate these effects in depth, we develop a simple theoretical model to derive testable propositions, which are then empirically validated on the basis of unique data sets. We find that the growth in cryptocurrency markets is associated with increased loan requests and larger loan amounts in P2P markets, especially from borrowers who maintain good credit ratings, possess technical knowledge about cryptocurrencies, and intend to borrow for investment purposes. Our results suggest that cryptocurrency markets bring economic gains to the P2P lending market, at least in the short term. Nonetheless, the transfer of funds from P2P lending to cryptocurrency markets, particularly by highly creditworthy and tech-savvy investors, may provoke increased inequality in access to P2P lending markets. By scrutinizing the interdependence between two representative FinTech markets we uncover important operations management implications for theory and practice regarding the healthy growth and effective governance of crowdfunding platforms and the corresponding sustainability of their role in upholding financial inclusion.
The Role of Advertising in High-Tech Medical Procedures: Evidence from Robotic Surgeries
( Yoon, Tae Jung | Kim, TI Tongil )JOURNAL OF MARKETINGforthcoming
Abstract
Hospital advertising has grown more than five-fold in the last two decades. However, hospital advertising has been understudied, unlike detailing and advertising for prescription drugs. This study introduces a customer-centric view to this market by investigating the role of advertising in patients’ choice of high-tech medical procedures, with a focus on robotic surgery. The authors analyze approximately 140,000 individual patient records and television advertising data from Florida during 2011-2015 to investigate how hospital advertising of robotic surgery affects patients’ choice of robotic surgery over more conventional laparoscopic and open surgeries. Using a variation of a Designated Market Area border identification strategy, the authors find that this advertising leads to more robotic surgery choices. The advertising effect is especially strong for Medicaid patients, whose socioeconomic status tends to be lower. While robotic surgery is associated with a shortterm health benefit (i.e., reduced length-of-stay), it does not affect long-term health benefits and comes at a higher cost than other forms of surgery. Thus, understanding the effect of advertising robotic surgery has significant health, cost, and marketing implications for different stakeholders in the healthcare industry, such as patients, healthcare providers, surgical robot manufacturers, insurance providers, and policymakers.
A Model of Product Portfolio Design: Guiding Consumer Search through Brand Positioning
( KE, T. Tony | KE, T. Tony | YU, Jungju )MARKETING SCIENCEforthcoming
Abstract
Beyond real functional differences, brand positioning can have profound effects on the purchase decisions of consumers. Using a product-portfolio and consumer search framework, we provide a micro-foundation for why and how brand positioning can deliver credible information to consumers. Consumers form their perceptions of a brand from various interactions with all products under the same brand. We conceptualize brand positioning as the average location of a brand's products on a Hotelling-line. When consumers conduct their search for product matches, they are guided by how brands are positioned in the market. We show that niche brands naturally convey more information than mainstream brands. A firm with a mainstream brand has incentives to opportunistically dilute its brand by offering a wide range of products. A niche brand may arise as an equilibrium even in a monopolistic market because it serves as a commitment device for no dilution.
Ask for Reviews at The Right Time: Evidence from Two Field Experiments
( Jung, Miyeon | Ryu, Sunghan | Han, Sang Pil | Cho, Daegon )JOURNAL OF MARKETINGforthcoming
Abstract
This study examines how the timing of review reminders affects the likelihood and quality of product review postings. The authors postulate that review reminders have two distinct effects, depending on the delivery timing. On the one hand, reminders of review posting given immediately or shortly after a product experience may threaten a consumer's freedom and prompt an adverse reaction. On the other hand, as time after the product experience passes, it may be advantageous to revive memories of review posting using delayed review reminders. To evaluate the effect of review reminders, they conducted two randomized field experiments. The findings show that immediate reminders reduce the chance of review postings relative to a randomized immediate control group who did not receive a reminder, consistent with the notion that the reactance induced by the violation of freedom due to instant review reminders outweighs the benefit of memory recall. Conversely, delayed reminders significantly increase the likelihood of review posting compared to a randomized delayed control, suggesting that the memory recall benefit surpasses reactance. However, the timing of review reminders has little effect on review content. The study contributes to the literature on the temporal effects of marketing activities and provides practical advice for online marketplaces to collect more product reviews.
Positive Demand Spillover of Popular App Adoption: Implications for Platform Owners' Management of Complements
( Lee, Mi Hyun | Han, Sang Pil | Park, Sungho | Oh, Wonseok )INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCHforthcoming
Abstract
As platform owners interact with end users and complementors, their demand side characteristics and performance affect the overall value creation of ecosystems. This research investigated how the emergence of popular complements on a mobile communication platform impacts the usage of other complementary products by the platform's end users and how platform owners can benefit from such demand spillovers. We identified two different forms of demand spillovers (i.e., backward and forward) and conceptualized how each subsequently affects platform expansion. On the basis of individual user-level app usage data, we empirically demonstrated how the presence of a popular app alters the demand structure of a platform through changes in the usage of other apps operating within it. The findings reveal that popular app adoption by users increases the number of apps used and the duration of app usage, excluding the usage of popular apps, only within the platform offering a popular app. These results support the existence of positive spillovers from popular complement adoption on a platform. Such positive within-platform spillovers are derived from both backward spillovers onto existing apps adopted before popular app adoption and forward spillovers onto new apps to be adopted after the uptake of favored apps. These patterns suggest that positive spillovers of popular app adoption occur through both the increased retrieval of existing apps and reduced uncertainty about newly released apps. Furthermore, forward spillover is considerably stronger than backward spillover, implying that platform owners can reap benefits by coordinating the launch of new complements and the promotion of less-known counterparts to end users with the emergence of a popular app. These results shed light on how platform owners can manage their complements and create value beyond direct contributions from popular complements.
