Research, teaching and impact on business
Balasubramanian spends much of his time building models that capture how firms compete in the marketplace. His recent research examines how firms can design managerial incentives to maximize profits in competitive environments.
He also focuses on how businesses can grow through innovation:
- Specifically, he studies how product and service companies can systematically apply tools to discover opportunities for innovation and growth
- He shows managers how to use these tools to boost their firms' performance
Online investing is another main line of his research.
Working with online investing firms, he and his team examined how economic, social and psychological factors influenced online investor behavior.
"I frequently teach directly out of my research in class," he says.
For example, he bases a key lecture on service innovation on an article that he co-wrote for Sloan Management Review
What UNC students are like
Balasubramanian thinks that UNC students are "eager to learn and succeed."
He says that they enter the school "with open minds and open hearts. They carry little baggage in term of ego."
As a result, he says, graduates "turn out to be not just well-trained business professionals, but also realistic and balanced individuals. They know how to work well within the organization."
Something personal
In his spare time, he enjoys classic movies, travel, golf and reading.