Earlier this week, a post touched on the murky world of fake reviews. A pivotal 2021 study in SIGecom Exchanges by He et al. delved into this labyrinth on the behemoth platform, Amazon. The dance between third-party sellers, consumers, and the platform itself is somewhat like a strategic ballet, with each trying to outmaneuver the other for a sliver of extra margin. It’s an intricate competitive ecosystem where strategy meets survival. ...

What a surprisingly awesome Sunday afternoon! Professor Hubert Pun from Ivey Business School graced SUFE with his presence and insights, discussing his research: “Counterfeiting and Traceability in Secondary Markets.” Certificates of the authenticity of luxury goods aren’t necessarily real, especially on the secondary market. Counterfeiters are adept at creating fakes that are often sold at prices comparable to genuine products. And even, sometimes people knowingly buy fake items, like knock-off LV bags, just for the logo. ...

In a city like Shanghai where affluence and ennui often walk hand in hand, it is never in lack of crazily rich yet bored people seeking an emotional sanctuary to spare time and spend money.

Here’s a list of to-read papers, books, and blogs. I’ll be updating you on my thoughts and insights both during and after I finish each one. And before finishing at least half of the list, I promise not to be wasting any time on Instagram or any e-commerce shopping platform. On Search Costs and Platforms A fascinating collection of papers intersecting econ and CS. Ngwe et al. 2019, “The Impact of Increasing Search Frictions on Online Shopping Behavior: Evidence from a Field Experiment”. ...

Last night was an eye-opener in more ways than one. I went to a small talk show with a friend. Picture this: a simple setup, just 200 people in the audience, watching comedians who balance their humor with day jobs. It promised to be a low-key yet entertaining evening. Also, something piqued my interest as an economics enthusiast. The host announced they were giving away free souvenirs – a glass cup or a bag – but with a twist. To claim these, audience members had to post a positive review on DianPing, complete with photos and a minimum character count. It was a straightforward transaction: our positive feedback for their free merchandise. ...

deadline-driven assignment management under irrationality and uncertainty

Today, I had the opportunity to meet with the professor guiding my research in economics. Our work integrates the interdisciplinary fields of game theory and elements of computer science. The current research problem that we’re focusing on, is outlined as follows: Consider a market with two firms (denoted as $i = 1, 2$), each selling an identical product to unit-demand consumer. These firms set their respective prices, $p_1$ and $p_2$, which are transparent to the consumers. ...

another golden quote of the conversation series.

In the labyrinth of academia, where jargon is the king and complexity its crown jewel, I’ve often found myself knee-deep in the weeds of technical details. So when I am in regular meetings with my advisor to talk about papers, it’s often the case that I got trapped into trying to explain all the maths. It’s a dance of numbers and theories, but the elegance of complexity often overshadows the audience - that my advisor often has to interrupt me and shift the topic back to the general background and insight of the researches. ...

As I walked into the grandiose setting of our school’s annual board meeting, a thought struck me - meetings are a peculiar trade-off. We exchange our precious time, hoping to gain something intangible yet potentially valuable. This meeting, with its ceremonial grandeur, was a perfect example to reflect on this paradox. Our school had transformed the largest meeting room into a spectacle. A massive circular table dominated the center, surrounded by a hundred student volunteers, including myself. It resembled less of a meeting and more of a performance, a ceremonial act where real discussions were replaced by pre-decided scripts and roles. ...