Title: Understanding Investor Impatience for Financial Returns and Social Outcomes
Speaker: Dónal Crilly, London Business School
Host: Shuping Li, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
When: 20:00-21:15, August 28, 2024 (China Time, UTC+8) 
Language: English
Where: Zoom
Register link: https://www.xcdsystem.com/iacmr/forms/index.cfm?ID=UUXYcp4

Abstract

While previous literature treats short-termism as a uniform concept, we challenge that assumption and demonstrate how investors exhibit different levels of patience for financial versus social returns. Through three studies—a within-subject experiment, an analysis of crowdfunding data, and a policy-capturing study—we reveal that investors are more patient with long-term social goals than with financial ones, particularly when social returns are framed in non-monetary terms. The findings contribute to the literature on corporate short-termism and dual-objective organizations, suggesting that social entrepreneurs should communicate distinct timeframes for financial and social goals to attract investment and balance trade-offs between financial sustainability and social impact.

Dónal Crilly is Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the London Business School. He holds a PhD in strategy from INSEAD and a PhD in linguistics from University College London. His research centers on the strategic and societal challenges facing organizations that operate across national borders with an emphasis on how leaders i) make sense of the future and ii) balance pressures for short-term returns and long-term performance. Prior to entering academia, he worked in telecommunications in Europe and Asia.