John Graham, Professor of Finance at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, joins Margaret McKeehan, Brattle Senior Associate, to delve into the intersection of academic theory and real-world practice in corporate finance.

John and Margaret explore some key findings from John’s research over the years, including his novel calculation of firm-specific tax rates that has enabled more precise research across corporate finance topics. They also discuss some of the results of John’s research on the impact of tax policies on corporate finance decisions made by firms.

Also covered in the episode: the origins and evolution of the Duke/Federal Reserve CFO Survey, which John has directed for nearly 30 years, to bridge the gap between academia and the business world; recent survey insights on AI and automation in corporate planning; and the need to increase the alignment of academic research with practical finance.

Learn more about The Brattle Group Prize in Corporate Finance and the prize-winning papers here.

The opinions expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or its clients. This podcast is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.