Brett Hollenbeck

Biography

Brett Hollenbeck researches the changing role of firm strategy in an era of growing consumer information. His work is characterized by cutting-edge use of modeling and statistical tools for studying and simulating industry dynamics. His main innovation is incorporating uncertainty and information into these types of models.

He has used these tools to study economies of scale in the hotel industry, optimal antitrust policies and the relationship between industry concentration and innovation. As online reputation mechanisms grow in use and importance, Hollenbeck has shown that the value of branding in the hotel industry has fallen substantially. “The conventional explanation for the success of chain firms is that they are more efficient, taking advantage of economies of scale,” he says. “An alternative explanation is that chain firms gain market power from their brand reputation and low consumer information, but this is changing rapidly.”

Before pursuing his Ph.D. in economics at the University of Texas at Austin, Hollenbeck worked as an economist in the Office of Tax Policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and under a fellowship at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He teaches Customer Assessment and Analytics at Anderson, equipping his MBA students with quantitative tools to measure customer preferences and market segments.

Originally from Missouri, Hollenbeck is a film buff (foreign and Western), an avid traveler and a big supporter of Texas Longhorns football.

Publication

"The Economic Advantages of Chain Organization" Forthcoming at The RAND Journal of Economics