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Mean-Variance Approaches to Risk-Return Relationships in Strategy: Paradox Lost

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  • Timothy W. Ruefli

    (Management Department, CBA 4.202, Graduate School of Business, and IC2 Institute, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712)

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    Abstract

    A growing number of articles in the area of strategic management employ a mean-variance approach to risk-return relationships. Some researchers investigating risk-return relationships in this fashion claim to have found negative associations between the levels of return and risk. The analysis reported here demonstrates that the mean-variance approach to return and risk carries with it the consequence that statements about the relationship are inherently unverifiable in the context of the system being examined. This further implies that results obtained by using mean and variance of return are specific to the data and period examined and are not necessarily generalizable. Additionally, since mean and variance are arithmetically linked, augmenting the system with additional equations will not provide the information necessary to establish the validity or generalizability of statements involving the mean-variance relation. The analytic proofs are supplemented by examples drawn from an empirical study of the U.S. airline industry.

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    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.36.3.368
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    Bibliographic Info

    Article provided by INFORMS in its journal Management Science.

    Volume (Year): 36 (1990)
    Issue (Month): 3 (March)
    Pages: 368-380

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    Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:36:y:1990:i:3:p:368-380

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    Keywords: risk; risk/return relation; strategy;

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    Cited by:
    1. Henkel, Joachim, 2007. "The Risk-Return Paradox for Strategic Management: Disentangling True and Spurious Effects," CEPR Discussion Papers 6538, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Manuel Cano Rodríguez & Manuel Núñez Nickel, 2002. "Is The Risk-Return Paradox Still Alive?," Business Economics Working Papers wb024818, Universidad Carlos III, Departamento de Economía de la Empresa.
    3. Gooding, Richard Z. & Goel, Sanjay & Wiseman, Robert M., 1996. "Fixed versus variable reference points in the risk-return relationship," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 331-350, March.
    4. Deephouse, David L. & Wiseman, Robert M., 2000. "Comparing alternative explanations for accounting risk-return relations," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 463-482, August.
    5. Manuel Núñez Nickel & Manuel Cano Rodríguez, 2002. "Comportamiento Heterocedástico Entre Rentabilidad Y Riesgo," Documentos de Trabajo de Economía de la Empresa db021710, Universidad Carlos III, Departamento de Economía de la Empresa.

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