Alice Bonaime, Associate Professor of Finance

"The Eller Experience means being part of a community that supports each other in our common goal of producing top-notch research and a high-quality educational experience for our students."

 
What brought you to the Eller College in 2015?

Eller’s solid reputation for research and teaching initially attracted me to the University of Arizona. I was also impressed by Eller’s collegial work environment, which encourages collaboration on both research and teaching.

What is your current research, and what most excites you about that area of focus?

My research broadly focuses on empirical corporate finance. One of my current projects examines preset or “Rule 10b5-1” trading plans. Most people familiar with Rule 10b5-1 know that it clarified enforcement of insider trading laws for individuals (such as top company executives). However, the rule also resulted in firms being able to repurchase company stock under the same conditions. My coauthors (Jarrad Harford, University of Washington, and David Moore, University of Kentucky) and I are the first to document and study firms’ widespread use of preset trading plans to repurchase company stock.

What are you currently teaching, and what do you most enjoy about teaching?

I currently teach corporate finance at the undergraduate and graduate levels. I enjoy seeing students make connections between corporate finance theories and how real companies and the stock market behave. It is also rewarding when students come back from job interviews or internships and report directly applying a concept we covered in class.

How do you bring your research into your teaching?

I often incorporate my research in the classroom when discussing corporate events in the news. For example, last year I used GE cutting its dividend as an opportunity to review dividend policy, a research topic in which I’m interested. I was able to extend the conversation beyond one company and talk about how firms in general choose between dividends and share repurchases and how investors react to changes in these types of payouts.

I also integrate my research into the classroom by assigning an extra credit research “scavenger hunt” at the end of the semester. The students conduct online searches in groups to uncover the main findings in several of my research papers. This activity always spawns lots of questions about my research and the research process in general. It’s a fun and light activity to get students thinking about how knowledge is generated.

Beyond research and teaching, what are your passions?

I appreciate the outdoor experience that Tucson offers. I particularly enjoy hiking with my husband and three kids, and last year I rode 106 miles in the Tour de Tucson cycling event with fellow Eller professor Jennifer Savary.

What does the Eller Experience mean to you?

The Eller Experience means being part of a community that supports each other in our common goal of producing top-notch research and a high-quality educational experience for our students.

Learn more about Alice Bonaime on her faculty page.

Photo of Alice Bonaime by Eller College of Management.