Brand New Deal: The Branding Effect of Corporate Deal Structures

The concept of branding rarely appears in academic debates about corporate finance and corporate governance. Finance scholars focus their attention on the relationship between the firm; its investors and creditors, who supply financial capital; and its managers, who supply human capital. Contracts are efficient when they properly align incentives; a good contract design is one that allows managers to raise capital cheaply and deploy it effectively. At best, consumers enter the discussion as the emotionless buyers who make up the product markets and serve as a potential indirect check against agency costs.