Date: 20 November 2025, Thursday
Time:17.30 – 18.30
Place: MA-330
” Reconceptualizing The Nature of Signals: Moving Beyond Signaling Cost”
by
Eric Tsang
University of Texas at Dallas
Abstract
Signaling theory is a well-established theory in organizational research and studies based on the theory have proliferated in recent years. However, the theory is increasingly evolving beyond Spence’s (1973) original focus on costly signals. For example, some studies focus on understanding how costless signals affect organizational outcomes. Despite this recent evolution of signals in some of the emerging signaling literature, there is little conceptual development beyond costly signals, resulting in a mismatch between the theory and its applications. Accordingly, this seminar calls for conceptualizing signaling theory in a way that extends beyond costly signals. It provides a conceptual basis for costless and/or negative signals, while also clarifying the concept of signal fit and potential boundaries of signals. This multidimensional view of signals contributes to the advancement of studies interested in how signals can shape organizational outcomes.
Bio
Eric W. K. Tsang is the Dallas World Salute Distinguished Professor at the Jindal School of Management, University of Texas at Dallas, and is a fellow of the Academy of International Business. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. Before joining academia, he worked as corporate banker at HSBC in Hong Kong. His main research interests include organizational learning, strategic alliances, corporate social responsibility, and philosophical analysis of methodological issues. He has published widely in leading business journals, such as Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management, Marketing Science, MIS Quarterly, and Strategic Management Journal, and is the sole author of two books The Philosophy of Management Research and Explaining Management Phenomena: A Philosophical Treatise.