Want to write for the Vanderbilt Business Review? Fill out this form to get more information on how to join.

With the start of a new school year here at Vanderbilt, we decided to take our readers through our most-read articles last year. Below are the articles that most resonated with VBR readership. If you haven’t had a chance to read them all yet, this is your chance to catch up before a fresh year of content!

5. A Business Perspective on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Relationship: A Merger of Worlds by Brian Zhao

Eva Rinaldi and All-Pro Reels via Flickr

Written just as the relationship between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce was becoming all anyone could talk about, Brian explains how this show-stopping couple was benefitting football, music, and many industries in between.

Snippet: “Kansas City’s Union Station movie theater has also sold over 7,300 tickets to the “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” movie, as reported by Business Insider. Even local Kansas City food shops such as Donutology have adopted a creative edge in terms of marketing campaigns, in which they have received a tremendous surge of business due to the release of their Eras Tour-themed donuts.”

Read the rest here.

4. Vanderbilt Housing Prices: Fair or Unfair? By Ron Ye

Ron Ye Photo

Ron takes a thrilling deep dive into Vanderbilt’s housing costs, helping you understand the price tag in the context of the Nashville housing market and other universities’ prices.

Snippet: “How fair are Vanderbilt’s housing prices? Although this doesn’t seem to be a question asked frequently around campus, it certainly makes a statement when showing up on the bills of many students on campus. … [H]ousing costs range from around $15.20 per square foot per month to $5.40 per square foot per month depending on what room you receive.”

Read the rest here.

3. A Freshman Perspective: September Jobs Report and What It Means for Our Careers by Nathan Park

jacoblund via iStockphoto

Nathan gives us the perspective of a freshman who sees upperclassmen struggling in the jobs market, but also a very positive jobs report. The article is a great resource for anyone looking to ground themselves in this contradictory environment.

Snippet: “The U.S. economy is in a confusing state at the moment and for college students, it’s even more confusing. On the surface, it looks like a great time for anybody to get a job as soon as they graduate high school with the, again, booming increase in job growth; however, multiple articles from WSJ and NY Times, as well as personal testimonials from students have shown the panic college students have been facing as they scramble to find jobs.”

Read the rest here.

2. Is Gentrification Increasing Non-Housing Expenses? The Need for Quantitative Analysis in Nashville by Matthew Moy

Brycia James via iStockphoto

Gentrification is an issue affecting many Nashville residents. Prices are increasing, but we need to know more before considering changes. Matthew calls on academics to empirically analyze why costs have increased and provide some much needed clarity.

Snippet: “In recent years, Nashville, and Tennessee more broadly, have experienced significant migration from other states in America. This has accompanied rising concerns about gentrification, which would price local Nashvillians out of their communities. According to moving information site MoveBuddha, 91.2% of 2022 searches for moves into Tennessee came from states with higher costs of living.”

Read the rest here.

1. New Chinese Style Tea House: A Pathway from Tradition to thePublic? By Anna Song

Anna Song Photo

“New Chinese Style” tea houses have burst onto the Shanghai coffee/tea scene. Anna explores two of these new tea houses and considers whether they have enough appeal to visitors or residents to carve out a permanent market share.

Snippet: “Sitting in KAIJI, I did not sense any difference between this place and a café. I would also say that some Third Wave coffee shops have more stylistic interior designs than KAIJI. While KAIJI promotes its tea, their purpose seems to be attracting young people with a beverage that is rather novel in such a coffee-dominated city.”

Read the rest here.