Breadcrumb Home O'Boyle research finds employee-owned firms are more profitable Thursday, October 6, 2016 http://www.forbes.com/sites/maryjosephs/2016/09/29/major-study-points-way-to-hi… Research by Tippie College of Business professor Ernest O'Boyle finds that companies with Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) are more profitable than those without.