More than just ‘we’re sorry’ – how companies can make apologies we will actually believe
By: Park Thaichon, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Southern Queensland and Sara Quach, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Griffith University When a company makes a mistake – such as a marketing misstep or a product failure that leads to a recall – a good apology can make a big difference in how we as customers feel about […]
Hurricane Helene power outages leave millions in the dark – history shows poorer areas often wait longest for electricity to be restored
By: Chuanyi Ji, Associate Professor of Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Scott C. Ganz, Associate Teaching Professor of Business and Economics, Georgetown University Hurricane Helene cut power to more than 4 million homes and businesses as it moved across the Southeast after hitting Florida’s Big Bend region as a powerful Category 4 storm on Sept. 26, 2024. As Helene’s rains […]
Why restaurant self-service kiosks can actually result in customers ordering less food
By: Lu Lu, Associate Professor of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Temple University and Wangoo Lee, Assistant Professor, Hong Kong Polytechnic University When restaurant customers order from a self-service kiosk while a line forms behind them, they feel rushed, prompting them to buy less and stick to familiar items instead of browsing for something new, […]
Goodwill created a new high school for dropouts − it led to better jobs and higher wages
By: Patrick Turner, Associate Research Professor of Economics, University of Notre Dame When Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana realized most of the clients in its job-training program lacked a high school diploma, it set out to address the issue. In 2010, with the help of per-pupil funding from the state, the nonprofit opened The Excel […]
What are halal mortgages?
By: Shariq Siddiqui, Assistant Professor & Director of the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative, Indiana University The growth of “halal mortgages” over the past 20 years has expanded financial access to homeownership for many Muslims. Halal mortgages provide interest-free loans in keeping with Islamic beliefs. These mortgages are available in over 80 countries that have a significant Muslim […]
Understanding the backlash against corporate DEI — and how to move forward
By: Camellia Bryan, Assistant Professor, Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources Division, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia and Brent John Lyons, York Research Chair in Stigmatization & Social Identity, Associate Professor of Organization Studies, York University, Canada United States President Donald Trump recently issued an executive order to end federal diversity, equity and inclusion […]
Funding public schools based on enrollment in the previous year may help keep their budgets more stable, research shows
By: Angie Nga Le, Postdoctoral Associate in Public Policy and Public Finance, Rutgers University and Phuong Nguyen-Hoang, Professor of Public Finance, University of Iowa Funding for public K-12 schools in the U.S. is based on enrollment. More students mean more money. In 31 states, public schools use the previous year’s enrollment numbers to determine the current year’s […]
Gender balance in computer science and engineering is improving at elite universities but getting worse elsewhere
By: Joseph Cimpian, Professor of Economics and Education Policy, New York University The share of computer science and engineering degrees going to women has increased at the most selective American universities over the past 20 years and is approaching gender parity, while the proportion has declined at less selective schools. Those are the main findings of a […]
How ‘dupes’, fast fashion and China’s economic slowdown spell disaster for the luxury sector
By: Teresa Sádaba, Dean at ISEM Fashion Business School, Universidad de Navarra Alarm bells are ringing across the high-end sector. 2024 did not end as luxury brands had hoped, and the figures published by the sector’s main conglomerates painted a picture of slowdown and some signs of exhaustion during the last quarter of 2024. […]
I’m an economist. Here’s why I’m worried the California insurance crisis could trigger broader financial instability
By: Gary W. Yohe, Huffington Foundation Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, Wesleyan University The devastating wildfires in Los Angeles have made one threat very clear: Climate change is undermining the insurance systems American homeowners rely on to protect themselves from catastrophes. This breakdown is starting to become painfully clear as families and communities struggle to rebuild. But another […]