Ideas by Year 2016

Professor Cindy Chan

There's a science to gift giving — experiences are better than material items.
If it's better to give than to receive, a study from the University of Toronto shows that it's better to give an experience than a thing.

Professors Oliver Dessaint & Andrey Golubov

Post-merger layoffs moderated, corporate takeovers cut when labour protections strengthened, Rotman research finds.
An examination of takeover activity in OECD countries has found that increased job protections have a major impact on corporate mergers and acquisitions, driving down activity while cutting the synergy gains associated with it.

Professor Sam Maglio

Time warp - Why uncertainty plays a role in how we perceive time, according to new study.
Have you ever wondered why a trip to a new destination feels longer than the return trip home? According to new research, a big reason may come down to the uncertainty of future events.

Professors Philipp Afèche & Opher Baron

How much is that call worth? New model shows companies how to tailor service levels to different types of customers
Call centres can be expensive as well as the source of lots of consumer angst. But companies can get more bang for their buck by doing a better job of coordinating marketing decisions that drive customers to call centres with operational ones about handling them once they get there.

Professor Ambarish Chandra

Who loses when prices are negotiated? Older consumers – especially older women – tend to pay more for new cars.
A new car is a big expense for anyone — but it will cost some people more than others, even at the same dealership

Professor Anvi Shah

Paper or Plastic
New study shows the way we pay may influence how much we value and feel committed to our purchase. When it feels easy to pay for something, it might just make us feel less connected to what we’re buying, a new University of Toronto study says.

Professor Laura Doering

Poor communities a "hotbed" of entrepreneurial creativity, but need help to grow long-term
Necessity can be the mother of invention, but without financial and business development support, many impoverished entrepreneurs can't get past the start-up phase of establishing a unique new business.

Professor Katie DeCelles

Economy flyers unite! Research shows air rage a product of class difference
We blame air rage on long flight delays, shrinking seats and a general decline in civility. But the first empirical research study into the phenomenon pegs another culprit -- class inequality -- for the reason passengers lose it when taking to the so-called friendly skies.

Professor David Soberman

"Conspicuous conservation" a factor in socially responsible product innovation
Companies may a bigger incentive to invest in developing socially responsible products if it means those who eventually buy them can stand a little taller than those who don't, says new research.

Professor Sonia Kang

Even diversity-friendly employers discriminate against racial minority job seekers
Minority applicants may fare even worse in the résumé pile at companies purporting to support diversity than they would at companies that don't make the claim, shows a new study from the University of Toronto.

Professor Nicola Lacetera

Negative citations important to scientific progress, should be tracked.
Having your work mentioned in somebody else's research is an important way for scholars to build their academic reputations. Citing others’ work is also important to the credibility of new research. But what happens if a researcher makes a citation in order to point out flaws or weaknesses in a previous study?

Professor Anne Bowers

When it's "not going to happen." What "tainted" engagement rings reveal about consumer expectations
We're told diamonds -- and their value -- are forever. But new research into the re-sale of diamond engagement rings shows a diamond's value is affected by the story people attach to it and whether it fits with their ideas about what a good ring needs to be.

Professor Joanne Oxley

Teamwork across diversified companies gets a boost from equity incentives.
Good salaries and cash bonuses are nice. But if businesses really want to get managers helping each other across divisions, they'll give them equity in the company as well, according to new research out of the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.

For more information

Ken McGuffin
Manager, Media Relations
Rotman School of Management
University of Toronto
Voice 416.946.3818
E-mail mcguffin@rotman.utoronto.ca

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