Ideas By Year 2013

Professor Pankaj Aggarwal

“Please Feed Me”: The power of putting a human face on social causes.
Companies often put a personal face on products in an attempt to reach a deeper connection with consumers. Now new research in the upcoming edition of Psychological Science shows the same idea can be applied to social causes.

Professor Julie McCarthy

Study shows calm candidates perform better on tests used to screen job applicants.
A new study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology shows that candidates’ reactions impact their performance on the test and on the job, but don’t change the ability of the tests to reliably predict job performance.

Professor Nina Mažar

Recession's after-effects could lead to cheating and workplace theft suggests new study.
When people feel financially deprived, they are more likely to relax their moral standards and transgress to improve their financial situation.

Professor John Trougakos

Freedom and choice key to restorative lunch breaks, says new study.
Working through lunch might not be as bad as they say, suggests a new paper on work recovery, but only if employees choose that themselves, and don't feel pressured into it.

Professors Feng Chen & Yue Li

Keep stricter audit committee standards flexible, argues new study.
Independent, financially-literate audit committees lead to higher firm values and less diversion of resources by management, shows a new study by researchers at the University of Toronto.

PingDong-SaveFace

People prefer products that help them 'save face' in embarrassing moments.
People who are feeling embarrassed are more likely to choose items that hide or 'repair' the face, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

Professors Ajay Agrawal & Avi Goldfarb, PhD Candidate Christian Catalini

Spectacular failures, new opportunities to be expected from equity crowdfunding, says Rotman paper aimed at U.S. policymakers.
Equity crowdfunding is not yet legal, but when it is, experts say to expect a period of "chaos" before those involved learn how to make the most of its benefits and minimize its risks.

Professors John Hull & Alan White

New Research on the Valuation of Over-the Counter Derivatives from University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
By some measures the over-the-counter derivatives business is the largest business in the world with over $600 trillion in transactions outstanding.

Professor András Tilcsik

Why the Super Bowl's location matters: Local ties still bind corporations in globalized era, says new study on philanthropy. Giving is also affected by natural disasters.
If you're a small charity looking for some corporate largesse, pegging your ask to a big morale-boosting event planned for your community may help seal the deal, suggests a new study on corporate giving.

Professor David Goldreich

Less is more when it comes to investment choices, says new study.
The best investment portfolios are selected from the widest array of choices, right? Not so, says a new study authored by researchers at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management and the Bank of Canada.

Professor Geoffrey Leonardelli

Choosing less a form of protection says new study on decision-making.
Imagine you have a choice to make. In one scenario, you’d get $8 and somebody else -- a stranger – would get $8 too. In the other, you’d get $10; the stranger would get $12.
Economists typically assume you’d go for the $10/$12 option because of the belief that people try to maximize their own gains.

Professors Soman, Mazar & Zhao

Researchers at UofT's Rotman School of Management Publish Guide to Nudging.
A new guide from a team of behaviour economists at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management aims to help practitioners develop effective nudges. Drawing on research on this area of behaviour economics, the guide demonstrates how nudging influences behaviour by changing the way choices are presented in the environment.

Hejazi-TELUS

2013 TELUS-Rotman IT Security Study: Canadian enterprises operating with false sense of security.
TELUS and the Rotman School of Management at The University of Toronto today released the fifth annual study on Canadian IT Security. Taking a qualitative approach for the first time, the research team interviewed...

Professor Maria Rotundo

Refocusing important on and off the court, says new study.
If an employee's performance drops in one area, does that mean they're slacking off? It could mean that they've simply shifted and refocused their efforts on a different set of tasks -- a positive sign of adaptability that should be considered in performance evaluations, says a study lead by a researcher at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.

Professor Jacob Hirsh

Moments of spirituality can induce liberal attitudes, U of T researchers say.
People become more politically liberal immediately after practicing a spiritual exercise such as meditation, researchers at the University of Toronto have found.

Professor Susan Christofferson

Broker fees from mutual funds affect advice; predict worse performance, new study says.
Brokers are supposed to recommend investments that are in the best interests of their clients.

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

Rajeev Perera
Coordinator, Events Communications and Media
Rotman School of Management
University of Toronto
E-mail: rajeev.perera@rotman.utoronto.ca

Follow Rotman on Twitter @rotmanschool

Watch Rotman on You Tube www.youtube.com/rotmanschool