blog navigation

News Bureau - Research
Business

blog posts

  • Photo of Robert Brunner, the associate dean for innovation and chief disruption officer at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he helped spearhead efforts to create iBlock, the first blockchain created by a business school.

    What’s the transformative potential of artificial intelligence?

    May 17, 2023 8:00 am763 views

    Anxiety about artificial intelligence has been driven by its rapid development as well as knowledge worker concerns about potentially being replaced by the transformative technology, says Robert Brunner, the associate dean for innovation and chief disruption officer at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • Photo of Scott Irwin, the Laurence J. Norton Chair of Agricultural Marketing in the department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

    New book chronicles personal, professional journey studying futures markets

    Apr 11, 2023 8:00 am1718 views

    Scott Irwin, the Laurence J. Norton Chair of Agricultural Marketing in the department of agricultural and consumer economics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is the author of “Back to the Futures,” a book that’s part personal memoir and part explainer of the futures market.

  • Photo of Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois and the director of the Labor Education Program in Chicago.

    Should the workweek be shortened to four days?

    Feb 27, 2023 12:30 pm1843 views

    There’s nothing sacrosanct about the five-day workweek, which is long overdue for an overhaul, says Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois.

  • Photo of Ujjal Kumar Mukherjee

    New climate change model finds nuanced relationship between temperature, conflict

    Feb 17, 2023 8:00 am759 views

    A new framework for studying the intersection of climate anomalies and social conflicts finds a strong link between temperature fluctuations and aggregated global conflicts, says research co-written Ujjal Kumar Mukherjee, a professor of business administration at the Gies College of Business at Illinois.

  • Photo of Eunmi Mun

    Paper: Within-job gender pay gap persists

    Dec 14, 2022 8:00 am1917 views

    Despite great advances in gender equality, a pay gap persists for women working the same job as their male counterparts, says new research co-written by Eunmi Mun, a professor of employment and labor relations at Illinois.

  • Photo of Robert Brunner, the associate dean for innovation and chief disruption officer at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he helped spearhead efforts to create iBlock, the first blockchain created by a business school.

    What's the business potential of the metaverse?

    Nov 16, 2022 8:00 am848 views

    The metaverse’s potential for transformation means it should be on everyone’s radar, says Robert Brunner, the associate dean for innovation and chief disruption officer at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • From left, co-authors Greg Howard, a professor of economics, and Russell Weinstein, a professor of labor and employment relations and of economics.

    Paper: Regional public universities increase access, social mobility for nearby residents

    Oct 20, 2022 8:00 am1660 views

    By broadening access to higher education in their local geographic area, regional public universities increase the economic and social mobility of the residents in their counties, says new research co-written by a team of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign economists.

  • Photo of Yihao Liu, a professor of labor and employment relations and of psychology at Illinois.

    Paper: Established employees need adjustment period with new work colleagues

    Oct 12, 2022 8:00 am818 views

    Adding new employees to an established work team can have a multitude of consequences for long-standing employees, according to new research co-written by Yihao Liu, a professor of labor and employment relations and of psychology at Illinois.

  • Photo of Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois and the director of the Labor Education Program in Chicago.

    Paper: Job-quality indicator points to mixed bag for Illinois workers

    Sep 19, 2022 8:00 am733 views

    A new metric for measuring the quality of jobs in the state of Illinois finds a mix of positive and negative news for Illinois workers, says Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois and a co-author of the research.

  • Photo of Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor law and labor relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

    What were the underlying issues of the railroad labor dispute?

    Sep 15, 2022 10:30 am738 views

    A strike by railroad unions would have been bad news for the Biden administration and an already-stressed economy, says Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor law at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • Photo of YoungAh Park

    What explains 'quiet quitting' in the workplace?

    Sep 15, 2022 8:00 am3438 views

    “Quiet quitting” means forgoing the extra mile at work but is different than work withdrawal or employee disengagement, says University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign labor expert YoungAh Park, who studies work stress and recovery.

  • Photo of Gies College of Business professors David Molitor, left, and Nolan Miller.

    Paper: Older workers seeking federal disability benefits during recessions are healthier

    Sep 8, 2022 8:00 am541 views

    Older workers who entered the federal disability program when unemployment was high were in better health than those who entered when unemployment was low, says a new paper co-written by a team of Gies College of Business scholars.

  • Photo of Don Fullerton, the Gutgsell Professor of Finance at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a senior scholar at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

    How will the Inflation Reduction Act affect US environmental policy?

    Aug 31, 2022 8:00 am595 views

    Funds in the Inflation Reduction Act targeted for energy security and climate change reduction will encourage a major transformation in the U.S. renewable energy infrastructure, says Don Fullerton, the Gutgsell Professor of Finance at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a senior scholar at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

  • Photo of Amit Kramer, a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who studies the relationship between work, family and health.

    Will pre-pandemic office life ever make a comeback?

    Aug 29, 2022 8:00 am1696 views

    As the COVID-19 pandemic wanes and remote work gradually turns into hybrid work, organizations will pay close attention to which workers and occupations function well in a hybrid-work arrangement, said Amit Kramer, a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who studies the relationship between work, family and health.

  • Photo of Robert Brunner, the associate dean for innovation and chief disruption officer at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he helped spearhead efforts to create iBlock, the first blockchain created by a business school.

    What’s the potential of blockchain technology?

    Jul 13, 2022 8:00 am1335 views

    Blockchain technology has the potential to transform industries ranging from health care to government, says Robert Brunner, the associate dean for innovation and chief disruption officer at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • Photo of Robert Brunner, the associate dean for innovation and chief disruption officer at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he helped spearhead efforts to create iBlock, the first blockchain created by a business school.

    What explains the cryptocurrency crash?

    Jul 7, 2022 8:00 am595 views

    Cryptocurrencies have real-world use cases and will remain a viable investment because of the functionality blockchain technology provides, says Robert Brunner, the chief disruption officer at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • Headshot of Sean Kennedy

    Private investment in California's solar energy industry increases climate vulnerabilities, study finds

    Mar 9, 2022 10:30 am1805 views

    The large-scale infrastructure needed to attract private investment in solar energy makes it more vulnerable to climate extremes, said urban and regional planning professor Sean Kennedy.

  • Photo of Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor law and labor relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

    Who wins and who loses in MLB labor dispute?

    Mar 2, 2022 10:00 am899 views

    The current MLB lockout is already shaping up to be the most pivotal labor dispute in the sport since the mid-1990s, which means fans should prepare for the likelihood of more canceled games, says Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor law and labor relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • Photo of J. Ryan Lamare, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois.

    Study: Pro-worker ideas in political platforms resonate with voters

    Feb 28, 2022 8:00 am308 views

    Voters reward political parties that espouse pro-worker ideas with more votes in elections, says a new paper co-written by J. Ryan Lamare, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois.

  • The local economies of regional public universities tend to be more resilient to economic shocks than similar communities, says new research co-written by a team of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign economists. From left, co-authors Greg Howard, a professor of economics; Russell Weinstein, a professor of labor and employment relations and of economics; and graduate student Yuhao Yang.

    Paper: Regional public universities make local economies more resilient

    Feb 21, 2022 8:00 am621 views

    The local economies of regional public universities tend to be more resilient to economic shocks, says new research co-written by a team of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign economists.

  • Photo of Maria A. Rodas

    What explains the continuing appeal of Super Bowl advertisements?

    Feb 11, 2022 10:00 am5193 views

    The Super Bowl remains one of the few programs where people aren’t skipping the ads, says a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign business professor and consumer marketing expert.

  • Photo of Robert M. Lawless, the Max L. Rowe Professor of Law at Illinois

    Analysis of bankruptcy data reveals patterns that underscore broader social, economic trends

    Jan 20, 2022 8:00 am1265 views

    A new paper co-written by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign law professor Robert M. Lawless, a leading consumer credit and bankruptcy expert, provides the first comprehensive overview of bankruptcy filers in more than 30 years, shining a spotlight on the economic stressors faced by U.S. debtors.

  • Headshot of Sean Kennedy

    Climate adaptation increases vulnerability of cocoa farmers, study shows

    Jan 13, 2022 1:00 pm2329 views

    Sean Kennedy, a professor of urban and regional planning, found that strategies to keep cocoa farmers in place transferred climate-related risks from chocolate manufacturers to the farmers.

  • Photo of by M. Teresa Cardador, a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

    Paper: Women bear 'status-leveling burden' in male-dominated occupations

    Jan 12, 2022 8:00 am2198 views

    New research co-written by labor professor M. Teresa Cardador examines the “status-leveling burden” women in male-dominated occupations face in cross-occupational collaboration with other women.

  • Photo of Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois and the director of the Labor Education Program in Chicago.

    Will unionization push among retail workers continue in 2022?

    Dec 10, 2021 2:00 pm751 views

    The unionization of a Starbucks store is a potential watershed moment for organized labor and reflects changes to the underlying conditions impacting the balance of power between capital and labor, says U. of I. labor expert Robert Bruno.

  • Photo of Carlos Torelli

    Paper: Activating a collectivistic orientation conducive to curbing COVID‐19

    Dec 8, 2021 8:00 am397 views

    The activation of a collectivistic orientation, in which people construe the self as interdependent with others, is a key cultural factor that promotes behavior aimed at curbing the spread of COVID‐19, says research co-written by Carlos Torelli, the Zimmerman Faculty Fellow at the Gies College of Business at Illinois.

  • Photo of Maria A. Rodas

    Paper: 'Paradox brands' hold strong appeal for bicultural consumers

    Dec 1, 2021 8:00 am884 views

    “Paradox brands” – that is, brands that can straddle contradictory meanings or possess opposing characteristics – are more appealing to bicultural consumers in the U.S. than traditional singular-meaning brands, says new research co-written by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign business professor and consumer marketing expert Maria A. Rodas.

  • Photo of Ravi Mehta, a professor of business administration at the Gies College of Business at Illinois.

    Paper: Engaging donors in creative acts can boost charitable fundraising

    Nov 11, 2021 8:00 am618 views

    Participating in creative activities in support of a charitable cause induces a sense of autonomy in participants, which increases both the likelihood and the amount of donation, said Ravi Mehta, a professor of business administration at the Gies College of Business at Illinois.

  • Photo of by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign experts Yijue Liang, left, and YoungAh Park.

    Co-worker interventions can moderate customer sexual harassment in service industry

    Oct 19, 2021 8:00 am812 views

    Service-industry workers can be shielded from customer sexual harassment via bystander interventions from their fellow employees, says new research co-written by a team of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign experts who study occupational stress and employee well-being.

  • Two distinct types of help-seeking at work have differing interpersonal costs and benefits for employee competency measures, says new research co-written by Yihao Liu, right, a professor of labor and employment relations and of psychology at Illinois, and graduate student Fan Xuan Chen.

    Paper: 'Autonomous help-seeking' on the job pays dividends for workers

    Oct 6, 2021 8:00 am908 views

    Different types of help-seeking at work have disparate interpersonal costs and benefits for competency measures on the job, says new research co-written by a team of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign experts.

  • Photo of Yihao Liu, a professor of labor and employment relations and of psychology at Illinois.

    Paper: Perception of COVID-19 vulnerability hurts job prospects

    Sep 15, 2021 8:00 am872 views

    Job seekers’ perceived risk of contracting and falling seriously ill from COVID-19 may take a significant mental health toll and ultimately affect their ability to secure employment, says new research co-written by Yihao Liu, a professor of labor and employment relations and of psychology at Illinois.

  • Photo of Eunmi Mun, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois.

    Merit-based employment practices contribute to gender pay gap, study says

    Aug 23, 2021 8:00 am2046 views

    Meritocratic employment practices such as performance bonuses often fail to reduce gender-based pay inequality and may actually exacerbate it by allowing the status quo to remain intact at firms, says new research co-written by Eunmi Mun, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois.

  • Photo of Yilan Xu, a professor of agricultural and consumer economics at Illinois

    Study: Domestic control of COVID-19 takes priority over international travel bans

    Aug 11, 2021 8:00 am886 views

    A new paper co-written by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign economist Yilan Xu says taming domestic transmission of COVID-19 ought to be prioritized over international travel bans.

  • Photo of Unnati Narang, a professor of business administration at the Gies College of Business.

    Study: Idea sharing increases online learner engagement

    Jul 14, 2021 8:00 am1146 views

    Online learning engagement can be increased by nearly one-third by simply prompting students to share course ideas instead of personal details.

  • Photo of Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois and the director of the Labor Education Program in Chicago.

    Are generous unemployment benefits to blame for worker shortages?

    Jun 23, 2021 8:00 am1884 views

    As the COVID-19 pandemic recedes and employers look to restart businesses at full capacity, workers have leverage that they’re using to temporarily stay out of the labor market in certain industries, says U. of I. labor expert Robert Bruno.

  • University of Illinois Distinguished Fellow in psychology Benjamin X. White

    Nudges for default decisions influenced by time constraints, study says

    May 19, 2021 8:00 am774 views

    The default option is an easy way to “nudge” people toward a decision, but new research co-written by University of Illinois Distinguished Fellow in psychology Benjamin X. White finds that time constraints can play an important role in influencing decisions.

  • Photo of Alison Dickson, a senior instructor in the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

    Paper: Sharp decline in women's labor force participation in Illinois due to COVID-19

    May 14, 2021 8:00 am865 views

    The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated an existing child care crisis that disproportionately impacted and continues to affect working women, says Alison Dickson, a senior instructor in the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • Photo of Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor law and labor relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

    Paper: Work-refusal safety laws serve employees poorly during pandemic

    May 4, 2021 8:00 am925 views

    Current work-refusal laws are out-of-step with modern workplaces and provide meager benefits to employees who decline to work when faced with risks involving chemicals, radiation and other microscopic or invisible hazards such as COVID-19, says research from Michael LeRoy, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois.

  • A new paper co-written by business professors Ujjal Kumar Mukherjee and Sridhar Seshadri shows that rapid bulk-testing for COVID-19 along with other standard mitigation measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing were the keys to successfully reopening college campuses during the pandemic.

    Study: Rapid bulk-testing for COVID-19 key to reopening universities

    Mar 29, 2021 8:00 am1344 views

    A new paper co-written by business professors Ujjal Kumar Mukherjee and Sridhar Seshadri shows that rapid bulk-testing for COVID-19 along with other standard mitigation measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing were the keys to successfully reopening college campuses during the pandemic.

  • A new report from labor and employment relations professors Richard A. Benton, right, and Eunmi Mun shows women and nonwhite minorities remain largely underrepresented as corporate board members in the state of Illinois relative to the state’s demographics and their respective industries, but also highlights several promising policies and practices that firms can adopt to help reduce the disparity.

    Women, minority representation on Illinois corporate boards lags, study says

    Mar 25, 2021 8:30 am965 views

    A new report from labor and employment relations professors Richard A. Benton and Eunmi Mun shows women and nonwhite minorities remain largely underrepresented as corporate board members in the state of Illinois relative to the state’s demographics and their respective industries, but also highlights several promising policies and practices that firms can adopt to help reduce the disparity.

  • New research co-written by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign experts Tatyana Deryugina and Benjamin M. Marx finds that charitable giving in the aftermath of catastrophic tornadoes doesn’t necessarily crowd out donations to other altruistic causes.

    Paper: Personal charitable donation budgets flexible in aftermath of deadly storms

    Mar 11, 2021 8:00 am455 views

    New research co-written by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professors Tatyana Deryugina and Benjamin M. Marx finds that people’s “altruism budget” for charitable giving is flexible and can expand.

  • Photo of U. of I. labor professor Andrew Weaver

    Paper: STEM skills gap modest among IT help desk workers

    Feb 18, 2021 8:00 am746 views

    The incidence of prolonged hiring difficulties for workers with science and technology backgrounds is consistent with persistent hiring frictions and not a “skills gap” in the labor market for information technology help desk workers, one of the largest computer occupations in the U.S., says new research by U. of I. labor professor Andrew Weaver.

  • Photo of Alison Dickson, a senior instructor in the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

    Paper: Underemployment pervasive for part-time workers in Illinois

    Jan 14, 2021 8:00 am2358 views

    As many as 61% of hourly workers in Illinois are underemployed, underscoring the need for the state to adopt a fair-workweek law, says Alison Dickson, a senior instructor in the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • Photo of Hayden Noel, a clinical associate professor of business administration at the Gies College of Business at Illinois.

    Paper: Emotionally appealing ads may not always help consumer memory

    Jan 7, 2021 8:15 am1006 views

    Emotional appeals in advertisements may not always help improve consumers’ immediate recall of a product, says a new paper co-written by Hayden Noel, a clinical associate professor of business administration at the Gies College of Business at Illinois.

  • Photo of Timothy Johnson, the Karl and Louise Schewe Professor of Finance at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

    Paper: Value of vaccine to end COVID-19 pandemic worth 5%-15% of global wealth

    Nov 23, 2020 1:00 pm1208 views

    The monetary value of a vaccine that could potentially bring about the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is between 5%-15% of worldwide wealth, according to a new paper co-written by Timothy Johnson, the Karl and Louise Schewe Professor of Finance at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • Photo by J. Ryan Lamare, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois.

    Study: Political representativeness affects trade union membership, influence

    Nov 16, 2020 8:30 am3239 views

    A country’s political system can positively or negatively affect trade union membership and influence, says a new paper co-written by J. Ryan Lamare, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois.

  • Illinois media professor Harsh Taneja co-wrote a study that found numerous ways corporations “nudge” our attention on the internet.

    Corporations directing our attention online more than we realize

    Oct 29, 2020 10:15 am1122 views

    We don’t have the control we think we do in browsing the internet. Our notion of empowerment to see and find what we choose is “an illusion,” say the authors of a study – including Illinois media professor Harsh Taneja – that analyzed browsing data on a million people over one month of internet use. Corporations are “nudging” the flow of our online attention more than we realize, and often in ways that are hidden or beyond our control.

  • Photo of University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign labor economist Eliza Forsythe.

    Rise in labor earnings inequality during pandemic reversed by stimulus, unemployment checks

    Sep 4, 2020 12:00 pm1345 views

    Job losses during the pandemic were substantially worse for workers in low-paying jobs, leading to a dramatic increase in wage inequality during the early months of the COVID-19 recession, according to new research co-written by University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign labor economist Eliza Forsythe.

  • Photo of Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois and the director of the Labor Education Program in Chicago.

    Should government do more for the working poor during pandemic?

    Aug 26, 2020 8:00 am1533 views

    Another round of federal stimulus checks and increased unemployment benefits would be “economic stabilizers” for the working poor during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, says U. of I. labor expert Robert Bruno.

  • Photo of U. of I. labor and employment relations professor Richard Benton

    Paper: Industry concentration contributes to job quality erosion, wage stagnation

    Aug 12, 2020 8:00 am480 views

    Dominant firms in concentrated industries can play a role in job quality erosion and wage stagnation for U.S. workers, says new research co-written by U. of I. labor and employment relations professor Richard Benton and U. of I. graduate student Ki-Jung Kim.