Corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosures can enhance a company’s public image and contribute to increased sales. However, these benefits may come at a cost. In a study analyzing CSR disclosures from companies in China, where such reporting is mandatory, Associate Professor of Quantitative Marketing and Analytics Vivek Astvansh found that while these disclosures attract customers, they may also discourage new suppliers.
Automotive safety recalls are commonplace, and, most of the time, the required changes are performed for free at your local dealership. Yet, many owners of older vehicles don’t bring in their vehicles when there is a recall. Inertia is part of the problem, according to Associate Professor of Quantitative Marketing and Analytics Vivek Astvansh.
The words a speaker chooses communicate more than just ideas and opinions. Language reveals much about a speaker’s personality. In the recent U.S. presidential debate, two very different personalities were on display—that of Democratic candidate and Vice-President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
In 2023, product recalls in Canada hit an all-time high – there were well over 2,000 of them. Manufacturing companies are typically the ones to issue these recalls, and their decisions are affected by journalists and social media users. “Journalists’ praise about safety in a manufacturer’s products leads to increased disclosure of product safety defects, while their criticism curbs such disclosure,” writes Vivek Astvansh in an article in The Conversation.
When a company declares bankruptcy, the spotlight often falls on its creditors, primarily focusing on corporate debt from financial institutions. However, it is crucial to acknowledge the significant role of suppliers in the company's journey through bankruptcy. While financial institutions play a key role, suppliers can also be instrumental in the company's successful emergence from bankruptcy proceedings. Suppliers stand to gain more by supporting their buyer's recovery instead of witnessing the liquidation of assets.
Even in a year that venture capitalists’ go-to bank collapsed, and venture capital funding slowed to a trickle, the disruptive power of startups has never been clearer. The 2023 CNBC Disruptor 50 list was the eleventh iteration of the list, and the top spot should come as no surprise. The generative artificial intelligence company OpenAI is the maker of ChatGPT, and no new technological application has created more buzz since the dawn of social media – or even the web itself.

The pandemic prompted hospitals across Canada to implement new technologies that minimized human-to-human contact, such as a text messaging service provided by the University of Montreal Health Centre that updates family members on changes to a patient’s condition throughout their surgery or other extended treatment.

Associate Professor (Teaching) Louis Gialloreto weighs in on the shifting market for movie viewing in Canada. Although movie theatres are open to the public once again, a significant portion of the public moved on to streaming platforms and other affordable entertainment options during the pandemic. Gialloreto anticipates this trend will continue beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.