Selecting Cover Images for Restaurant Reviews: AI vs. Wisdom of the Crowd

Authors: Warut Khern-am-nuai, Hyunji So, Maxime C. Cohen and Yossiri Adulyasak

Publication: Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, Forthcoming

Abstract:

Restaurant review platforms, such as Yelp and Tripadvisor, routinely receive large numbers of photos in their review submissions. These photos provide significant value for users who seek to compare restaurants. In this context, the choice of cover images (i.e., representative photos of the restaurants) can greatly influence the level of user engagement on the platform. Unfortunately, selecting these images can be time consuming and often requires human intervention. At the same time, it is challenging to develop a systematic approach to assess the effectiveness of the selected images. In this paper, we collaborate with a large review platform in Asia to investigate this problem. We discuss two image selection approaches, namely crowd-based and AI-based systems. The AI-based system we use learn complex latent image features, which is further enhanced by transfer learning to overcome the scarcity of labeled data. We collaborate with the platform to deploy our AI-based system through a randomized field experiment to carefully compare both systems. We find that the AI-based system outperforms the crowd-based counterpart and boosts user engagement by 12.43%-16.05% on average. We then conduct empirical analyses on observational data to identify the underlying mechanisms that drive the superior performance of the AI-based system. Finally, we infer from our findings that the AI-based system outperforms the crowd-based system for restaurants with a (i) longer tenure on the platform, (ii) limited number of user-generated photos, (iii) lower star rating, and (iv) lower user engagement during the crowd-based system.

McGill Experts, including Desautels Professor, comment on WHO’s listing of aspartame sweetener as possible carcinogen

Yu Ma, Associate Professor at the McGill Desautels Faculty of Management, discusses the consumer implications of aspartame being listed as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), potentially increasing scrutiny and concerns about the safety of food additives.

The Path to Hedonic Information System Use Addiction: A Process Model in the Context of Social Networking Sites

Authors: Isaac Vaghefi, Bogdan Negoita, and Liette Lapointe

Publication: Information Systems Research; Volume 34, Issue 1, March 2023, Pages 85-110

Abstract:

The Winner’s Curse in Dynamic Forecasting of Auction Data: Empirical Evidence from eBay

Authors: Ernan Haruvy, Meisam Hejazi Nia, Özalp Özer, and A. Serdar Şimşek

Publication: Manufacturing & Service Operations Management; Volume 25, Issue 3, May-June 2023, Pages 1155-1175

Go Wide or Go Deep? Assortment Strategy and Order Fulfillment in Online Retail

Authors: Sanjith Gopalakrishnan, Moksh Matta, Mona Imanpoor Yourdshahy and Vivek Choudhary

Publication: Manufacturing & Service Operations Management Volume 25, Issue 3, May-June 2023, Pages 846-861

Benevolent Sexism and the Gender Gap in Startup Evaluation

Authors: Nhu Nguyen, Ivona Hideg, Yuval Engel, and Frédéric Godart

Publication: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Forthcoming; OnlineFirst – First published online June 8, 2023

Abstract:

Scientific Evidence Production and Specialty Drug Diffusion

Authors: Demetrios Vakratsas and Wei-Lin Wang

Publication: Journal of Marketing, Forthcoming, first published online as EXPRESS: May 9, 2023

Ph.D. Jack Sadek and Prof. Robert Nason's paper receives OMT Division Best Paper Award

Ph.D. Student in Strategy & Organization Jack Sadek and Associate Professor in Strategy & Organization Robert Nason’s co-authored paper titled “Too Legit to Quit: Discursive Strategies in Cryptocurrency’s Categorical Emergence” has been selected the winner of the 2023 Academy of Management (AOM) Organization & Management Theory (OMT) Division Best Paper Award (A Division of the Academy of Management).

The Impact of Online Q&As on Product Sales: The Case of Amazon Answer

Authors: Warut Khern-am-nuai, H. Ghasemkhani, D. Qiao and K.N. Kannan

Publication: Information Systems Research, Forthcoming

Negative Peer Feedback and User Content Generation: Evidence from a Restaurant Review Platform

Authors: K. Zhu, Warut Khern-am-nuai and Y. Yu

Publication: Production and Operations Management, Forthcoming

Prof Gopalakrishnan awarded FRQSC New Academics Grant

Congratulations to Sanjith Gopalakrishnan, Assistant Professor in Operations Management, who has been awarded the 2023-2024 FRQSC New Academics Grant (Soutien à la recherche pour la relève professorale):

Prof Han awarded FRQSC New Academics Grant

Congratulations to Elizabeth Han, Assistant Professor in Information Systems, who has been awarded the 2023-2024 FRQSC New Academics Grant (Soutien à la recherche pour la relève professorale)

Prof Roh awarded FRQSC New Academics Grant

Congratulations to Yongoh Roh, Assistant Professor in Accounting, who has been awarded the 2023-2024 FRQSC New Academics Grant (Soutien à la recherche pour la relève professorale)

“Concurrence sur le marché du travail et politique de divulgation de renseignements par les sociétés” (“Labor Market Competition and Corporate Disclosure Policy”)

Professor Nasiry awarded SSHRC Insight Development Grant

Congratulations to Javad Nasiry, Professor in Operations Management who was awarded a 2022-2023 SSHRC Insight Development Grant

“Analytical Models for Electronics Waste Management”

Professor Oh awarded SSHRC Insight Development Grant

Congratulations to Seung Hwan (Peter) Oh, Assistant Professor in Accounting, awarded a 2022-2023 SSHRC Insight Development Grant

“Incentive System Design When Earnings Congruence is Low”