https://phys.org/science-news/economics-business en-us The latest news on economics research, business research, management sciences If there's one thing most office workers can agree on, it's that they tend to feel less productive toward the end of the day and the end of each work week. Now, a team of researchers at Texas A&M University has found objective evidence of this phenomenon in action. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-workers-productive-typos-afternoonespecially-fridays.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Thu, 03 Aug 2023 03:56:43 EDT news610253796 In an analysis of more than 5,000 people, frequently working in teams was associated with a greater tendency for women and white men to put in extra effort at work, while other links between job conditions and effort varied between genders and ethnoracial groups. Wei-hsin Yu of the University of California, Los Angeles, U.S, and Janet Chen-Lan Kuo of National Taiwan University, Taiwan, present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on August 2, 2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-teamwork-environments-linked-white-employees.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Wed, 02 Aug 2023 14:00:01 EDT news610189589 A study recently published in Psychological Science reveals that when people repeatedly encounter headlines about corporate wrongdoing, they view the wrongdoing as less unethical and are more likely to believe the headlines are true. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-headlines-wrongdoing-perception-moral-offense.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Tue, 25 Jul 2023 11:31:56 EDT news609503513 Eliminating forced labor is a vital starting point for creating a just and sustainable food supply, but most of us don't know much about the labor conditions involved in producing our food. It's possible that the people who picked and processed some of the items on our dinner table worked in conditions that involved force, fraud, coercion, or debt bondage. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-labor-widespread-food.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Mon, 24 Jul 2023 11:00:01 EDT news609408520 New research has confirmed that the commonly repeated statement that the illicit antiquities trade is the third largest illicit trade in the world is unsupported by evidence. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-unproven-distract-real-illicit-antiquities.html Archaeology Economics & Business Sat, 22 Jul 2023 11:50:01 EDT news609158752 Researchers have identified a number of chokepoints in U.S. agricultural and food supply chains through a study that improves our understanding of agri-food supply chain security and may aid policies aimed at enhancing its resilience. The work is presented in a paper published in the July 20, 2023, issue of the journal Nature Food, "Structural chokepoints determine the resilience of agri-food supply chains in the United States," by authors including CEE Associate Professor Megan Konar and CEE Ph.D. student Deniz Berfin Karakoc. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-illuminate-resilience-food-chains.html Economics & Business Fri, 21 Jul 2023 17:26:40 EDT news609179190 Benjamin Franklin may be best known as the creator of bifocals and the lightning rod, but a group of University of Notre Dame researchers suggest he should also be known for his innovative ways of making (literal) money. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-benjamins-decipher-secrets-benjamin-franklin.html Archaeology Economics & Business Mon, 17 Jul 2023 15:00:02 EDT news608821935 One country produces about 12% of the grains (wheat, barley, maize and sunflower) traded globally. Developing countries in Africa and South Asia rely heavily on it. In fact, this country supplies up to 40% of the grain distributed by the United Nation's World Food Program. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-fields-front-lines-impact-war.html Economics & Business Mon, 17 Jul 2023 11:01:04 EDT news608810462 A new study identifies how to calculate the economic value of temporarily reducing carbon emissions through carbon offsetting. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-economic-temporary-carbon-reduction-social.html Economics & Business Thu, 06 Jul 2023 13:43:43 EDT news607869820 A pair of economists at the Ragnar Frisch Center for Economic Research in Norway has found that men who score higher on IQ tests tend to put off having children longer than men who score lower—and yet they still mange to have more children than their lower-scoring associates. In their study, reported in the journal Biology Letters, Bernt Bratsberg and Ole Rogeberg analyzed population data for males in Norway living between the years 1950 to 1981. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-smarter-men-children-life-economists.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Fri, 30 Jun 2023 09:55:02 EDT news607337692 A global study led by a researcher at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and published in the journal Scientific Reports finds that economic inequality on a social level cannot be explained by bad choices among the poor nor by good decisions among the rich. Poor decisions were the same across all income groups, including for people who have overcome poverty. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-economic-inequality-individual-bad-choices.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Thu, 29 Jun 2023 14:56:57 EDT news607269414 A new study from Bayes Business School (formerly Cass), the University of Missouri and the University of Arizona has uncovered the word properties that make slogans effective, as the researchers found that the attributes that make a slogan easier to process lead to it being more likable but less memorable, and vice versa. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-reveals-words-brand-slogans.html Economics & Business Tue, 27 Jun 2023 16:52:46 EDT news607103560 The pandemic made remote work the norm for many, but that doesn't mean it was always a positive experience. Remote work can have many advantages: increased flexibility, inclusivity for parents and people with disabilities, and work-life balance. But it can also cause issues with collaboration, communication, and the overall work environment. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-flexible-company-culture-remote.html Economics & Business Tue, 27 Jun 2023 11:40:01 EDT news607084792 The global economy will grow slower in the 21st century than economists have expected, a finding that has implications for our ability to adapt to climate change in the coming decades, according to new research. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-21st-century-economic-growth-slower.html Economics & Business Fri, 23 Jun 2023 13:59:03 EDT news606747541 One common rationale against climate action is that the resulting fossil fuel investment losses could impact people's retirement or long-term savings. However, researchers report in the journal Joule on June 22 that the loss of fossil fuel assets would have a minimal impact on the general populace. In high-income countries, most financial losses would be borne by the most affluent individuals for whom the loss makes up a small percentage of their total wealth. In contrast, the financial loss of lower-income individuals would be minimal and feasible for governments to compensate. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-potential-financial-losses-renewable-energy.html Economics & Business Thu, 22 Jun 2023 11:00:11 EDT news606645562 Research funding determines the course of science and thus shapes future knowledge. However, funding allocation is inherently biased, non-optimal, and costly. Researchers from the University of Lübeck in Germany and other German research institutions propose a new way to restructure grant allocation processes that include an initial lottery for researchers to submit funding applications, followed by a second phase of evaluation and funding with a higher acceptance rate. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-grant-allocation.html Economics & Business Education Thu, 22 Jun 2023 11:00:10 EDT news606646478 The Russia-Ukraine conflict has clearly revealed that the global food supply chain acts as a complex network, connecting nations and facilitating the spread of disruptions from local to distant regions. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-indirect-effects-russia-ukraine-conflict-revealed.html Economics & Business Political science Thu, 15 Jun 2023 11:00:07 EDT news606039474 Rich individuals living in communities with greater levels of economic inequality tend to be more generous with charitable giving and prosocial behaviors, according to a study published in PLoS ONE by Joel H. Suss from the London School of Economics & Political Science and Bank of England, UK. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-local-economic-inequality-high-rich.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Wed, 14 Jun 2023 14:00:05 EDT news605965165 The relationship between cognitive ability in childhood and financial well-being in adulthood varies for different financial measures—such as savings levels versus having debt—per a new analysis of nearly 6,000 people. Joe Gladstone of the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Jenna Adriana Maeve Barrett of Maastricht University in The Netherlands present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on June 7, 2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-childhood-cognitive-ability-complex-links.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Wed, 07 Jun 2023 14:00:05 EDT news605353239 When one thinks of movie reviews, one might see them as harbingers of success or failure at the box office. Some researchers have previously found that both positive and negative reviews correlate to box office revenues, and the effect of negative reviews diminishes over time. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-movie-office-success.html Economics & Business Sat, 03 Jun 2023 14:12:06 EDT news605020231 Venturing out of one's comfort zone to perform a task—and then performing poorly in that task, such as a baseball pitcher trying to hit—can lead to better performance when returning to one's specialty, new research suggests. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-baseball-reveals-specialists-excel-comfort.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Wed, 31 May 2023 16:20:51 EDT news604768848 How does competition influence moral behavior? Studies have so far found evidence for both a negative and a positive influence of competition on moral behavior. Researchers from Innsbruck, Vienna, Stockholm and Amsterdam are using this unanswered question in a meta-study to investigate the extent to which different study designs can be responsible for variability in scientific results. The study was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). https://phys.org/news/2023-05-morality-competition-science.html Economics & Business Education Wed, 31 May 2023 12:33:03 EDT news604755181 Consumers value their personal data including the one collected by retail stores, service providers and loyalty schemes. The University of Bristol-led research, published in PLOS ONE, found 96% of people would protect their personal data from being shared by retailers and online services for commercial gain if they had a choice. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-majority-consumers-kind-retailers.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Wed, 31 May 2023 11:15:12 EDT news604750510 It's no secret that legal documents are notoriously difficult to understand, causing headaches for anyone who has had to apply for a mortgage or review any other kind of contract. A new MIT study reveals that the lawyers who produce these documents don't like them very much either. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-lawyers-dont-legalese.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Mon, 29 May 2023 15:00:01 EDT news604573033 What is the impact of affirmative actions, such as quota systems, on minorities' representation in top ranks of the academic and corporate worlds? Scientists used mathematical models for the first time to quantify how successful quota systems can be for improving women's visibility in science. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-quotas-problem-underrepresentation-minorities-modern.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Thu, 25 May 2023 16:41:04 EDT news604251661 We all like to think of ourselves as rational human beings. If there's a drastic change in our lives or at work, we can evaluate our options and make the best choice. But James Summers, an expert in team management and adaptation at Iowa State University, says our ability to process information breaks down when we experience heightened negative emotions. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-lessons-blockbusters-teams.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Tue, 23 May 2023 09:54:58 EDT news604054492 Blockchain technology, investor sentiment, and economic stress levels are significant predictors of bitcoin returns, according to a groundbreaking paper from Illinois Institute of Technology researchers that provides empirical evidence to help guide investors, economists, and academics. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-unveil-key-predictors-bitcoin.html Economics & Business Sat, 20 May 2023 05:37:59 EDT news603779867 A new analysis suggests that about one in seven households across the U.S. may face financial hardship in paying for access to water and wastewater services. Lauren Patterson and colleagues at Duke University, North Carolina, present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS Water. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-millions-households-struggle-basic.html Economics & Business Wed, 10 May 2023 14:00:05 EDT news602935321 It's often risky to introduce new products to the market. In fact, statistics show that between 40 to 90 percent of new products fail. A key component of product adoption is consumer psychology. While there are a few theories that attempt to explain why certain people are not likely to accept novelties, a new study takes a slightly different approach. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-mathematical-based-psychology-buy-trendy.html Mathematics Economics & Business Mon, 08 May 2023 10:42:43 EDT news602761358 Providing defendants with legal counsel during their initial bail hearing decreases use of monetary bail and pretrial detention, without increasing the likelihood that defendants fail to appear at the subsequent preliminary hearing, according to a new RAND Corporation study. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-legal-bail-lowers-incarceration.html Economics & Business Political science Fri, 05 May 2023 14:00:02 EDT news602494150