Dear friends:

Another academic year is almost at an end, and we have much to recognize. Our students’ hard work and resilience will take center stage at commencement this May. The Broad College is again ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report for excellence in supply chain/logistics and as a top 15 public MBA program. And, in this spring 2022 issue of Broad Matters, I’d like to invite you to recognize the scholarly work of our faculty as well. These selected highlights feature Broad faculty research, thought leadership and insights, covering impactful expertise on timely topics that I hope you find beneficial.

Regards,

Sanjay Gupta
Eli and Edythe L. Broad Dean

Broad research moves the needle for health care, boosting efficiency in management and protecting patients

Faculty across the Broad College of Business strive to positively impact organizations and society through their scholarly work — and the health care industry is no exception.

Whether it helps to advance health care management, address business issues in the industry or protect patients, Broad research moves the needle.

The danger of narcissistic CEOs — especially during a crisis

New research from Michigan State University and the Ohio State University reveals how CEO narcissism during a crisis can influence the behavior of middle managers, which may have implications for the firm overall.

“When middle managers view the CEOs as narcissistic — having inflated self-views and being self-centered, entitled, indifferent to others and attention-seeking — they tend to engage in workplace behaviors that may not necessarily benefit the company in the long run,” Jooyoung Kim, Ph.D. student in management and lead author of the paper, said.

There isn’t a shortage of truck drivers — they just don’t want to drive for mega carriers anymore

Reports of a trucker shortage are nothing new, but they’ve been picked up more widely amid the very tangible supply chain disruption during the pandemic.

Some companies have been hiking up wages and offering massive sign-on bonuses to new truck drivers, saying that no one wants to work for them anymore. The American Trucking Association’s chief economist said in October that the U.S. trucker shortage had reached “an all-time high.”

But some truck drivers, as well as industry experts, dispute the fact that there is a shortage. Jason Miller, associate professor of supply chain management, told Business Insider that there isn’t a shortage of truck drivers, just a shift in where they’re working.

Why Zelenskyy’s ‘selfie videos’ are helping Ukraine win the PR war

It seems straight out of an action movie: As the capital city becomes a war zone, the defiant president looks into the camera and delivers a clear and compelling message: “I am here. We will not lay down any weapons.”

That’s exactly what Ukrainian President and onetime actor Volodymyr Zelenskyy did on Feb. 25, 2022, in a selfie-style video viewed 3 million times within an hour. What is it about his videos — made with an iPhone and posted on social media sites like Facebook, Telegram and Twitter — that have been so compelling in rallying global public opinion behind Ukraine?

In the Conversation, Anjana Susarla, Omura-Saxena Professor in Responsible AI, laid out three reasons Zelenskyy’s videos instantly made the war in Ukraine deeply personal and resonant for so many.

From movies to retail, what’s new in marketing?

The Broad Matters podcast welcomed Suman Basuroy, chairperson of the Department of Marketing and professor of marketing at the Broad College, to talk about his research examining cultural products, including the marketing of motion pictures, video games and fashion. In addition to his areas of expertise in marketing, Suman also previewed the future of the Department of Marketing under his leadership.