Dear Spartans:

As we end another succesful academic year, I invite you to review our spring 2024 issue of Broad Matters, which recognizes some of the many contributions of our Broad College faculty and staff. These selected highlights feature our research and thought leadership on timely issues and topics as we work to inspire the future of business.

Warm regards,

Judith Whipple
Interim Dean

Broad College of Business

MSU scholars to improve workplace disability inclusion through $2M grant

A four-year National Science Foundation grant fuels work from Broad and the Colleges of Education and Engineering — research to assess and augment human abilities and redesign workflow to increase the workforce participation of people with physical and mental disabilities. The project could improve working conditions and outputs for millions.

“Businesses can be a great source of good if we are able to pursue multidisciplinary science with industry stakeholders, as we do in this project,” Sriram Narayanan, Eli Broad Professor of Supply Chain Management and one of the grant’s co-principal investigators, said. 

Generative AI could leave users holding the bag for copyright violations

“Generative artificial intelligence has been hailed for its potential to transform creativity, and especially by lowering the barriers to content creation. While the creative potential of generative AI tools has often been highlighted, the popularity of these tools poses questions about intellectual property and copyright protection,” writes Anjana Susarla, Omura-Saxena Professor in Responsible AI, in an article at the Conversation.

“One problem is that output from an AI tool can be very similar to copyright-protected materials. Leaving aside how generative models are trained, the challenge that widespread use of generative AI poses is how individuals and companies could be held liable when generative AI outputs infringe on copyright protections.”

The article was also published at Fast Company.

Financial news with a political slant? MSU research says polarization boosts trading

Over the last decade, political polarization has reached new heights in the United States. But is it possible for such opposition to lead to something positive? According to new research from Ryan Israelsen, A.J. Pasant Fellow and associate professor of finance, yes — especially for the stock market.

The research, published in the Journal of Financial Economics, is the first to show that political polarization exists in financial news, which stirs up disagreement among investors in a new way. And this disagreement results in a 30% spike in daily stock trading volume.

“We know that people consume news that matches with their political views. But this polarization isn’t expected in financial news, where the core purpose is to inform financial decisions,” Israelsen said.

Broad Matters: Meal planning on a budget

With supermarket inflation affecting what we buy at grocery stores, how can you create affordable, exciting meals on a budget? Host Quinetta Roberson welcomes Adam Roy, Dr. Lewis J. & Mrs. Ruth E. Minor Chef–Professor of Culinary Management in the Broad College’s School of Hospitality Business, to the Broad Matters podcast. As an executive chef and frugal supermarket shopper, Roy provides tips and tricks that will help you embrace flexibility when creating meals at home — without sacrificing your wallet.

Hidden Cameras: What travelers need to know

Airbnb announced that, starting April 30, the company would ban the use of surveillance cameras in its rentals. The news was welcomed by those concerned about privacy. For many travelers, however, Airbnb’s new policy has prompted some fundamental questions: What were the cameras doing there in the first place? And what are travelers’ rights when it comes to privacy in hotels and rental homes?

“There’s a balance between ‘How do I protect my stuff’ and at the same time not intrude on the expected privacy of the guest,” Michael McCall, a Hilton Hotels Fellow in the School of Hospitality Business, told the New York Times. “Airbnb said the inside is off-limits.”

How safe are your solar eclipse glasses? Cheap fakes from online marketplaces pose a threat, supply-chain experts say

Americans from Maine to Texas looked forward to a rare treat on April 8, when a total solar eclipse was expected to be visible across much of the U.S. Protective eclipse glasses were in high demand — but the American Astronomical Society specifically warned consumers against buying eclipse glasses at the lowest price from online marketplaces like Amazon or eBay. 

Writing for The Conversation, Simone Peinkofer, associate professor of supply chain management, and Yao (Henry) Jin, associate professor of supply chain management at the Farmer School of Business at Miami University, explain the danger of deceptive counterfeit products like eclipse glasses that have infiltrated retail supply chains.