Dear friends:

As we prepare to close out another semester, I’d like to invite you to engage with our fall 2021 issue of Broad Matters. These selected highlights feature Broad faculty research, scholarly contributions and insights, covering impactful expertise on timely topics that I hope you find beneficial.

Regards,

Sanjay Gupta
Eli and Edythe L. Broad Dean

How businesses can move from just green initiatives to true social good

Companies that develop capabilities for environmental sustainability can leverage them to improve their broader social impact, according to research from Tobias Schoenherr, Hoagland-Metzler Endowed Professor in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management.

“My research shows that there is a spillover effect whereby companies that develop capabilities for environmental sustainability can leverage them to improve their social impact,” Schoenherr recently wrote for Fast Company. “In other words, companies can draw on their expertise in going green and use it to do good.”

Sweet dreams: Broad research reveals best times for overnight market returns

When it comes to investing and strategy in finance, timing is everything. What if investors could make gains while sleeping? What if, instead of counting sheep, investors were counting profits?

“We realize that investors actively trade equity index futures almost 24 hours a day, and thus we can identify when exactly the stock market increases during the night,” Dmitriy Muravyev, associate professor of finance, said.

Three ways Congress could hold Facebook accountable for its actions

Anjana Susarla, Omura-Saxena Professor in Responsible AI, contributed expertise in the Conversation suggesting that Congress could require Facebook, and its parent company Meta, to let users control more of their data.

“Most people who use Facebook are unaware of how algorithmic recommendations affect their experience of the platform and thereby the information they engage with,” Susarla said. “A key aspect of providing such transparency is giving users greater access to and control over their data, similar to what’s proposed in California’s Consumer Privacy Act.”

MSU research to examine how and why board diversity matters

Diversity, equity and inclusion have become top of mind for many businesses and their leadership. But few companies pursue diversity with intentionality to drive performance. Quinetta Roberson, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of management, will lead a team to study the value of diversity in corporate governance.

“Companies often elect women or minorities to their board but then place them on committees that don’t matter,” Roberson said. “What I know from my research is diversity can drive performance, but we don’t know the how.”

Giving strategy a seat at the table

On the Broad Matters podcast, hosts Ken Szymusiak and Amy Wisner talk with Shelby Gai, assistant professor of management, about her research around board design and how companies can structure their board of directors to be able to thrive rather than just survive.

Ask the Expert: Navigating a struggling supply chain ahead of the holidays

As the holiday season and end of the year approaches, the global supply chain has been navigating pandemic-related disruptions for nearly two years. Microchip and semiconductor shortages, inconsistent shipping, production factory shutdowns and consumer demand shifts have created supply chain issues like never before.

Jason Miller, associate professor of supply chain management, has been closely monitoring intricacies of the supply chain and comparing it against government data to provide insights to major news outlets, including NPR, NBC and the Washington Post.

In this Q&A, Miller provides a snapshot of the current state of the supply chain, how it may affect inventory ahead of the holidays, and when COVID-19 related supply chain shortcomings will be resolved.