Illinois News Bureau

blog posts

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  Can Major League Baseball owners, players avoid another work stoppage?

  Jul 20, 2020 8:00 am862 views

  A coronavirus-abbreviated Major League Baseball season will open amid the backdrop of significant labor tension between owners and players, says U. of I. labor historian Daniel A. Gilbert.

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  Paper: Mundane behavioral decisions, actions can be ‘misremembered’ as done

  Jul 17, 2020 8:00 am1312 views

  Mundane behaviors such as taking a daily medication can eventually create false memories of completing the task, said Dolores Albarracin, a professor of psychology and marketing at Illinois and the director of the Social Action Lab.

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  Study: Interplay of impact, moral goals influences charitable giving to different causes

  Jul 7, 2020 8:00 am706 views

  With the rise of globalization, geographic borders are becoming less relevant for making charitable donations, which means nonprofits and charities can make more effective pitches to donors by emphasizing higher-level concepts such as morality and idealistic values, said Carlos Torelli, a professor of business administration and the James F. Towey Faculty Fellow at Illinois.

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  Why are familiar brands with Black images getting a rethink?

  Jun 29, 2020 8:00 am3861 views

  At least one familiar brand is being retired and others are getting a rethink due to their use of Black images. Illinois advertising professor Jason Chambers explains why.

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  Control over work-life boundaries creates crucial buffer to manage after-hours work stress

  Jun 25, 2020 8:00 am1925 views

  Workers with greater boundary control over their work and personal lives were better at creating a stress buffer to prevent them from falling into a negative rumination trap, says a new study co-written by a trio of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign experts who study occupational stress and employee well-being.

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  Paper: Pandemic-fueled job losses exacerbating preexisting inequalities among workers

  Jun 4, 2020 8:15 am976 views

  Although workers of all demographics have experienced job losses due to COVID-19, workers who belong to more disadvantaged groups – women, racial and ethnic minorities, younger people and the less educated – have been disproportionately affected by unemployment, according to new research co-written by Eliza Forsythe, a professor of labor and employment relations and of economics at Illinois.

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  Study: Benefits of workplace wellness programs underwhelming

  May 26, 2020 10:00 am2006 views

  An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign studied the efficacy of workplace wellness programs and found only a modest impact on employee health, health beliefs and medical utilization.

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  Study: Cultural variables play important role in perceptions of status, power

  Apr 16, 2020 8:30 am1421 views

  Cultural variables play an important role in perceptions of status and power in business, according to research co-written by Carlos Torelli, a professor of business administration and the James F. Towey Faculty Fellow at the Gies College of Busines at Illinois.

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  Paper: Timely preventative efforts better than mitigation during early stages of outbreak

  Apr 2, 2020 8:00 am1376 views

  Epidemics such as COVID-19 are characterized by resource constraints due to sudden and unprecedented demand shocks for health care facilities and services, making the initial prevention of disease spread through testing, identification and quarantine activities more important than mitigation or curative efforts, according to research co-written by Ujjal Kumar Mukherjee, a professor of business administration at the Gies College of Business at Illinois who studies innovation in health care.

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  Does lack of paid sick time make US susceptible to global health crisis?

  Mar 9, 2020 8:30 am1424 views

  Lack of paid sick time makes the U.S. acutely susceptible to a global health crises like COVID-19, and is part of the larger problem of tying health care to employment, says U. of I. labor expert Robert Bruno.

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  Paper: Disposal of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing poses dangers to drivers

  Mar 2, 2020 8:30 am1137 views

  A new paper co-written by Yilan Xu, a professor of agricultural and consumer economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, shows that the growing traffic burden in shale energy boomtowns resulted in a surge of road fatalities and severe accidents.

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  Firms' office locations affect recent graduates' access to high-wage job opportunities

  Feb 27, 2020 8:30 am462 views

  A firm’s decision on where to locate its branch offices has reverberations in higher education and students’ post-graduation upward income mobility, according to new research from U. of I. labor economist Russell Weinstein.

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  Hospital-level policies key to maximizing benefits, managing costs of robot-assisted surgery

  Feb 18, 2020 8:30 am983 views

  Robot-assisted surgery is a major advancement in minimally invasive surgical care delivery, making it imperative for hospitals to codify policies that leverage the quality benefits while managing the cost, says Ujjal Kumar Mukherjee, a professor of business administration at the Gies College of Business at Illinois who studies innovation in health care.

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  Are there alternatives to declining, disappearing newspapers?

  Jan 30, 2020 2:00 pm1729 views

  As many newspapers decline and disappear – highlighted by two Chicago Tribune reporters recently sounding the alarm about a perceived threat to the Trib – a journalism professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign touts the growth and viability of nonprofits and other alternatives.

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  Targeted ads are coming to mainstream media. Should we care?

  Jan 27, 2020 10:30 am2058 views

  Targeted advertising is coming to mainstream media, says an Illinois professor of digital media, bringing concerns about equality, division and “total surveillance.”

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  New study examines mortality costs of air pollution in US

  Jan 21, 2020 8:30 am1107 views

  Scholars from the Gies College of Business at Illinois – from left, Julian Reif, Tatyana Deryugina, David Molitor and Nolan Miller – studied the effects of acute fine particulate matter exposure on mortality, health care use and medical costs among older Americans through Medicare data and changes in local wind direction.

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  Study: 'Value instantiation' key to luxury brands' embrace of corporate social responsibility

  Jan 13, 2020 8:30 am1351 views

  Although luxury brands and social responsibility seem fundamentally inconsistent with each other, the two entities can coexist in the mind of the consumer, provided the brand can find someone – typically, a celebrity – who successfully embodies the two conflicting value sets, says new research co-written by Carlos Torelli, a professor of business administration and James F. Towey Faculty Fellow at Illinois.

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  Paper: Cultural variables influence consumer demand for private-label brands

  Dec 16, 2019 8:15 am558 views

  Consumer attitudes toward private-label store brands might be driven more by social variables than price, says new research co-written by Carlos Torelli, a professor of business administration and James F. Towey Faculty Fellow at Illinois.

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  Paper: Economy benefits when secretarial jobs require more computer skills

  Dec 12, 2019 9:00 am464 views

  New research co-written by U. of I. labor economist Eliza Forsythe finds that the adoption of new technologies in office and administrative support occupations ultimately leads to more job growth in the local economy, but offers mixed benefits for the office support workers themselves.

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  Study: Leaders of nonprofits that use sport to better society often lack business skills

  Dec 5, 2019 2:15 pm698 views

  Many nonprofits using sport to create social change may fail because their leaders lack the leadership and business skills critical to the organizations' survival, U. of I. professor Jon Welty Peachey found in a study.

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  Paper: Higher financial incentives for crowdsourced delivery workers can improve service

  Nov 21, 2019 8:45 am1009 views

  Targeted financial incentives can increase the service capacity of crowdsourced delivery workers without incurring additional costs for retailers, according to new research co-written by Yuqian Xu, a professor of business administration at the Gies College of Business at Illinois.

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  Paper: Outcomes vary for workers who 'lawyer up' in employment arbitration disputes

  Nov 18, 2019 8:00 am882 views

  A worker who retains legal counsel to litigate a workplace dispute in arbitration doesn’t account for the potentially countervailing effect of employers hiring their own legal counsel, says new research co-written by U. of I. labor professor Ryan Lamare.

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  Paper: Firm’s strategic orientation shapes how it resolves workplace disputes

  Oct 30, 2019 8:45 am541 views

  When defusing workplace conflict, firms favor alternative dispute resolution practices that align with their underlying strategic bent, says new research co-written by U. of I. labor professor Ryan Lamare.

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  Study: Tradeoffs between commute time, safety

  Oct 22, 2019 11:45 am1497 views

  Urban commuters may be less likely to encounter automobile accidents if they are willing to increase trip time, researchers report. A new study from the University of Illinois introduces a tool that helps quantify the connection between traffic accidents and city road networks.

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  New book casts anthropologist’s eye on culture of MBA degree, global capitalism

  Oct 16, 2019 8:30 am1328 views

  A new book by University of Illinois professor Andrew Orta studies the culture of contemporary business education and the MBA degree through the lens of a professional anthropologist.

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  Study: Personalized promotion a potential 'win-win' for retailers, consumers

  Sep 26, 2019 10:00 am931 views

  “Personalized promotion” is a potentially lucrative opportunity for retailers to extract even more money from consumer wallets that also enhances customer satisfaction, said Yuqian Xu, a professor of business administration at the Gies College of Business at Illinois.

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  What’s at stake in auto workers strike?

  Sep 24, 2019 8:00 am280 views

  The strike of more than 47,000 auto workers is a way of recouping some of what union members lost during the Great Recession, says Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois and the director of the Labor Education Program in Chicago.

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  Study: Action-oriented goals produce higher probability of purchases under tight deadlines

  Sep 9, 2019 8:45 am610 views

  If you want sell a product or service quickly, it helps to try a busy consumer, says new research co-written by U. of I. psychology professor Dolores Albarracin.

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  Paper: As an act of self-disclosure, workplace creativity can be risky business

  Sep 4, 2019 9:15 am571 views

  It’s increasingly common for managers to instruct employees to “be creative” during brainstorming sessions. But according to a new paper from Jack Goncalo, a professor of business administration at the Gies College of Business at Illinois, being creative in the workplace is potentially fraught with peril because creativity itself is deeply personal.

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  Would cutting payroll taxes help prevent recession?

  Aug 26, 2019 8:30 am1057 views

  Cutting the payroll tax could represent the middle-class tax cut that President Trump campaigned on – although changes would need to go through the legislative process and any economic stimulus likely wouldn’t been seen until after the November 2020 election, said Richard L. Kaplan, an internationally recognized expert on U.S. tax policy and the Guy Raymond Jones Chair in Law at Illinois.

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  In product design, imagining end user’s feelings leads to more original outcomes

  Aug 15, 2019 8:30 am869 views

  In new product design, connecting with an end user’s heart, rather than their head, can lead to more original and creative outcomes, says published research co-written by Ravi Mehta, a professor of business administration at Illinois and an expert in product development and marketing.

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  Artificial intelligence could help air travelers save a bundle

  Aug 1, 2019 8:00 am3338 views

  Researchers are using artificial intelligence to help airlines price ancillary services such as checked bags and seat reservations in a way that is beneficial to customers’ budget and privacy, as well as to the airline industry’s bottom line.

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  Study: Even in competitive markets, shareholders bear burden of corruption

  Jul 18, 2019 8:30 am539 views

  While the U.S. traditionally ranks low on worldwide corruption indices, domestic political corruption still imposes substantial costs on U.S. shareholders, according to new research co-written by Gies College of Business accounting professor Nerissa Brown.

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  Study: Minimum wage 'an effective tool' for increasing incomes of older workers

  Jul 10, 2019 8:30 am572 views

  In an era of rising inequality and aging populations in the U.S., the effect of the minimum wage on the labor market for older workers is increasingly important, says new research from Mark Borgschulte, a professor of economics at Illinois.

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  Will legalizing marijuana be a boon to the state of Illinois?

  Jun 20, 2019 9:00 am1422 views

  By legalizing and taxing recreational marijuana, the state of Illinois could fund additional pension payments while making investments in public education, construction projects, and drug treatment and prevention programs, says Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois and the director of the Labor Education Program in Chicago.

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  Perceived union support buoys 'meaningfulness of work' measures

  May 13, 2019 9:00 am1111 views

  When employees think of their labor union as supportive and caring, says new research co-written by U. of I. labor professor M. Teresa Cardador, they are more likely to rate their union as fulfilling their psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness – all of which are related to enhanced work meaningfulness.

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  Professor’s history of Coca-Cola also tells larger story of globalization

  May 6, 2019 10:15 am1904 views

  Coca-Cola’s history is one of innovation in image-making, outsourcing and other now-common practices of global capitalism – and of adapting to challenges from activists and movements resisting its practices, says an Illinois professor in a new book.

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  Illinois labor professor awarded ACLS fellowship

  Mar 12, 2019 1:45 pm1056 views

  University of Illinois labor professor Emily E. LB. Twarog is the recipient of a 2019 Frederick Burkhardt Fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies. The award will fund the research and writing of her second book, “Hands Off: The History of Sexual Harassment Resistance in the Service Sector, 1935-2018.”

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  Paper: Carbon taxes could create new winners and losers among countries

  Feb 19, 2019 9:00 am747 views

  A global carbon tax would create new sets of economic winners and losers, with some countries holding a distinct competitive advantage over others, says new research from Don Fullerton, a Gutgsell Professor of Finance at Illinois and a scholar at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

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  New model predicts how ground shipping will affect future human health, environment

  Feb 11, 2019 10:00 am2203 views

  The trucks and trains that transport goods across the United States emit gases and particles that threaten human health and the environment. A University of Illinois-led project developed a new model that predicts through 2050 the impact of different environmental policies on human mortality rates and short- and long-term climate change caused by particulate and greenhouse gas emissions.

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  Expert: Justice Department reversal on online gambling 'correct decision'

  Jan 17, 2019 12:00 pm1237 views

  In reversing an Obama-era decision that effectively allowed internet gambling, the Department of Justice has revitalized the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, an anti-gambling statute championed by then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy to fight organized crime, said John W. Kindt, a professor emeritus of business administration at the University of Illinois and a leading national gambling critic.

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  Workplace discrimination claims fare poorly in arbitration, study says

  Dec 18, 2018 8:45 am948 views

  Employee discrimination claims largely received worse outcomes in arbitration than other work-related disputes such as wrongful termination or breach of contract, according to new research co-written by U. of I. labor professor Ryan Lamare.

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  Should the tech industry end mandatory arbitration for workers?

  Dec 18, 2018 8:45 am240 views

  For tech company workers protesting sexual harassment in the workplace, there are few practical benefits to be gained from employers ending mandatory arbitration beyond an increased perception of procedural justice, says U. of I. labor professor Ryan Lamare.

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  Adoption of mobile payment shifts consumer spending patterns, habits

  Nov 29, 2018 9:00 am3095 views

  Paying for goods with a smartphone not only increases the overall transaction amount and frequency of purchases by consumers, it also effectively replaces the actual, physical credit cards in their wallets, said Yuqian Xu, a professor of business administration at the Gies College of Business at Illinois.

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  For community college students, ‘nudge-induced borrowing’ increases achievement

  Nov 12, 2018 9:15 am939 views

  When student loan amounts were printed in community college financial aid award letters, it led to better academic results and, in the following year, an increase in transfers to four-year colleges, says new research from Ben Marx, a professor of economics at Illinois.

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  Paper: Fostering gratitude reduces materialism, increases generosity in adolescents

  Nov 12, 2018 8:45 am1451 views

  Reflecting on what one is grateful for not only tends to lower materialism, but also increases one’s generosity, says new research co-written by Gies College of Business professor Aric Rindfleisch.

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  Four factors influence social media reach of public health tweets, study says

  Oct 30, 2018 8:30 am791 views

  Four factors account for public health messages accruing retweets on Twitter, says research co-written by U. of. I. social psychology expert Dolores Albarracin and a team of U. of I. graduate students.

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  Paper: School shootings affect school quality, housing value

  Sep 21, 2018 9:30 am1939 views

  Home prices within a school district affected by a school-based mass shooting episode declined by 7.8 percent over the course of at least three years after the incident, according to a new paper co-written by University of Illinois scholar Juan Sebastian Munoz.

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  Paper: Workplaces serve as training ground or deterrent for civic participation

  Aug 2, 2018 8:00 am1112 views

  The workplace can function as a springboard for increased democratic participation, says new research co-written by U. of I. labor professor Ryan Lamare.

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  Paper: Email incivility has a ripple effect on households

  Jul 16, 2018 9:00 am4369 views

  The negative repercussions of email incivility extend beyond the workplace, and can even negatively affect a domestic partner’s attitude toward their own work, says a new paper from YoungAh Park, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois.