News | School of Business

Tue, 07/01/2025

Corporate victims of ransomware may make matters worse by paying attackers, study finds

In a new study, University of Kansas business researcher Debabrata Dey examines when organizations accede to ransomware payment demands and, in doing so, incentivize attackers to launch more attacks, elevating the chance of a future breach not just for themselves but for others.

Fri, 05/23/2025

Three KU Business faculty among 158 universitywide promotion and tenure honorees

Chancellor Douglas A. Girod has approved the promotion and award of tenure, where indicated, for 44 individuals at the University of Kansas Lawrence and Edwards campuses and 114 individuals at the KU Medical Center campus.

Tue, 05/06/2025

Profit motivation of social media companies may compel them to inject bias and create polarization, study finds

Social media companies thrive on the subtle influencing of users’ behavior. “It is of interest to social media companies to nudge users in such a way that their engagement level increases, but as a result, echo chambers are created and the level of polarization increases,” said Debabrata Dey, a professor of business at the University of Kansas.

Tue, 04/29/2025

Airlines can improve travel efficiency and resilience by incorporating passenger-level data, study finds

Mazhar Arikan, associate professor of business at the University of Kansas, explores how airlines that incorporate passenger-level data along with flight-level data could make modest adjustments in passenger itineraries that result in major travel improvements without significantly deteriorating efficiency.

Tue, 04/22/2025

Partisan politics proved most significant factor for speed of corporate shutdowns during pandemic, study shows

In a new study, Shradha Bindal, assistant professor of finance at the University of Kansas, investigates the speed with which U.S. firms shut down their headquarters because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It finds that the political orientation of the firms and their CEOs proved the most significant factor.

Wed, 01/22/2025

Not all financial analysts impeded by sleep disruptions, study finds

In a new study focusing on financial markets, William Bazley, assistant professor of finance at the University of Kansas, finds that sleep disruptions following spring daylight saving time clock shifts may negatively affect the forecast quality of the professional analysts — but it depends on their level of experience.

Mon, 10/21/2024

Health effects of trauma linked to performance at work

In a new paper, Elizabeth Embry, assistant professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Kansas, offers a theory linking health effects of trauma to performance outcomes at work, suggesting how managerial awareness of trauma manifestations is a necessary step toward workplaces becoming supportive or healing.

Mon, 09/09/2024

Human values and expertise improve AI reliability, study finds

In a new paper, Michael Lash, assistant professor of business at the University of Kansas, proposes a novel approach for incorporating human experts in machine learning models. This increases reliance, trusting and sense-making of the explanations returned by artificial intelligence.

Wed, 08/28/2024

Online sports betting drains household finances more than other gambling options, research shows

In a new working paper, Kevin Pisciotta, assistant professor of finance at KU, finds that not only does online sports betting lead to increased betting activity, it also leads to higher credit card balances, less available credit and a reduction in net investments.

Tue, 06/18/2024

Attorney marketing tactics compared to ‘corporate ambulance chasing’ in new study

New research examines how social media announcements of plaintiff’s attorneys’ corporate investigations strongly predict future litigation. It finds how these attorneys’ efforts to recruit additional plaintiffs after a lawsuit has been filed signal that the action is more likely to succeed and result in more severe damages.

Tue, 06/11/2024

PCAOB risk-based inspection consequences evaluated using new model

Mike Wilkins, the Larry D. Horner and KPMG Professor of Accounting at KU, examines the effects of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board's decision to move to more random-based audit selection. The findings suggest there are more benefits than costs associated with auditors’ responses to a selection approach that is primarily risk-based.

Wed, 04/17/2024

People underestimate AI capabilities due to ‘exponential growth bias,’ study finds

In a new paper, Nathan Meikle, a KU assistant professor of business, examines the human biases that impede assessment of AI’s potential threats to humanity. His experiments find that people are prone to underestimate AI capabilities due to exponential growth bias and that they reject the aversive implications of rapid technological progress even in cases in which they themselves predict the growth rate.

Thu, 02/29/2024

KU School of Business accounting faculty again earn top spot in BYU rankings

For the fifth year in a row, accounting faculty at the University of Kansas School of Business earned a No. 1 global ranking for their audit archival research contributions over the past six and 12 years, according to Brigham Young University’s 2023 rankings.

Thu, 02/29/2024

Geopolitical tensions provide multinational corporations with diplomatic leverage, but ‘frenemy’ strategy can backfire

A KU School of Business professor’s new research, titled “My Best Frenemy: A History-to-theory Approach to MNCs’ Corporate Diplomatic Activities,” appears in the Journal of International Business Studies.

Mon, 02/05/2024

Study examines strategies to improve effect of parking time on last-mile deliveries

A new paper from a KU business researcher explores solutions designed for urban and rural environments to help companies minimize the additional time that parking can add to delivery schedules.

Wed, 01/24/2024

Property rights 'laws' historically manipulated by businesses, research finds

LAWRENCE — Within most countries, businesses operate under the notion that their property rights are stable. A set of operational rules and a political system that protects those rules are firmly entrenched, right? ...

Thu, 12/14/2023

Advantages of scheduling retail employees with higher performers revealed in new study

LAWRENCE — One barely has to wade into a Reddit thread in which workers whine about their employer before encountering something related to shifts. This often focuses on with whom a worker is scheduled and how that makes things better or worse. ...

Mon, 11/13/2023

Workplace 'slavery' still embedded in supply chain, researcher says

LAWRENCE — A dozen years ago, the Foxconn City industrial park in China became infamous for a rash of worker suicides. Foxconn (a manufacturer of iPhones, among other notable products) initially responded by installing safety netting around the facility so that employees were unable to effectively hurl themselves from windows...

Fri, 10/27/2023

Business advantages of customers using 'personal fabrication' in 3D printing revealed in new study

LAWRENCE — For years, the idea of a “3D business” only evoked images of 1950s theater patrons donning plastic goggles to watch a “stereoscopic” movie. Now the term is used more often to denote 3D printing that allows consumers to create their own items. ...

Thu, 09/28/2023

Value of experienced CEO fades when working in regions vulnerable to corruption, political instability

LAWRENCE — Apparently, experience is not always a good thing. In fact, for CEOs of small and medium-sized enterprises, it can eventually prove to be a liability. ...

Mon, 09/18/2023

Pandemic altered predictability of stock market, according to social media data

LAWRENCE — The stock market is known for its unpredictable nature. But how do investors react when an external event further throws it into chaos? ...

Mon, 07/24/2023

Multinational enterprises should choose between two colocation strategies, research finds

LAWRENCE — In business, colocation occurs when firms locate together in the same geographic space. ...

Wed, 05/10/2023

Reasons for talent gap in procurement field examined in new business analysis

LAWRENCE — Everybody is a student of “procurement,” whether they realize it or not. ...

Tue, 04/04/2023

Executive compensation incentives influence firms’ conforming tax avoidance, research finds

LAWRENCE — The line between tax avoidance and tax evasion is often very thin. ...

Tue, 03/28/2023

Investment in information technology helps companies maximize innovation, study finds

LAWRENCE — Companies must innovate in order to sustain competitive advantage. But a new study reveals how integral information technology is to maintaining that advantage. ...

Mon, 02/06/2023

Professor reappointed editor at The Accounting Review

Chan Li, C.A. Scupin Professor at the University of Kansas School of Business, will serve a second term as an editor for The Accounting Review, the premier journal for accounting research. ...

Thu, 02/02/2023

Effect of workplace sound level on physiological well-being revealed in new study

LAWRENCE — The sound made by a refrigerator is just 50 A-weighted decibels. A ringing telephone generates 70 dBA, a leaf blower 110 dBA and a jet engine 150 dBA. ...

Thu, 01/26/2023

New model effectively predicts consumers’ retail shopping mobility during a pandemic

LAWRENCE — COVID-19 forced people to contend with travel bans, stay-at-home orders and closure of nonessential businesses. A new study in the Journal of Business Research reveals how this significant event affected consumer mobility and shopping habits. And the results are hardly what one might predict. ...

Thu, 01/12/2023

Costs vs. benefits of COVID-19 lockdowns and mask mandates revealed in new research

LAWRENCE — Beginning in 2020, most state governors ordered lockdowns and mask mandates to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. But a new study examines how the value of these actions also came with costs. ...

Tue, 12/20/2022

Internet of Things financial sustainability depends on quality and security

LAWRENCE — Modern technology terms such as “data mining,” “cryptocurrency” and “influencer” went from obscurity to pervasiveness in a matter of months. It’s time to add the Internet of Things (IoT) to that list. ...

Research

Media Contacts