UConn Today – A reduction in IRS employees has a direct impact on taxpayer filings and may result in billions in lost revenue, according to research compiled by two UConn accounting professors and a UConn Ph.D. recipient.
Research
Marketing Professor, Colleagues Find New Way to Enhance Social Media Influencer Messaging
UConn Today – UConn marketing professor Nicholas Lurie and two colleagues have found a little-known method for significantly enhancing social media influencer marketing.
In a recently published article in the Journal of Marketing, the researchers highlight how seeding the combination of a prominent influencer and a follower boosts the spread of an endorsement up to fivefold.
“Both researchers and marketers have traditionally believed that the key to social media messaging is to find the influencer with the largest social network,’’ Lurie says.
UConn Business Researchers Discover Voluntary Corporate Climate Goals Are Viewed Favorably by Investors
UConn Today – As companies face increasing pressure to address climate change, many are choosing to publicly announce voluntary carbon-elimination goals.
Two UConn researchers have discovered that, in addition to highlighting environmental responsibility, these commitments also influence how investors perceive the value of a company.
New UConn-Dartmouth Study: Racial Diversity in Higher Ed Leads to Higher Salaries for Grads
UConn Today – Researchers examined more than 6,000 cohorts of MBA and law students over several decades and found that having even one additional minority student among a cohort of 100 students increased starting salaries cumulatively across the cohort by up to $30,000
Real Estate Professor Cohen: Study Confirms that Properties Adjacent to Tornado Destruction Initially Plunge in Value
UConn Today – The power of a tornado can inflict tremendous damage on residential property, but the impact is also felt by nearby homeowners, even when their property is unscathed.
Undamaged homes in close proximity to those that were partially or fully destroyed incur up to a 39% decline in value, according to finance and real estate professor Jeffrey P. Cohen, associate economist Violeta A. Gutkowski, and research associate Jack Fuller. Their findings were released in a recent economic report by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, where Cohen is a Research Fellow.
OPIM Professor Fasheng Xu, a ‘Forward-Thinking’ Scholar, Wins Early Career Award
UConn Today – Fasheng Xu, a professor of Operations and Information Management (OPIM), has been awarded the 2025 Chelliah Sriskandarajah Early Career Research Accomplishments Award, a global honor bestowed on just one scholar annually.
The award, presented at the Production & Operations Management Society’s (POMS) annual conference in Atlanta last weekend, recognizes exceptional research contributions by a scholar who completed his or her doctorate in the last six years.
Accounting Professor George Plesko Wins Award for Excellence in Community Engaged Scholarship
UConn Today – Each year, the Provost’s Awards for Excellence in Community-Engaged Scholarship (PAECES) recognize the outstanding contributions of faculty, staff, students, teams, and community partners who collaboratively address critical societal challenges through the creative and reciprocal exchange of knowledge and resources.
OPIM Professor Chen Wins Prestigious Early-Career Award
UConn Today – OPIM professor Wei Chen, a champion of Connecticut companies learning to integrate generative AI into their businesses, has received a prestigious, national early-career award.
UConn Business Researchers Discover How Charities Can Boost Likelihood of Donations Via Smartphone Users
UConn Today – Whether you’re passionate about rescuing puppies, feeding hungry people, or helping victims of a natural disaster, you’re considerably less likely to respond to a charity’s appeal for help if you receive it on your smartphone.
Three UConn Business-affiliated researchers verified that there is a substantial “mobile giving gap’’ between smartphone users and users of traditional computers; but they also discovered an easy and cost-effective solution.
Study Says Black Households Pay Higher Heating Costs, Seek Cold-Related Medical Care More Often
UConn Today – Ticking up the thermostat a degree or two is going to cost anyone more money, but a new study from UConn researchers suggests Black households pay more to keep their homes comfortable, in part due to increased cold sensitivity.
The finding, published this fall in Energy Economics, spans the socioeconomic spectrum and also states Black people who can’t afford those couple extra degrees end up seeking medical attention more often than white counterparts.