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A Little Financial Data is a Dangerous Thing

Taha Havakhor is a Professor of Information Systems at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management. In a recent study, he looked at how retail investors used data from a financial API – that’s an Application Programming Interface – to inform their investment decisions. He found that, when using stock pricing data pulled from an API, consumer investors were prone to making riskier investment choices. He tells us why in the latest episode of the McGill Delve podcast.

Micro-Investing for A Sustainable Future

Professor Ernan Haruvy found that micro-investors who cared about sustainability were more likely to accept financial losses. This goes against conventional knowledge about market participation. Returns are, after all, the whole point. If the goal is to grow your wealth, why are green micro-investors so willing to give it up?

Sustainable Fast Fashion is a Three-Body Problem

In a recent study, Professor Mehmet Gumus learned that consumers are reluctant to pay more for sustainable clothing. This creates a conundrum for fast fashion companies. Sustainable manufacturing is expensive, so firms want to know their investment will be worth it. But, if they’re going to succeed, major stakeholders will have to join forces to make an impact. Gumus believes companies, consumers, and public institutions can work together to help fast fashion change fast. He joins us on the McGill Delve podcast to talk about how.

The Trust-Building Power of Task-Assignment Algorithms

How do you build trust between management and warehouse workers? Algorithmic task assignment could help. Professor Bing Bai measured workers’ reactions to receiving tasks from an algorithm-based work assignment process. Her findings show us how algorithms affect perceptions of fairness and worker productivity, and they open the door to an exciting area of algorithmic research in business logistics. Here’s how.

When Catastrophic Failure Brought the Space Industry Together

In 2014, a commercial spacecraft crashed during a test flight, killing one pilot and severely injuring the other. What followed was a coming-together of industry leaders, driven by a shared passion for exploration and the need to legitimize a nascent commercial space industry. Through this incident, we learn about the behaviours of nascent industries after an extreme event. We also pick up important lessons in risk-management and stakeholder relations in high-risk fields. Sen Chai, Professor of Organizational Behaviour at the Desautels Faculty of Management, documented it all in a research paper. She joins us on the McGill Delve podcast to talk about it.

The Social Dynamics of Organizational Misconduct

Every peer group has its own set of norms, rules, and values, which heavily influences individuals’ behaviours – sometimes more so than the law itself. Within organizations, these social dynamics can enable unethical and illegal behaviour, which in turn can have severe consequences on people and communities. Here’s a look at the concept of social dynamics, how it sometimes enables misconduct in organizations, and how it can be leveraged to deter unethical behaviour.

How To Improve EDI Hiring Practices

Increasingly, EDI is a priority for organizations. But while the intention is there, inclusive hiring has not yet become the great equalizer many hoped it would be. Professors Jeraul Mackey, Brian Rubineau, and Roman Galperin are experts in equitable hiring from the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University. Through their research, they identified three areas where EDI may run into barriers: soliciting applications, assessing cultural fit of a candidate, and evaluating a candidate’s qualifications. Here are some expert-backed tips to overcome them.

Strategy As Care

Where does great organizational strategy come from? Many executives create plans in the boardroom, setting targets and allocating resources. But, according to renowned management scholar Henry Mintzberg, this may not be the best approach. On this episode of the Delve podcast, he says great strategic insights can come from anywhere and anyone in an institution – you just have to open yourself to it.

Hidden Biases Are Hurting Your Equitable Hiring Goals

More than ever, inclusive hiring is a priority for organizations – but it doesn’t always work as intended. Strong candidates are frequently overlooked and, if they are hired, they don’t stay at the organization long-term. Jeraul Mackey, Assistant Professor in Organizational Behaviour at the Desautels Faculty of Management, is an expert on equitable hiring practices. On the Delve podcast, he explains how hidden biases impact hiring and offers tips to reduce it.