Smeal Update: December 5, 2022

Faculty research: ‘Top reviews’ can help sway shoppers, but there are limits

Research conducted by Wael Jabr, assistant professor of supply chain and information systems, showed that top reviews can lessen information overload for customers, but too many reviews can cause an overload of their own. Read the story.

Penn State ranked in top 25 for undergraduate entrepreneurship

Penn State is ranked No. 23 by the Princeton Review in its annual ratings measuring individual schools’ performances. Among schools in the Mid-Atlantic Region, Penn State came in at No. 3. This includes Smeal's Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the CIENT major. Read the story.

Management 326 classes collect pet food for PAWS

Two of Neil Fogarty's organizational behavior classes engaged in a two-week pet food can drive for the local nonprofit animal shelter Centre County PAWS. The highest collected so far was the equivalent of just over 11,000 cans. His two classes this semester nearly doubled the prior record and collected the equivalent of almost 22,000 cans of pet food to help the homeless dogs and cats at the shelter.

Ghadar writes book about U.S. immigration

Fariborz Ghadar, William A. Schreyer Chair in Global Management, Policies and Planning, has written a book titled “The Danger of Devaluing Immigrants.” The book explores the impacts on the U.S. economy and society and investigates the substantial roles of immigrants in critical industries and sectors across the U.S. economy, among other topics. Read about it.

Smeal in the News

Ghadar quoted in Fox43 story

Fariborz Ghadar, William A. Schreyer Chair in Global Management, Policies and Planning, was quoted in a story on Fox43 titled “Cyber Monday expected to cap off big weekend of online shopping.” 

Ambrose research cited in Wall Street Journal story

Research conducted by Brent Ambrose, Jason and Julie Borrelli Faculty Chair in Real Estate and director of the Borrelli Institute for Real Estate Studies, for a Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia working paper was cited in a story titled “How Student-Loan Debt, or Not Having it, Shapes Lives.” Read the story.

Jabr research the basis for Studyfinds.org story

Research conducted by Wael Jabr, assistant professor of supply chain and information systems, formed the basis of a story titled “’Top reviews’ on Amazon influence shoppers — but posting more than 3 can backfire.” Read the story.

Ambrose-Yoshida research cited in Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal

Research conducted by Brent Ambrose, Jason and Julie Borrelli Faculty Chair in Real Estate and director of the Borrelli Institute for Real Estate Studies, Jiro Yoshida, associate professor of business, and Ed Coulson of the University of California, Irvine, was cited in an analysis of the consumer price index that appeared in Bloomberg and was picked up by the Washington Post. The story was titled “Have We Been Measuring Housing Inflation All Wrong?” Read the story.

Tracey quoted in WBEZ Chicago and Connexus stories

Steve Tracey, executive director of the Center for Supply Chain Research, was quoted extensively in a story on WBEZ, Chicago’s NPR station, titled “Big-box supermarkets and small local farmers struggle to make the marriage work.” Read the story. Steve was also quoted in a Connexus story titled “The Speed and Promise of 3D Printing.” Read the story.

This week at Smeal

Thursday: Smeal Holiday Reception, 3:30-5 p.m., Business Building Atrium

Know someone who rocks?

Each month the Smeal Staff Advisory Committee names a You Rock! Award recipient. You can nominate a co-worker for the You Rock! Award online. Nominate them.

The Smeal Community Weekly Poll

Participate in this week’s survey. Results will be shared during the next Smeal Community Zoom, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. Dec. 12. Take the poll.