NewsBites

Below is a summary of some of the school's citations in prominent national and regional media. These media placements enhance the school's national reputation and help to brand it as one of the nation's top business schools.

The UB School of Management vaulted 37 spots to No. 85 in the 2016 Bloomberg ranking of undergraduate business schools. (See story in Startups.)

In the U.S. News and World Report's annual ranking of best graduate schools, the School of Management was ranked No. 81 among MBA programs nationwide. It is the only MBA program in the Buffalo Niagara region on the list. (See story in Startups.)

Veljko Fotak, assistant professor of finance, was interviewed for a story in the Wall Street Journal about his research that found stock purchases by "highly politicized" sovereign wealth funds (government-owned investment funds under strict political oversight) were associated with lower returns than independent, private investments. "The discount for investments by political sovereign wealth funds is made worse when they appoint representatives to the board," Fotak said.

Arun Lakshmanan, assistant professor of marketing, was quoted in a front-page story in the Washington Post about how a series of food poisonings and other challenges are threatening Chipotle's reputation. "The real red flags are repetitive failures," Lakshmanan said. "When there is repetition, that's what really damages credibility. It's a risky position for Chipotle to be in now." The story also appeared on msn.com.

Yong Li, associate professor of strategy and entrepreneurship, was featured in a Forbes article about research Li co-authored on investment crowdfunding. The study found that high-quality photos and video, previous crowdfunding success and positive comments from backers are the keys to a successful campaign. "These sources are important because backers of crowdfunded projects have less access to information than typical private equity investors," Li said. "Private equity investors follow a stringent due diligence process to assess the quality of a startup, while crowdfunding backers rely more on the information on the campaign's webpage." Li co-authored the study with Supradeep Dutta, assistant professor of operations management and strategy, and Christopher Courtney, School of Management doctoral student.

A roundup in the Wall Street Journal reported on a study by Rajiv Kishore, associate professor of management science and systems, and Debabrata Talukdar, professor of marketing, that found some Indian tech companies use corruption as a strategic tool to compete against rival firms.

Lewis Mandell, professor emeritus of finance and the author of "The Credit Card: A History," was quoted in an article in U.S. News and World Report about the growing use of general credit cards and the declining use of proprietary gas cards — private-label credit cards that can only be used at particular gas stations. "In terms of behavioral economics, [complicated reward systems have] great appeal to certain people who really like lotteries," Mandell said. "But if you can't easily understand the redemption policies on your card, there's a good chance you aren't getting the best deal."

Chuck Lindsey, associate professor of marketing, was quoted in a Forbes article about Chipotle temporarily closing one of its restaurants after employees got sick. "Quickly closing the store yesterday before any customers got sick was the correct move, both in terms of customer and community welfare and from an image standpoint," Lindsey said. "Does this latest incident add to their existing PR problems and concerns — yes. However, one can argue that the PR damage may very well have been worse and the stock price hit greater had they not quickly and voluntarily closed the store."

Jerry Newman, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus of organization and human resources, was quoted in an article on ABC News about the benefits and drawbacks of a $15 minimum wage. He said an increase in the minimum wage could have far-reaching effects on industries that don't pay it. "Wage hierarchies have been rigid for a long period of time, but this could change all of that," Newman said. "If I am making $15 right now at a bank, and someone is making $12 at a fast-food restaurant, and that gets raised to $15, it creates pressure to raise the wages of that bank teller."

Paul Tesluk, professor and dean of the School of Management, was interviewed for an Associated Press story about the rift between talk show hosts Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan, who announced he is leaving the show to join "Good Morning America" full time. Tesluk said it becomes very emotional for employees if they believe their trust in their employer has been violated. "The professional thing is to go back to the show and have these side discussions as quickly as you can and as professionally as you can," he said.

Harold Star, clinical assistant professor of operations management and strategy, was interviewed for a Buffalo News article about Charter Communications' $65.5 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable, creating the nation's second-largest home internet provider. "They're protecting Netflix. They're playing favorites," he said. "They like Netflix better than the cable companies."

Howard Foster, professor emeritus of organization and human resources, was quoted in a Buffalo News story about a potential deal between Ford Motor Co. and the United Auto Workers union. Foster said these negotiations were much different than four years ago for automakers like Ford, GM and Chrysler. "The companies are in much better shape, so the landscape was bound to be different and a little bit easier," he said.