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.

Michael Dambra, associate professor and Kenneth W. Colwell Chair of Accounting and Law, appeared live on CBS News to discuss how the United Auto Workers strike has put the spotlight on the pay gap between high-ranking executives and employees. Quoted in Politico, as well, Dambra found that despite the requirement that public companies disclose CEO compensation in comparison to their median employee salary, it has done very little to rein in executive pay. “[Employee advocates would argue] this explosion in CEO pay is extortion, and CEOs have captured boards, and they are earning more compensation than economically fair,” he said. Several outlets, including Yahoo! Finance and MSN, also reported on the story.

Dominic Sellitto, clinical assistant professor of management science and systems, was interviewed by the National Desk for an article about how the White House is considering a crackdown on firms selling Americans’ data. “We're talking about data being weaponized in a political way against individuals and about nation-state actors getting a hold of data and using it to spread misinformation and sway public discourse in specific ways,” he said. “Where does that end? Where do I, as the consumer, get the ability to draw the line? And the answer is, I probably don’t.” More than 60 news outlets carried this story.

Natalie Simpson, professor of operations management and strategy, shared her insights with The Washington Post for a story about the decision to keep the disaster areas in Maui closed — causing frustration for residents and animal rescuers. Simpson said it is in local authorities’ best interest to swiftly find compromises with animal rescuers, such as allowing them in to leave food and water, or opening some areas for searches.

Charles Lindsey, associate professor of marketing, was interviewed by CNN for an article discussing how Starbucks created its own language for ordering coffee. While other brands can try to copy Starbucks’ language and model, Lindsey said, it is hard for them to find success because consumers now mentally attach the sizing and drink types to Starbucks. “If you surveyed 1,000 consumers and asked, ‘What brand do you think of when I say cappuccino or latte?’ I think Starbucks would come to the minds of most U.S. consumers,” he said.

The Washington Post also quoted Kate Bezrukova, chair and associate professor of organization and human resources, in a story about how companies are beginning to integrate AI tools into their businesses. Believing companies should think about their employees’ comfort levels before fully integrating AI tools, Bezrukova notes it’s important to approach new tools with a sense of curiosity and intention to learn. “You don’t want to be left behind,” she said. “This is a skill that’s probably going to be valuable in the future.”

Bloomberg Law quoted Brandon Szerwo, assistant professor of accounting and law, in a story about the U.S. Supreme Court highlighting the difficulty of personal conflicts of interest, as corporate disclosure rules primarily target financial conflicts. Szerwo notes part of the reason entities have to register to do business in a state is so this information can be found, but other corporations can be listed as the owner. “There is some degree of difficulty in this, especially if the ultimate benefactor wants to remain anonymous or at least make it a little more difficult to detect their ownership or interest,” he said.

Fortune interviewed Feng Gu, professor and chair of accounting and law, in an article about how an increasing number of audits are filled with errors and other flaws. The mistakes have likely been there for years, and are only being uncovered at a higher rate now because they tend to be found during economic instability, Gu notes. “Every time there is an economic slowdown, we always see an uptick in accounting fraud,” he said. “Accounting fraud is related to audit failure because auditors didn’t catch these mistakes or problems in the first place.”

Lindsey also spoke with NerdWallet for a story featuring five tips to get ready for Amazon’s October Prime Day. It’s like “shopping Armageddon,” said Lindsey. “Retailers are going earlier and earlier every year in the hopes of locking in a certain percentage of consumers’ ‘holiday wallets’ before other retailers can.” The story was republished by MarketWatch and other outlets.

WGRZ-TV ran a story about the school’s undergraduate welcome picnic and centennial celebration. “It’s the dedication of our leadership, our faculty, staff and our alumni who are the core to keeping this going for another 100 years,” said David Murray, clinical professor of management science and systems, and associate dean of undergraduate programs. 

The Buffalo News reported on UB graduate students collaborating with Journey’s End Refugee Services through the Social Impact Fellowship program, which partners students with Western New York nonprofit organizations each summer to address social needs. Carrie Gardner, director of internships and experiential learning and overseer of the program, believes this program could serve as a model for other universities. WBFO featured the students in “What’s Next?” a program that discusses topics pertinent to marginalized and underrepresented populations in Western New York and Southern Ontario.