Spotlighting Impact This International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day is both a celebration and a call to action. This year’s theme, Give to Gain, is a global invitation to contribute: to share knowledge, elevate others and invest in ideas that move organizations and communities forward.  

In that spirit, Smith Business Insight is proud to spotlight rigorous, forward-looking research from female faculty at Smith School of Business whose scholarship is shaping conversations in organizations large and small. These articles and video interviews from the last year span the forces reshaping business today, from how we respond to AI-generated advice and what really lies beneath cryptocurrency markets, to the financial implications of climate risk and the psychology behind motivation and engagement. 

They also explore how digital products foster connection, why more information isn’t always better in retail, what authenticity means in online marketplaces and how bias shapes workplace experiences.  

We invite you to explore these research insights and reflect on how they inform your own leadership. 

Mind Games Make the Mundane Manageable

The further along we are in a routine task, the worse we feel. Could reminding ourselves of how busy we are break the boredom? 
Featuring research co-authored by Associate Professor Nicole Robitaille

The Impact of Accent Bias at Work

This video interview explores how accent bias unfairly shapes perceptions in the workplace, and suggests how leaders can address it
Featuring Assistant Professor Christy Zhou Koval

Peeking Behind the Crypto Curtain

Cryptocurrencies are supposed to be transparent but are just as vulnerable to manipulation as centralized currencies
Featuring research co-authored by Assistant Professor Erica Pimentel

Explaining Away AI Insights

In many situations, we’re held back by an irrational aversion to advice from an AI agent. Would an explanation from an algorithm help? 
Featuring research co-authored by Associate Professor Tracy Jenkin

Why Some Retailers Opt Out of Customer Reviews

Sometimes more information isn’t better—for either side of the checkout 
Featuring research co-authored by Associate Professor Guang Li

Climate-Risk and Financial Stability

This video interview explores how climate change impacts finance and how businesses can adapt
Featuring Assistant Professor Alison Taylor

Nurturing Defenders of the Family Firm

Non-family employees may not share your last name—but they share your culture 
Featuring research co-authored by Assistant Professor Sarah Burrows

Finding Your True Self in the Digital Marketplace

The relationship between social media influencers and their followers provides a new way to understand authenticity in the virtual world
Featuring research co-authored by Associate Professor Tandy Thomas

What Video Games Can Teach Business Leaders

This video interview explores what socially-connected digital products can tell us about users and how they reveal impactful engagement strategies 
Featuring Assistant Professor Yulia Nevskaya