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RESEARCH FOCUS
Insights from the Alberta School of Business
Spring 2026 | Beyond the bottom line — research for a resilient future
Beyond the bottom line - research for a resilient future
Today’s global landscape demands accountability, equity and foresight. At the Alberta School of Business, our scholars treat "grand challenges" — from wildfire logistics to AI ethics — as catalysts for innovation. This issue explores how data and human-centric leadership are building systems that are both profitable and profoundly resilient.
SUSTAINING A GREENER PLANET
While the skies over many American industrial hubs have become significantly clearer since the late 20th century, a new study reveals that this "cleanup" may have come with a global trade-off.
Published in the Journal of International Economics
New research analyzes the long-term impacts of recycling coordinators. What does this imply for specialized roles like sustainability managers or other organizational change agents?
Published in Administrative Science Quarterly
While managers often rely on experience-based heuristics, human intuition struggles with early-stage resource congestion. A new framework uses predictive AI and transient queueing models to forecast wildfire-fighting resources.
BRIDGING SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
How are First Nations communities across Canada reshaping their economic futures on their own terms, and challenging conventional business models?
Published in the Journal of Management Studies
In the high-stakes race to scale a technology startup, a founder's most valuable asset isn't just their code — it’s the talent they can recruit to build it. But is there a gender recruitment gap?
Published in the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal
In the fast-moving world of startups, the difference between a venture that soars and one that stalls often comes down to more than just a bank balance. Understanding what resourcefulness actually is may be the true engine of innovation.
Published in the Journal of Management Studies
In the wake of the 2016 peace deal ending Colombia’s 50-year civil war, a difficult question remained: How do you rebuild trust between neighbours who were once enemies? Learn more about a three-step process for NGOs that fosters peace and repairs social bonds through collective business ventures.
Published in the Journal of Management Studies
ETHICAL GOVERNANCE AND DIGITAL INTEGRITY
The rise of artificial intelligence has promised a faster, more precise and ostensibly unbiased way to find the perfect job candidate. Does AI in hiring actually make things fairer?
Published in Human Relations
The rapid advancement of IoT technology allows manufacturers to collect vast amounts of consumer usage data. What happens when manufacturers share this valuable information with the retailers who sell their products?
Published in Production and Operations Management
Thawing the “chilling effect”: How the leadership style of audit committee chairs is critical for ensuring auditors share vital information.
Published in Accounting, Organizations and Society
Blockchain tech can help grocers slash 23 million pounds in waste and guarantee the freshest produce — but only if suppliers agree to the change.
Published in Management Science
HUMANIZING MARKET DYNAMICS
Are economists treating us like human beings or just "stochastic optimization equations"? Canada's most-cited economist argues that the field’s obsession with complex mathematics has stifled our understanding of the viral stories and human emotions that actually drive innovation and market crashes.
In the modern workplace, flexibility is king. Informal arrangements are common and reflect managers’ efforts to balance an employee’s needs with operational demands. However, despite their prevalence, we know surprisingly little about the criteria managers use. Who gets flexibility at work – and why?
Published in Human Resource Management
Consumers view a positive review as a "compliment" to the business – and managers aren't responding appropriately. How can they respond to online reviews in a way that wins over customers?
Published in the Journal of Marketing
Whether you value expert data or real-world experience, new research reveals that the source of advice determines its impact. Learn how to align your expertise with your delivery to build trust.
Published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
STRENGTHENING HEALTHCARE AND FINANCIAL SYSTEMS
Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) significantly reduce hospital expenses without compromising care. How do they do it?
Published in the Journal of Public Economics
Central bank foreign exchange (FX) intervention is often viewed as only capable of generating short-term impacts. New findings provide otherwise.
Published in the Journal of International Money and Finance
THE FUTURE OF INSIGHT: PHD SPOTLIGHTS
Our PhD students are the engine behind the next wave of transformative business research. With graduates spanning 18 countries, the Alberta School of Business PhD program remains a cornerstone of global academic leadership. Here is how our emerging scholars are addressing modern complexities.
Human-centric technology and data
Qiao Liu investigates how emerging technologies, specifically AI, reshape the way consumers make decisions and interact socially.
Arjang Nikbakht blends game theory with machine learning to model and understand the intricate decision-making processes within modern markets.
Erfan Rafieikia focuses on modeling and solving large-scale decision-making problems under uncertainty.
Equity, fairness, and social resilience
Mehri Baloochi examines the ways marginalized groups resist and navigate oppressive institutional systems that dictate their daily opportunities.
Bijit Ghosh explores the psychology of value, finding that in contexts like charity and gifting, people prioritize fairness and impact over simple dollar amounts.
Natalie Bolen studies the social habits behind our leisure choices, looking at how the companions we choose for activities like concerts shape our overall enjoyment.
Explore a brighter future with a Business PhD
CELEBRATING ACADEMIC SUCCESS
We proudly recognize our business scholars and their "Highly Cited" papers currently ranking in the top 1% of their fields.
Bora Kolfal & Paul Messinger: Human or virtual: How influencer type shapes brand attitudes
Noah Castelo: Understanding and Improving Consumer Reactions to Service Bots
Michael Lounsbury & Chris Steele: New Directions in the Study of Institutional Logics: From Tools to Phenomena
Michael Lounsbury: Optimal Distinctiveness: Broadening the Interface Between Institutional Theory and Strategic Management
Vern Glaser & P. Devereaux Jennings: Topic Modeling in Management Research: Rendering New Theory from Textual Data
Vern Glaser: Finding Theory-Method Fit: A Comparison of Three Qualitative Approaches to Theory Building
Congratulations to Jennifer Argo, Carthy Professor of Marketing on her prestigious Fellow Award from the Society for Consumer Psychology.
Ruijiu Mao and co-authors received the INFORMS ENRE Best Publication Award for their work on transitioning curtailed renewable energy into green hydrogen for fuel-cell vehicles.
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The Alberta School of Business is home to world renowned scholars who continually advance our understanding of important issues facing businesses here in Canada and around the globe.
