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Advertising has evolved. Let our expert explain the power of innovative marketing
Late last month, Nike once again shook up the marketing landscape with a jaw-dropping new 3D billboard in Japan. It's a concept that has turned the traditional billboard into something almost out of this world. The move has once again elevated Nike as a leader in marketing. Augusta University's Dr. Christopher McKinney, associate vice president for innovation commercialization, answers a few questions for anyone looking to know more about this marketing innovation. Are you surprised how fast the landscape is changing when it comes to emerging media? Not at all. The increases both in computing power and graphics processing unit power are transforming what we can do. Now that the door of opportunity is more widely open, we’re seeing great new ways to use that power in marketing. The new Nike 3D billboard seems to be a game changer when it comes to advertising. Do you see this gaining traction as a trend that will continue? Do you see them going even further with this and how so? I do see this as a trend that will continue and even accelerate. Nike has thrown down the gauntlet; others will be trying to “one-up” Nike. Beyond the graphic elements, we’ll see ever more clever uses of 3D sound in some marketing applications. In more traditional billboard settings, the brightness, clarity and realism will improve to the point where it will be increasingly difficult to differentiate animation from what looks like a real-life image. The advent of CG in general is always changing. What's next in that realm? With the growth of virtual reality and augmented reality, we’ll see increasing applications in the home and workplace that take advantage of the VR/AR technologies. This will be especially important in areas such as education, accommodation of disabilities and entertainment. What does the future hold? In the next decade, we likely will see more tailored marketing using these CG-mediated technologies. Marketing is an ever-evolving tool used by businesses of every size and in every community. If you are a reporter looking to learn more about what's next in marketing, then let us help. McKinney specializes in marketing and commercializing innovative new technologies. He is available to speak with media; simply click on his icon to arrange an interview today.
Expert Perspective: New Proposal to Use Southern Plantations to Teach Kids About Racism
America's history is steeped in racism - and how the country accepts and reconciles its past has been a topic of much debate and consideration. Last year, Georgia Southern University Associate Professor of Geography Amy Potter, Ph.D., was awarded a $75,000 National Science Foundation grant for the project, “The Role of Museums in the Landscape of Minority Representation.” And recently, she co-authored a fantastic piece titled, New Proposal to Use Southern Plantations to Teach Kids About Racism, that has been getting a lot of pick-up from news organizations across the country. New Proposal to Use Southern Plantations to Teach Kids About Racism State legislatures across the United States are cracking down on discussions of race and racism in the classroom. School boards are attempting to ban books that deal with difficult histories. Lawmakers are targeting initiatives that promote diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education. Such efforts raise questions about whether students in the U.S. will ever be able to engage in free and meaningful discussions about the history of slavery in America and the effect it had on the nation. As cultural geographers, we see a potential venue for these kinds of discussions that we believe to be an overlooked and poorly used resource: plantation museums... April 02 - Yahoo!News If you're a reporter looking to know more about this important topic - then let us help with your coverage and stories. Amy Potter, Ph.D., is available to answer your questions - simply reach out to Georgia Southern Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.
Networking tips for newcomers to Canada
As a newcomer, networking can be your gateway to the Canadian job market. It gives you an opportunity to understand the employment landscape, plan your career path based on insights from other professionals, and identify mentors who can guide you and offer moral support during your job search. However, the benefits of networking go beyond just landing your first job. As you advance in your professional career, you may be able to leverage your network to find future opportunities or build your own team. Networking is essential no matter where you are in your professional journey. This article covers some networking tips to help newcomers to Canada get a headstart in their career. Focus on quality, not quantity Building a network from scratch in Canada can be a stressful, time-consuming process. Many newcomers mistakenly believe that the more connections they make, the better their network will be. However, it is the strength of your network that truly matters, not the size. Rather than sending dozens of LinkedIn connections requests every day, spend some time identifying professionals who are in organizations or roles you’d like to work in and individuals you find inspiring. Strategic networking will reduce the time and effort you need to invest in building connections and improve the quality of insights you can extract. More importantly, it’ll make it easier to follow up and stay in regular touch with the people in your network. Know what you have to offer Networking is about sharing: giving and receiving. Before you start networking, think of the value you can offer your network. Helping others is a great way of building meaningful relationships and positioning yourself as a potential candidate. People are also more likely to remember someone who offers to help them, rather than someone who is seeking their support. There are numerous ways in which you can bring value to your network, including through problem-solving, providing guidance on a specific subject or skill, connecting them to someone in your network, or offering your support for executing a project. Find networking platforms you’re comfortable with Networking may not look the same for everyone. While some people might be outgoing and social, others may be more reserved. If you’re an introvert and prefer smaller or less formal social settings, you can look for networking settings you’re most comfortable with. There are a variety of networking platform options you can use. Social and professional networking events If you’re an extrovert and do well in a group setting, in-person or virtual networking events might be the best option for you. Keep track of networking events on websites like Eventbrite and Meetup and those organized by industry associations. If you’re still assessing your comfort level around large groups, look for events that have limited seats or breakout sessions with smaller groups. Social networking and blogs Social media platforms and blogs are a great way to connect with and engage with people you’d like to add to your network. While LinkedIn is usually the go-to platform for building a network, you can also use other social networking sites or apps like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Clubhouse to connect with professionals. In-person or virtual coffee chats Once you’ve connected with someone at an event or social network, ask if they’re willing to meet you for a one-on-one coffee chat. A coffee chat, also known as an informational interview, is an informal meeting with an experienced professional to get insights on their organization, industry, or role. Whether you want to learn about the Canadian job market or the hiring process of a particular company, be sure to go prepared with a goal and a list of relevant questions you want to ask. When you do hear of opportunities, or begin applying for jobs, coffee chats are also a useful way of getting insights on the recruitment process and the company values or culture to help you prepare for interviews and determine if the position is a good fit for you. Volunteering If you prefer meeting people in a work setting, rather than a social one, volunteering can be an excellent way to network. People in all stages of their career volunteer in Canada, so these opportunities give you a chance to meet like-minded professionals, showcase your skills in practice, and build long-lasting relationships. Survival jobs, side hustles, and other jobs Many newcomers think of survival jobs and side hustles as just a means to earn extra money, but these can also be great networking opportunities. If you’re working in a field that aligns with your professional interests or meeting people from different backgrounds, you might be able to make some valuable connections. Similarly, the contacts you make in your professional roles might be useful later in subsequent jobs. Be sure to stay in touch with your professional connections throughout your career. Leverage existing connections Before you set out to build your network from scratch, check if you have any existing connections in Canada. These could be friends, relatives, alumni from your school, or former colleagues from your home country who’ve also moved to Canada. Building meaningful relationships through networking takes time, so tapping into existing connections first can help you speed things up. You can ask your existing connections to introduce you to other professionals in their network or refer you for job opportunities. They might also be able to help you create an impressive Canadian-style resume or share insights from their own job search experience. Set networking goals for greater discipline If you find it hard to set aside dedicated time for building a network, a goal-based approach might help. As a newcomer, you should ideally be meeting three or four new people each week, but this can vary based on your schedule and objectives. Setting concrete goals will help you prioritize networking alongside your job search and other daily tasks. Your goals can focus on the number of meetings (including follow-ups) you intend to take each week, new connection requests, priority industries or organizations, and information you’re looking to gather from your network. They can also be centred on making yourself a more valuable connection by sharing relevant content on platforms like LinkedIn or offering support to others. Be sure to set realistic, measurable, and incremental networking goals that encourage you to step out of your comfort zone, without causing stress. Adopt a consultative approach to networking It’s always better to adopt a “consultative approach” to networking as opposed to a sales approach. The difference is that you seek to understand before demanding to be understood and you listen and learn before expecting to be heard. It is quite natural as a newcomer to be focused on addressing your immediate need of finding a job. However, if you come across as pushy, the doors you’re trying to open will close and you’ll lose out on potentially valuable professional connections. Changing your approach to networking meetings can dramatically change the outcomes. Prepare and refine your elevator pitch An elevator pitch is a 20 to 30 second introduction that highlights your expertise and area of interest. A good elevator pitch is positive and conversational, and includes a question or call to action, so that your connection can respond to it. It can take a while to perfect your elevator pitch, so keep refining it based on the feedback and reactions you get. If you have a mentor, you can ask them to help you refine your pitch. In Canada, people are generally very open to providing tips on how to enhance your elevator pitch or better present yourself. Don’t go in looking for a job It is true that, as a newcomer, networking can help you access the hidden job market in Canada. However, there is so much more that networking can do for you. The most important thing to keep in mind is that networking is not meant to be transactional, so don’t expect that your professional connections will be willing to give you a job or referral as soon as you meet. By going into networking meetings with a “give me a job” mindset, you might lose out on the opportunity to improve your networking skills, understand the job market, and learn from other people’s career journey. You will also not be able to build meaningful connections with potential mentors who can help you increase your employability. Keep the conversation alive The most important part of networking comes after you’ve made the initial connection. Send thank-you notes after someone connects with you on LinkedIn and after coffee chats to keep the conversation going. It’s a good practice to keep track of what you discussed during each networking meeting, so you can refer back to your notes during follow up. This also helps you remember your connections’ interests and create a stronger bond. Keep in touch with your network and follow up at regular intervals through meetings or email. You can also keep the conversation alive by engaging with their social media posts and sharing information that would be interesting or relevant for them. If you’re seeking support from your network for your job search, be sure to keep them updated about any changes to your professional situation. Don’t let what others are doing discourage you Your goals and approach for building a network may not be the same as those of your friends or acquaintances in Canada. Just because someone else is meeting 10-12 people each week or opting to attend in-person networking events doesn’t mean that’s the only approach, or the right one for you. You might have very different schedules, objectives, and comfort levels with meeting new people, or work in different fields. Regardless of how many meetings you choose to do or the platform you pick, make sure that you have enough time to prepare and follow up with everyone in your network. Don’t be discouraged if someone else manages to get a referral or job through their network before you do. As long as you invest the time and effort to nurture your professional relationships, networking will add value and lead you closer to your career goals. For many newcomers to Canada, networking is a professional skill they may be new to, and building a network in your new country might take time. Whether you are just starting your career, exploring a different professional path, or transitioning into a new role, these networking tips will help you build strong, lasting professional connections to guide you through your career in Canada. Original article located here, published by Arrive. About Arrive Arrive is powered by RBC Ventures Inc, a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada. In collaboration with RBC, Arrive is dedicated to helping newcomers achieve their life, career, and financial goals in Canada. An important part of establishing your financial life in Canada is finding the right partner to invest in your financial success. RBC is the largest bank in Canada* and here to be your partner in all of your financial needs. RBC supports Arrive, and with a 150-year commitment to newcomer success in Canada, RBC goes the extra mile in support and funding to ensure that the Arrive newcomer platform is FREE to all.
Georgia Southern now one of nation’s Top Ten Military Friendly® Schools
Georgia Southern University has earned a 2022-2023 Top Ten Military Friendly® distinction by Viqtory. Georgia Southern ranked at number nine on the Top Ten list. Being named a Military Friendly School is nothing new for Georgia Southern University, having earned a gold-level distinction for the past 10 years. “We are extremely proud to be recognized as being among the 10 most military friendly universities in the country, especially after learning that more than 1,800 schools participated in the survey,” said Georgia Southern University President Kyle Marrero. “With our connections to Fort Stewart, and the fact that about 10% of our student body is military-connected, we have a responsibility to ensure our people and our processes are attuned to the needs of those who are serving selflessly, who are retired or who are related to a veteran or active-duty service member. My thanks to all our faculty and staff who have worked hard to earn this recognition.” Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2022-2023 survey with 665 earning special awards for going above the standard. Georgia Southern University has a strong and proud history of supporting veterans, current-serving military personnel and their families, and has accumulated many awards for its dedication to the military community. Information and resources are available on the Military and Veteran Services webpage. “We are honored to receive such a significant recognition as a Top Ten Military Friendly® institution,” said retired Col. George Fredrick, Ed.D., director of Military and Veteran Services. “Georgia Southern University maintains strong ties to the military forces in our region, specifically Fort Stewart, Hunter Army Airfield, the Marines, the Georgia National Guard, the Air Force, and the Coast Guard. We proudly serve our veterans and their families while on their academic journeys. We are indebted to our faculty, staff, students and communities for their continued support of our military-connected student population.” Methodology, criteria and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans. “Military Friendly® is committed to transparency and providing consistent data-driven standards in the designation process,” said Kayla Lopez, national director of Military Partnerships, Military Friendly®. “Our standards provide a benchmark that promotes positive outcomes and support services that better the educational landscape and provide opportunity for the Military Community. This creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages colleges to evolve and invest in their programs consistently. Schools who achieve awards designation show true commitment in their efforts, going over and above that standard.” The 2022-2023 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May and October issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com. Retired Col. George Fredrick is available to answer your questions - simply reach out to Georgia Southern Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.
EY Government and Public Sector Cyber Security team and the Cyber Security Innovation (CSI) Centre at Aston University won £180,000 in funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Experts will work with the UK Government to find appropriate opportunities for investment in cyber security The research will map blind spots within the UK’s regional security innovation systems. Cyber security experts at Aston University will work with the Government to support its national cyber security strategy by mapping blind spots in the UK’s regional cyber security systems. The Cyber Security Innovation (CSI) Centre at Aston University will work with EY Cyber Security Consulting on the £180,000 project for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to research and map the UK cyber security ecosystem. The project will consider the current environment, conditions and interventions that exist to influence or affect companies providing cyber security products, services or solutions to support and contribute to the development and growth of cyber security businesses in the UK. The aims of this research are to provide the DCMS with robust evidence of a region-by-region picture of where public, private, academic and industry support mechanisms are in place and to identify service and geographical gaps in their provision. It comes after the CSI Centre helped launch the UK government’s National Cyber Strategy 2022 in Birmingham at a special event last December, for which Aston University professor of cybersecurity management, Vladlena Benson, was an instrumental member of the organising committee. The current project will enable the strategy implementation to support the UK Government’s ambition to grow innovation and academic research in cyber. Dr Anitha Chinnaswamy, lecturer in cyber security management at the CSI Centre at Aston Business School, says: “From the datasets collected that includes different cyber security businesses, incubators, accelerators, clusters, academic centres of excellence and other different mechanisms from across the UK, analysis will be conducted to provide a region-by-region basis of practices involved. “The mapping of the cyber security landscape will also enable the enhancement of skills and diversity across the cyber security sector. “The diversity in cyber security market lags other digital sectors, with the cyber workforce consisting of only 15% females, 16% ethnic minority backgrounds and 9% neurodivergent. The results of this project will be an important contribution for the government to foster the growth of a sustainable, innovative, and internationally competitive cyber and information security sector.”
The landscape of college athletics has changed greatly in the past year. For the first time ever, student athletes can now profit from the use their name, image and likeness. It’s been a hot topic subject for years, and now it’s come to fruition. Dr. David Hunt is an associate professor at Augusta University’s Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and also the faculty athletics representative at AU. “It’s different for Division I and for Division II. For DI, there’s bigger audiences and they have bigger followings. But it isn’t D1, D2 and D3 specific; it just seems like people are willing to put more money into programs at the D1 level,” said Hunt. While some may think NIL deals go to the most popular athletes, that’s not always the case. “There are a lot of NIL opportunities for people who don’t have a huge number of followers, because it tends to hit a particular niche,” added Hunt. It’s not just the notoriety on the court or playing field that can garner an NIL deal, but also a player's social media activity and number of followers. These can be a big tool for student athletes receiving compensation for outside business ventures. “It can be cash or it can be in-kind payments. So for some influencers, companies just send them stuff in an effort to get them wearing it on their social media channels.” Some schools and athletic programs have already negotiated deals for an entire team where all the players can benefit from it, but Hunt said it could lead to legal questions over potential conflict of interest deals. “If a basketball program gets a NIL deal for the whole program with Adidas, can an individual player wear Under Armour? Can an athletic department even do that? It can be helpful and beneficial and monetarily advantageous for those students, but it’s not the students doing that,” said Hunt. All the NIL deals, especially those where schools negotiated them, can be used as a recruiting tool to entice athletes to come play for their program. This could create a recruiting advantage for some states over other states. “One university received NIL deals for every single female athlete. That is a huge advantage compared to other universities. So now some universities can recruit students based on the NIL opportunities and if the university has a support program for it, they can say we have a structure in place that you can take advantage of.” This is an important and emerging topic happening in schools and athletic programs across America, and if you’re a journalist looking to know more, then let us help with your questions and coverage. Dr. David Hunt is available to speak with media regarding student athletes now being able to profit from their name, image and likeness – simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
Ask an Expert - Are American Fan-Based Businesses at Risk for Decreased Revenue?
Modern fandom, according to Mike Lewis, is about having a passion for something—a sports team, entertainer, politician, fashion brand, a university—something. Lewis, professor of marketing and faculty director, Emory Marketing and Analytics Center (EmoryMAC) and host of the podcast, Fanalytics, considers fandom important because what people are fans of defines a modern culture. We can laugh at the sports fan with the painted face and the open shirt and the spikes on the sleeves, but the reality is, the traits that drive that level of enthusiasm and commitment are the traits that change the world outside of the arena. Mike Lewis, professor of marketing and director of EmoryMAC To better understand modern fandom and its effect on culture, Lewis, along with Yanwen Wang, Associate Professor of Marketing and Behavioral Science, and Canada Research Chair in Marketing Analytics, University of British Columbia, created EmoryMAC’s “Fandom Analytics Initiative.” The Fandom Analytics Initiative’s first report, Next Generation Fandom Survey, Generation Z: The Lost Generation of Male Sports Fans, published in September 2021, examines the results of a national survey the initiative commissioned. Nearly 1,400 people across four demographic groups—Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers—participated in the survey. Is Gen Z the Lost Generation of Male Sports Fans? The results reveal a somewhat troubling trend: Generation Z males (those born between 1990 and 2010) “seem to be increasingly indifferent and negative to traditional sports,” Lewis and Wang write in their report. “Generation Z’s relative lack of passion for sports and other categories is troubling for fandom-based businesses and a curiosity for those interested in the state of American society.” While only 23 percent of Generation Z defined themselves as “avid sports fans,” 42 percent of Millennials did, along with 33 percent of Gen Xers and 31 percent of Baby Boomers. Perhaps even more revealing is the percentage of respondents who considered themselves “anti-sports fans”—a startling 27 percent of Generation Z tagged themselves as “anti-sports” compared to 7 percent of Millennials, 5 percent of Gen X, and 6 percent of Baby Boomers. “That was unexpected,” says Lewis, who thought Generation Z would line up similar to Millennials, given that both groups are digital natives. “I’m still more and more surprised at how different Generation Z is than Millennials and, frankly, everyone else.” When Lewis and Wang took a look at the differences between male and female Generation Zers, things got even more interesting. In traditional sports categories (football, basketball, hockey, baseball, soccer), more Generation Z females defined themselves as “avid sports fans” than did their male counterparts. When it came to football, 20 percent of both Generation Z males and females described themselves as avid fans (the lowest percentage of all the demographic groups). But in every other traditional sport, Generation Z “avid sports fan” females outnumbered males by a discernable margin. Only when it came to eSports did Generation Z males outnumber Generation Z females. “I think there’s a very deep issue going on,” says Lewis. “Something fundamental has shifted.” The survey included questions about fandom-related psychological traits, specifically, community belonging and self-identity. On both, Generation Z males scored lower than Millennials. “The findings related to sports are particularly germane from a cultural perspective,” states the report. “Part of the lack of Generation Z fandom is due to younger individuals having less intense feelings of group belonging in general.” Beyond the Playing Field, How Does Loyalty Shine? While the report doesn’t take a deep dive into the psychology behind Generation Z’s fandom differences, it does note that Generation Z came of age during a time of “ubiquitous social media, dramatic demographic changes, and a hyper-partisan political environment,” they write. “These dramatic changes may fundamentally alter how members of Generation Z engage with cultural industries.” Overall, Millennials were shown to have the “highest preference across all sports,” according to the report. Millennials are not only willing to watch games, but they also enthusiastically wear team gear. Baby Boomers are up for watching games but are less interested in following teams on social media. As it turns out, note the authors, Generation Z isn’t totally disconnected. Across the entertainment categories, Generation Z is similar to other generations. “Sports fandom is the outlier,” they state. In addition to sports, Lewis and Wang looked at six other fandom segments: new and now celebrities, social justice culture, athletic excellence, old school personalities, brand fanatics, and Trump Fans. Lewis points to the fact that whatever one thinks of Donald Trump, he does generate fandom. “That passion for whatever it is—sports, politics, movies, music—that’s really what drives the world,” says Lewis. Because of its importance, fandom is, notes the study, “increasingly actively managed,” whether to garner viewers, money, or votes. Recent trends such as streaming across devices, the ubiquity of social media, an increase in demographic diversity (not to mention a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic), have affected mainstream sports and entertainment. As a result, Lewis believes it’s important to study how fans are changing across generations. Leagues, teams, networks, studios, celebrities, and others need to understand why there is less engagement to formulate strategies for acquiring the next generation of fans. Authors Mike Lewis and Yanwen Wang As sports leagues and teams see more growth opportunities with women and increasingly diverse fan bases, Lewis wonders if some sports teams may alienate their current fan bases by marketing to non-traditional groups. “If you’re a league or a team, you’ve got a real dilemma at this point,” he explains. “If the NFL wants positive press, it has to market to the non-traditional fan segments. If they do that, are the traditional fan segments going to be less interested? Perhaps.” EmoryMAC’s research on fandom in the modern age is ongoing. A study into how eSports’ fandom differs from traditional sports fandom is also in process—as is research on how younger demographic groups see colleges and universities as institutions worthy of fandom. EmoryMAC will continue to make data and insights available on its fandom analytics website. “Looking at the fandom and passion of young groups now will tell you a lot about what the world will look like in 20 years,” says Lewis. I suspect that the era of sports being a mass marketing product and also a cultural unifier is probably going to end. Mike Lewis While that strikes Lewis as sad, he and EmoryMAC are merely following the data. “It may be the reality of where this is going,” he adds. If you're a reporter looking to know more - then let us help. Professor Michael Lewis is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. In addition to exploring trends in the overall marketing landscape, Lewis is an expert in sports analytics and marketing. He is available for interview - simply click on his icon to arrange a discussion today.
How rabbits help restore unique habitats for rare species
European wild rabbits are a ‘keystone species’ that hold together entire ecosystems – according to researchers at the University of East Anglia. Our campus is home to hundreds of rabbits and Prof Diana Bell, from our School of Biological Sciences, has been researching them for more than 30 years. Now, she is one of the lead researchers on a new report which aims to restore and protect at-risk wildlife habitats which are rabbit dependent. The report shows how their grazing and digging activity keeps the ground in a condition that is perfect for sustaining other species that would otherwise move on – or die out. But their numbers are declining regionally, nationally and globally. And they are even being classed as endangered in their native region, the Iberian Peninsula. The findings come as efforts to save England’s most threatened species from extinction are turning the tide for wildlife in Norfolk and Suffolk thanks to the Shifting Sands project. Shifting Sands is one of 19 projects across England that make up the national Back from the Brink initiative. Together, these projects aim to save 20 species from extinction and benefit over 200 more. Lead partner of the rabbit work-stream and rabbit expert Prof Diana Bell, from UEA’ School of Biology, said: “The Breckland-based Shifting Sands project was set up to save some of the region’s rarest wildlife. “After several years of hard work by this multi-partner project, the fortunes of species classed as declining, rare, near-threatened or endangered are now improving in the Brecks. “The project has seen species recover in record numbers – including endangered beetle and plants, one of which is found nowhere else in the world. “Rabbits are incredibly important because their grazing and digging activity keeps the ground in a condition that is perfect for sustaining other species. “Sadly, rabbit populations have declined dramatically in the UK and across Europe, and the European wild rabbit is now listed as endangered in its ancestral Iberian Peninsula range. Their decline is largely due to a spill-over of new viruses from commercially bred rabbits. “The Shifting Sands project has shown us how important rabbits are to entire ecosystems, and it is vital that these habitats are conserved and protected. “We encouraged a rabbit revolution in the Brecks and we have produced a toolkit in partnership with Natural England to help landowners of similar rabbit-dependent habitats to do the same.” “Simple cost-effective ways of encouraging rabbits include creating piles of felled branches, known as brush piles, and banks of soil.” Monitoring over the past three years has shown the interventions are working, with evidence of significantly higher amounts of rabbit activity. Prof Bell said: “Our work resulted in evidence of rabbit activity in significantly higher numbers. 91 per cent of brush piles showed paw scrapes and 41 per cent contained burrows. Even when burrows did not form, the brush piles helped expand the range of rabbit activity.” The UEA research team worked in collaboration with Natural England, Forestry England, Plantlife, Breckland Flora Group, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Buglife, the Elveden Estate and the RSPB to deliver this ambitious partnership project. It has seen five kilometres of ‘wildlife highways’ created, more than 100 specimens of rare plants re-introduced, habitat created and restored across 12 sites, species encouraged, and landscape-management practices improved. As a result, seven species of plant, bird and insect are increasing in number and many more are benefiting in turn. Among those species recovering are rare plants such as the prostrate perennial knawel that is unique to the Brecks, basil thyme and field wormwood. The endangered wormwood moonshiner beetle, lunar yellow underwing moth and five-banded digger tailed wasp are also increasing. All these species are identified in the UK’s Biodiversity Action Plan as being priorities for conservation. The open habitat maintained by rabbits supports two rare plants: the prostrate perennial knawel – found nowhere else in the world – and field wormwood. Pip Mountjoy, Shifting Sands project manager at Natural England, said: “The Brecks were described by Charles Dickens as “barren”. They are anything but. Their 370 square miles of sandy heathland, open grassland and forest support almost 13,000 species, making it one of the UK’s most important areas for wildlife. “That wildlife is under threat. Felling trees and encouraging a species that is often considered a pest may seem a strange solution. But in this instance, carefully managed ‘disturbance’ is exactly what this landscape and its biodiversity needs.” “The project’s interventions have provided a lifeline for this unique landscape, and shown how biodiversity can be promoted by ‘disturbing’ places – not just by leaving them alone. “ “These rare habitats are becoming overgrown and species are declining as a result of changing land management practices and human impacts. It’s our responsibility to restore and maintain these spaces for nature. Some of these species exist only here and, if lost, will be lost forever.” Established in 2017 with £4.7m from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £2.1m from other bodies, Back from the Brink was the first nationwide co-ordinated effort to bring together charities, conservation organisations and government bodies to save threatened species. More information about the Brecks, Shifting Sands, Back from the Brink and a toolkit to help rabbit conservation is available via www.naturebftb.co.uk.
Corporate Social Responsibility Builds Investor Trust
There’s little doubt that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a good thing for businesses. Whether it’s taking positive action on society, communities, the climate, or the planet, strong corporate citizenship tends to play well with the public, the media, and consumers alike. And that can translate into wins in terms of brand equity and reputation. What is perhaps less clear are the concrete business returns that ethical business practices may or may not generate. Or, whether doing the right thing can create value for firms beyond image, brand, and customer or employee engagement. To shed light on this, Goizueta Assistant Professor of Accounting Suhas A. Sridharan, has taken a rather novel approach. Together with colleagues from the universities of LUISS Guido Carli, Nazarbayev University, and IDC Herzliya, Sridharan has published a new study using measures of disclosure credibility to understand whether CSR builds investor trust and drives tangible benefits for corporations. Corporate Social Responsibility Does Reap Rewards “Disclosure credulity refers to how much your investors trust the information your organization provides – how much faith they have in your company’s ability to accurately convey opportunities for growth, and perhaps more critically, to navigate risk and uncertainty,” says Sridharan. “Because CSR and responsible business practices have a role in addressing a range of risks–from climate change and environmental factors to socio-economic or political uncertainty and the impact on supply chains, talent and so on–we reasoned CSR can impact investor trust and disclosure credibility. And disclosure credibility, in turn, can impact investor decision-making and business outcomes.” To study disclosure credibility, and capture shifts in investor sentiment towards firms, Sridharan and her colleagues decided to use the link between share prices and company earnings announcements–the public statements on profitability that firms are obliged to make over different periods. “Earnings announcements are among the most salient and recurring areas of corporate disclosure, and managers and investors pay very close attention to them,” Sridharan says. “Because of the nature of the information they contain, they have a direct link to security price discovery – the price that firms and investors will agree to buy and sell shares in the company. Simply put, earnings announcements can be used to examine how much investors value a firm.” As reports, earnings announcements are also highly complex and typically time-consuming to process. Because of this, Sridharan and her colleagues opted to look at just how quickly or slowly investors were reading announcements and responding to them – and how quickly or slowly stock prices were adjusting to reflect earnings news within a five-day window after earnings announcements, as well as a longer period to allow for potential overreaction or error. More Disclosure Credibility Equals Faster Results Sridharan explains, “The intuition we brought to the study was that the more investors trust a firm’s disclosures, the more efficient or faster they will be to process its earnings report; in other words, the more they will be likely to take the report on face value and less inclined to dig into the finer minutiae or question its findings.” Adopting this approach, she and her colleagues then compared and contrasted investor response to earnings reports from different firms, with greater or less involvement in CSR activities. In total, they looked at a large-scale sample of more than 19,000 annual earnings announcements from just under 3,000 U.S. firms over a 25-year period, between 1992 and 2017. Using Morgan Stanley Capital International environmental, social, and governance ratings, they were also able to determine the degree of firm-level CSR across their dataset during this period. Crunching the numbers, Sridharan and fellow researchers were able to arrive at a concrete conclusion: CSR measurably increases investor trust and disclosure credibility. “When we estimated our regression models, we found clear evidence that corporate social responsibility does indeed contribute to the average speed of price discovery around earnings announcements; and it does so positively. Our results reveal that CSR increases the speed with which stock prices incorporate earnings news. Breaking it right down, we see that a one unit increase in CSR activities corresponds to 1.96 percent increase in the average timeliness or efficiency of reported earnings.” In other words, investors are reacting more quickly and favorably to performance reports made by organizations with more demonstrated social responsibility. “We know that these types of announcements are lengthy and dense; they take time to process,” Sridharan says. “So, the intuition here is that when your firm plants a flag on responsibility and accountability, investors are more likely to take your disclosures at face value – they’re more likely to trust what you’re saying.” Organizations would do well to take this finding on board, says Sridharan; especially in today’s climate of high volatility and uncertainty. Having investors on board is critical in weathering the bad times along with the good, she adds, and CSR can be a game-changing tool in building that necessary trust. The Wild West of the Regulatory Landscape Sridharan’s paper also informs the regulatory landscape around corporate responsibility which is still in its infancy and which she likens to something of a “Wild West.” “The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other regulators are increasingly focused on improving the functioning of capital markets and understanding the role of CSR,” she says. “The SEC has included an examination of climate and ESG-related risks among its 2021 examination priorities which also underscores a growing investor interest in these issues. At the same time, research is showing that CSR can be misused or simply deployed to benefit managers looking to score reputational points with stakeholders–at the expense of shareholders. By demonstrating that investor perceptions of firms are materially shaped by firms’ CSR activities, our study highlights the importance of–and helps build the case for–monitoring and regulating firms’ CSR activities.” Suhas A. Sridharan is an Assistant Professor of Accounting at Emory University's Goizueta Business School. Sridharan studies investors' use of information to assess risk and resolve uncertainty, particularly around issues of political economy. She is available to speak with media about the importantance of CSR - simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.
When it comes to marketing, the endgame is almost always to increase brand awareness, strengthen relationships between companies and consumers, and boost market share. But counter-marketing efforts are often employed to reduce consumption of “vice” goods such as cigarettes, sugary sodas, and fast food. Earlier this year, Michael “Mike” Lewis, professor of marketing, faculty director, Emory Marketing Analytics Center, published “Investigating the Effects of Excise Taxes, Public Usage Restrictions, and Anti-Smoking Ads across Cigarette Brands.” in the Journal of Marketing. Mike, along with co-authors, Yanwen Wang PhD14, associate professor of marketing and Canada research chair in Marketing Analytics at the University British Columbia, and Vishal Singh, professor of marketing, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University, took a closer look at the role counter-marketing plays in the consumption of “vice” goods. Given that many “vice” categories are dominated by high-equity brands such as Marlboro, McDonald’s, and The Coca-Cola Company, the authors wanted to explore whether or not strong brands “might also affect the efforts of advocacy groups and regulators to disrupt these relationships and reduce consumption,” they note in their paper. The research focused specifically on the interplay between branding and counter-marketing with respect to cigarette consumption. By focusing on brand manufacturers rather than on regulators and consumers, the authors believe they’ve closed a gap. “The literature on smoking cessation has largely ignored the impact of branding on efforts to reduce cigarette consumption,” they write. “This is an oversight given that marketing researchers have found that brand-consumers’ relationships have significant effects on consumer decision-making.” A full article on the research is attached and is well worth the read. In that piece, readers will learn more about how the researchers expected that strong brands would take advantage of their increased customer loyalty and diminished price sensitivity to protect them from counter-marketing tactics. And while it might be counter-intuitive, the author’s research suggests that market leading cigarette brands would be better off pushing for excise taxes on cigarettes (versus smoking restrictions), as such tax increases would be attractive to government agencies (by increasing government revenue), and big brand cigarette companies would capture more market share. In other words, when it comes to combating counter-marketing efforts, “brand managers may devise strategies or lobbying efforts based on their category position,” suggest the researchers. “This isn’t a clear-cut battle of good versus evil. It’s more a matter of a brand’s people advocating for one position,” said Lewis. “A position that’s going to make them more resilient to some of these tactics.” In addition to big brand cigarette companies, the paper’s findings have implications for brands that anchor other vice categories, such as McDonald’s and The Coca-Cola Company, entities that have been the target of counter-marketing campaigns by various anti-obesity groups. According to Lewis, Wang, and Singh’s research, much of the response by these brands to the counter-marketing attempts has been centered around public relations, but the authors see opportunities to employ “different tactics” that are “appropriate for different brands,” they write. "Relationships between consumers and relatively weak brands may be disrupted using taxes, while for strong brands, the appropriate tactic seems to be usage restriction that limit public consumption. Our results suggest that brand building is the correct response to taxes, whereas usage restrictions would call for other responses, such as lobbying.” If you are a reporter looking to know more about this subject or if you have questions, then let our experts help. Professor Michael Lewis is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. In addition to exploring trends in the overall marketing landscape, Lewis is an expert in sports analytics and marketing. He is available for interview - simply click on his icon to arrange a discussion today.