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Baylor Consumerism Expert Discusses the Challenges of Gift Cards and Spending

James Roberts, Ph.D., The Ben Williams Professorship in Marketing in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business and an expert on consumerism, is featured in this Chicago Tribune story about spending gift cards – a popular holiday present. Roberts commented on a study that showed consumers spend an average of $38 more than the value of their gift cards. “We’re going to be more free with our spending when ... we didn’t generate the money that’s paying for it. The fact that we’re paying with a credit card-like mechanism means we’re not going to be as mindful of the price. We’ll overpay or spend more money than we would otherwise,” Roberts said. This story was picked up in dozens of national publications, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Stars and Stripes, Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, Palm Beach Post and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Source:

What is a REIT? Why does it Matter?

Real estate is booming in Atlanta and now, it appears, there's more interest from the Northeast. What is a REIT? Why is this important? Goizueta Business School's Roy Black lead's the school's renowned real estate focus and can make sense of it all. Source:

Baylor Experts Share New "Phone Snubbing" Research. This time it's "Boss Phubbing!"

Baylor University marketing professors and smartphone use experts James A. Roberts, Ph.D., and Meredith David, Ph.D., published their latest study – “Put Down Your Phone and Listen to Me: How Boss Phubbing Undermines the Psychological Conditions Necessary for Employee Engagement” – in the journal Computers in Human Behavior. Roberts and David are known nationally and internationally for researching the affects of smartphone use on relationships. “Phubbing (phone snubbing) is a harmful behavior,” Roberts said. “It undermines any corporate culture based on respect for others. Thus, it is crucial that corporations create a culture embodied by care for one another.” Their newest study examines “boss phubbing” (boss phone snubbing), which the researchers define as “an employee’s perception that his or her supervisor is distracted by his or her smartphone when they are talking or in close proximity to each other” and how that activity affects the supervisor-employee relationship. “Our research reveals how a behavior as simple as using a cellphone in the workplace can ultimately undermine an employee’s success,” the researchers wrote. “We present evidence that boss phubbing lowers employees’ trust in their supervisors and ultimately leads to lower employee engagement.” The study found: * 76 percent of those surveyed showed a lack of trust in a supervisor who phubbed them * 75 percent showed decreases in psychological meaningfulness, psychological availability and psychological safety * The lack of trust and decreases in those key areas led to a 5 percent decrease in employee engagement Roberts and David suggest several steps that managers could take to change the culture and mitigate the negative effects of smartphone use. * Create a culture in which supervisors do not feel pressure to immediately respond to emails and messages from their superiors while meeting with their employees. * Structure performance criteria in a manner which motivates bosses to build healthy superior-subordinate relationships. This might include annual ratings by their subordinates. * Train supervisors and employees on the importance of face-to-face interactions and sensitize them to the potentially negative consequences of phubbing on employee attitudes and engagement. * Set formal smartphone policies by setting clear rules for smartphone use, access and security – and detail specific consequences for violating those rules. Source:

Changes are Coming – Is Your Private Business Prepared?

Last July, the federal government revealed its plans to overhaul the system of taxation for private businesses, their shareholders and family members. The original proposals were very broad based and essentially targeted every Canadian controlled private corporation. The proposal documents addressed four main areas: • Income sprinkling • Constraining access to the lifetime capital gains exemption (LCGE) • Converting capital gains into dividends • Corporate reinvestment Since then there has been a lot of publicity, debate, political rhetoric and push-back from tax professionals, business owners, farmers, doctors, Chambers of Commerce and other organizations representing small businesses. But what will these changes mean for private business; why were these proposed changes put forward and, if the tax system needed to be overhauled, was this way the proper approach? There are a lot of questions out there and none are easily answered. That’s where the experts from Welch LLP can help. Don Scott, FCPA, FCA is a Partner and the Director of Tax Services for Welch LLP. He is recognized as an expert for his extensive knowledge in the area of Personal and Corporate Tax Planning and is a regular with local and national media. Don is available to speak regarding these new laws and what they may mean – simply click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:

Is Trump a Twitter Addict? Baylor Expert Says 'Yes'

Trump has said that Twitter is his way of communicating his thoughts directly with the world, bypassing the more traditional means of using the news media, which he tends to distrust. The president’s daily use of social media begs the questions: Can people be addicted to social media? If so, is President Trump an addict? “Yes and yes,” answered James Roberts, Ph.D., The Ben H. Williams Professor of Marketing in Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business. Roberts is a nationally known expert on consumer behavior, social media and smartphone addiction, and the effects of smartphone use on relationships. He recently published a new edition of his book, “Too Much of a Good Thing: Are You Addicted to Your Smartphone?” which includes a bonus chapter focused squarely on the Commander in Chief’s Twitter habits. “Addiction is a strong word,” Roberts said. “It’s best understood and defined as ‘continuing a behavior despite its negative consequences for you and others around you.’ Yes, we can be addicted to social media use just like we can be addicted to drugs or alcohol. Addiction can result from any behavior that produces pleasure in the brain.” In his look at President Trump, Roberts focused on the six core components applied by many health professionals when analyzing substance use disorders – salience, euphoria, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, conflicts and relapse. “Our inability to separate from technology is devastating to our well-being,” Roberts said. “Even if it’s not an addiction, it’s a deeply ingrained habit.” Source:

Baylor Expert Re: Movies Featuring Actors of Color: Hollywood Leaves "Great Deal of Money on the Table"

Movies like “Marshall” that are built around actors of color (Chadwick Boseman plays the iconic attorney) and have appeal to consumers of color historically see a significant surge in ticket sales in weeks five through eight – if producers are willing to keep them in theaters that long and allow for word-of-mouth advertising to build, said Tyrha Lindsey-Warren, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor of marketing in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business. She studies consumer behavior, multicultural media, movies and entertainment. “I believe that Hollywood often pulls movies starring women and actors of color out of the theaters way too soon and before word-of-mouth has time to fully spread,” Lindsey-Warren said. “In my opinion, and according to our studies, Hollywood is leaving a great deal of money on the table.” Movies built around actors of color typically make money – in many cases as much or more than five times the budget, she said. For example, the 2017 comedy “Girls Trip,” which was built around four African-American female leads, was made for $19 million and has grossed more than $100 million at the box office. A challenge, Lindsey-Warren said, is that Hollywood expects to make its money back in the opening weekend. That strategy often doesn’t translate well to consumers of color. She cited a Nielsen study that showed African-Americans make an average 6.3 trips every year to see movies, and they tend to strongly support movies where there are characters like themselves and to whom they can relate. But they don’t rush to theaters for premier weekends. “Historically, African-American consumers have not been such early adopters of seeing movies on opening weekend and have typically waited to hear from trusted sources, by way of word-of-mouth, if the movie is worth seeing,” she said. “I call this behavior giving word-of-mouth time to spread. These are insights that Hollywood has not fully embraced regarding consumers of color and for movies built around actors of color.” Source:

What's next for Equifax?

Earlier this week, Equifax announced a second breach of customer's personal data. That brings the total number of people who have had their personal information either seen shared or stolen to a whopping 145.5 million. To put that into perspective - that's the collective populations of Georgia, California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Missouri combined. Goizueta Business School Expert Kevin Crowley says competitors could take advantage of this drop in confidence but don't look for another firm to swoop in and try to purchase Equifax at a low price. Source: