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Georgia Southern Libraries celebrates grand opening for Patent and Trademark Resource Center
Patenting an invention and trademarking a product name can be challenging, yet protecting intellectual property is vital. To that end, Georgia Southern University Libraries celebrated the grand opening of its Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) with ribbon-cutting events at the Armstrong Center in Savannah this past September. The PTRC is part of a nationwide network of 84 public, state and academic libraries designated by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to support the public with trademark and patent assistance. Georgia Southern Libraries is one of two designated PTRCs in Georgia. “With the recent economic development of Hyundai’s Motor Group Metaplant America, associated suppliers and regional commerce, our PTRC cultivates a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship,” stated Georgia Southern’s PTRC librarian representative John Schlipp. “Innovators and creative colleagues utilizing the PTRC service at Georgia Southern University Libraries will be able to determine the potential for their patent applications and federal registration for a trademark on their inventions, products or services.” Georgia Southern’s PTRC partners with the University’s Business Innovation Group (BIG) and other regional, like-minded organizations to foster innovation and creativity. Dignitaries from the USPTO, including Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director Derrick Brent, and Georgia Southern President Kyle Marrero attended the ribbon-cutting in Savannah. Both events acted as workshops for inventors, entrepreneurs and business startups. The PTRC at Georgia Southern can assist patrons in conducting their own free patent and trademark searches on specialized USPTO databases. Additionally, patrons can receive one-on-one instruction on the application process, improve awareness of a product field, determine application feasibility and prepare for consulting with an attorney. Interested in learning more? Contact Georgia Southern's Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.
Expert Insight: Fake News, Fake Reviews: Building Trust with Online Shoppers
Online customer reviews have become a critically important cog in the sales conversion process in recent years. Studies show that 97 percent of consumers read product reviews and ratings, and that positive reviews can almost triple the likelihood of making a purchase. As customers do more and more of their shopping online, they are turning in droves to the likes of Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google Reviews to seek out opinions, recommendations, and feedback from other users before pushing through the final part of the sales funnel. As a result, these third-party review sites have experienced exponential growth. But there’s a caveat: and it’s trust. The success of Yelp and its competitors is wholly contingent on how trustworthy their users perceive them to be; on the transparency and authenticity of the content published and the sources of that content. In an era of disinformation with fake reviews and AI mass-generated content precipitously on the rise, securing—and keeping—user trust is paramount. The Five Keys to Fighting Fakery Goizueta Business School’s Sandy Jap has some suggestions. Together with colleagues Ben Beck of Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Business and Stefan Wuyts of Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, Jap, who is the Sarah Beth Brown Professor of Marketing, put together a series of studies to test the kinds of measures and mechanisms that platforms can deploy to win user confidence. And it turns out there’s one tactic that works more effectively than any other: actively monitoring the authenticity of user reviews. That and being open and transparent about doing so. Jap and her colleagues scoured the latest research and data on marketing, governance, and identity disclosure to pinpoint the mechanisms that best mitigate online fakery, while simultaneously building trust among platform users. They identified five. “We worked through the literature and were able to whittle these down to five core practices that are robustly effective at building trust,” says Jap. “They are monitoring, exposure, community building, status endowment and identity disclosure. Doing these five things can signal to your users that you are committed to being a guardian of their trust, so to speak.” Monitoring or evaluating reviews for their authenticity and exposing firms that pay for and propagate fake content are mechanisms directed at the rogue firms that spread fakery and misinformation, explains Jap. Meanwhile community building and status endowment focus on reviewers. Community building is about enabling authentic, transparent interactions between consumers and reviewers. An example of this might be allowing consumers to ask questions and reviewers to respond directly. “Status endowment is where a platform verifies and acknowledges the credibility or helpfulness of a reviewer in some way. Yelp and others use things like badges or reviewer ratings which are earned over time and which make it hard for fake reviewers to game their systems,” says Jap. Identity disclosure is the practice of having reviewers provide personal information—their name, picture, or location, for instance—before they can post content. And while this approach can keep fabrication and false profiles in check, it also raises certain tradeoffs, says Jap. “Anonymity online has long been understood as something of an un-inhibitor—a factor that enables users to speak more freely and openly. It can be democratizing in the sense that it removes or lessens prejudice and bias around things like race, social class, or physical appearance,” she says. “Of course, having people share personal data on your platform can also open up a can of worms around privacy and identity theft which are major considerations; so there’s a balancing act needed with this.” To test the efficacy of all five trust building policies, including identity disclosure, Jap and her colleagues ran a series of experiments and studies. They invited volunteers to rate how the presence or absence of these mechanisms impacted the trustworthiness of a platform. One study saw them parse things like domain authority and traffic across 25 online review sites against how many (or few) of the five mechanisms each deployed. Elsewhere, the team used surveys to assess how users ranked the different mechanisms in terms of platform trust, above and beyond other factors such as the quantity of reviews published say, or the expertise of different reviewers. The Bottom Line: Bust Bogus Reviews After crunching the data, Jap and her co-authors found that while all five trust-building mechanisms were valued and important to platform users, the practice of monitoring for fake reviews and reviewers—and broadcasting the fact clearly—was by far the most effective. “Doing all of these five things—monitoring, exposing, community building, status endowment and ID disclosure—are important if you want to earn and keep the trust of your users,” says Jap. “We found that the more of these mechanisms that platforms incorporate, the better their domain authority, Alexa site ranking, backlinks, and organic site traffic.” Based on our findings, monitoring your content and communicating that you’re doing this is by far the most powerful cue that you are trustworthy. So that’s where we’d say platforms might want to focus their spend. Many of the biggest review platforms have already taken note of these insights. Yelp recently shared a post to its official blog welcoming the finding that of the 25 sites analyzed in Jap’s study, theirs is one of two platforms that actively implement all five mechanisms. “After examining 25 review platforms, the study found that Yelp is one of two platforms that applies all five mechanisms and as the research states, has become a guardian of trust for review information.” Meanwhile, Jap stresses that these findings should be relevant to any business that is focused on “combating online review fakery.” “All businesses today face the challenge of managing their word-of-mouth reputation. Any firm interested in sharing and leveraging points of view around its products or services, be it a small online retail store or an Amazon, is going to want to go the distance—and be seen to do so—in going to war on fakery and disinformation.” Are you a journalist interested in learning more about the importance and trustworthiness of online reviews? Sandy Jap is available to speak with media - simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.
Holiday Season is Almost Here and Goizueta Business School has Holiday Experts Ready to Help
The holidays are the difference between operating in the red and operating in the black for many retail businesses. The Goizueta Business School has experts who can provide insight and expertise on a wide range of stories. Economics of the Holiday Season - Economist Tom Smith can discuss seasonal hiring, retail expectations, and the importance of the holiday season to retailers. Black Friday - Doug Bowman can discuss retail expectations and the importance of the holiday season to retailers. He expects this year shoppers will go to fewer stores and not travel long distances, delivery capacity will be an issue, and work from home/school purchases will be hot. AI Changing How We Shop - David Schweidel can discuss how new AI tools are changing how we shop and how brands are using AI to reach prospective customers. Product Reviews See Huge Increases: How Reviews Impact Holiday Shopping - What do reviews mean for the shopping experience and do reviews impact purchase? Reshma Shah can discuss the impact reviews have on the point of purchase. Product Returns - Marat Ibragimov can discuss the retail strategy and impact of holiday gift returns, comparing online returns to brick and mortar. Food and Travel Pricing - Saloni Firasta Vastani can discuss the cost of this year’s holiday dinners. What’s gone up and what’s gone down? She can also discuss the cost of travel this holiday season and what consumers can do to get a better deal. Avoiding Holiday Overspend - Rohan Ganduri can discuss how holiday shopping can expose consumers to credit products like store credit cards that offer various incentives to take up the credit card, often resulting in overspending. Ganduri can discuss his latest research paper on how taking up store credit cards can impact consumers’ future credit outcomes. Social Media & Advertising - David Schweidel can discuss how micro influencers work, how using product placement can cut through the advertising clutter, and the power of product reviews. The Constantly Changing Online Retail Experience - Styling videos, personal shoppers, messaging, and even Augmented Reality (AR) are being used to generate purchases. Doug Bowman can discuss how stores are reimagining the shopping experience to attract customers in person and online. Influencers Influencing Our Purchases - How are creators impacting the economy and are influencers impacting our purchasing decisions? Marina Cooley looks at the creator economy and how TikTok and Instagram are impacting our holiday wish lists and what it takes for a product to go from unknown to trending. She can also discuss how this holiday season will help normalize in-app TikTok shopping (something Instagram has struggled to execute on). How to Attract Customers to the Store this Holiday: Merging Online and In-person Experiences May be the Answer - Shopping looks different and it is up to retailers to stand out not just in the brick and mortar world but also online. The success of a business can balance on the customer experience. Reshma Shah can discuss the policies brick and mortar retailers need to have in place to successfully merge online shopping and the in-person shopping experience. To book your expert interview, call Kim Speece at (404) 849-6579 or email her at kim@leffassociates.com or simply click on the icon available. To find an expert on a specific topic, click the “Search” feature at https://goizueta.emory.edu/faculty/profiles. To check out other recent research, visit https://www.emorybusiness.com/faculty-research/.
'Shake it Off' - Do Grammy-Winning Pop Artists Take More Creative Risks Than Their Runners-Up?
Taylor Swift has had a career marked by an evolution in sound and style. Swift emerged into the industry a country star and was later rebranded a pop icon. She’s gone on to explore alternative rock and indie folk sounds. Research by Giacomo Negro, professor of Organization & Management and professor of Sociology (by courtesy), suggests Grammy award wins may be credited as the catalyst for these changes. Swift, who holds 11 Grammy awards, won her first in 2010, taking home Album of the Year for country album “Fearless,” then again for her first exclusively pop album “1989” and again in 2021 for her indie folk album “Folklore.” Each time she earned another Grammy, she tried something new. Swift is not the only one. After winning Album of the Year in 1988 for classic arena rock album “The Joshua Tree,” U2 released “Achtung Baby,” an album that dabbled with kraut rock and electronic music. Similarly, Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” won them Album of the Year in 1978, after which, they released their double album “Tusk,” an experimental record that incorporated punk-rock. Does Missing out on a Grammy Win Make Artists Timid? Negro’s research shows Grammy award winners tend to release albums that are more distinct from the work of other artists, whereas Grammy nominees who do not win create music that is more similar to other artists than they had prior to their nomination. Negro co-authored the research with Balázs Kovács from Yale University and Glenn Carroll from Stanford University–a culmination of more than five years of work. Negro says he has always been interested in cultural production, and he set out to study the patterns of differentiation in the music market. He chose the Grammys because these symbolic awards provide a situation similar to a natural experiment that is hard to find in real life or without a controlled environment. The Grammys are also unique because they share the names of both the award winners and the nominees, presenting a comparison among candidates of similar quality. To explore this question, Negro obtained data from four main sources: Grammy Awards Academy, online music database AllMusic, Spotify, and Billboard. From the academy information, he collected data for the Grammy nominated artists and winners from 1959 to 2018 in four “general” categories: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year,and Best New Artist. From AllMusic, they collected data based on the Grammy information that included artist name, recording name, year of release, record labels the artists released the music with, the production team they worked with, and the stylistic tags attached to each recording. Spotify holds a repository of popular songs; from here, they sourced data on the songs’ sonic features, which are the objective parameters of the music that qualify how the music sounds and is measured by algorithms, including tempo, genre, and key. Looking at the Billboard charts for the 2000s, they found the most albums that sold the most copies. “We combined all of this information coming from different sources, which was a challenge and an endeavor by itself, to attach information related to styles, sonic features, performance on the chart, and performance with the awards,” Negro says. They compared albums of Grammy winners with the albums of the nominees, then compared these with albums from a group of artists in the general market matched on a series of characteristics (such as genre and length of recording career). The researchers found that after artists win a Grammy, they become more experimental with their work, whereas the runners-up make music that is stylistically more conventional. This latter result was unexpected. Negro argues that there is value to be seen in the Grammys–even though it may be criticized for being too commercial or questioned for its relevance–because it has an impact on the music market and the careers of artists who are nominated and awarded. “These prizes celebrate creativity and innovation but may have unintended consequences in terms of their artists’ behavior,” he adds. “If more people become more conventional because of not receiving an award, one implication for cultural production is that awards have mixed impact. They benefit winners because they afford them more autonomy and, perhaps, confidence to explore new ideas, but they don’t necessarily benefit innovation in the field overall because more artists are just becoming more conventional.” He offers that, conversely, there may be a positive impact for artists who were not nominated at all. These artists may try to imitate the winners and try different things in the future. From this, it is clear that there is a benefit to mention who wins an award, but he says it is inconclusive whether there is a benefit to sharing the names of shortlisted candidates. What are the Greater Cultural Implications? “It’s interesting to observe how cultural production is sensitive to symbolic awards,” Negro says. “We tend to think that artists mainly follow their muse or their inspiration, but they respond to the stimuli around them.” Negro speculates that the results found in this study might apply to other industries in which producers or artists can combine different elements of styles to create their products, such as book publishing, visual arts, film, or television. He adds, these results may apply more generally to other markets and professional settings, in which employers create programs of rewards for employees. A bestowal of such awards may empower winners to continue with their behaviors, while discouraging those who were not recognized for their efforts, leading them to return to more typical behaviors. Negro is interested in following up this research by looking at the general impact of all Grammy Awards–not just the general ones–to see if specialized awards have a similar impact. He is also curious to investigate the patterns of collaboration between artists, and if stylistic changes are related to changes in the people artists work with. When Business Meets Research, What Can Students Take Away? Negro says this research also yielded findings that his team did not expect, as in the difference between winners and non-winning nominees. Where they thought they may see similarities, they, instead, saw differences, reiterating the importance of questioning how industries operate. To inquisitive students he advises, “Keep your eyes open and be curious about understanding why or how things work the way they do. Then, be persistent because it can take a long time to bring your idea to fruition.” Interested in knowing more or connecting with Giacomo Negro - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview or time today.
New Goizueta Research: Fandom and the Republican Party and Why It Matters
When we think about “fans” we typically think about sports or entertainment … but new research from the Goizueta Business School shows that political figures are showing increased levels of fandom. Fans of political figures often support candidates, providing a very knowledgeable base for them. Political fans work to use their knowledge to influence others, raise money, attract volunteers and win elections. Professor Mike Lewis from Emory University’s Marketing Analytics Center looked at political fandom among Republicans and the current slate of presidential candidates. The survey of likely Republican voters found former President Donald Trump has a hold on Republican fandom that actually impacts the other candidates in a surprising way. Candidates who are openly anti-Trump see their fandom negatively impacted. The study found former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has a 90% rate of anti-fandom followed by South Carolina’s Tim Scott at 56%. Both have had negative opinions of Trump. The survey can be found here: The survey is a must read for anyone interested in politics, it showed: Political Fandom by Generation: Millennial Republican voters had the strongest Trump fandom (63%) followed by Generation X (58%). Ramaswamy had the second highest fandom among Millenials while DeSantis was second among Gen X. Having a Beer with Trump: The survey of almost 1,000 Republican voters was asked which candidate would participants most likely meet to have a coffee or beer. Former President Trump was the overwhelming choice among respondents in all age groups. Vivek Ramaswamy was the second choice among most age groups. Christie was the last choice in most age groups. Voters and President Biden: A final question asked likely Republican voters how they feel about President Biden. The Biden Positive segment was 23.6% of those asked versus 76.4% in the Biden Negative segment. The largest Biden negative group was among Trump fans which because of the number of supporters was also the largest Biden positive group. The smallest Biden negative group was fans of former Governor Chris Christie. Campaigns and elections are won or lost on polling, market research and the data collected by surveys just like this. And if you are interested in knowing more about this survey and how fandom is becoming an essential piece of political campaigning - then let us help. Mike Lewis is an expert in the areas of analytics and marketing. This approach makes Professor Lewis a unique expert on fandom as his work addresses the complete process from success on the field to success at the box office and the campaign trail. Michael is available to speak with media - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
Promoting your expertise just got easier with a host of new platform features. Well the world’s best platform for Expertise Marketing just got even better! We’ve just released the latest release of ExpertFile and it’s huge. Our newly designed, mobile-ready platform provides the most intuitive, collaborative solution for creating, managing, and showcasing your experts and insights. Whether you are managing content directly on your website or promoting it through one of our powerful distribution channels like our expertfile.com search engine used by leading media outlets, you will find a lot of great new features packed into this release. With a host of new and enhanced features, streamlined workflows and more advanced analytics we’ve made showcasing your expertise, capturing valuable inquiries, and tracking your results easier than ever. You will see some exciting improvements that enable you to create highly customizable, searchable directories and media-rich profiles and content features to sharing valuable expert insights with detailed Posts and Q&A. Built for marketing and communications professionals and compatible with your current systems we continue to take the burden out of managing your expert content, and eliminate the need for ongoing, costly or time-consuming IT projects. The following highlights some of the great new features and functionality that can be found across the platform. We hope you take a moment to explore the new ExpertFile. And please let us know what you think! Cheers, Robert ------------ Robert Carter Co-Founder & VP Product | ExpertFile A Quick Tour of What's New with the ExpertFile Platform Home Screen Experience the power of the ExpertFile Platform from the moment you log in. The *NEW* Home Screen is your gateway to a wealth of essential information related to your account, key analytics, recent activities and more. With intuitive menus and a new universal search bar for easy discovery, the Home tab is your jumping off point for effortlessly exploring all your expert content and quickly connecting with valuable inquiries. Our refined layout features clear tab structures, quick action buttons and links making it a breeze to create and manage your experts and their insights, whether creating detailed media-rich profiles, insightful posts, Q&A or other featured content. Plus, gain valuable insights and optimize your expertise marketing strategy with convenient access to resource links and tools to grow your online presence both on your website, through Google or by one of our powerful distribution channels. New Home Screen features include: Quick action buttons to access all frequent activities Universal search capabilities for all your expert content User/license overview Analytics summary Recent content & login activity People Tab Manage your experts and your team through the People tab. Quickly add users and create captivating mobile-ready profiles that showcase their knowledge and thought-provoking content. Effortlessly update experts profiles using our user-friendly inline editor or take advantage of bulk actions to make changes across your entire team. Easily create and assign your experts to categories and tags enhancing discovery and building of custom directories and featured content. Transition profiles seamlessly from drafts to public visibility, or establish private password-protected viewing for exclusive restricted access directories and targeted profile outreach. Build the perfect support network. Manage your experts, their content, and inquiries with ease, while collaborating with diverse teams. With unlimited admins and agent users, we allow for more efficient management and better visibility across your entire roster of experts or within specific groups of experts. Easily add users from a diverse range of departments such as marketing communications, digital, research, analyst relations, and more to help maintain fresh and engaging expert content and ensure you never miss valuable inquiries. Assign agents to make edits or handle inquiries on an expert or multiple experts behalf. Extend your reach with access to leading tools for leveraging your experts, including easy export functionality and variety of integrations options for your website and with external platforms. New People Tab features include: New user setup enhancements Streamlined profile status options Advanced filtering capabilities People specific activity log Post Tab The Post tab is the starting point for sharing your organization’s insights on current news, trending topics and more by creating shareable Posts that connect back to your experts. Interactive and mobile-ready, Posts let you quickly deliver expert, SEO friendly content to your audiences on any device at any time. Quick links allow you to create drafts including using our new AI Brainstorming feature to help generate ideas and initial drafts. For more interaction with your expert Posts streamline content discovery and expand your content distribution capabilities by tagging your Posts. Whether you choose to publish immediately or schedule for future release, you have the flexibility to align your content with breaking news, important announcements, cyclical trends or your marketing calendar. Finally increase the power of Posts by assigning individual experts to each post to better connect your insights to your experts, driving more profiles views and valuable inquiries. New Post Tab features include: Quick create button with AI brainstorming Advanced filtering capabilities Bulk action management options Connected “experts” visibility Enhanced tag management Post specific activity log Q&A Tab The Q&A tab makes leveraging the power of Q&A easy. Deliver insights through expert curated Q&A, either with a single question and answer from an expert or organization, or allow for multiple experts to provide a variety of answers. By connecting your answer to your experts, you’ll drive profile views and capture valuable inquiries. Streamline content discovery and expand your content distribution capabilities by tagging your Q&A. New Q&A Tab features include: Quick create button Advanced filtering capabilities Bulk action management options Connected “experts” visibility Enhanced tag management Q&A specific activity log Analytics Tab Track your performance with the customizable features of the new Analytics Tab. Access current metrics across all important areas from your people to Posts, Q&A and inquiries. Define your view by type and time period. Quickly export your monthly PDF reports or create custom exports to allow for detailed reporting that matches your organization’s reporting cycles. Easily export all your metrics to create additional reports in other systems you currently use. New Analytics Tab features Include Content-type specific reporting Date range filtering Customizable graphing capabilities Enhanced data exports Downloadable monthly reports Bulk actions & Filtering Inquiries Tab The Inquiries tab provides access to all the capabilities you need for viewing, managing and responding to your opportunities. The layout lets you quickly understand the nature of your incoming inquiries whether they’re related to media, speaking, research, customer/business requests and more. Quickly view key details of all incoming inquiries including time-sensitive requests that require immediate follow-up. Activate only the type of inquiries you’re looking to receive through our inquiry type setup. At the same time keep unwanted messages away from your experts with our AI Quarantine function that monitors all your incoming inquiries and proactively blocks messages that can be reviewed later. Ensure total visibility with our mailing list functionality that enables inquiries to be seen by type beyond the specific setup for each expert. New Inquiry Tab features include: Enhanced AI Quarantine protection Organization wide blocking Network level blocking Enhanced inquiry filtering Inquiry specific activity log Settings The new Settings section provides easier more intuitive access to a wide variety of account customizations and system settings to tailor your implementation. This includes access to integration options from Custom API to Embeds and our WordPress plugin. New Settings Section features Include Enhanced brand management capabilities Improved asset uploader Refined layout New “Customer Success” resources
Aston University fraud specialist continues ongoing engagement with UK Government
Dr Rasha Kassem advises UK government on countering fraud through the Government Counter Fraud Profession (GCFP) advisory group She shapes policies to combat £33 billion annual losses Dr Kassem influences fraud standards and shares vital research. Dr Rasha Kassem, a fraud specialist based at Aston Business School, remains actively engaged with the UK government through her advisory role in the Government Counter Fraud Profession (GCFP) advisory group. This advisory group, a vital component of the Government Counter Fraud Function, collaborates with cross-sector experts to shape policies and strategies aimed at countering fraud and other financial crimes. The Government Counter Fraud Profession Strategy 2023-25 underscores the severity of fraud within the public sector, estimating losses at a minimum of £33 billion annually due to fraud and error. As a dedicated member of the GCFP Cross Sector Advisory Group, Dr Kassem plays a pivotal role in advising and supporting the development of policies to combat these financial crimes. The GCFP serves as a professional body for counter-fraud experts within central government and beyond. Its mission is to unite the counter-fraud community under a common framework of standards, fostering growth and development to safeguard public services and combat economic crime. Dr Kassem's involvement in the advisory group holds significant impact, influencing the establishment of knowledge, skills and experience requirements for fraud professionals across various disciplines and levels. Additionally, she contributes to the publication of influential fraud research in the Public Sector Counter Fraud Journal and addresses UK government fraud conferences on recent research findings. Dr Kassem also collaborates with experts from diverse sectors to bridge training gaps, all while engaging in discussions through regular group meetings. The Government Counter Fraud Profession operates under the umbrella of the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA), established in August 2022. The GCFP is positioned within the Practice, Standards, and Capability Function of the Authority. The PSFA, a collective effort by 17 public sector organisations, adheres to core principles of building capability, with the GCFP taking a lead role in advancing structures and services. Dr Kassem emphasises the critical nature of engaging with policymakers through knowledge exchange activities to amplify research impact. Her active participation in UK Government fraud conferences and contributions to the Public Sector Counter Fraud Journal serve to raise awareness on prevailing fraud issues. Furthermore, her feedback on existing and new fraud guidance aids the GCFP in crafting professional standards and guidance for countering fraud. Dr Kassem has been a valued member of the Cross-Sector Advisory Group of the UK Government Counter Fraud Profession since 2019. Dr Kassem said: “Collaborating with the UK government through the Government Counter Fraud Profession has been a rewarding journey. “It's through these engagements that we're shaping policies and standards to counter fraud and protect public resources. “The recent Annual GCFP conference was well attended by fraud investigators, law enforcement, and regulators from the public sector. My presentation was well received and some participants said it was wildly fascinating to hear the striking reality that insider fraud can be, especially in UK policing, given its impact on policing integrity and legitimacy. The presentation opened their eyes to the risk of insider fraud and its impact. “Together, we're making a significant impact on the battle against financial crime.” For further information and to explore Dr Kassem's recent research, click here.
Finding Truth among the Tweets. Our expert weighs in on the role social media has during war.
With the Israel-Hamas war raging on, social media provides a source of information for many individuals to stay up to date. Across platforms there are reliable sources but there are also those with an agenda to spread false truth, blatant lies and sew doubt with doses of 'mis' and disinformation. It's a topic Goizueta Business School professor David Schweidel is watching closely. "We are seeing once again the need for the regulation of social media platforms," says Schweidel. " Platforms have a financial incentive to serve up the most provocative and arousing content and content moderation is often at odds with financial goals." Social media is being flooded with content, much of it misinformation, and social platforms are unwilling or unable to effectively moderate what’s being posted. "Beyond the likely reduction in revenue, implementing content moderation at scale is expensive and difficult. If viewed from a short-term financial perspective, allowing for a free for all is less costly and will result in more user engagement, which drives revenue," Schweidel adds. And it is not as if legislators and lawmakers are not aware. As of today, social media platforms aren’t liable for the content posted on them (under the FCC’s Section 230). Two recent lawsuits sought to challenge section 230, but the Supreme Court declined to take such action. These challenges were based on platforms actively promoting content through their algorithms, thereby going beyond simply being intermediaries providing access to content posted online by others. Some, such as the ACLU, view this as allowing for free speech online. There's a lot more to know, such as: The challenges in identifying real vs. fake content Which platforms are being effective in moderating content How US and EU laws vary in terms of regulating misinformation on social media platforms And that's where we can help. David A. Schweidel is Professor of Marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. He's a renowned marketing analytics expert focused on the opportunities at the intersection of marketing and technology. David is available to speak with media regarding this important topic, simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
Net-zero emissions targets: Genuine goals or Fortune 500 greenwashing?
Moving towards “net-zero” emissions has become a popular “target” for multinational corporations that have committed to improving their sustainability. But is it a new tagline from marketing departments or something firms are actually committed to? About half of the U.S.-based Fortune 500 firms have declared their intent to reach net zero – the point at which the emissions from an entity equals the amount of greenhouse gasses being taken out of the atmosphere – as early as by 2030. The University of Delaware’s Kalim Shah, an expert on energy and climate policy, has some thoughts on these targets, their feasibility and why these companies are pursuing these goals. We should question why the language has changed in less than a decade from lowering emissions or low carbon options to “net-zero” when targets to meet lower emissions have not really been fulfilled in the first place. Part of the explanation could be to get ahead of would-be legislated pressure, that is, to dissuade legislative efforts which would imply compliance requirements, whereas now, these pledges are completely voluntary. Net zero is more technologically feasible in some sectors/ processes and not in others. In other words, there is likely not a cost effective, technological fix for net zero in the aluminum smelting or iron or concrete making industries in the immediate future. Lack of industry standards for measuring net zero – or perhaps more correctly, several competing methods of calculating net zero – can give some cover, for now, to firms attempting to “greenwash.” In effect, one firm's net zero may not be comparable to another's net zero. A company’s “emissions scope” must be examined closed. Are firms referring to direct emissions related to on-site fuel combustion or fleet vehicles; Indirect emissions related to emission generation of purchased energy, such as heat and electricity; and/or Other indirect emissions related to both emissions from upstream and downstream business activities when setting targets? We have to "read the fine print" as well, as terms that sound as ambitious but have slightly different strategies, such as “carbon neutral” and “carbon negative” targets can also complicate how we hold firms accountable. Where net zero is less possible, emissions could be “offset” through various schemes like carbon credits of forest offsets. A carbon offset is a reduction or removal of emissions of greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere. En vogue since the 2000s, largely because it presented a way for indebted developed countries to capture market value by preserving endangered forests when multinationals ‘"offset" operations emissions by paying said developing countries, this mechanism has become highly questionable of late for its unverifiability. To arrange an interview, click on Dr. Shah's profile and press the contact button found there.
It's as if it has been the biggest love story since Grace Kelley married Prince Rainer or when Harry met Meghan for that matter. But as much as fans, media and even the play-by-play callers are giving an enormous amount of attention to Taylor Swift every time she shows up and cheers on her new beau Travis Kelce, experts wonder...will it have a lasting impact on attracting new fans to the NFL? Recently, Bloomberg News explored if an entertainment powerhouse like Taylor Swift can move the yard-stick of a generation that is seeing a shrinking fanbase and serious decline in viewership. For expert insight, Bloomberg contacted Goizueta Business School's Mike Lewis to offer his opinion and perspective on the situation. Historically, leagues didn’t worry much about the transmission of passion for a sport and team. Homes typically had one screen — the family television — and if a parent was watching the Chiefs game, so were the kids. Fandom at home drove fandom outside of it. Kids wore NFL merchandise to school and bonded with their classmates. Youth sports participation, partly inspired by what was on TV, amplified the community solidarity and enthusiasm for all levels of a given sport. Those traditional forms of fan development are breaking down. "We've evolved to this situation where kids are getting their content via the smartphone and everyone going off to their corner," explains Michael Lewis, director of the marketing analytics center at Emory University. The consequences are striking. In 2021, Lewis published data on sports fandom among different generations. Millennials overwhelmingly identified themselves as the most avid fans (42%), followed by Gen X and Baby Boomers. Gen Z was a striking outlier. Though 23% identified themselves as passionate spectators, 27% identified themselves as "anti-sports." No other generation came close to that level of sports antipathy. However, Gen Z isn’t uninterested in competition. Rather, its media consumption habits are pushing it to different outlets. Survey data that Lewis published in August reveals that esports (competitive video gaming) is now more popular than traditional sports. Professional sports is a multi-billion dollar business and appealing to multi-generational audiences is no easy task. If you're covering or interested in learning more - we can help. Mike Lewis’s work focuses on the intersection of sports analytics and sports marketing. He studies issues ranging from player performance analytics to brand equity in sports. This approach makes Professor Lewis a unique expert on fandom as his work addresses the complete process from success on the field to success at the box office. Michael is available to speak with media - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.