News by Subject Social & Behavior

The age old adage of virtue being its own reward may not hold true in the corporate world -- in fact, honourable acts could lead workers to behave more selfishly later on, new research has shown.

Recent research finds state pension plans would be better off avoiding external asset managers when investing their assets -- and would carry substantially smaller unfunded liabilities if they simply invested in a conventional index fund.

The first study to examine tradeoffs in masculine versus feminine leadership traits reveals that stereotypically feminine traits -- like being tolerant and cooperative -- are viewed as desirable but ultimately superfluous add-ons. Instead, both men and women believe successful leaders need stereotypically masculine traits such as assertiveness and competence. The finding could help explain the concentration of men in top leadership roles.

In an era of fact-checking and 'alternative facts,' many people simply choose not to believe research findings and other established facts, according to a new paper co-authored by a professor at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.

An international study of small- to medium-sized wineries and vineyards finds that the more sustainability practices a winery has in place, the better its financial performance -- and the effect is enhanced when a winery perceives significant pressure from competitors.

If a sales agent brings their customer a small gift, the customer is much more likely to make a purchase, a study by the university of Zurich has shown. This works particularly well when the person receiving the gift is the boss. The fact that even small gifts can result in conflicts of interest has implications for the debate about where the line should be drawn between tokens of appreciation and attempted bribery.

A new study to be published in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science found that when managers respond to online reviews it's possible that those responses could actually stimulate additional reviewing activity and an increased number of negative reviews.

The European Academy of Cancer Sciences (EACS), an independent advisory body of medical specialists and researchers, has issued a position paper encouraging the European Union and its member states to formally launch a mission to boost and streamline cancer research. Published in Molecular Oncology, a journal of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies, the goal is to increase the societal impact of research by decreasing cancer incidence, increasing cure rate, improving health-related quality of life, and developing cost-effective cancer prevention and therapeutic strategies.

A recent study finds that the tool most often used to assess the efficiency of nonprofit organizations isn't just inaccurate -- it is negatively correlated with efficiency.

Workshy bosses can promote a contemptuous attitude amongst their staff -- leading to anger, frustration and abuse in the work place, new research has shown.