Costello College of Business News

In the earliest stage of innovation, creative proposals are judged according to their perceived novelty and usefulness. Sharaya Jones, assistant professor of marketing at Mason, has a simple yet counterintuitive rule for would-be innovators hawking their ideas: More is more. Her recent paper in Marketing Science, co-authored by Laura J. Kornish of University of Colorado Boulder, pits verbose and detailed idea descriptions against terse ones.

Einav Hart, an assistant professor of management at George Mason University’s School of Business, shows the economic implications of negotiators’ relationships, and how these economic implications affect how people negotiate. Her recent paper in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes (co-authored with Maurice Schweitzer at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania) introduces the construct “ERRO” (the Economic Relevance of negotiators’ Relational Outcomes) to shed light on when negotiators should consider their future relationships.

According to a recent working paper co-authored by Mason finance professors Lei Gao and Bo Hu, more than 80 percent of U.S. public firms use graphics in their annual reports. Further, visual presentation has market benefits as well as aesthetic ones.

Bret Johnson, assistant professor of accounting at Mason, recently co-authored a paper in Management Science finding that SEC comment letters are leaking out among investors close to the company concerned, who then use it to their advantage. Technically, such information-sharing violates Regulation Fair Disclosure (FD), which prohibits companies from sharing secrets with network partners such as institutional investors and analysts.

Hailey Behrman, a senior marketing student graduating this May, always wanted to explore her Jewish identity, but didn’t know where to start. Behrman sought out Mason Hillel, a nonprofit organization affiliated with George Mason University where students can discover their relationship with Judaism through educational and social programming, including trips to Israel.

For the past decade, Mason alum Germán Perilla, cofounder and director of the Honey Bee Initiative, has led Mason’s honey bee efforts.

There are many misconceptions about employing people who have developmental disabilities. Operating out of Manassas, Virginia, Didlake finds and creates employment opportunities for people with developmental and other kinds of disabilities. One of their business ventures in creating such opportunities is The UPS Store franchising, an operation well suited for job skills training. Recently they added a location, opening up on George Mason University’s Fairfax campus. In partnership with Mason LIFE, a program offering a university experience to young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Didlake has assembled a team to proficiently handle the printing, packaging, and shipping needs of the campus community.

Sponsored by the Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE) and the Business for a Better World Center, the 17 Rooms-U produced dozens of ideas, some of which were combined during follow-up conversations. Groups championing those ideas are now receiving up to $5,000 in seed money to implement their sustainability plans.

The School of Business and College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University teamed up this holiday season to donate over $1,500 in gift cards to the Culmore Family Resource Center.

Graduate students in the MBA elective class help companies examine their impact on the environment and offer solutions to reduce their environmental footprint.