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Economics / Business - 06.10.2021

Corporate insiders disguise share sales with cautious approach to deter predatory short sellers
New research suggests regulators and short sellers alike may benefit from identifying cautious selling tactics Last updated on Wednesday 6 October 2021 Company directors, officers or major shareholders, worried that their personal share sales might trigger aggressive short selling from investors tracking their moves, are disguising their trades with a cautious, incremental approach often spread over several days, new research from the University of Bath shows.

Health - Economics / Business - 28.09.2021

Study suggests R rate for tracking pandemic should be dropped in favour of ’nowcasts’ | University of Cambridge
When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in 2020, the R rate became well-known shorthand for the reproduction of the disease. Yet a new study suggests it's time for 'A Farewell to R' in favour of a different approach based on the growth rate of infection rather than contagiousness.

Administration - Economics / Business - 22.09.2021

Savers with individual personal pensions are losing out due to lack of regulation
People with an individual personal pension could retire with as little as half the value of a comparable group pension fund facilitated by an employer Last updated on Wednesday 22 September 2021 The absence of a third party protecting the interests of individual personal pensions means they perform worse than group personal pensions (GPP), according to new research from the University of Bath's School of Management.

Economics / Business - 15.09.2021

Pension inequality a major issue when couples divorce
A new report has found that men within couples have substantially more private pension wealth than women, which poses particular challenges when they divorce.

Environment - Economics / Business - 06.09.2021

Economic cost of climate change could be six times higher than previously thought
Economic models of climate change may have substantially underestimated the costs of continued warming, according to a new study involving UCL researchers. Published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters , the international team of scientists found that the economic damage could be six times higher by the end of this century than previously estimated.

Social Sciences - Economics / Business - 20.07.2021

Knowledge Exchange Insights: Creative problem analysis
Highlights from the first session of the Knowledge Exchange training series , facilitated by Yvonne McLean, as part of the ESRC Collaboration Labs Programme, The University of Manchester. Our focus in this short series is to share the latest tools and best practice for academic research consultancy and effective knowledge exchange, delivered in our ongoing Collaboration Labs training series.

Economics / Business - 14.07.2021

DNA testing for cocoa beans offers path to end slavery and child labour in global chocolate industry
Research shows low-cost DNA biomarker technique can trace cocoa from a specific farm to the chocolate bar in your hand Last updated on Wednesday 14 July 2021 A new method of DNA testing on cocoa beans could revolutionise the chocolate industry, offering consumers greater reassurance about the origins and ethics of their beloved confectionery, and giving the global cocoa industry a precision tool to help end slavery and child labour.

Career - Economics / Business - 09.07.2021

Seafarers draw on vital support from port chaplains
Seafarers of different faiths and no faith rely on support from port chaplains in coping with what is often dangerous work in challenging institutionalised workplace settings, research from Cardiff University has found. On board ship, religious beliefs and attitudes are kept private but seafarers revealed to the team the ways in which many who do have a faith construct their own set of religious beliefs in order to cope better with living and working conditions.

Economics / Business - Psychology - 04.05.2021

Loan applications processed around midday more likely to be rejected
Bank credit officers are more likely to approve loan applications earlier and later in the day, while 'decision fatigue' around midday is associated with defaulting to the safer option of saying no. This is clear evidence that regular breaks during working hours are important for maintaining high levels of performance Tobias Baer These are the findings of a study by researchers in Cambridge's Department of Psychology, published today in the journal Royal Society Open Science .  Decision fatigue is the tiredness caused by having to make difficult decisions over a long period.

Economics / Business - Environment - 22.04.2021

Survey reveals many people have reservations about flying in future
More than half of adults plan to fly less or much less, even after they have been vaccinated against COVID-19, citing worries about the virus and climate change, according to a survey carried out by the University of Bristol The snapshot survey , conducted by researchers at the university's Cabot Institute for the Environment, captured views of nearly 500 respondents about how they might fly in the wake of the global pandemic.

Economics / Business - 21.04.2021

Bankers’ tone of voice can boost stock markets and soothe investor fears
Financial leaders sounding positive when they answer journalists' questions can boost share prices and soothe investors' fears about market risk, a new study reveals. Using sophisticated computer algorithms, researchers analysed the tone of voice used by US Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairs during Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) press conferences and examined the impact on financial markets.

Agronomy / Food Science - Economics / Business - 18.03.2021

Sugar Tax in Spain has led to only tiny reduction in calories in shopping basket
New research suggests sugar taxes only slightly changed consumer behaviour, arguing that a combination of different policies is fundamental to tackle obesity. Last updated on Friday 19 March 2021 The introduction of a sugar tax, increasing the price of fizzy drinks and other products high in sugar content, has had only a limited, moderate effect in shifting people's dietary habits and behaviours, according to a new study.

Environment - Economics / Business - 10.03.2021

How global sustainable development will affect forests
Global targets to improve the welfare of people across the planet will have mixed impacts on the world's forests, according to new research. The United Nations’ 17 key areas for global development – known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – range from tackling poverty, hunger and sanitation to promoting clean energy, economic growth and reducing inequality.

Economics / Business - Innovation - 02.03.2021

Energy switching decisions could widen social inequalities
New energy tariffs designed for a low carbon future could leave people on bad deals even worse off, research has found. The Leeds-led study found new types of contracts could benefit all types of customer, with opportunities to sell excess energy from solar panels or incentives for using energy at off-peak times.

Career - Economics / Business - 16.02.2021

How has the pandemic impacted our wellbeing?
New research from Professor Roger Gill, helps us to understand the impact of ongoing Covid-19 restrictions on mental health and wellbeing. The study, delivered in partnership with Professor Matt Grawitch and colleagues at St Louis University in Missouri, surveyed people living and working across the UK, France, Germany, Canada and the US.

Environment - Economics / Business - 18.01.2021

Low-carbon policies can be ’balanced’ to benefit small firms and average households - study
A review of ten types of policy used to reduce carbon suggests that some costs fall on those less able to bear them - but it also shows these policies can form the bedrock of a 'green recovery' if specifically designed and used in tandem. Unless low-carbon policies are fair, affordable and economically competitive, they will struggle to secure public support Cristina Peñasco Some of the low-carbon policy options currently used by governments may be detrimental to households and small businesses less able to manage added short-term costs from energy price hikes, according to a new study.

Economics / Business - Health - 15.12.2020

Don’t follow the herd: How governments’ tough Covid restrictions can help limit economic damage
The UK Government's hesitancy to bring in tougher Covid restrictions exacerbated investor herding, market volatility and greater harm to its economy compared to countries with swifter and more decisive pandemic responses, new research indicates. Countries with more stringent government responses to the coronavirus crisis benefitted from lower levels of investor herding, newly published research from the University of Sussex Business School , Southampton Business School and University of Brescia (Italy) reveals.

Economics / Business - Health - 07.12.2020

Full cost of California’s wildfires to the US revealed
California's 2018 wildfires cost the US economy $148.5bn (£110bn) (0.7% of the country's annual GDP), of which $45.9bn was lost outside the state, according to researchers from universities including UCL. More than 8,500 separate fires burned during 2018 in California, making them the deadliest and most destructive of any year in the state's history.

Economics / Business - 29.10.2020

New financial inclusion report shows growing gulf between savers and those with debts amongst UK households
COVID-19 is having a massive impact on household finances, with personal debts increasing. But some people are seeing their savings rise as their incomes remain unaffected and their spending has been curtailed - says a new financial inclusion monitor from the University of Birmingham and the University of Lincoln.

Environment - Economics / Business - 26.10.2020

Globalised economy making water, energy and land insecurity worse: study
The first large-scale study of the risks that countries face from dependence on water, energy and land resources has found that globalisation may be decreasing, rather than increasing, the security of global supply chains. By quantifying the pressures that our consumption places on water, energy and land resources in far-off corners of the world, we can also determine how much risk is built into our interconnected world Oliver Taherzadeh Countries meet their needs for goods and services through domestic production and international trade.