news

Health - Economics / Business - 26.01.2023

Sugary drinks tax may have prevented over 5,000 cases of obesity a year in year six girls alone
The introduction of the soft drinks industry levy - the -sugary drinks tax in England was followed by a drop in the number of cases of obesity among older primary school children, according to Cambridge researchers. Taking into account current trends in obesity, their estimates suggest that around 5,000 cases of obesity per year may have been prevented in year six girls alone.

Economics / Business - 25.01.2023

Gap between rich and poor has increased more quickly in the US than in Europe
Wealth inequality in the United States has increased more quickly than in Europe in the last 50 years, according to a new Imperial study. The wealth gap was partly due to significant rises in stock market prices, according to the new study from Imperial College Business School , published in the Journal of Monetary Economics.

Environment - Economics / Business - 25.01.2023

Sustainable development key to stop extinction of carnivores
The best way to prevent the extinction of carnivores, such as lynx, bears and lions, is by encouraging a sustainable model of social and economic development, rather than focusing only on issues such as climate change, researchers say After studying 50 species of large carnivores over 50 years, it was discovered that social and economic factors, such as people's quality of life, were more closely associated with declines of these species, than p

Economics / Business - Health - 13.01.2023

Addressing online gambling harms across sub-Saharan Africa
A new study funded by the British Academy and Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) has reported that governments across Sub-Saharan Africa are struggling to keep pace with the mass expansion of gambling, brought about through online technologies and smartphone apps. An international team, coordinated by the universities of Glasgow, Ghana and Bath, in partnership with the Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit (MEIRU), reviewed existing policies in place to regulate the gambling industry across 49 countries.

Economics / Business - 10.01.2023

Poetry and meditation power new research understanding - study
Combining poetry and meditation may help researchers to discover new angles on the world through an unorthodox approach to data collection and analysis. ' Poetic meditation ' can enhance qualitative data analysis by offering researchers improved sensory experience and an ability to approach data analysis from unexpected directions, a new study reveals.

Economics / Business - Innovation - 04.01.2023

Researchers investigate the housing and construction sector’s key role in net-zero challenges
MIOIR Researchers have begun working on an important project 'Addressing the net-zero and productivity challenges: How could the housing and construction sector play a key role', funded by The Productivity Institute. A research team from the Alliance Manchester Business School and Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (MIOIR) has officially begun working on an important project for The Productivity Institute: 'Addressing the net-zero and productivity challenges: How could the housing and construction sector play a key role?'.

Economics / Business - 17.11.2022

AI tool predicts when a bank should be bailed out
An artificial intelligence tool developed by researchers at UCL and Queen Mary University of London could help governments decide whether or not to bail out a bank in crisis by predicting if the intervention will save money for taxpayers in the long term. The AI tool, described in a new paper in Nature Communications , assesses not only if a bailout is the best strategy for taxpayers, but also suggests how much should be invested in the bank, and which bank or banks should be bailed out at any given time.

Economics / Business - Health - 09.11.2022

No evidence that physical activity calorie-equivalent labelling changes food purchasing
Workplace cafeteria study finds no evidence that physical activity calorie-equivalent labelling changes food purchasing An experiment carried out across ten workplace cafeterias found no significant change in the overall number of calories purchased when food and drink labels showed the amount of physical activity required to burn off their calories.

Health - Economics / Business - 20.10.2022

Achieving levelling up health targets could boost local economies
A quarter of a million working-age people aged 50 or older, could have stayed in paid employment for longer, had the levelling up health targets been achieved a decade ago, finds a new UCL-led study. Researchers believe this is important as staying in work can provide both positive health and financial outcomes for individuals.

Career - Economics / Business - 19.10.2022

Over a third of office workers ’hybrid misfits’
Over a third of office staff are working away from home for more days than they would like, according to new research from the University. Some 39% of office workers are so-called hybrid "misfits" and don't have the right balance of home and office working, the survey funded by the Economic and Social Research Council found.

Economics / Business - 12.10.2022

Holograms and video projections boost grocery store sales but the simpler, the better
Study of -mixed reality- techniques on endcap shelves revealed consumers spend over 60 percent more than regular endcap displays. Retailers should incorporate mixed reality promotions to increase sales, and keep it simple for the best results, according to new consumer research from the University of Bath.

Economics / Business - 29.06.2022

Music is key to converting consumers’ good intentions to actual purchases in ethical markets
Up-tempo major mode music can help bridge the gap between words and deeds - new research Last updated on Wednesday 29 June 2022 Companies selling ethical and sustainable products should use up-tempo major mode music in their marketing to help well-meaning consumers convert their good intentions into actual purchases, new research from the University of Bath shows.

Economics / Business - Health - 28.06.2022

Messaging on healthy foods may not prompt healthier purchases: study
Healthy food cues standing alone don't prompt healthier buying decisions, but they may counter advertising for sugary and fatty foods, says study co-authored by Cambridge researchers. People making food-buying choices are often faced with adverts or other descriptions such as -low calorie- (healthy) or -tasty- (less healthy) to influence their decisions, so how effective are health-conscious nudges in moving consumer behaviour toward healthier lifestyles?

Economics / Business - 08.06.2022

Central Bank Digital Currencies will create evolution, not revolution, in international payments
SWIFT Institute-commissioned report concludes CBDCs will co-exist with established payments infrastructure Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) may offer a route towards improving and simplifying the complex ecosystem of international and domestic payments but are not likely to replace established conventional payments systems for the foreseeable future, new research shows.

Agronomy / Food Science - Economics / Business - 11.04.2022

Study sheds new light on the origin of civilisation
The research sheds new light on the mechanisms by which the adoption of agriculture led to complex hierarchies and states It challenges the conventional -productivity theory- which holds that regional differences in land productivity explain regional disparities in the development of hierarchies and states, by theoretical arguments and empirical analysis.

Economics / Business - Pharmacology - 14.02.2022

New book highlights how small biotech companies are outperforming big pharma
Biotech firms have developed nearly 40% more of key treatments for unmet medical needs, says a new book co-authored by Cambridge researchers. From Breakthrough to Blockbuster: The Business of Biotechnology , published today, shows how the small, inexperienced entrepreneurial companies making up the biotech industry have created more life-changing medicines than all of the large pharmaceutical companies combined.

Economics / Business - 17.01.2022

Working in isolated environments enables culture of bullying among elite chefs
Bullying, violence and aggressive behaviour among chefs employed in fine dining restaurants is enabled by their working environments, research from Cardiff University has found. The study shows how working in closed, hidden away kitchen environments left chefs feeling isolated and led to a sense that they could act in ways that would not be possible elsewhere.

Social Sciences - Economics / Business - 09.12.2021

Tackling oil and gas sector abuses: new findings show how corporations can do better on human rights
Companies must walk the talk: human rights policies must be backed by deeper engagement Multinational corporations must go beyond simply adopting human rights policies if they are to stop human rights abuses in their supply chains and avoid charges of ethical window-dressing, new research from the University of Bath School of Management shows.

Economics / Business - 19.10.2021

Great minds don’t think alike - why companies need to understand cognitive diversity
Companies must do more to understand and act on cognitive diversity in their boardrooms, according to a new report Last updated on Tuesday 19 October 2021 Companies must do more to understand cognitive diversity and foster a culture of 'constructive disagreement' within their boardrooms to make better decisions, according to a new report published today.

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.