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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.

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 .

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.