Fisher Research and Insights Forefront

Collage of ten new faculty headshots
August 25, 2025
Max M. Fisher College of Business

Introducing Fisher's new 2025 faculty

Meet the newest faculty members who are bringing their research, business backgrounds and teaching experience to Fisher students for the 2025 academic year.
Hand on cue stick ready to strike the cue ball on a billiards tablel
August 22, 2025
Max M. Fisher College of Business

What can billiards teach us about business competition?

Like a cue ball that transfers energy to other balls in billiards, a dominant player in business can reshape a market. Research by Professor Richard Makadok uses the “cue-ball effect” to illustrate how companies with a competitive advantage can impact an entire industry.
A man checks his phone in front of a blue monitor that says "Hire Local!"
August 19, 2025
The New York Times

Economic data has taken a dark turn. That doesn’t mean a crash Is near

Inflation is up and job creation down, but the U.S. economy could still pull through without too much pain. The next few months will be pivotal in illustrating whether actions taken by companies will reflect data gathered by the National Center for the Middle Market (NCMM) showing that business leaders were anticipating the lowest revenue and employment growth of the post-pandemic period.
A Wall Street sign is displayed in front of American flags
August 18, 2025
MarketWatch

Is Nvidia a Republican or a Democrat? These political ETFs have voted.

ETFs that combine investing and politics are tapping into investors’ polarized views. But should they get your vote? Research by Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate, says no. Ben-David suspects that specialty ETFs focus on narrow investment themes such as politically niche offerings primarily for marketing purposes to justify their high expense ratios.
A graphic with middle market company logos laid over an office building.
July 10, 2025
TIME

America’s best midsize companies of 2025

Who better to provide context about top middle market companies than Doug Farren, the executive director of the National Center for the Middle Market? Farren explains the middle market's outsized influence on the U.S. economy, areas that are surging and challenges faced by middle market companies.
Army tank rolling over barbed wire with bar graph in background
June 25, 2025
Max M. Fisher College of Business

Exploring a century of global conflicts and their impact on financial assets

Against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war and Middle East conflicts, a trio of Fisher faculty are providing insights into how geopolitical uncertainty shapes financial assets ― and how markets are driven not just by what happens, but by what investors fear might happen.
Red compact car parked in front of Buc-ee's store at sunset.
June 24, 2025
WOSU

How have gas stations grown and affected our current way of life?

Brian Hipsher, senior lecturer in marketing and logistics, discusses the proliferation and impact of convenience stores such as Buc-ee's, Sheetz and Wawa.
People in business attire seated around a conference table during a meeting, with a large screen or blackboard in the background.
June 18, 2025
The Ohio State University

Credit scores of corporate executives may reveal their decisions

A new study conducted in partnership with the National Center for the Middle Market reveals just how influential personal credit scores of corporate executives are in their overall decision making and risk tolerance. The research was published by a Noah Dormady and Yiseon Choi at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs.
A view of Fisher Hall against a blue sky.
June 13, 2025
Max M. Fisher College of Business

Research productivity drives Fisher’s rise in key rankings and measures

Fisher College of Business climbed in global research rankings, placing 25th in the world, 23rd in North America and 11th among public universities according to new rankings released by UT-Dallas. Fisher's research productivity among Financial Times journals, as well as among top American Marketing Association journals also increased.
A black and white photo of trench warfare in during World War I.
June 4, 2025
Barron's

The best way to respond to a geopolitical crisis

Working research from Fisher's Andrei Gonçalves, Alessandro Melone and Andrea Ricciardi is offering investors better insights on how to respond to geopolitical crises, such as war and military conflict.
A hand dropping circles meant to signify coins against a green backdrop.
June 1, 2025
Business Insider

One of the most attractive — and sometimes secretive — ways the wealthy donate money could soon get even more popular

A provision in President Trump's tax bill could make donor-advised funds (DAFs) an even more popular form of giving, but they're not without potential problems. Fisher Professor and Nonprofit Expert Brian Mittendorf and his colleague, Helen Flannery, an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, found through a study that DAFs distribute grants to politically engaged organizations 1.7 times more than other funders.
A screengrab of Helen Flannery and Brian Mittendorf on a virtual call.
May 22, 2025
the Giving Review

Donor Advised Funds: A conversation with Helen Flannery and Brian Mittendorf

Nonprofit accounting expert Brian Mittendorf joins Helen Flannery, associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Research, to discuss the potential legal and regulatory reforms of donor-advised funds.
Bernadette Minton's headshot
May 21, 2025
Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance

Climate boards: Do natural disaster experiences make directors more prosocial?

A National Bureau of Economic Research working paper co-authored by Department of Finance Chair Bernadette Minton and colleagues Sehoon Kim (PhD '17) and Rohan Williamson (MA '96, PhD '97) explores whether and how the actions of corporate leaders with past experiences dealing with abnormally devastating natural disasters are influenced by those disasters.
Attendees of the Conference on Principled Leadership watch a session with the conference's logo in the background.
May 20, 2025
Max M. Fisher College of Business

Stories, strategies and science steer inaugural leadership conference

Building on Ohio State’s 85-year history of scientific leadership research, the Fisher Leadership Initiative hosted more than 200 professionals for a unique opportunity to assess their personal leadership styles and hear from storytellers, peers and behavior experts at the inaugural Conference on Principled Leadership.
Person using a calculator with documents and colorful charts on a desk.
May 19, 2025
WalletHub

What is a budget?

Cynthia W. Turner, Fisher's associate dean of access, engagement and outreach, and an accounting professor, outlines some budget basics.
Stack of coins with overlaid financial graphs and charts showing a rising line.
May 13, 2025
WalletHub

Changes in inflation by city

To gain a deeper understanding of current inflation trends and what they mean for our economy, WalletHub turned to a panel of experts, including Sergey Sarkisyan, assistant professor of finance.
Stack of coins with overlaid financial graphs and charts showing a rising line.
May 13, 2025
WalletHub

Changes in inflation by city

To gain a deeper understanding of current inflation trends and what they mean for our economy, WalletHub turned to a panel of experts, including Sergey Sarkisyan, assistant professor of finance.
Headshot of Larry Inks
May 13, 2025
MoreSteam

Managing change with Dr. Larry Inks

Professor of Management and Human Resources Larry Inks discusses why one clear goal keeps a team focused. He also explores change management, including the emotional aspects of change, and the differences between management and leadership.
A sunny day on Harvard's campus with green lawns and brick buildings.
May 9, 2025
The Conversation

Can Trump strip Harvard of its charitable status? Nonprofit scholars describe the obstacles

The Conversation U.S. asked Philip Hackney, a nonprofit law professor who previously worked in the office of the chief counsel of the IRS, and Fisher's Brian Mittendorf, an expert on nonprofit accounting, to explain what it would take for the federal government to revoke a university’s tax-exempt status.
Headshot of Tracy Dumas
May 5, 2025
Harvard Business Review

What to share, What to hold back

Self-disclosure at work can build trust and connection, but it also carries risks — especially for women, leaders, and those whose values or identities set them apart. Tracy Dumas, professor of management and human resources, joins the conversation to talk about human connection in the workplace.
Mike Doss on stage in a gray suit delivering a talk at the 2025 COE Summit.
April 29, 2025
The Ohio State University

National champion Mike Doss shares how Buckeyes prepared him for business success

National champion Buckeye Mike Doss (MBOE '19) returned to Fisher and the Center for Operational Excellence (COE), delivering a keynote at the 2025 COE Summit, where he shared lessons from his time on the football field ― and his journey back to Ohio State.
A boss shouts at him employees using a bullhorn to denote an abusive manager.
April 26, 2025
Fortune

Senior leaders are up to 12x more likely to be psychopaths — how to spot an abusive boss

Do you view your toxic boss as successful? This perspective makes you more likely to label their abuse as “tough love,” according to a study published by faculty from Fisher's Department of Management and Human Resources.
Three Fisher faculty stand behind a table, wrapping gifts with silver wrapping paper.
April 9, 2025
Fisher College of Business

Is giving a late gift really that bad?

New research from Fisher says that we’re probably overestimating the importance of when we give a gift. Watch as marketing faculty Grant Donnelly, Rebecca Reczek and Cory Haltman explain their findings while also testing their gift-wrapping skills.
Andrea Contigiani poses with an Engaged Scholar Award.
April 8, 2025
The Ohio State University

Engaged Scholars: Andrea Contigiani

Andrea Contigiani, assistant professor of management and human resources, is committed to researching the power of entrepreneurship to help refugee communities. His research was recently named a Program of Excellence in Engaged Scholarship by Ohio State's Office of Outreach and Engagement.
‘Ugh, not that song!’ Background music impacts employees
April 7, 2025
The Ohio State University

‘Ugh, not that song!’ Background music impacts employees

New research from Kathleen Keeler, assistant professor of management and human resources, finds that performance suffers when workplace music is a misfit for workers' needs.