Owing money to the IRS is not a pleasant experience. Historically, it's been viewed as a major taboo, not to be discussed, but definitely needing to be dealt with. In recent years, even before the pandemic, Americans have grown almost indifferent to the "owed tax" experience. A new study by Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate at Fisher, and his colleagues, many American taxpayers have "surprisingly" adjusted their standard of living when they owe money to the IRS versus when they receive tax refunds.

A new study shows the surprising way that many American taxpayers adjust their standard of living when they owe money to the IRS versus when they receive tax refunds. Researchers, including Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate, found that when households received tax refunds, they immediately started spending that new money. But those same households didn’t cut their spending in years when they owed taxes to the IRS.

What makes for a good apology? You have to mean it, sure. But there’s a narrative structure that a good apology should follow. Roy Lewicki, professor emeritus of management and human resources, is an expert in the art of negotiation as well as rebuilding trust. He’s spent years researching the ideal apology, and he’s broken it down the perfect apology into six components.

The peer-to-peer business model of firms like Uber or Airbnb is changing how consumers view some service providers, says John Costello, lead author of a new study and a doctoral candidate in marketing at Fisher.

A new study from Assistant Marketing Professor Grant Donnelly has a piece of gift-giving advice. Whatever you do, don’t tell the recipient your gift will save them money. According to the research, people often feel ashamed and even disrespected after receiving a “money-saving” gift from someone else.

Here’s a good way to make sure a friend hates a gift from you: Say it will save him money. In a series of studies, researchers found that people reacted negatively to gifts that they were told – or that they inferred – were given to help them save money. Receiving this kind of present makes a person feel inferior to the gift-giver, according to research from said Grant Donnelly, assistant professor of marketing at Fisher.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) brands face many important decisions about their marketing communications, which represent a company’s “voice” to consumers and offer a key way to shift consumers’ purchase perceptions and behaviors. A new Journal of Marketing study, authored by Rebecca Walker Reczek, the Dr. H. Lee “Buck” Mathews Professor of Marketing, and graduate research associate John Costello explores whether platform- or provider-focused communications are more effective and why. 

Professor Terry Esper continues the conversation of racism affecting delivery drivers and offers some suggestions for addressing the problem.

The COVID-19 pandemic is putting some differences into stark relief, writes Management and Human Resources Professor Tanya Menon. Among them is how varying socioeconomic status impacts individuals' professional networks. For those facing job losses, these networks are more critical than ever. 

As our reliance on delivery services increases amid a backdrop of unrest, Associate Professor of Logistics Terry Esper, a recognized expert in "last-mile" logistics, shares his thoughts and professional insights about the tough conversations and safety considerations necessary to protect black delivery drivers.

Apologies can be tricky, but combining a dose of gratitude with a gesture that costs you something can help smooth ruffled feelings. Says Fisher's Xiaoyan Deng: "By offering your appreciation for their contributions, you increase their self-esteem. That boost of self-esteem leads to higher levels of satisfaction.” 

A forthcoming paper from Lu Zhang, the John W. Galbreath Chair and professor of finance, and his colleagues, details 130 years of unemployment rates in the U.S. as part of an examination of the impact of COVID-19 on the labor market.

Despite government changing advice on wearing masks, few people are warming to the new advice in Columbus. This might be the norm for a while, said Grant Donnelly, an assistant professor of marketing at Fisher who has researched how public campaigns and messages influence public behavior. “Effective messaging requires consistent messaging to instill trust.”

From disaster preparedness to public health concerns to the cost faced by insurance companies, a panel discussion recently  brought together leaders from throughout Ohio State and beyond to examine the wide-ranging impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and how the university is joining the fight against it.

As part of a nationwide analysis of distracted driving, research conducted by the Risk Institute provided insights into how law enforcement in Ohio views the dangers of distracted driving in the state and how to mitigate the growing risk.

Two simple words can save the customer experience after a service failure -- and surprisingly they're not "I'm sorry." Xiaoyan Deng, assistant professor of marketing and logistics, and her colleagues find that saying "thank you" after a breakdown in service is more effective at restoring consumer satisfaction.

When a crisis occurs, people's survival instincts kick in; they go into a sort of panic mode and start hoarding — toilet paper? Yunhui Huang, assistant professor of marketing, weighs in on how external factors such as disease influence consumer decision making and preferences. 

As personalized advertising continues to evolve, consumers are increasingly dictating what ads they want and when they see them. Rebecca Walker Reczek, the Dr. H. Lee “Buck” Mathews Professor of Marketing at Fisher, says the more options people have to choose their entertainment, the harder it gets for brands to reach a large audience all at once.

Research prowess by members of Fisher’s Department of Marketing and Logistics recently garnered national recognition from the American Marketing Association (AMA) and affiliated groups. Individual papers and cumulative work by Rebecca Walker Reczek and Greg Allenby were honored for advancing the field of marketing.

Tanya Menon urges us in her TED Talk to change our “habitual daily footpath,” which exposes us to the same daily physical environments, people and ideas.” A loss of efficiency and convenience will likely mean a gain of diversity. “A simple change in planning, a huge difference in the traffic of people and the accidental bumps in the [social] network,” she explains.

How can we truly maximize relaxation and not feel the need to be in a busy mindset? Selin Malkoc discusses hobbies and strategies to get the most out of leisure time.

Not all free time is the same. An hour seems shorter when you have another task looming and has important implications for getting things done, according to research by Fisher's Selin Malkoc and her colleagues.

Selin A. Malkoc, a marketing professor at Fisher who studies how leisure can contribute to our overall happiness, says the problem with finding a hobby is compounded when so many of us “do yoga because we want to be a yoga master.” Instead, Malkoc says, it’s perfectly fine to do it just because we want to relax.

Past research on failure by Fisher's Selin Malkoc adds context to a new study that shows failures early in a scientist’s career can lead to greater long-term success.

In your quest for a balanced life, have you neglected your hobbies? It’s not too late. Learn how to find a hobby and how to incorporate it into your busy life. Research by Fisher's Selin Malkoc is useful in helping to avoid over-scheduling leisure time and activities.