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Black Friday is just a few days away and this year, it will look very different. Long lines and crowded stores are no longer allowed under Ohio’s coronavirus prevention restrictions. Joe Goodman, chair of the Department of Marketing and Logistics, says retailers often depend on the sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas to turn a profit.

Selin Malkoc, associate professor of marketing, shares strategies on how to prepare for and maximize Black Friday shopping experiences.

Mom and pop stores depend on holiday sales to survive, but the coronavirus pandemic is forcing customers to stay home. Digital sales, or e-commerce, have made up only around 10% of retail sales. But that portion is increasing rapidly, says Steve DeNunzio, senior lecturer in marketing and logistics.

Brian Mittendorf, the Fisher Designated Professor of Accounting, provides some context to why some nonprofits, such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, saw a jump in revenue in fiscal year 2019. 

COVID-19 has forced changes in the way people work — and created a once-in-a-generation opportunity to increase engagement and productivity, write Tom Stewart, executive director of the National Center for the Middle Market.

In speaking with 17 former college athletes from 10 universities around the U.S. about their negative experiences with coaches, a pattern emerged of psychological and emotional abuse in women's sports. Ben Tepper, the Abramowitz Memorial Professor and chair of the Department of Management and Human Resources at Fisher College of Business, told Insider that college sports often provide "the perfect storm" of circumstances that can lead to abuse.

Compensation committees face a daunting challenge: putting together 2021 incentive and bonus plans for a year that’s likely to be as uncertain as 2020. “The more uncertain the environment, the more boards have to build flexibility into plans to allow for a rebalancing of priorities,” says Michael Weisbach, the Ralph W. Kurtz Chair in Finance.

Associate Professor of Marketing Selin Malkoc shares insights into the impact of COVID-19 on drivers and consumer demand and sentiment around auto insurance.

Root Inc., the parent of Columbus-based Root Insurance Co., registered this week to bring a new species to the state: a high-flying venture-backed tech IPO. "There has never been venture-backed company from Ohio that has gone public at more than $1 billion (value)," said Steve Salopek, senior lecturer in finance at Ohio State University and a former investment manager.

During the recent years’ financial squeeze that the NRA has faced, it has increasingly relied on cash infusions from the NRA Foundation in the form of support for programs, reimbursements for shared costs, and even loans, according to Brian Mittendorf, senior associate dean for staff, human resources, and culture and the Fisher Designated Professor in Accounting.

Despite the fact that the secretive startup, which aims to become the U.S. government's "default" software, has never made a profit, Michael Weisbach, the Ralph W. Kurtz Chair in Finance, says the market views it as having long-term profitability.

Michael Weisbach, the Ralph Kurtz Chair in Finance at Fisher, shares insights into the corporate governance structure and practices at Palantir, a data mining company founded by Peter Thiel, as it prepares to go public.

Online grocery shopping has taken off during the pandemic, and companies are introducing a new type of store meant to fulfill online orders. But part of the reason the future is unclear is not everyone is online ordering experiences have been stellar, says Terry Esper, associate professor of logistics.

Want to address systemic racism at business schools? Seven business school scholars, including Tanya Menon, professor of management and human resources at Fisher, suggest starting with MBA program rankings.

The National Rifle Association’s revenue from member dues cratered and legal costs soared in 2019 as the group weathered internal strife and investigations by attorneys general in New York State and Washington, D.C., into alleged financial impropriety and violations of nonprofit law. “No matter how you interpret it, things have gotten worse,” said Brian Mittendorf, the Fisher Designated Professor in Accounting and an expert on nonprofit accounting.

Meet the researchers and thought leaders who have joined Fisher’s world-class faculty ahead of the 2020-21 academic year.

Lug nuts used by Ford Motor Co. remain a source of controversy even after a federal court this year dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging that the two-piece design was defective and dangerous. W.C. Benton, the Edwin D. Dodd Professor of Management  at Fisher, urges caution on Ford's part in dealing with the issue.

As part of the “There’s a Better Way” podcast, Aravind Chandrasekaran, associate director of the Center for Operational Excellence, talks with Tracy Dumas, associate professor of management and human resources, about how our personal and professional lives interface with one another. 

Brian Mittendorf, the Fisher Designated Professor of Accounting and an expert in charitable giving, shares his thoughts on MacKenzie Scott’s $1.7-billion donations to nonprofits focused on equity, climate change, Historically Black Colleges and Universities and nonprofit infrastruc

One of the world’s most influential researchers is being recognized for his contributions to the field of human resource management.

The nonprofit Turning Point USA has made misleading financial claims and gets its “independent” audits from its co-founder’s former business associate. Associate Professor of accounting Tzachi Zach provides some insight into audit practices and procedures involving nonprofits.

The pandemic has changed consumer behavior, escalating demand for specific products while companies grappled with manufacturing interruptions from the initial outbreak in China, said Terry Esper, associate professor of logistics.

For a boycott like this to work, customers need choices. There are other brands but stores have to carry them. Terry Esper, a supply chain expert at Fisher, said if they don’t already, “it may be a touch more difficult kind of getting access to some of those competing brands, especially in a situation like this, where those supply chains are already pretty strapped because of just the way things are with COVID-19.”

Joe Alutto, distinguished professor, emeritus, and former executive vice president and provost, and interim president at Ohio State, says leaders should expect to face unexpected challenges. No matter the circumstances it’s vital that new leaders take time to listen to stakeholders, then find ways to effectively communicate and advocate for their vision for the organization.

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