Research

Anyone experiencing the current political climate might easily conclude that our system of governing is either severely dysfunctional, even broken.  

Globalization. It’s the buzzword of a generation, but what does the term really mean? Ask a Chinese economist, a South African cinematographer, an American cultural anthropologist, and a Mexican migrant worker, and each is likely to give a different definition.

An Economist's 'Slightly Off Center' Ideas Hit Home

Economist Scott Sumner doesn’t look like a maverick. At first glance, the tall, bookish professor hardly seems the type to take on the Washington establishment. But lately Sumner has been doing just that: poking his finger in the eye of the Federal Reserve and advancing his contrarian ideas on macroeconomics to a growing audience.

Chile struggles with legacy of dictatorship

When Kristin Sorensen made her first doctoral research trip to Chile, she packed light. “I used a cardboard box for a table, and bought a couple of pieces of camping furniture for the living room,” she says of the 2002 visit. “I didn’t want to invest in a lot, because I knew I’d be leaving soon.”

Now, seven years and eight return trips later, Sorensen has invested plenty. The Bentley assistant professor of global studies has built a career around her passion to understand Chile’s struggles in the aftermath of dictatorship.

The service sector used to be the stepchild of the business world, with a reputation for relatively low-paying positions in industries such as retail, banking and hospitality. No more. Service is drawing the attention of high-powered executives and academics alike.

When faculty, students and corporate partners come together, great things can happen on campus — and off. A case in point is a $250,000 grant to the Honors Program from United Technologies Corporation. Through a UTC-supported honors fellowship, research is underway to help local communities save the environment and developing countries create economic stability.

The funding takes Honors Program capstone projects to a new level, according to inaugural UTC Fellows Olivia Locke ’14 and Gerard Fischetti ’14 (above).

During the biotech IPO boom in 2000, a lot of people made money; but very few products ever made it into the hands of consumers. Bentley’s Laura McNamee, PhD, and Fred Ledley, MD, trace the problem to business models with a glaring gap between science and commerce.

Scientists and investors, they point out, have very different value systems.

Of all the provisions found in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, perhaps none is as controversial as Section 404(b). This section requires public company management and external auditors to independently test effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting. The auditor issues an opinion on control effectiveness, identifying the most severe weaknesses detected.

During the financial crisis of 2007-2009, the banking industry suffered a huge decline in liquidity on their own balance sheets, decreasing the amount of money they could lend. Did banks’ efforts to absorb the liquidity shock spike a decline in overall credit supply?

Banks were hit hard during the 2007-2009 financial crisis: in a short span, interbank lending markets froze, markets for asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities collapsed, and borrowers utilized previously approved loan commitments.

Most published research in the IS field is quantitative, analyzing measurable, verifiable quantitative data and evidence. How can the alternative — qualitative research — be promoted for IS?