Research Impact

Penn State Smeal College of Business faculty members embody a wealth of expertise in their fields and maintain close connections with corporate partners, which gives them a unique perspective on how sustainability touches every aspect of global business. Smeal faculty research agendas include sustainability projects in economics, finance, management, marketing, supply chain, and other areas. 

Faculty Research Topics

With over 30 faculty across departments with research in the social, environmental, and financial aspects of business, what follows is just a sample of research topics:

• Increasing recycling by focusing consumers’ attention on what products will become, shifting from “Where does this go?” to “What can this make?” (Karen Winterich, Marketing)
• Consumer perceptions of sustainable products from organic to remanufactured (Meg Meloy, Marketing)
• How supply chain visibility affects operating performance with evidence from conflict minerals disclosure (Suresh Muthulingam, Supply Chain and Information Systems)
• Closed-loop supply chains and remanufacturing, serve as a foundation in the development of environmentally sustainable industrial systems. (Dan Guide, Supply Chain, and Information Systems)
• Analysis of procurement strategies and supply chain configurations for biomass raw materials in the production of biofuels and bioenergy. (Evelyn Thomchick, Supply Chain and Information Systems)
• How social activism directly and indirectly influences companies and the power of spillover effects (Forrest Briscoe, Management and Organization)
• Overcoming unique obstacles faced by women in top leadership roles (Aparna Joshi, Management and Organization)
• The connection between features of green buildings and transaction prices (Jiro Yoshida, Risk Management)
• Managing off-grid local innovations for sustainability and rural poverty alleviation (Peter Mhando, International Business)
• Intellectual property rights that can be used to encourage private investment in sustainability-related innovation. (Dan Cahoy, Risk Management)
• The relationship between sea-level rise and the real estate market. (Matt Gustafson, Finance)
• How CPAs can outpace the pace of change in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Ed Jenkins, Accounting)