W. P. Carey research lunch amplifies research that makes an impact

Three W. P. Carey faculty discuss driving positive societal change in economics, diversity, sustainability, and supply chain.

Researchers, employees, and students from across the W. P. Carey School of Business met over lunch to discuss the importance of research’s ability to make a social impact. The Research Ideation Lunch was a play on the regular research breakfasts held at the school, with a new time for this special panel discussion.

Jeffrey Wilson, associate dean for research, joked, “We are having breakfast for lunch today! But in seriousness, this event is a means to encourage more research among students and faculty. It’s a place to discuss the research taking place at the school. An opportunity to talk about research funding, and more.”

Dean Ohad Kadan, W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair in Business, also discussed his research trajectory. “When I started my career, I was focused on theory and less concerned about the applied parts of my research,” he said. “But then it dawned on me that something was missing. What are we doing here if we don’t ask ourselves what impact our research can or will have on the business world and society? So I very much transformed my perspective and became an advocate for impactful research.”

That commitment is fully evident in the W. P. Carey School mission statement, revamped under Kadan’s leadership. The statement reads:

W. P. Carey sparks positive change in business and society on a global scale by:

• Educating students and growing talent to enrich and lead organizations
• Producing groundbreaking and impactful research
• Engaging actively with business, government, communities, and our campus

The lunch panel featured three professors whose research drives positive societal change. Wei Shen, chair and professor in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, dissects the influence of external pressures on board diversity; Wyatt Brooks, associate professor of economics, unveils the transformative potential of nongovernmental organizations’ (NGOs) interventions in developing countries; and Veronica Villena, Loui Olivas Chair and associate professor of supply chain management, explores strategies for engaging suppliers to address labor and environmental issues in downstream supply chains.

Gopalakrishnan Mohan, senior associate dean of faculty, moderated the panel and explained why this type of research is so important to the school. “Not only is this work intrinsically important,” he shared, “but it’s also vital to our requirements for accreditation.” AACSB, the school's accreditation agency, is now setting standards for business schools in terms of social impact. “This is a new measurement for AACSB, but the activities are not new for us. We are already doing a lot of amazing work. And we should aim to do even more,” said Mohan.

What does social impact research look like?

All three faculty on the panel come from different W. P. Carey departments and have distinct expertise, but all three have found ways to make an impact within their disciplines.

“You must first know the literature, the theories, and the current research conversation in your field. And then, as you know more intimately the research area, you can more easily see the gaps in the existing research, where you can contribute, and how that can make a difference in the world,” said Shen. His research focuses on board diversity and how that diversity can transform into other measures such as inclusion and belonging.

Brooks, whose research looks at the economic impacts of development projects in the Global South, explained scholars should “be creative in thinking about what is the applicable part of their research for social impact, and then ask how that fits into potential research gaps or underpinnings.”

All three researchers noted that applicability and social impact are key factors for many journals and journal editors.

What are some challenges of completing research with social impact?

All three faculty agreed that access to data was a challenge. For Villena, that challenge was particularly acute. Her research focuses on sustainability and supply chain, specifically on suppliers that are “far down” on the supply chain. The further down, the worse the issues are for labor and the environment (e.g., Villena completed work investigating child labor in harvesting hazelnuts in Turkey). But the further downstream the suppliers, the more invisible and hard to track those supply networks can be.

“I work alongside major companies to engage further down the supply chain and develop new techniques to map those networks,” she explained. Some of the challenges of that work include working with vulnerable populations who don’t inherently trust her, in remote areas with potential safety issues, and with suppliers who might be trying to hide bad behavior.

“The major companies I work with, from the food to the tech industry, want to clean up their downstream supply chains. They recognize the harmful behavior and hope to stop it before something awful happens, and they are implicated. Unfortunately, companies want to change their practices but do not feel like suppliers are cooperating,” said Villena.

Developing partnerships for maximum impact

Brooks completes his research alongside partner charitable organizations. Villena works alongside companies that want to improve their supply chains. Shen partners with organizations that provide data on board diversity and company outcomes. Undoubtedly, forming mutually beneficial partnerships can be a boon to completing research with social impact.

Brooks explains his work in developing countries doing fieldwork and studying the activities of charitable organizations in rural parts of the world. He measures the economic impact of those activities in those areas and beyond. For example, one study in Nicaragua looked at a new bridge crossing that allowed residents to cross the river during floods. “If I can show the project has an economic impact, it can help secure more funding or better direct future funding,” said Brooks.

The Research at W. P. Carey team holds regular events to promote impactful research at the school, aligning with the strategic goals to grow our reputation as an internationally recognized leader in the production and influence of research across academic disciplines and to create an ecosystem that encourages funded, impactful discovery and research.