Research

Annual performance reviews can set stomachs to churning throughout the office, and with good reason. Tensions can run high if employees are put on the defensive by a supervisor who hasn't learned to conduct an evaluation effectively and with finesse.

The huge sums raised by corporate-driven Political Action Committees are legend, but the average voter is unaware of just how effective such contributions can be.

You probably didn't stop to consider that the $2 tip you left the waiter at lunch today involves a complex web of social psychology, personal morality and economics.

"What is a guy selling mayonnaise in 50-gallon drums doing in education?" Robert Craves asked the audience during a recent presentation at the W. P. Carey School's Economic Club of Phoenix.

A company is unlikely to gain satisfied and loyal customers when they feel they've been duped. Companies that employ stealth marketing — otherwise known as undercover or guerilla marketing — hire shills to pitch products or services to potential but unsuspecting consumers.

Addressing a mixed audience recently at the W. P. Carey School of Business, U.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral breezed through an economic update before plunging into the controversial issue of illegal immigrant workers.

When an employee underperforms, supervisors must decide whether to fire that person or wait to see whether performance improves. In the balance are the transition costs of finding a replacement and getting that person up to speed mdash; costs could be saved if the original employee improves.

It has long been the practice of business to employ lobbyists in an attempt to influence policy makers and regulators about such issues as environmental laws, trade policies and government spending programs.

What does it take to get a new venture up and running? Conventional wisdom suggests that the entrepreneurs should hit the pavement in high gear and then keep up the pace. Research shows, however, that speed alone is not a guarantee for success.

A classic is defined as something that has lasting significance or worth. Knowledge@W. P. Carey offers a selection of books that have passed the test for a group of W. P. Carey School of Business faculty.