Multinational corporations wield immense power. A mere 100 companies control a quarter of global trade. Walmart is the 10th-largest economic entity on the planet. Coca-Cola is the world’s largest consumer of aluminum and sugarcane. In choosing where to invest, what...
Results for research on: Faculty Research
Guidelines aim to slow spread of fake climate change news on Facebook
In this era of conflicting ideologies, fake news about climate change—especially on Facebook—can embolden those who remain unconvinced that it’s a threat and can easily influence people who only casually follow the issue. Lauren Lutzke is a doctoral student at the...
What does society look like in the future of the Anthropocene? A Q&A with Andy Hoffman
We have entered a new geologic epoch, called the Anthropocene, that recognizes people’s effect on the Earth’s ecosystems—harming them in ways that are likely irreversible. So what will Anthropocene society look like in the future? Erb faculty member Andrew Hoffman and...
The five Ws of supply chains: Who, what, where, when and why corporations should care
Not a month goes by without a media campaign linking the supply chain of a well-known brand with unsavory labor practices or environmental mismanagement. Such exposés can devalue brands and reduce well-meaning corporate sustainability initiatives to hypocrisy. Beyond...
Simple interventions can help to inhibit the spread of fake climate change news on Facebook
Research by Lauren Lutzke, U-M SEAS Master’s Student; Caitlin Drummond, Erb Institute Postdoc; Joe Arvai, Erb Institute Faculty Director Article by Lauren Lutzke, M.S. Candidate in Behavior, Education, and Communication at the University of Michigan “Fake News” has...
Do people cheat when no one’s looking? Implications for environmental management
Many environmental management programs offer people incentives to engage in conservation activities. But these activities, carried out on a local level, often are difficult to monitor. Are people inclined to cheat to get the incentives? Research led by Rohit Jindal of...
Appeal of residential solar photovoltaics – Does framing matter?
If residential solar photovoltaics (PV) were adopted more widely in the United States, they could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But consumers balk at high up-front costs, even if energy savings would later offset those costs. A group of researchers...
Management as a calling – Erb faculty, Andy Hoffman in SSIR
Reposted from the Stanford Social Innovation Review 9/4/2018 On July 13, 2005, WorldCom CEO Bernie Ebbers, who had been convicted of fraud and conspiracy four months earlier, was sentenced to a 25-year prison term. It was the largest accounting scandal in US history,...
Is unequal judgment of equal failings real?
“If she had been male, none of this outrage would be happening” was a popular sentiment about the furor that raged in the media following the comedian Michelle Wolf’s recent performance at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. How true is the sentiment? Had the same...
When corporations take credit for green deeds, their lobbying may tell another story
Today, most large companies like Exxon Mobil, Ford and GM issue slick reports extolling their efforts to conserve resources, use renewable energy or fund clean water supplies in developing countries. This emphasis on efforts to curb environmental harm while benefiting...