The study of financial markets and products examines the structure, efficiency and stability of markets and the creation of new financial offerings. This research encompasses both the development of theoretical models of market participant behaviour and empirical analyses of large amounts of data on trading activity.
This area of research includes research into managerial and consumer decision-making. It covers accounting standards and economic consequences; capital market reactions to financial and non-financial information; voluntary disclosure; corporate social responsibility; sustainability; environmental studies; valuation; auditors’ and managers’ decision biases; and information promoting innovation and creativity.
Researchers develop and use mathematical models to study the behaviour of real-world processes and systems, and to make predictions about them.
Services marketing is the study of service as a business research domain, distinct from goods. Researchers form multidisciplinary teams to address service-related challenges such as service quality and information systems.
Using principles of supply chain management, researchers investigate ways to streamline a business’s supply-side activities and operations to maximize customer value and gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. Machine learning is an application of artificial intelligence that provides systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed.
Business analytics is the set of methods and processes underlying the translation of business data to actionable information and decisions. Researchers develop and apply data science methods to form exploratory, causal and predictive insights; develop and price new product offerings; conduct geo-location analysis of retailer strategies; study recommender systems; improve operations; and optimize decisions across management disciplines. This cluster includes managerial applications for public-sector organizations such as health-care providers.
Across every aspect of business, from marketing to finance and accounting, organizational behaviour to human resource management, researchers are gathering and analyzing data to develop best practices for entrepreneurs to take their companies to the next level.
Managers of high-growth technology firms face many challenging issues as they scale their operations to serve global markets. Research in this area seeks to identify evidence-based best practices to aid the scale-up process.
Through innovative partnerships with non-governmental organizations and private industry in Canada and internationally, researchers are developing innovative curricula including computational thinking in schools and school systems. User experience design research focuses on the design and testing of innovative user-centered technologies, services, spaces and processes, as well as the design and redesign of infrastructures and processes that enable technology innovation. Consumer research focuses on the adoption of new technology, consumer reactions to the incorporation of AI into product design, modeling consumer behaviour across digital channels and the role of technology in value creation.
