Media Coverage

"If something slows down in one facility, other ones can take over, so initially, customers are very unlikely to notice much of anything," said Rudi Leuschner, an associate professor at Rutgers Business School.

Rutgers-Newark Interim Chancellor Jeffrey Robinson said the impact of the program is immense.

“One of the efforts Fiserv has invested in over the years is our small business program,” he said. “That’s what we’re here to support and celebrate.’’

“Rutgers Business School is committed to rewarding excellent students, and this celebration is proof of that philosophy,” Lei Lei, the dean of Rutgers Business School, said. “It was heartwarming to see the appreciation students and alumni have for the donors who work closely with the Center for Real Estate.”

Morris Davis, the Paul V. Profeta Chair of Real Estate, and the academic director of the Rutgers Center for Real Estate, said the students in the program are deserved of the recognition.

“In 2024, we had so many excellent students in the program,” he said. “Teams of these students participated in real estate case competitions and won or placed against large, well-known universities.”

Kevin Lyons, an associate professor of supply chain management at Rutgers Business School in New Brunswick, told Newsweek building a resilient energy infrastructure is key to solving what he called the "challenges that California faces."

California needs a "rock-solid and dynamic regional and local supply chain network" to complete this effort, Lyons added.

Rutgers Business School professor John Longo told The Hustle that there are two additional reasons.

The first is that such a good deal on rotisserie chicken promotes the idea that Costco offers excellent value. Customers will, the theory goes, tell their friends about the $4.99 chicken, and perhaps those friends will buy Costco memberships. Secondly, Longo argues that Costco gains customer goodwill by keeping the price of rotisserie chicken unchanged. Costco did not raise rotisserie chicken prices during the 2022 inflationary period, even though customers likely would have understood if it had. Sticking with the $4.99 price despite spiraling production costs allows Costco to project a customers-first image. It keeps us coming back for that great deal on rotisserie chicken, too.

Parul Jain, who teaches finance and economics at Rutgers Business School, has said that tipping got a huge boost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

People used to tip on the basis of performance, she said. Now, the near ubiquitous use of touch screens at places where we'd never previously think of tipping applies enormous pressure.

"You feel guilt or misery," Jain said, adding that during COVID when many eateries were struggling, it was not uncommon to tip 30%.

Problem is that the expectations remained high. "Tipping norms went up," she said. Moreover, restaurants already faced with increased food costs began relying on increased tips to pay their employees.

When does it make sense to worry about getting instant credit card approval?

You should first ask yourself why you need a particular credit card. If it does not provide good benefits, charges a high rate of interest, or requires an annual fee it probably does not make sense to get the card. In these cases, you are probably better served by maintaining your existing credit card(s) or applying for another card.

"Consumerism is kind of out of control," said Kristina Durante, a social psychologist and marketing professor at Rutgers Business School who has studied consumer decision-making. "There's so much uncertainty, and whenever uncertainty rises, so, too, does our willingness to want to compensate by buying things."

When companies change the ways they target potential customers it affects shopping behavior, Durante said. Internet searches and social media algorithms are tailored to each user's interactions, products are presented to consumers in a way that's specific to their needs or at least their online behavior.

"It's really hard to live in our modern digital age," Durante said.

Rutgers Business School Dean Lei Lei said in the release that students need to be prepared for a rapidly shifting, AI-focused landscape as they head into the job market.

“The fast advancement of technologies has fundamentally shifted the landscape of the business world and is making a transformative impact across industries,” Lei said in the release. “As a large public business school, our ambition is to prepare graduates with the skills and talent most in demand by industry.”

Preparing graduates means “revamping the learning experience, creating innovative and disruptive content, to ensure that our students gain a strong understanding of the emerging technologies, including AI, that companies are eager to use,” Lei said.

Most of the costs of tariffs would be borne by consumers, ultimately triggering more inflation and eating into the national gross domestic product, said Parul Jain, who teaches finance at Rutgers Business School in Newark.

“The whole thing is a little messy right now, and we don't have a clear-cut picture, so part of it is meant to be like a negotiating ploy as well,” says Rutgers Business School professor Parul Jain. She says Trump's using tariffs as a lever to control issues beyond trade, like immigration and drug smuggling, but the end result, “It is going to raise inflation rates in the United States, so consumers are definitely going to end up paying a lot more. The firms are fully expecting to pass on the price increases to the consumer. There's no doubt in their mind about that.”

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New Jersey downtowns saw an exodus in the 1980s of residents, shoppers and, most important, their dollars to suburban shopping malls, said Marc Kalan, a marketing professor at Rutgers University.

“Many downtowns — people were abandoning them,” Kalan said. “They weren’t doing very much. Restaurants weren’t open.” Malls and downtowns have since swapped places — with lower-performing malls falling by the wayside — as the baby boomer generation aged out and millennials and Gen Z became the dominant economic driver.

“The modern customer wants to be near vital downtowns,” Kalan continued. “Downtowns have become revitalized. Today’s towns like South Orange, Maplewood, Montclair, similar towns up in Bergen County, have become exciting.”

RBS Dean Lei Lei said Rutgers is introducing a revamped curricula to its business school students across various disciplines – including accounting, marketing, and supply chain management – to ensure that they are gaining the knowledge necessary to thrive in a rapidly evolving job market shaped by AI.

“The fast advancement of technologies has fundamentally shifted the landscape of the business world and is making a transformative impact across industries,” she said. “As a large public business school, our ambition is to prepare graduates with the skills and talent most in demand by industry.

"Miniatures make us happy," said Kristina Durante, a psychologist and marketing professor at Rutgers Business School. "We feel like we can have a sense of control over these tiny things."

"When times are tough, we like to have things around that make us feel good," Durante said.

ROI Influencers: Real Estate 2024

Morris Davis
Academic director
Rutgers Center for Real Estate

He heads the top real estate school in the state — one that always is looking ahead, ensuring it will properly prepare the next generation.

“Interestingly, even a slight reduction in grocery bag use can offset the increased plastic consumption from trash bags,” Che said. “This suggests that these policies might still benefit the environment overall, even when repealed.”

The study’s title is “Are We Worse Off After Policy Repeals? Evidence from Two Green Policies.” In addition to Che, the authors are Dinesh Puranam of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, Sungjin Kim of Rutgers Business School at Rutgers University, and Jihoon Hong at W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

There’s not much to fix, said Parul Jain, an associate professor in the Finance & Economics Department at Rutgers University Business School. “The economy is in absolutely great shape. If you look at GDP growth in the economy, third quarter GDP growth came in at 2.8%, which was above expectations. The unemployment rate at 4.1% is pretty much at full employment, and inflation, the numbers have been coming down.”

“Some of the tariff numbers that he’s given — 20% against China right away, 60% maybe. And then he’s also got tariffs against our allies of 10%, Mexico maybe going to 100%. So the expectation is that these kind of tariff numbers, even if we scaled them down, they’re going to be inflationary for the U.S. economy. Consumers will pay more,” Jain said.

“Under Trump, I think the risks are pretty high that the economy could go into a massive slump, particularly with all this tariff talk and raising the budget deficit," said Parul Jain, who teaches finance and economics at the Rutgers Business School in Newark. "The Fed will have to rethink their policies as well.”

“We take great pride in our HIspanic Serving Institution Designation,’’ said Interim Chancellor Jeffrey Robinson, who introduced the event, noting that HSI’s must have a Latinx population of 25 percent and RU-N’s figures are 35 percent.“We’re attracting members of one of the fastest growing demographics in America.’’

Retail marketers can "build a false sense of urgency" around holiday shopping, said Kristina Durante, a psychologist and marketing professor at Rutgers Business School.

Feeling an urgency to buy something as soon as possible can encourage shoppers to spend more money.

"There's a lot to capitalize on there. It's that sense of urgency and scarcity with resources," Durante said. "We don't know when they're going to be depleted because we don't have control over what other consumers do. I think we want to have a good Christmas and we want to have a good Halloween and we want to be prepared for back-to-school. We have high expectations for these things, so we're more motivated to buy."

“Living in that fishbowl where you're constantly scrutinized, I think, may prepare somebody for politics,” says Rutgers Business School professor John Longo.

John Longo, distinguished professor of finance and economics at Rutgers Business School, told IBD that there could be wobbles in the lead-up to and the immediate aftermath of the election.

"Historically, there is volatility around the election date, but it is usually short-lived. I expect a similar pattern this year," he said.

She received her bachelor’s degree in 2001 and her master’s in public affairs and politics a year later from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. As she was working toward her doctoral degree at Rutgers-Newark, her professor, Kevin Kolben, asked her in 2006 to join him as an assistant on a study trip and return to India.

“That’s when I really began to see all the changes taking place in India – all the impact of globalization, how people were changing, how culture was changing,” she said. “Prior to that, the last time I had gone back was during the study abroad trip, so I felt a shift happening.”

Mark Guthner, an associate professor of professional practice at the Department of Economics and Finance at Rutgers University, told Banking Dive at the time that “if they took the money out of the bank, the banking law is pretty clear that they committed fraud and they have to give the money back. Then it’s up to the bank to go chase the people down and take them to court.”

“[It’s] a criminal offense, subject to potential jail time and a fine. The people that did this are in trouble,” Guthner said.

“Yale’s endowment has experienced a short-term period of underperformance, but I would not be very concerned due to its sound investment philosophy and long-term track record,” John Longo, CIO of Beacon Trust and professor at Rutgers Business School, wrote to the News. “The S&P 500 increased roughly 25% over the July 1, 2023 to June 20, 2024 time period. Hence, Yale’s historical underweighting to U.S. publicly traded equities negatively impacted its investment performance during the last fiscal year.”

“When we think of the future of the country and what we’re going to do in terms of electric vehicles, we’re going to need a whole bunch of systems in place,’’ said Robinson. “For this one to be here gets us on our way. And I’m looking forward to having a whole lot of folks who are happy on campus charging here.”

“The last thing I’ll say is that I’m an EV driver, so you might see me over here, too,’’ Robinson added.

“That stock will be replaced quickly,” said Kevin Lyons, a supply chain expert at the Rutgers Business School in Newark.

Rutgers Business School sophomore Julie Kalaentzis is a first-generation American and first-generation college student.

Kalaentzis’s parents instilled in her the importance of a college education. But not having had the opportunity to attend college themselves, she said, they are unable to help her navigate her academic journey. When she learned about UFirst, a program that connects first-generation Rutgers Business School students with mentors who share similar backgrounds, she enrolled immediately.

Launched in spring 2022 with 12 mentors and mentees, the hybrid program kicked off its first full year in fall 2023, pairing 38 students and alumni based on their majors and industry career goals, said program director Hannah Salto, assistant dean of support, engagement and leadership for Rutgers Business School.

Hosted by one of The PhD Project’s 2024 Hall-of Fame inductees, Jeffrey Robinson, Interim Chancellor at Rutgers University-Newark, the event will focus on the theme “Creating Corporate Change in America” through guest speakers and panel discussions. Dr. Robinson will share results of his research highlighted in books he co-authored with Randal Pinkett, business consultant and season four winner of the television reality show, The Apprentice. Black Faces in High Places, their second book together, explores the importance of diversifying the ranks of corporate C-suites to strengthen the US economy for everyone. The event, held at Hahne & Company Building, 54 Halsey Street, Express Newark - 2nd Floor, will conclude with a reception.

“Rutgers is home to one of the largest numbers of PhD Project alumni in the country, which makes our Newark campus the perfect place to share what the organization has been able to accomplish over the past 30 years as well as our next steps in creating future change in corporate America,” said Dr. Robinson, who earned a doctorate in Management and Organizations from Columbia University's Graduate School of Business. “We are thrilled to host the final regional celebration of the year on our campus.”

The transition from the typewriter to the earliest computer/word processors was an interesting time during my Ph.D. pursuit. Although the typewriter was being phased out in the 1980s, it took me a bit longer to make the switch because I had invested so much time and energy into perfecting my typewriter skills. I could take the typewriter apart and put it back together again; this was always an effort to become the master of unsticking typewriter keys and courier font type bars (this was considered high-tech, and I am quite sure AI could not deal with this phenom).

It is hard to believe any of our papers, reports, book proposals, articles, theses, and dissertations were ever completed and completed on time. Being a typewriter master was just as important as any research discovery that I made, and it got me to where I am today!

The New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA) announced that 40 individuals are the recipients of its 2024 Ovation Awards in seven categories: Lifetime Leader; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Exceptional Educators; Emerging Leaders; Impact; Innovation; and Women to Watch.

Ovation Award winners in the other categories advanced leading-edge ideas on their jobs, with the use of technology or in assisting clients/customers; made an impact in their communities; enhanced the well-being of their employees or staff; mentored the next generation of CPAs and accounting professionals; made their mark in classrooms; or promoted an open and diverse accounting profession.

“We could not be prouder of those individuals who have won these awards, raised the awareness of the accounting profession and helped their communities,” said Aiysha (AJ) Johnson, MA, IOM, CEO and executive director at the NJCPA. “We are thrilled to recognize their outstanding accomplishments.”

Exceptional Educators, Ann Medinets, Ph.D., MBA — Associate Professor of Professional Practice at Rutgers Business School, New Brunswick

“Under Trump, I think the risks are pretty high that the economy could go into a massive slump, particularly with all this tariff talk and raising the budget deficit," said Parul Jain, who teaches finance and economics at the Rutgers Business School in Newark. "The Fed will have to rethink their policies as well.”

“Rutgers University-Newark stands out as a beacon of opportunity, particularly for students from historically underserved backgrounds,” said Dr. Jeffrey Robinson, Rutgers University-Newark Interim Chancellor. “Our partnership with Braven beautifully exemplifies how an anchor institution can collaborate to advance our shared missions. This award is a true recognition of the measure of hope that partnerships like ours can instill in students.”

Working with RU also offered the OED the opportunity to get direct input from one of its target audiences. “That was really exciting for us, to get to partner with Rutgers with their entrepreneurship students through the business school,” Paolini said. “And now that we have this tool, the students are one of the groups that we will be directly reaching out to let them know that when they graduate, they don’t have to leave the area to find the type of job that they’re looking for — that you have these Fortune 500 companies in your backyard, all of these opportunities for great paying jobs.”

“That stock will be replaced quickly,” said Kevin Lyons, a supply chain expert at the Rutgers Business School in Newark.

Interim Chancellor Jeffrey Robinson noted that the 50th anniversary launch event was the first in a year-long series of occasions to celebrate the school. “It has taken its place as one of the prestigious schools of criminal justice in the nation,’’ he said. “It has done incredible things, not just here in Newark but around the country.’’

Automation looms, setting the stage for more labor disruption ahead, said Arash Azadegan, a professor of supply chain management at Rutgers Business School in Newark and New Brunswick.

"I think we're at the start of something that is going to be concerning in the next few years," Azadegan said. "Self-operating cranes at the port are going to be more and more prevalent in the not-so-distant future. So those are the things that become concerning, meaning that there's going to be more complaints (from workers). So it's kind of a brave new world."

And even then, the market still has many modes of transportation serving it, said David Dreyfus, an associate professor in Rutgers University’s Department of Supply Chain Management.

The West Coast ports remain open, shipping lines with Mexico and Canada continue functioning as usual, and companies that rely on ports now idle because of the strike will start looking for alternative routes like rail and air, he noted.

“We’re all a little still getting over the pandemic, and we remember what that was like,” Dreyfus said. “But this isn’t the pandemic. The logging hasn’t stopped. The mills haven’t stopped running. The trucks and trains are still running. They’re humming along. It’s just one mode of transportation has stopped — and only decreased by a certain percentage; it hasn’t completely stopped. So while things may be slow and there might be some temporary shortages, it’s not going to be like we saw a few years ago.”

Rudi Leuschner is an associate professor and director of master of supply chain management at Rutgers Business School.

“This strike covers the entire East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico – that accounts for about 60% of goods coming into the United States,” Leuschner told NJBIZ. He noted that figure has increased because of the widening of the Panama Canal.

Leuschner explained that the shipping companies cannot just switch back and send their goods to the West Coast ports to get around the strike.

“The union has actually said that if a ship gets diverted to the West Coast, they’re going to make sure that the West Coast workers will not unload it to basically protect the strike,” said Leuschner. “So, that’s kind of an interesting situation. They’ve kind of made it so that goods will slow down. Now, when that happens, it’s going to be an immediate reaction that all consumers feel.”

“This program is an excellent example of how Rutgers-Newark in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office, through existing infrastructure with incredible staff and faculty, celebrates innovation and spotlights the talents of new first-year, first generation college students,” Rutgers University-Newark interim chancellor Jeffrey Robinson said.

Supply chain management professor Arash Azedagan explains a shortage could be a great time for consumers to shop locally, like farmers’ markets or neighborhood small businesses. Generally speaking, smaller establishments tend to not have as broad of a supply chain and sourcing issue.

Watch the 2 minute video

The arrival of goods such as toilet paper on your local store shelves is dependent on a fine-tuned and fragile supply chain, Rutgers supply chain professor David Dreyfus wrote in February this year.

“After the first early weeks of the pandemic, demands for goods escalated," Dreyfus wrote. "This renewed demand ballooned to extreme levels in many industries. With greater demand and fewer workers, businesses and suppliers could not keep up. The complexity and structure of our supply chains were working against us.”

Demand for toilet paper surged as consumers hoarded rolls in anticipation of a shutdown that was slated seemingly to go on indefinitely, but “production had halted.”

Eventually, as the world reopened, production resumed, Dreyfus noted, from loggers harvesting timber to paper mills turning wood into paper, manufacturers churning out rolls of toilet paper and truck drivers getting them to nearby stores.

Experts say that while the repercussions of the strike will be felt across the country, the disruption to the supply chain of goods did not come unexpectedly in the way COVID-19 did. “These port strikes are disruptions that gave warning,” says Rutgers Business School professor Arash Azadegan. “That helps organizations to be better prepared.”

Why should small business owners favor using business cash back credit cards over consumer cash back cards?
Businesses often prefer small business cash-back cards due to their tailored nature. For example, a business card may enable firm employees to use it to purchase travel and entertainment experiences at a discount. The card may also facilitate record-keeping activities across several employees for the same firm.

Why are prepaid cards so popular?
I wouldn’t say they are very popular, but they provide some benefits. For example, they may be used by someone who repairs their credit and finds it difficult to get a conventional credit card. They also may be used by someone beginning to establish their credit since they ensure the holder will not overspend. Generic prepaid cards may be given as a gift and enable holders to purchase an item they like instead of being given the proverbial ugly sweater or fruitcake. Prepaid cards and traditional credit cards avoid the need to carry cash, which runs the risk of being lost or stolen.

Are there alternatives for people considering prepaid cards?
Debit cards may be an alternative since they ensure someone will not spend more than they have. However, most debit cards do not provide benefits like cashback or a discount on purchases.

A professor from the Rutgers Business School says the duration of the strike could expand the industries affected.

"It could affect the manufacturing industry located around the port. They rely on receiving raw materials for inputs into their manufactured goods," said associate professor Rudi Leuschner.

The increase in the Fed Funds rate from 0 to 5% created a very stressful situation for banks. The increase in the Fed Funds rate pushed up the cost to banks to service their short-term debt and deposits but did not (immediately) change the income banks receive on their existing stock of loans and other assets. This reduced bank profitability. Banks responded to a decline in their profits and an increase in their cost of funds by tightening credit standards (higher loan-to-values (LTVs), higher debt-service coverage ratio (DSCRs)) and charging higher interest rates on construction loans and commercial mortgages. This had an immediate impact on our sector: Projects no longer penciled out, deals fell through, developments under construction were abandoned, prices fell and transaction volume declined.

As the Fed reduces rates, we should expect the exact opposite to occur. Bank profitability will rise, freeing up cash to banks and enabling banks to make more loans. The loans they make will have lower DSCRs, higher LTVs and lower interest rates. The availability of more plentiful and cheaper finance to the sector will enable firms to bid more aggressively for deals, pushing up prices and transaction volumes. All in all, the decline in rates will be good for commercial real estate.

In our quest to empower high school and college students with financial literacy, and ultimately financial freedom, we have developed the +Club program that seeks to answer the elusive, age-old question: How can one achieve financial freedom and pave the way to a fulfilling and good life? At the heart of our program is the concept of Living Within Your Means — or LWYM. To make this idea resonate, we turn to the appeal of popular culture, offering cautionary tales of celebrities who, despite their vast prior fortunes, faced financial ruin by spending beyond their means. We also emphasize the importance of saving early in order to have the “miracle” of compound interest work effectively for young people.

Robinson, a Rutgers alumnus, is an internationally known author and co-founder of the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development at Rutgers Business School. He joined Rutgers-Newark in 2008 as a faculty of management and global business at Rutgers Business School. His work addresses community and economic development issues for urban metropolitan areas in the United States and abroad.

He is the co-author of two books published by HarperCollins Leadership, including "Black Faces in White Places: 10 Game-Changing Strategies to Achieve Success and Find Greatness," published in 2010, and a sequel, "Black Faces in High Places: 10 Strategic Actions for Black Professionals to Reach the Top and Stay There," which won a 2023 Axiom Award, one of the top honors for books about business. Both books were co-authored with Rutgers alumnus Randal Pinkett, Robinson’s long-time friend and business partner.

What can we learn from Capital One’s marketing strategies, particularly its television advertising?

Capital One’s TV ads bring a fresh perspective to marketing, focused on the customer experience; not too cerebral but certainly very personal, more sensory, emotional and perhaps intuitive. Research has shown that customer decisions are not entirely rational, indeed, that was the topic of my dissertation, so Capital One’s approach is very much in line with the trends and the evolution of marketing.