Media Coverage

Jerome Williams, a business professor at Rutgers University, recalled an episode in the 1980s when three of his children failed to meet back up during a shopping outing.

After much worry, Williams discovered they were detained by mall security, who deemed the kids suspicious because they were wearing new shirts.

Besides the encounter itself, Williams was troubled by white work colleagues who told him the incident was no big deal.

Since then, "there has been tremendous progress, but we have not eliminated all of the problem," said Williams, who advises retailers on addressing profiling.

How long can consumers expect free balance transfer offers (0% APR with no transfer fee), such as Chase Slate, to be around?

I do not see that changing soon. This is a great way for banks to lure low and medium credit risk customers away from their competitors.

Why would a major credit card company like Chase not offer cards to people with limited or bad credit?

Because collections in the event of default are costly and difficult. Many high-risk borrowers don't have a lot of assets that Chase could go after if the borrower defaults. Chase could sue them, but then what? There is little to go after if the borrower declares bankruptcy. It isn't' like Chase is asking people to put up collateral for their credit cards.

Ben Sopranzetti Ph.D., RBS Dean's Professor of Business, Vice Chair, Department of Finance and Economics, Rutgers Business School - Newark and New Brunswick

‘Taking responsibility ultimately comes down to thinking about how you can better lead your team. Ground yourself in your new reality, through data and research, before moving to action.

‘Too often I see leaders who are desperate to act, so they make mistakes. Don’t jump the gun – it’s crucial to not take on more than your capacity allows. Along with the importance of your own replenishment, taking away other people’s responsibilities has awful consequences.

Rutgers Business School senior Sina Abrahim is among the students who will be missing the usual milestones of college graduation – the procession in cap and gown, the walk across the stage to receive his degree, the last hurrah with classmates.

But at the end of that disappointment, Abrahim has another dream he will get to realize: a full-time job at J.P. Morgan.

In addition to its world re-known faculty and highly ranked academic programs, a distinguishing strength of Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick is an Office of Career Management that equips students like Abrahim with the skills and confidence to pursue their dream jobs.

Rutgers Business School senior Sina Abrahim is among the students who will be missing the usual milestones of college graduation – the procession in cap and gown, the walk across the stage to receive his degree, the last hurrah with classmates.

But at the end of that disappointment, Abrahim has another dream he will get to realize: a full-time job at J.P. Morgan.

In addition to its world re-known faculty and highly ranked academic programs, a distinguishing strength of Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick is an Office of Career Management that equips students like Abrahim with the skills and confidence to pursue their dream jobs.

The Logistics Managers’ Index is the culmination of a years-long collaboration between a number of academics around the world. With Covid-19 now forcing people to once again review their spending habits and shaking up global markets, a tool like the LMI is more important than ever before. A better understanding of how our economy is reacting to Covid-19 and the direction that it is likely to move in in the near future are both invaluable.

The LMI was devised by a group of US-based academics over the last four years or so. Those academics are:

Dale Rogers from Arizona State University
Zachary Rogers, assistant professor at Colorado State University
Shen Yeniyurt from Rutgers University
Steven Carnovale from the Rochester Institute of Technology
Ronald Lembke from University of Nevada, Reno

Founders of color don’t just have a harder time getting initial funding. They get less of it. While the average seed funding for all startups is $1.1 million, the average black female founder, according to digitalundivided, raises $42,000 in total. “They are almost immediately going back in that environment again to seek additional funds,” Maillian said.

Founders of color are met with a “chicken and egg” problem, said Jeffrey Robinson, an economic development professor at Rutgers Business School. Because to raise more money after initial funding, your company has to show growth. “How’s that company doing? Is it meeting its goals?” he said.

Jerome D. Williams, Distinguished Professor, Marketing, Rutgers Business School; Prudential Chair
Research Interests: Multicultural marketing and marketplace discrimination

Recommends:

Consumer Equality: Race and the American Marketplace, Geraldine R. Henderson, Anne-Marie G. Hakstian, and Jerome D. Williams (2016),

“Typically, when we think of racism, our focus is on major events that generally receive widespread news coverage. However, racism also occurs in everyday, mundane situations such as those that occur in the marketplace. It is in this context that we often see what researchers describe as microaggressions, microassaults, implicit racism, etc. This research-based book provides not only empirical evidence of marketplace discrimination, but it also examines the legal issues and historical contexts of such marketplace phenomena.”

“Can I have it? Can I go? I don’t want to leave right now. It’s not fair!” We spend hours every week negotiating with our kids. In the blink of an eye, a peaceful household can turn upside-down as we step into quicksand and find ourselves negotiating. When we’re instantly overwhelmed like this, our emotions take over and we shut down, resorting to defaults like “Because I said so!”

Negotiations shouldn’t be a winner-take-all game where you either insist on your way or just try to get out of the moment unscathed (by getting them yet one more toy dinosaur because it’s easier). Instead, think of negotiations as a chance for you and your kids to problem-solve together.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school?

My favorite tradition is one that began organically amongst ourselves. Every summer, we visit the home countries of one of our classmates. Last summer, it was Colombia and we explored the beaches of the Rosario Islands, Cartagena, Medellin, and Bogota. This reflects the curiosity and adventurous spirit of Rutgers Business School (RBS) MBA’s pretty accurately.

Want to make more money? Want that dream job? Putting an offer on a home? If you think about it, we're always negotiating...at home, at work, with our partner and family, and on and on. Want to be a negotiating warrior? Dr. Terri Kurtzberg – a Social Scientist as I like to call her! – shares proven tactics to prepare you for your next big (or little negotiation) conversation.

William McLaury, a professor of supply-chain management at Rutgers Business
School, said that there might be a mandate for at least a percentage of the
health care supplies to be sourced domestically. McLaury was executive director
of the pharma supply chain for Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation for over
30 years before his academic tenure.

“There might need to be some type of financial incentive offered to the
companies to offset the potential costs incurred to make this transition,” he told
VOA.

He added that domestic capacity would also have to be ramped up, and
regulatory approval of any new supply sources would take some time.

Pressure to ramp up production of low-margin products that account for less than 5 percent of revenue isn't Medline's only challenge. COVID-19 also has broader implications for the $14 billion company.

Medline Industries attracted little public attention for decades as it grew to become the
largest privately owned supplier of medical products.

It took COVID-19 just a couple of months to drag the $14 billion-revenue company into the global spotlight as a critical source of desperately needed personal protective equipment for health care workers battling the pandemic. But the attention hasn't always been flattering, and surging demand for basics like surgical gloves and face masks hasn't been the windfall it might appear to be.

Whether the federal government will provide financial incentives for those companies to diversify their PPE sources "is a big question mark at the moment," says David Ding, director of the Healthcare Analytics & Intelligence program at Rutgers Business School. "Obviously (the companies) are going to incur much higher costs. Would they be able to raise the price so that we, as end users, would pay more out of pocket? That's a very classic debate."

John M. Longo, a professor at Rutgers Business School and the Chief Investment Officer for Beacon Trust, called the 32 percent drop “disappointing” compared to overall market performance.

Longo wrote the decision to purchase gold shares “may be considered a defensive measure” against an unstable stock market.

“Gold often rises when stocks fall, since it is viewed as a ‘flight to quality’ asset,” he wrote. “In addition, the massive monetary and fiscal programs enacted by The Federal Reserve and Congress to blunt the economic fallout of COVID-19 may negatively impact the value of the U.S. Dollar going forward. Gold often rises when the U.S. Dollar weakens.”

Research shows that consumer response to stress is in fact dependent on how much control they believe they have over their environment. A journal article co-authored by Kristina M. Durante, an associate professor of marketing at Rutgers Business School, outlines six experimentsshowing that consumers who perceive a low level of control in the face of stress are more likely to save money or spend it only on necessities. Obvious, yes, but as Durante explains on the school's website, the flip side was that 'those who were stressed out and then had their sense of control restored… were more willing to spend their money.' The lesson for marketers: In the face of unpredictability- extreme weather, elections, market crashes, even pandemics - consumers may be more open to products framed as necessities or that they believe will restore a sense of control.

The tools economists use to measure economic activity to predict economic growth or recession across the U.S. are evolving — especially with the rise of online sales. And now, as the pandemic is shifting consumer habits and straining industries nationwide, the need for a timely sense of economic activity is more vital than ever.

One way for measuring service economies based on warehousing, transportation and inventory is playing an increasingly important role in providing that picture. The Logistics Managers’ Index is the result of nearly four years of work by Ron Lembke, associate professor of operations management and chair of the Marketing Department at the University of Nevada, Reno’s College of Business, and his colleagues.

The research group includes Lembke’s former colleague, Dale Rogers from Arizona State University; Zachary Rogers, an assistant professor at Colorado State University and University MBA alumnus; Shen Yeniyurt from Rutgers University; and Steven Carnovale from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

“How could you see my listing if you’re blind?”
“I’d have to check with our insurance company to see if we’re covered to host guests with disabilities.”
“Does the dog drive?”

Those are three typical responses we got from Airbnb hosts while posing as guests with disabilities for a study we conducted on the home-sharing service. Some hosts were willing to accommodate us. Some were uneasy. Some were insensitive. We effectively became Airbnb’s secret shopper – even secret to Airbnb – to determine if its credo to “belong anywhere” implied that this service was designed with disability access and civil rights in mind.

Our results revealed that Airbnb’s platform perpetuates the social exclusion of people with disabilities. We don’t believe this is done intentionally, but the unregulated nature of rental listings end up subverting the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which turns 30 in July.

“Ultimately, we’re measured and judged by the business, but the business doesn’t succeed without great staff and the staff doesn’t succeed without great supervision,” says Marc Kalan, assistant professor of professional practice at Rutgers Business School. “It’s not an intuitive skill set. You have to leverage skills and talents while recognizing deficiencies and assist your staff in overcoming them.”

Mini-MBA: Business Essentials – Rutgers Business School
Cost: US$3,495
Duration: 12 weeks

The Mini-MBA from Rutgers Business School is the ideal course for professionals who want to gain new knowledge of the modern business world. The 12-week program is taught completely through the online space by real-world industry experts and covers topics such as the digitalization of business, the impact of globalization and international business. The course is credit-based.

Gov. Phil Murphy has tapped more than three dozen development executives, labor leaders and other industry professionals as part of a new council to help restart New Jersey’s economy.

The governor on Friday announced the formation of a statewide council to advise the administration in reopening business and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. The group includes nine subcommittees spanning industry and government, including one dubbed facilities and construction that includes many of the state’s top developers and trade association leaders.

The full [36 member] facilities and construction subcommittee includes:
Morris Davis, Rutgers Center for Real Estate

Technology such as chatbots, telemedicine and voice interfaces are making it easier for patients to get the information and care they need quickly and easily and will continue to do so long after the current healthcare crisis has abated.

On May 28, I’ll be hosting a webinar with my colleague Derek Phillips, Director of Content Strategy at PK, called Building Connected Healthcare Experiences to Come Back Stronger from the Pandemic, in conjunction with eHealthcare Strategy & Trends. In the webinar, we’ll explore how you can enable personalized journeys built on consumer preferences, and integrate content, data, and technology in new ways that create business value and increase patient loyalty.

Sharon Lydon, associate professor of professional practice, who is 46, discovered the different traits of several generations in her workforce on a programme for 35 administrators at the business school last year. The course, Leading and Managing a Multi-Generational Workforce, is now available to executives at other organisations. It is one of several programmes aiming to help participants lead the current “5G workforce”, shorthand for having five generations working cheek by jowl for the first time.

Is there a correlation between saving money and shopping online?

In most product categories, on-line vendors hold the advantage over traditional "brick and mortar" businesses. They have significantly lower overhead due to not having multiple retail outlets and personnel to man them. They may also be able to offer a wider array of options from potentially more manufacturers. So, in many product categories, disruptive competitors like Harry's Razor's or Warby Parker have taken these niches. As a result, those organizations can pass those savings on to their customers. And, while true for mattresses, this is a very unique category. The close and daily (or should I say nightly) relationship adds a personal evaluation factor that many might feel is worth a bit more expense, as the ability to try that product along with competitors is a value unto itself.

What about saving money and shopping in person?

Many categories are available in retailers whose sole focus is low prices to stimulate volume. And while the selection may be less, those retailers whose abilities to buy large volumes of specific items may also enable opportunities for large saving versus traditional department stores (a la Macy's) or other retail outlets.

The CARES Act also makes qualified improvement property, or QIP eligible for bonus depreciation, which means that businesses can write off the cost of a purchase in just one year, Falk said. When a restaurant spends $100,000 on renovations, it can deduct $100,000 on its tax return for the year it made the renovations. Jay Soled, a professor at Rutgers Business School and a tax lawyer, said bonus depreciation offers the businesses a “very, very generous write-off.”

“Zoom (or any other video chat tool) tires us out,” says Terri Kurtzberg PhD, author of Virtual Teams: Mastering Communication and Collaboration in the Digital Age and an associate professor of management and global business at Rutgers Business School in New Brunswick, NJ. Her areas of expertise include virtual teams, electronic communications, negotiation strategies and tactics, and organizational creativity. In other words, she’s done enough research and conducted enough studies to know.

“Virtual teams have many of the same challenges and problems that traditional teams do, but they tend to experience them to a greater extent (more often, more intensely, more quickly in the process, and more deeply rooted/difficult to eradicate.) Coupled with the changes in conversation, comprehension, and decision making that can result from virtual interaction, these teams have a lot to contend with in order to successfully operate,” she says.

The TiE University program in New Jersey hosted its first-ever virtual event for student entrepreneurs on April 20.

“As the economy is on hold and many large companies are going out of business, should students put their startup plans on hold, continue their education, or maybe even work for someone else for a period prior to returning to their model?” Kumar asked Mukesh Patel, an assistant professor of professional practice at Rutgers Business School.

“This is a great opportunity right now to do a couple of things. But what you do with the decision you make should be based on your strategy, not just a random kind of decision-making,” Patel said. He then noted that student entrepreneurs should consider whether they need to emphasize their academics right now, or if they need a job to help with family finances. They must also assess their risk tolerance.

Kristina Durante, a business psychology professor from Rutgers University, specializes in consumer trends in the beauty industry. Her work studying women’s consumer habits during the Great Recession of 2008 gives her valuable insight into today’s consumer trends.

“Any sort of beauty-enhancing product is predicted to run counter-cyclical to recessions,” Durante said. “So whenever we get the news that things are bad, that there’s uncertainty and scarcity, one of the things we know is products that are foolproof are these beauty enhancement products.”

Durante believes that the combination of a pandemic and a looming recession has triggered this same unconscious fear response in consumers today, driving sales of beauty products to these especially high rates.

Join Comedian Shane Mauss as he interviews science experts across the country in a journey to find out what makes us who we are.
Professor Kristina Durante’s research program focuses on how our evolved biology (ancestral ecology and internal physiological systems) and our modern social environment interact to influence behavior.

Download and/or listen to Shane Mauss’s interview.
Durante starts around 8:24.

“My foray into 3D printing of PPE became formalized when Peter Englot, senior vice chancellor for public affairs and chief of staff at Rutgers-Newark, invited me to join the Rutgers 3D Printing PPE Initiative,” shared Rosen. Rutgers Business School supply chain management professor Kevin Lyons, who is helping coordinate Rutgers supply chains in response to the pandemic, facilitated that connection. The initiative falls under the purview of the Rutgers COVID-19 Task Force and consists of representatives from all four chancellor-led units: Rutgers University–Newark, Rutgers University–New Brunswick, Rutgers University–Camden, and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences.

But in general, most of the tests being made available across the country detect only whether the antibodies are present said Rutgers Executive MBA student Dr. Jeffrey Jhang, medical director of clinical laboratories and transfusion services for the Mount Sinai Health System. A direct-to-consumer test announced on Tuesday from Quest Diagnostics — more on that below — measures only presence or absence.

Antibodies can take generally anywhere from about a week to 14 days to develop, Dr. Jhang said, and the levels of antibodies vary based on time since exposure and a person’s immune system. This means that a lack of antibodies does not necessarily mean you were not exposed to the virus.

An MBA is more than the sum of its parts, but it’s possible to pick up much of the knowledge and skills the degree provides at a fraction of the cost. From “mini-MBAs” to spruced-up online programs, there are a plethora of MBA alternatives. These alternatives to MBA programs are not just ‘MBA lite’ programs, but are offered by business schools themselves, and in many cases are designed by top professors. They often come with the option to purchase a certificate that can be shown to prospective employers. Or the chance to buy academic credit that can be applied to a full MBA.

The rise of fintechs has given more companies the freedom to move away from the standard “2 percent discount in 10 days, net 30 days” payment template, according to Rudi Leuschner, an associate professor in the department of Supply Chain Management at Rutgers Business School. “Since 2008, companies have been taking longer to pay their suppliers,” he said. Benchmarking data from an American Productivity & Quality Center April report backs that up, indicating that a majority of companies have an average 53 days outstanding on their payables accounts.

"But some businesses, like Pfizer, are also paying their suppliers earlier in some cases,” said Leuschner. “They’re using fintech platforms like C2FO, which lets suppliers offer a discount to Pfizer in exchange for early payment. The supplier wins because they get paid sooner, Pfizer wins because it will only agree to an early payment if the supplier-offered dis-count makes sense, and the fintech makes money by taking a small piece of the high volume of transactions.”

In today’s tech age, much of our life and work is on the go. And while we’ve all used messaging applications to stay informed, none of them really keep us connected the way we need to be. Enter Staffbase’s Director of Marketing Jason Etter and President and Co-Founder Frank Wolf, the men who are on a mission to help the forgotten employee. On today’s episode of Marketing Trends, Jason and Frank stress the importance of company culture in the digital era, the value of simplistic and meaningful messaging, and why events are the best way to meet and understand your clients.

Listen to Podcast

Here’s why we’re talking about it now: When your body is exposed to a foreign pathogen, your body’s response is to produce antibodies, “which are proteins that can bind to the virus and help to deactivate it, clear it from circulation and prevent it from invading the body’s cells,” according to Rutgers Executive MBA student Dr. Jeffrey Jhang, medical director of clinical laboratories and transfusion services for the Mount Sinai Health System in New York.

A traditional MBA is a two-year commitment — or more if completed while also working part or full time — and can be costly. Prestigious programs like Stanford and Harvard, ranked No. 1 and No. 5 in the world respectively, can charge up to $120,000 for full tuition.

If spending the extensive time and money to go to business school doesn't pique your interest, but you're still intrigued by the value an MBA can have for your career, there's another option: the "mini MBA."

“Supply chains will inevitably shrink because there’ll be greater risk aversion. That doesn’t necessarily mean that jobs will all rush back to the United Staes. But instead of, let’s say, China, they may go to Vietnam or India,” said Farok Contractor, who teaches international business at Rutgers Business School.

He continued, “And diversification could mean companies bringing production back to the United States to some extent. So also what that means, inevitably, is an increase in costs to consumers.”

Several US colleges with multi-billion dollar endowments have been tapping into the massive coronavirus stimulus passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump in January.

As part of the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES), $14 billion was set aside to support higher education institutions - ostensibly those without billions already in the bank.

Hilariously, Harvard's Crimson points to the risk that their endowment could shrink due to market volatility and that the University's financial situation is "grave." On the other hand - buried halfway through the article, Rutgers Business School professor John Longo points out that "it is conceivable that Harvard's market neutral and long/short hedge funds actually delivered positive returns," adding "If this is the case, it would materially soften the blow from the sharp drop in equities from around the world."

BY RICHARD SCHMALBECK AND JAY SOLED, OPINION CONTRIBUTORS

By design, taxes are a shared enterprise. They are not the undertaking of a single person. We cannot build bridges, support the military, or battle any pandemics by ourselves. The same is true for taxes. A functioning society requires every person to be a team member, obligated to participate in its civic duties and responsibilities. The government needs to be funded in a manner mutually agreed upon by Congress and the people, based on the principles of fairness and ability to pay. Taxes are a collective obligation, and their payment marks one of our civic duties as Americans.

As a part of my series about “How to Slow Down To Do More” I had the pleasure to interview Alina Trigub. Alina was born and immigrated from what used to be the Soviet Union, now Ukraine.

Alina was twenty years old when her family decided to immigrate to the United States to escape growing anti-Semitism in the Ukraine. Alina’s story is really a glowing example of the “Pursuit-of-the-American-Dream” tale. At twenty years of age, Alina knew that she was not entitled to anything except an adventure, and that in order to succeed she had to work hard and learn harder. She pursued a Bachelor degree in Accounting from Baruch college in NYC, while working as a sales person in a nearby busy clothing and shoe store. Upon graduation, Alina joined Ernst & Young as a tax accountant, and a few years later she graduated from Rutgers Business School with MBA in Finance and Management while working full time in the Technology company. Alina was excited to be granted a Green Card after arriving in the US, and five years later she was ecstatic to pass the test to become a US Citizen. Alina is proud to be an American, and she shares a strong work ethic with her husband of nearly twenty years that both passed on to their two children. Alina has been working in the Information Technology field for many years after leaving Tax Accounting world. A little over a year ago she started her own company, SAMO Financial. It is a boutique private equity firm specializing in the commercial real estate.

One hitch: It may take a while for anxious parents to shake off their fears and stop buying more than they need when they spot formula for sale online and off, says Rudolf Leuschner, associate professor of supply chain management at Rutgers Business School.

“As soon as there is some supply, customers keep buying it all up,” Leuschner says. “Even if manufacturers are trying to raise production, it may not be that easy because they may have to produce more of their other products as well. There is only so much you can raise production.”

We all grieve; we are all angry; we are all confused; and we are all uncertain where this ends. For me, there is a special connect. For the past 10 years I have spent two months each year, in Bergamo, Italy lecturing at their university. I have fallen in love with the Lombardy region, its people and never had a moment when I wasn’t adoring of its culture, food and way of life. Now, I cry for my friends in Bergamo and wonder of their future, wonder what this all means for Italy and ponder long-term what its fate will be. I am puzzled when trying to figure out how this proud and spectacular country can pull out of its misery and return to normalcy. I am reminded that when Florence and its art world was inundated with a destructive flood and damage, US charity came to its aid. Now, what can the US do to help restore Europe’s confidence and well-being.

Jerry M. Rosenberg is Professor Emeritus of International Business at Rutgers University and author of several books on the 1948 Marshall Plan. He is presently writing a book on Coronavirus and A New US-European Marshall Plan.

The U.S. economy’s deteriorating health was evident Wednesday in new reports that showed steep drops in retail sales, regional manufacturing and homebuilder sentiment.

Big banks are now setting aside billions of dollars to cover an expected increase in bad loans. While Congress continues to mull over additional emergency funding for smaller businesses, the Trump administration has reached a tentative deal with the airline industry on a $25 billion bailout.

Farrokh Langdana, professor & Executive MBA program director speaks with Rhonda Schaffler (video).

Americans are applauding the Internal Revenue Service’s extension of Tax Day to July 15 as confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, reach nearly 600,000 cases in the U.S.

And Americans may see more tax changes ahead after the global pandemic subsides, Todd Simmens, Rutgers Business School Professor, told Yahoo Finance’s On The Move last week.

“There is interest in both parties in doing continued tax legislation, there always is ... I think that even before the pandemic, the administration was talking about additional cuts,” he said.

Rutgers Executive MBA

This well-regarded program was ranked #2 by the Financial Times in 2019 for economics and #5 by the Financial Times for Corporate Social Responsibility. The program lasts 20 months and offers weekend-based scheduling, in addition to an experiential session abroad. The Rutgers EMBA focuses on practical learning with immediate applications to today’s market and students’ day-to-day work, but they also design the curriculum to address business management at every stage of growth.

Business leaders, experts weigh in — say ability to empathize, communicate make females better crisis managers

At a time when women are still fighting to get equal pay and equal recognition in the everyday workplace, some women said they feel some common gender stereotypes — such as women having more empathy and better communication skills — help position women to be better crisis managers.

Lisa Kaplowitz, the director of the Center for Women in Business at Rutgers University and a professor of finance and economics, feels that way.

“Those skills are needed in a time of crisis,” she said. “One of the biggest things that any leader needs to do right now is be transparent and be empathetic to their team members, because anxiety and uncertainty are heightened during a time of crisis. The more that you can alleviate those concerns, the more you’re going to be able to then get people to perform.”

Women have been battling for an equal opportunity since the beginning of time. Literally, the beginning of time.

At least, that’s the feeling of Kristina Durante, a research professor at the Rutgers Business School who has done studies on gender differences.

“Women have some personality qualities that help in times of crisis,” she said. “They’re more empathetic and they have higher levels of nurturance. That’s just the gender difference that exists, and it has existed across thousands of years of human history.

Sears is an extreme but characteristic example of what economists aptly call a ‘zombie’ company – an organization that is unable to finance its debt with profits for an extended period.

In many cases, what keeps zombie economies alive is political pressure. Arthur Guarino, an associate professor of professional practice at Rutgers Business School, told World Finance: “If left to free-market economic principles and ideas, many of these companies – perhaps 50 percent or more – would fail, resulting in high amounts of unemployed people.” For retailers, though, bailouts are out of the question. As Cohen explained: “Unless you are a farmer receiving billions of dollars [from US President Donald Trump’s] tariff-driven disruption payments, workers losing their jobs are out of luck.”

New Jersey venture capital activity has been healthy, but the COVID-19 pandemic could change that, at least temporarily, according to some experts.

Early- or seed-stage companies, which are typically funded by angels and smaller VC firms are particularly likely to feel a pinch, according to Gary Minkoff, an instructor of professional practice at the Rutgers Business School Department of Management & Global Business. “Based on the uncertainties created by the coronavirus, these investors are likely to feel and it’s my understanding this is exactly what’s happening that it’s time to move to the sidelines, or buy bonds, or even hard assets like gold.”

John M. Longo, a professor at Rutgers Business School, said he approved of Harvard’s decision to issue bonds given current interest rates. The Federal Reserve cut its baseline interest rate range to 0 to 0.25 percent in mid-March.

“It is smart for an institution like Harvard, with a stellar credit rating, to issue debt with interest rates across the entire maturity spectrum near all-time lows,” Longo wrote in an email.

Todd Simmens, tax risk management partner with BDO USA and adjunct professor with Rutgers Business School, Accounting & Information Systems, joins Yahoo Finance’s "On The Move" to address the impact of the coronavirus on taxes.

“Regardless of whatever contingency a company puts into place, there’s still a limited amount,” said William McLaury, a supply chain management professor at Rutgers University, who previously served as the executive director of pharma supply chain for Novartis Pharmaceuticals. “If this were to go on for three months, six months, nine months, [backups] will run out. It’s a limited supply. There might be enough, but to say there’s never going to be a problem is probably unrealistic.”