Dec 18, 2014
Kellogg Insight’s Best of 2014
The Kellogg School faculty produced lots of exciting research and insights this year. Here's a look at our top stories of 2014.
The Customers You Do Not Want
Meet the “harbingers of failure."
Pump Up the Jams to Feel Powerful
The right music can empower us.
Discrimination Still Undercuts Minority Wages
What explains the 30% raw wage gap between blacks and whites?
Do Former Soldiers Make Better CEOs?
They do best at firms in distress.
Getting the Growth Strategy Right
Becoming a supercompetitor requires new thinking about strategy.
Corporate Activism Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
How social movements shape corporate behavior.
Don't Run in the Pentagon
Leadership lessons from a career in the military.
Networking is a Dirty Business
While necessary, it makes people feel morally unclean.
Are Bean Counters More Selfish?
Quantifying everything can lead to less ethical behavior.
Is Economic Growth a Question of Culture?
Research shows that culture seeps into economic decisions.
How to Survive as a Corporate Innovator
Why the first 18 months are so crucial.
Analyzing the $1 CEO Salary
It can signal a leader's confidence or peril.
We also revamped our Insight In Person podcast this year. Here are our top two.
Nonprofit Collaborations: Beneficial but Tricky
The business of growing organizational mission for nonprofits can be complicated. In this podcast, Open Books and Chicago Literacy Alliance founder Stacy Ratner joins Kellogg School faculty members Don Haider and Nicholas Pearce to discuss the ways nonprofits navigate the uncertainties of nonprofit consolidation.
Empowering Employees as Leaders
Manufacturer Barry-Wehmiller boasts an employee-centric corporate culture designed to empower and inspire its 8000-plus employees. Hear from company leaders and employees, as well as faculty from the Kellogg School, to learn more about how this approach has been successful.
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Editor’s Picks

Careers
Podcast: How to Be a Great Mentor
Plus, some valuable career advice that applies to just about everyone.

Marketing
A New Way to Persuade Kids to Drink More Water and Less Soda
Getting children to make healthy choices is tricky—and the wrong message can backfire.

Innovation
How Can Social Science Become More Solutions-Oriented?
A conversation between researchers at Kellogg and Microsoft explores how behavioral science can best be applied.

Innovation
Buying a Company for Its Talent? Beware of Hidden Legal Risks.
Acquiring another firm’s trade secrets—even unintentionally—could prove costly.

Careers
Take 5: Tips for Widening—and Improving—Your Candidate Pool
Common biases can cause companies to overlook a wealth of top talent.

Innovation
Everyone Wants Pharmaceutical Breakthroughs. What Drives Drug Companies to Pursue Them?
A new study suggests that firms are at their most innovative after a financial windfall.

Careers
4 Key Steps to Preparing for a Business Presentation
Don’t let a lack of prep work sabotage your great ideas.

Healthcare
Video: How Open Lines of Communication Can Improve Healthcare Outcomes
Training physicians to be better communicators builds trust with patients and their loved ones.

Operations
Here’s a Better Way to Schedule Surgeries
A new tool could drive savings of 20 percent while still keeping surgeons happy.

Politics & Elections
Why Economic Crises Trigger Political Turnover in Some Countries but Not Others
The fallout can hinge on how much a country’s people trust each other.

Marketing
Building Strong Brands: The Inside Scoop on Branding in the Real World
Tim Calkins’s blog draws lessons from brand missteps and triumphs.

Economics
How the Coffee Industry Is Building a Sustainable Supply Chain in an Unstable Region
Three experts discuss the challenges and rewards of sourcing coffee from the Democratic Republic of Congo.