Media Coverage

We are business professors who recently surveyed more than 400 managers about gender equity. We found that while men and women agree on what gender equity means in principle, they often disagree on what it takes to achieve it. Bridging that gap matters – without it, well-meaning leaders may take actions that do nothing or even backfire.

But John Longo, distinguished professor of finance and economics at Rutgers Business School, told Investor's Business Daily there are a number of factors in play — not the least of which are historical headwinds — that point to September's chilling effect.

"The Crash of 1929 began in September, so some people have that month at the back of their minds as a bad month for stocks," he said. "It sometimes becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy due to market psychology."

“The idea behind the de minimis exemption is that low-value items that a consumer might buy directly from an overseas seller, because they’re a small amount, it’s not worth it for customs to really track them and charge a small amount of import duties,” said Rudolf Leuschner, a professor of supply chain management at Rutgers University.

Leuschner said the suspension of shipments is one aspect of this situation that confuses him.

“It actually was very surprising to me that some countries decided to stop shipment on their end without really any reason, because customs duties are paid in the U.S. by the importer,” he said. “So if I’m the seller, I shouldn’t necessarily care about customs duties at all, because I’m not there locally. I’m not responsible for those customs duties.”

How can people improve their credit scores using a credit card for bad credit?

Credit cards for bad credit are divided into two categories. Secured and unsecured (as you mention below). Unsecured cards for people with poor credit can be hard to qualify for. But some companies do offer unsecured credit cards even for people with low scores. Regardless of the type of card you get - the strategy is simple - keep your balance low, pay the full balance on time every time, and make sure you do not miss payments or carry over balance from one statement period to the next. Do these enough times and over the years, and you will see your credit score improving.

Do you have any advice for people who aren’t quite sure how to go about comparing car insurance rates?

The task is not to find the cheapest option, but to first define your actual risks and needs. What is not defined cannot be effectively covered; therefore, begin with a clear specification of what the insurance is supposed to do for you.

Protecting data privacy during collaborative machine learning presents a significant challenge, and researchers are now exploring how to balance privacy with accuracy. Yashwant Krishna Pagoti from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Arunesh Sinha from Rutgers University, and Shamik Sural from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, investigate a novel approach to this problem using a system called federated learning. Their work addresses the issue of information leakage even when only limited data, such as gradients, are shared, by employing local differential privacy, which intentionally adds noise to the data.

However, this noise reduces the accuracy of the resulting model, so the team proposes a strategic incentivization mechanism using tokens to encourage clients to share data with less noise, thereby improving overall model performance while still safeguarding individual privacy. This innovative approach models the interaction between the central server and participating clients as a game, offering a pathway to more effective and privacy-preserving collaborative machine learning.

The jobs being done by undocumented immigrants are “labor-intensive” but lack official qualifications, licenses or certifications, said Arturo Osorio, a professor at the Rutgers Business School in Newark.

In agriculture, it spans digging, picking fruits and vegetables, seed-planting and groundskeeping. In construction, it entails framing, bricklaying and some basic electrical work. For child care, it would be a nanny at home.

Without that workforce, during seeding season, agricultural businesses may not be able to put enough plants in the ground. In the middle of the season, they may not be able to trim and maintain the plants, said Osorio, who also sits on the board of directors of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

“At the end of the season, fruits might get rotten in the field because nobody can pick them,” Osorio continued.

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Rutgers Business School professor John M. Longo wrote in a statement that investors have turned to gold and cryptocurrencies as a store of value amid inflation fears.

“Since the money supply has expanded dramatically around the world, especially since the pandemic, some investors are looking at gold and cryptocurrencies as a store of value,” Longo wrote, adding that pro-crypto policies from the Trump administration and growing offerings from major financial firms have helped push Bitcoin toward all-time highs.

There’s some insulation from price spikes in other categories because of existing inventory that was already in the country before Trump’s tariff policies went into effect, say both Miller and Rudolf Leuschner, a professor of supply chain management at Rutgers University.

“Everything that had to do with back-to-school is also going to have been in the country since at least June, July,” Leuschner said. “So it’s already available locally, and it has been sitting in warehouses.”

Another factor is that prices are already quite low for basic supplies.

“Back-to-school products are very — I mean, pencils themselves are very commoditized,” Leuschner said. “And I don’t know of a lot of consumers who are going to say, Oh, I will only buy a certain No. 2 pencil brand and not buy anything else.”

It seems to create a chicken-and-egg situation. Research from Kristina Durante, a professor of psychology and marketing at Rutgers University, found that when men are scarce, women are then more likely to focus on career and earnings because they know they may wind up having to go it alone as a parent.

"I believe there is a 'Buffett premium' although I think it is difficult to quantify," John Longo — a finance professor, investment chief, and author of "Buffett's Tips: A Guide to Financial Literacy and Life" — said.

Long said that fewer people might be willing to sell their businesses to a Buffett-less Berkshire, nodding to the investor's reputation for offering clean and simple transactions, hands-off ownership, and a permanent home for companies.

Jay A. Soled, a professor and chair of the Department of Accounting and Information Systems at Rutgers Business School, New Jersey, previously told Newsweek: "Even with the tax-filing extension, interest will apply to any 2024 tax payments received after April 15. This means that unpaid tax-year 2024 tax balances will begin accruing interest, currently at the rate of seven percent per year, compounded daily, after April 15, 2025."

“If you need to pay anyone you employ as a factory worker an average of $36 an hour with benefits, then you are inclined to hire very few of them and instead buy automated equipment and robots,” said Farok Contractor, a professor at Rutgers’ management and global business department.

The combination of employment taxes is not insignificant, taking a steep percentage out of workers’ paychecks and similarly reducing business profitability.

Perhaps surprisingly, the situation is wholly different with respect to foreign students coming to the nation’s shores. The tax code exempts workers on student visas and their employers from employment taxes.

Should every Costco member with a good enough credit score get the Costco Credit Card?

Choosing what credit cards to hold and use is a very personal decision. The Costco credit card which also serves as the Costco membership card (I am a holder) provides very competitive refund benefits, especially for purchases at Costco itself including fuel. I have used it extensively and would recommend it as a good source for everyday purchasing for all qualified Costco members.

Let me give you the punchline that describes the insurance industry.

They are taking on a specific risk for the insured. They are exchanging the assumption of that risk for a series of payments that are usually monthly.

What you have to keep in mind is that these companies are FOR PROFIT. They are not doing this from the perspective of kindness or caring.

Here is a protective warning for you. If the deal seems too good, you must read all the fine print. You must. I have been offered car insurance for a $19 per month payment. Really??? I don’t think so.

“We are in a disturbing fiscal trend,” said Fred Hoffman, a former fund manager who turned to academia about seven years ago and is now a professor of finance at Rutgers Business School.

Hoffman said he’ll monitor the results of the auction next week while he’s at his vacation home in Martha’s Vineyard. Details such as the auction “tail” — where yields settle versus the when-issued level — and the extent to which orders exceed the amount of debt for sale will provide clues about demand. Foreign participation will also be in the spotlight.

“If this auction and the next auctions continue to break down with lousy tails and horrible bid-to-cover ratios, then we have a problem,” said Hoffman, who discusses debt markets and mechanics in some of his class lectures.

Marc Kalan from Rutgers Business School spent 40 years in the industry and expects advertisers to be more cautious when it comes to spending.

MARC KALAN Associate Professor of Professional Practice Rutgers Business School "How do you protect stock? You protect earnings. How do you protect earnings? You take short term hits to expenses."

He says what this means for major media companies like Disney, Fox, NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery is that they may need to offer advertisers more value for their money.

MARC KALAN Associate Professor of Professional Practice Rutgers Business School "My belief is my feeling. And I'm not running ABC or NBC or CBS, but I do believe they're going to have to negotiate and probably offer a lot of extra make goods or time, they'll give up some inventory and try to hold their costs, their costs, if they can."

“Our Supply Chain Management program is full of talented students set to become the next generation of supply chain leaders. Support from partners like Gebrüder Weiss helps empower them to reach their goals,” says Lei Lei, Dean of Rutgers Business School.

The H20 was built specifically for the China market under the old export rules. Because of the chip’s design and limited capabilities, it may be difficult to use in other countries. “It doesn’t really fit anywhere else without a lot of expensive tweaking,” says Arash Azadegan, a professor of supply chain management at Rutgers Business School.

“Everything is in play; we still have so much uncertainty with what’s going to happen next,” said Parul Jain, associate professor of economics and finance at Rutgers Business School. “If you look at the data, both businesses and consumers did preemptively accelerate purchases ahead of any tariffs being imposed. They did stockpile a bit, but at the same time, how long can this go on?”

The products currently on American store shelves were imported to the U.S. anywhere between two and six months ago, meaning they would have avoided any Trump tariffs, said Rudi Leuschner, a supply chain management professor at Rutgers Business School in Newark.

Leuschner said the 90-day pause on 145% tariffs for goods coming in from China should give businesses more time to stockpile more goods, products and raw materials, albeit with a 30% tariff that companies may simply have to absorb.

Jay A. Soled, professor and chair of the Department of Accounting and Information Systems at Rutgers Business School, New Jersey, previously told Newsweek: "Even with the tax-filing extension, interest will apply to any 2024 tax payments received after April 15. This means that unpaid tax-year 2024 tax balances will begin accruing interest, currently at the rate of seven percent per year, compounded daily, after April 15, 2025."

Commenting on why individuals working and living abroad have a two-month filing extension, Soled said it was "undoubtedly a relic of a bygone era when it was difficult for those living overseas to receive third-party information returns."

He added that "in light of current technological developments, Congress would be wise to eliminate this exception."

Americans largely agree that women have made significant gains in the workplace over the past two decades. But what about men? While many Americans believe women are thriving, over half believe men’s progress has stalled or even reversed.

To make matters more complex, recent research has revealed a massive divide along gender and partisan lines. The majority of Republican men think full gender equity in America has been achieved, while the majority of Democratic women think there’s still work to be done.

As researchers at the Rutgers Center for Women in Business, we think this divide matters a lot. And for business leaders, this gap isn’t just a social or political issue. It’s a leadership challenge with direct implications for team cohesion and morale. If gender equity efforts are seen by some employees as a loss rather than a collective gain, leaders risk inadvertently entrenching division.

“The pandemic accelerated everyone’s comfort level with, and technological ability to, work from home,” said Dr. Terri Kurtzberg, professor of management and global business at Rutgers Business School, whose areas of expertise include negotiation strategies and tactics, electronic communication and distraction, virtual work, and disability employment. “This ability helps to minimize random disruptions like the failure to be able to commute to work on a given day. People can certainly piece together a process and minimize disruption for a short amount of time without changing anything fundamental about how work gets done. But if days swing into weeks or months, then companies may have to decide if they want to embrace the remote option or reject it.”

During a May 1 celebration at The Rutgers Club in New Brunswick, RICSI Executive Director Jeana Wirtenberg said, “These award winners exemplify how business can be a powerful force for positive change. We are proud to recognize their leadership and to shine a spotlight on the meaningful work being done across industries and communities.”

The products currently on American store shelves were imported to the U.S. anywhere between two and six months ago, meaning they would have avoided any Trump tariffs, said Rudi Leuschner, a supply chain management professor at Rutgers Business School in Newark.

The 90-day pause should give businesses more time to stockpile more goods, products and raw materials, albeit with a 30% tariff companies may simply have to absorb, said Leuschner of Rutgers.

"In fundamental ways, and for the worse, [technology including email] has shifted our focus," says Dr. Terri R. Kurtzberg, Ph.D., a professor of management and global business at Rutgers Business School. "It's the curse of the incoming message notification that has done the most damage—studies have shown that seeing the notification flag is as distracting as actually stopping what you're doing and checking the actual message. Our minds are already gone, wondering what it is."

Dr. Kurtzberg never gets email notifications on her phone, so she has to consciously open the app to check them. When you check in, ask yourself, "Is this email so important that I must respond now?"

Republicans are looking everywhere for ways to raise more revenue short of raising taxes. This magic trick is not easily accomplished. Taxpayers, even those embracing the MAGA mindset, are not holding out their wallets and, in a burst of civic patriotism, pleading with the government to take their money.

However, hiding in plain view is a revenue source the government has completely overlooked.

Millions of taxpayers go through the drudgery of making quarterly estimated tax payments. Congress, however, could obviate a large part of this process — and raise billions of dollars — by instituting tax withholding on passive income (e.g., interest, dividends, royalties and retirement savings withdrawals). And here’s a key component of this initiative: Those who do not want to participate could opt out.

What does it say about car insurance companies that so many have celebrity endorsers?

The prevalence of celebrities in car insurance advertising suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of the customer. Rather than focusing on the core value proposition – security, reliability, and service – these companies are attempting to substitute superficial familiarity for genuine trust. This indicates a failure to innovate and differentiate through superior operational effectiveness and a deep understanding of the customer's needs and anxieties. The question should not be, “who can we hire to make us seem trustworthy?” but rather, “how can we become truly trustworthy through our actions and our offerings?”

Warren Buffett, the 94-year-old billionaire widely known as the “Oracle of Omaha” because of his investment acumen, says he is getting ready to retire as CEO and hand the reins of Berkshire Hathaway to Greg Abel, his 62-year-old designated successor.

Berkshire Hathaway owns a broad range of businesses that, among other things, make candy, run freight trains, and provide insurance. Along with its shares in many other companies, the conglomerate’s market capitalization stands at more than US$1 trillion.

Buffett made this announcement toward the end of an hours-long Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting in an Omaha arena on May 3, 2025.

Rutgers Business School professor John M. Longo said that in most secondary sales, assets are sold at a discount, meaning HMC would only benefit if they need extra cash on hand — or if they believe the stakes up for sale will lose value in the future.

“In most cases, the sale of private equity securities on the secondary market is at a discount to the Net Asset Value of the investment. If this is the case with the Harvard sale, then it seems they prefer to have the extra liquidity or cash on hand as opposed to realizing the full potential of the investment,” Longo wrote in a statement.

“If the value of the private equity investment decreases in value after the sale, an event that is difficult to forecast, then selling today, even at a discount, may prove to be financially beneficial,” he added.

“I believe it is not a coincidence that universities are looking to raise financing given the uncertain status of federal government funding,” said John Longo, a finance professor at Rutgers University. “The recent drop in intermediate to long-term interest rates is also likely a factor that favors issuance at this time.”

Mahmud Hassan, a finance and economics professor at Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick said: "The margins are shrinking every day, constantly, so it is becoming really difficult for those smaller businesses to survive.

"They have to be innovative to attract people to their business by adding more niche services, niche products."

Said Rutgers-Newark Interim Chancellor Jeffrey Robinson, “The research highlighted today is about how we can create knowledge for social good. Here at Rutgers Newark, it’s something we cherish deeply.”

What tips do you have for celebrating Easter on a budget?

Focus on shared experiences rather than expensive gifts. Plan a potluck-style meal with friends and family. Organize free outdoor activities like egg hunts in local parks. Prioritize time and connection over material possessions.

What are some of the big money wasters on Easter?

Overspending on elaborate, single-use decorations and excessively large Easter baskets is a common issue. The impulse to purchase trendy, high-priced candy and gifts often leads to unnecessary expenditures.

Jay A. Soled, professor and chair of the Department of Accounting and Information Systems at Rutgers Business School, New Jersey, told Newsweek previously: "Even with the tax-filing extension, interest will apply to any 2024 tax payments received after April 15. This means that unpaid tax-year 2024 tax balances will begin accruing interest, currently at the rate of seven percent per year, compounded daily, after April 15, 2025."

“Once you let something go, then to go bring it back on shore, that’s not something you can flip a switch and be able to restart,” said Parul Jain, who teaches economics and finance at Rutgers Business School in Newark.

“The Trump administration is likely to resist states individually negotiating with foreign countries on the grounds, factual or specious, that tariffs are a matter reserved for Congress and the executive branch, and that moreover, there is a so-called ”national emergency,” noted Farok J. Contractor, a professor of management and global business at Rutgers Business School.

Rutgers Business School professor John M. Longo wrote that raising additional capital “may be prudent for Harvard and other universities” due to the economic uncertainty fueled by the Trump administration’s across-the-board tariff hikes and its rollbacks of research funds.

“The turmoil in financial markets related to the tariffs has lowered interest rates across the maturity spectrum versus even a few weeks ago,” Longo wrote.

“Concomitantly, the uncertain federal funding of grants for Harvard and many other national universities has complicated and negatively impacted operating budgets,” he added.

Do you think using a percentage-based budget strategy, such as the 50/30/20 rule or the 70/20/10 rule, is the most effective approach?

The 50/30/20 rule is more practical for most people. The 10% part of the 70/20/10 rule is difficult for many people to achieve since they often have mortgage debt, student loan debt, car loan debt, and perhaps credit card debt. Donating 10% of your income to charity is a nice aspirational goal once you are on firm financial footing. Similar to helping others on a plane after an emergency, once you put on your oxygen mask.

Small business owners discuss the coming effect of the Trump administration's tariffs on prices of automotive parts and appliances. Professor Farrokh Langdana explains the impact won't be limited to major products like foreign-made cars. Prices of American cars will quickly spike as well, he said.

A leading economist says that foreign car prices will spike, and American cars will follow.

"Here's the price and once there's a tariff they go up, so-called domestic cars will also go up, why? because immediately people will switch to domestic so they go up right away," Farrokh Langdana of Rutgers University said.

“If the idea is to try and improve the deficit, which is not that substantial to begin with, take a look at the numbers which you just quoted, it’s less than 5% of U.S. GDP,” responded Parul Jain, professor of finance and economics at Rutgers University. “And so consequently, there’s a better way to go about things rather than to have tariffs imposed universally and influence world trade patterns. We’ve been there, we’ve done that, and it has never succeeded. I harken back to the holy tariffs of the 1930s, and in which case the volume of world trade just shrank.”

Jay A. Soled, distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Accounting and Information System at Rutgers Business School, thinks that the growth of the movement also has to do with the U.S.'s greying demographics. "Those on fixed incomes feel the pressure of increasing rates more than when they were income earners," he told Newsweek. "As America greys, there may be increasing pressure to reduce property taxes."

Rutgers-Newark is planning to partner with the University of the Virgin Islands on a program that would bring graduate students pursuing STEM careers to Rutgers-Newark.

“This is just another opportunity for us to attract quality students,’’ said Rutgers-Newark Interim Chancellor Jeffrey Robinson. “And it was another way for us to broaden participation in STEM areas.’’

“Our social lives and our jobs are all online now, mixed up with commerce,” says Kristina Durante, a psychologist and professor of marketing at Rutgers Business School. “We want to be involved, we want to belong, and we want to feel in control of our world. And when those desires are seamlessly linked to things you can buy right there on your phone, of course that’s what you’re going to do.”

A recent Conference Board report, an organization that analyzes economic and business trends, indicates that in this month of March, consumer confidence in this country fell 7.2 points, reaching 92.9, which is the lowest reading in 12 years.

Professor Arturo Osorio said tariff uncertainty, as well as the country’s internal positions and policies, closure of government offices, changes in consumer policy and others are making people feel distrustful.

On May 13, the INNOVATE100 leaders from across the state will be honored and celebrated in New Brunswick. These professionals from various sectors are important to New Jersey’s robust economy and strong community. From startups and corporations to universities, nonprofits and the government, all have a role in our innovation ecosystem.

Community Leaders
Alfred Blake, AD, Undergrad Entrepreneurship Programs, Rutgers

Do you think the Chase Sapphire Reserve card’s benefits are worth the price?

I understand that the Chase Sapphire Reserve card charges a $550 annual fee, plus an extra $75 annually per additional authorized user. So, we are talking $625 per couple. The benefits include a $300 travel credit and a point-reward system for trips, dining, entertainment, wellness, and other activities. Evidently, the price is steep, and the offer simply intends to make the card the cardholders’ preferred option. It targets high-spenders, and it may be worth the cost only if you are what marketers call a heavy user. If you travel, you get a rebate that covers almost 50% of the annual cost, but what if you do not travel on a specific year? You are confronted with only the annual fee.