Belk College of Business

Belk College research paper discovers hedge fund activism can benefit banks’ minority customers

Banks targeted by hedge fund activism become more likely to sign off on mortgage loans for minority customers, according to the research paper “The Color of Hedge Fund Activism” published online in the journal Management Science in late September. “When banks face pressure from hedge funds to grow profits, they have strong incentive to improve their processes […]

Center for Leadership Science team wins best paper award

UNC Charlotte organizational science researchers recently received an international Best Paper Award from the journal Organizational Research Methods for their work to advance research methods in organizational scholarship. The study specifically explores how researchers in the organizational sciences use the methodological best practices they cite. In academic research, a methodological best practice is a method that has […]

U.S. Federal Reserve’s imminent decision, national election, other factors create uncertain mix for economy

In 2025, an important economic question will persist: Will there be a recession? “The recession question is complicated by two issues,” said John Connaughton, UNC Charlotte professor of financial economics. “First, fiscal policy by Congress and the president has continued to fight the U.S. Federal Reserve and its attempt to slow inflation. To add a […]

North Carolina Economic Forecast to look at inflation, jobs, recession risks

For more than 40 years, Charlotte Professor of Financial Economics John Connaughton has produced reliable research for unreliable times, through the North Carolina Economic Forecast.  The 2024 third-quarter forecast is scheduled for noon, Thursday, Sept. 5, at The Dubois Center at UNC Charlotte Center City. There is no charge for this lively and informative session, […]

Belk College researchers seek to enhance technology’s benefits, lower risks

Technology – for all its benefits – sometimes sparks unintended challenges that require new ideas to solve. Solutions of this kind – grounded in research that advances technology’s positive aspects and reduces its risks for individuals and organizations – are exactly what Dongsong Zhang and Lina Zhou from the Belk College of Business create. “The […]

Access to single-family rental homes in higher-quality school zones drives educational gains

When families with low and moderate incomes can rent single-family homes in communities zoned for higher quality schools, their children see improved achievements in school, according to new research by UNC Charlotte Belk College of Business Assistant Professor of Economics Kelly Vosters and colleague Thomas Mayock. “Historically, to live in a neighborhood or area zoned for a […]

Economic Forecast: Next two years to bring slow growth; inflation still a risk

The economy is cooling, but 2024 will still bring growth for the U.S. and North Carolina. “After an incredibly strong 2023, the economy seems to be showing signs of slowing slightly,” said John Connaughton, UNC Charlotte professor of financial economics. “For the first quarter of 2024, GDP in the U.S. came in at a lackluster 1.6%, […]

MBA students use class concepts to find recycling solutions

Amy Drew never imagined that digging through trash at the break of dawn would be part of her Master of Business Administration studies. Yet, that is exactly what she and classmates did to gain crucial data for an MBA operations management course last fall.

Research to advance study of leader effectiveness in online settings

A Center for Leadership Science interdisciplinary research team is receiving a $692,881 federal grant to discover new ways to enhance leader and team effectiveness in online environments, using artificial intelligence technologies and diverse fields of expertise.

Experienced business school leader named dean of the Belk College of Business

Richard J. Buttimer Jr. is dean of the Belk College of Business, effective July 1, following approval by the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees. Buttimer comes to Charlotte from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, where he has been dean of the Coggin College of Business for four years.