Posts By Ashley Daniel

This article originally appeared in The Hill. 

By Bill Arnold

The early days of 2018 are a good time to …
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Businesses like technology as a way to reach audiences quickly and nimbly. What could go wrong? A lot, says Rice Business Professor Utpal Dholakia, in a working paper on bad experiences with marketing technology.

Rice Business’ Dean Peter Rodriguez on the arcane language of academia, and the power of plain language to make important ideas meaningful and practical for all.

Convenience, lifestyle and price all stack up to make healthy eating a difficult task. Now a Rice Business alum may have a solution: Grit Grocery, a farmer’s market on wheels. 

What can take eight years to research, 80 pages to document, and one minute to put to use at work? The stories on Rice Business Wisdom, the online ideas magazine that the business school launched two years ago in order to share faculty’s most important research with readers for free. Rice Business Professor K. Ramesh explains how the stories get told.

What’s the back story of net neutrality — and what will its repeal mean for business and consumers? Rice Professor Moshe Vardi weighs in.

What’s the meaning of oil prices near $60 a barrel? It’s a sign of harmony – a moment when demand is growing, the global economy is strengthening and oil prices are about half of their 2014 peak. Rice Business Professor Bill Arnold explains the large and small global trends behind this equilibrium.

Why is the word “embattled” popping up in headlines everywhere — and what’s the harm in using it so much? For one thing, militaristic hyperbole only adds fuel to our growing culture of division and intolerance, says Rice English Professor Terrence Doody. For another, it’s lazy writing.

We are all prone to biased thought patterns, even without the added stress of a disaster. So how do we overcome our emotional thinking and make the best decisions when it comes to renovating, rebuilding or selling a flood-damaged home? Rice Business professors James Weston and Erik Dane offer advice.

Hold your head high when you buy that slice of avocado toast. It’s not wasted money if you are disciplined about your finances overall, says Rice Business Professor Utpal Dholakia. If you’re spending more than your income permits, buying without a budget, or overpaying for the product itself you need more discipline. If not, you’re fine.

When natural disasters occur ordinary people around the world are anxious to help those affect. But whom should they trust with their money? Governments may be corrupt or simply inept and even the venerable Red Cross has squandered hundreds of millions in donations. Jasmina Kelemen explains how to help, with confidence.

The highways are open, deadlines are met and Houston is mostly back to business.So why, weeks after Harvey receded, are even unscathed Houstonians still feeling foggy? Houston therapists and Rice Business Professor Otilia Obodaru explain how a city fends off collective stress.

See how Rice Business’ entrepreneurship program turns visionaries into top entrepreneurs with the help of expert faculty.

Before recent technology advances, exploration was, in football terms, a passing game. Not every well — or pass — was successful, but when it was, the team advanced far down the field. Rice Business Professor Bill Arnold explains why the game has changed. 

The test of a community’s strength is not the good news, the achievements, the growth. It’s how members help each other in a storm. Rice Business Dean Peter Rodriguez reflects on the lessons and surprises brought by Hurricane Harvey.

Tiny Aransas Pass is rebuilding after Harvey. Can they find new, resourceful ways of healing their community? Rice Business Professor Scott Sonenshein comments on a town where many residents are starting over.

What happens when a veteran academic takes the wheel editing a scholarly journal? Rice Business Professor Wagner Kamakura tells about his reverence for expert reviewers, his worries about too much lab research, and why editing scholars is like being a traffic cop.

Whether 120 drivers will ever gas up at once is irrelevant — Buc-ee’s is investing in size for the sake of size. “It is clear that ‘big’ is their value proposition, and 120 fueling stations is a compelling way to convey it,” explains Rice Business Professor Utpal Dholakia.

For anyone rocked by Harvey’s life-upending losses: Houston’s refugees and their experiences can be a monumental resource.

What works best to spur employees’ best work? Researchers say the ideal office space includes a variety of open places to brainstorm and private spots to sit and think.

What if you could hire someone to make your dream house affordable, well-designed, carefully built and surrounded by neighbors with the same standards? Rice Business alums have teamed up to launch a digital company that makes the dream a reality.

Want to go green — but not electric? Increasingly fuel-efficient (and wildly popular) pickup trucks may reduce overall gas consumption more than improved electric and hybrid cars.

One way to get a handle on your housework: hire a handler. A Rice Business alum has launched a concierge service that helps with the errands and chores that can slip through the cracks.

Do you ever dream of owning a sports team? There’s more to it than owning a private company. When a city’s home team changes hands, fans can take it very personally. A Rice expert explains why selling a team can break hearts across a whole city.

Facebook recently invented a new unit of time, the “flick.” What time units will they launch next? Rice Business staff writer Jennifer Latson and journalist Andrew Sessa have a few ideas.