Business

Zeke Hernandez of the Wharton School was interviewed about new restrictions on work visas and how those obstacles could negatively affect the U.S. economy. “Immigrants are a leading indicator of where capital will flow in the future,” he said.

Americus Reed II of the Wharton School said recent changes to racist brand imagery can be attributed to the pandemic and our current political climate. “In normal times, you don’t have the heightened consumer awareness that’s been triggered by COVID and George Floyd,” he said.

Stephanie Creary of the Wharton School spoke to the Delaware Chamber of Commerce about addressing race and diversity in the workplace. “The more that we actually pretend that race isn’t a factor or that we don’t have different races, what the studies have shown is that we actually tend to engage in more biased behavior,” she said.

Britta Glennon of the Wharton School said restrictions on H-1B visas can lead to outsourcing. “So those jobs aren’t necessarily going to Americans,” she said.

Deborah Small of the Wharton School said the primary way to make people comfortable adhering to COVID-19 safety practices is to see many others in their peer group taking the same steps. “The twist now,” she said, “is that we’re told to avoid crowds.”

Shiri Melumad of the Wharton School was interviewed about her research into how people communicate with smartphones, as opposed to personal computers. “Consumers tend to convey feelings or thoughts that are more private or intimate on their smartphones, which is captured by the use of ‘I’ or ‘we’ and mentioning family and friends,” she said.

Stephanie Creary of the Wharton School spoke about how companies are responding to recent protests. “The sense of urgency is something we and many corporate leaders haven’t seen in our lifetime,” she said.