News Releases

Press releases featuring INFORMS journal content, awards, and organization news. This content spans a variety of fields authored by a diverse and robust international community of practitioners, researchers, educators and students.

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Want to Optimize Sales Performance? New Research Says Reduce Commissions on Sales of Popular Items and Provide Sales Incentives, Not Customer Disco...

Want to Optimize Sales Performance? New Research Says Reduce Commissions on Sales of Popular Items and Provide Sales Incentives, Not Customer Disco...

News Release, September 16, 2019

CATONSVILLE, MD, September 16, 2019– According to new research published in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science (Editor’s note: The source of this research is INFORMS), companies can improve sales performance when they adjust sales commissions for the sale of more popular items. Further, the researchers found that when companies provide incentives to the sales force, that is more cost-effective than offering consumers discount pricing. The research centered on automotive sales at the dealership level.

New Research Shows Negative Posts on Facebook Business Pages Outweigh Positive Posts 2 to 1: The Impact it’s Having on Brands and Profitability

New Research Shows Negative Posts on Facebook Business Pages Outweigh Positive Posts 2 to 1: The Impact it’s Having on Brands and Profitability

News Release, September 13, 2019

CATONSVILLE, MD, September 13, 2019 –There are more than 60 million business pages on Facebook and that number is from 2017. With those pages come scores of positive and negative posts generated by Facebook users. What researchers have seen is companies have very little control over what customers post, and negative posts can severely damage brands.

Research Reveals New Plan to Maximize Rideshare Availability by Routing Empty Cars

Research Reveals New Plan to Maximize Rideshare Availability by Routing Empty Cars

News Release, September 5, 2019

CATONSVILLE, MD, September 5, 2019 – Time is money. Especially for rideshare drivers with companies like Uber and Lyft. New research in the INFORMS journal Operations Research looks at a new model for rideshare companies focusing on maximizing the availability of rideshares by optimally routing empty cars. 

New Research Offers Solution to Reduce Organ Shortage Crisis: Two-Part Method Could Increase Organ Availability by 13% and Add 18 Years to Patient...

New Research Offers Solution to Reduce Organ Shortage Crisis: Two-Part Method Could Increase Organ Availability by 13% and Add 18 Years to Patient...

News Release, September 4, 2019

CATONSVILLE, MD, September 4, 2019 –Eighteen people die every day waiting for transplants, and a new patient is added to the organ transplant list every 10 minutes. Much of the problem surrounds the lack of registered donors. New research in the INFORMS journal Management Science provides incentives that could lead to a solution and ultimately save lives.

How to Meet Student Body Diversity Goals While Still Giving Parents a Say in Where Their Child Goes to School

How to Meet Student Body Diversity Goals While Still Giving Parents a Say in Where Their Child Goes to School

News Release, September 3, 2019

CATONSVILLE, MD, September 3, 2019 – All parents want their children to get the best education possible, so how do school districts allow parents/guardians to have a say in where their child goes to school while still meeting diversity goals for the student body? New research in an upcoming addition of the INFORMS journal Operations Research has a solution, just in time for children to return to school for the 2019-2020 year.

Do those Retail Apps Increase Customer Engagement and Sales in All Channels? New Research Says ‘Yes’ on Both Sales and Returns

Do those Retail Apps Increase Customer Engagement and Sales in All Channels? New Research Says ‘Yes’ on Both Sales and Returns

News Release, September 3, 2019

CATONSVILLE, MD, September 3, 2019– Researchers from Texas A&M University published new research in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science (Editor’s note: The source of this research is INFORMS), which shows that retailers’ branded mobile apps are very effective in increasing customer engagement, increasing sales on multiple levels, not just on the retailer‘s website, but also in its stores. At the same time, apps increase the rate of returns, although the increase in sales outweighs the return rates.

New Research Reports Over One-third of Pre-Approved Prescription Drugs Have Not Completed the FDA Approval Process

New Research Reports Over One-third of Pre-Approved Prescription Drugs Have Not Completed the FDA Approval Process

News Release, August 26, 2019

CATONSVILLE, MD, August 26, 2019 – The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Accelerated Approval Program was created in 1992 to significantly accelerate the ability to bring certain new drugs to market. New research published in the INFORMS journal Manufacturing & Service Operations Management reveals a large number of drug manufacturers are failing to complete the approval process, meaning a significant number of drugs on the market are not yet fully approved.

New Research Says Teamwork Increases Profit in the Service Industry

New Research Says Teamwork Increases Profit in the Service Industry

News Release, August 22, 2019

CATONSVILLE, MD, August 22, 2019 – New research shows that as the service sector continues to struggle with how to manage and minimize low labor productivity that hinders profits, the key may be in one word -- “teamwork” -- according to a new study in the INFORMS journal Management Science after studying firms in the restaurant industry. Researchers believe, however, that the findings can be generalized among the service sector to include hotel and retail services.

Do Hospital Ads Work? Who’s Paying Attention and Why a Ban on Ads Increases Patient Readmission

Do Hospital Ads Work? Who’s Paying Attention and Why a Ban on Ads Increases Patient Readmission

News Release, August 20, 2019

CATONSVILLE, MD, August 20, 2019 – Should hospital advertising be banned? A few policymakers in Washington, D.C., have recently considered such an action based on a long-standing debate on whether it poses the spread of misinformation, and that it is not an effective or responsible use of an already limited healthcare budget. New research in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science studies the impact of a ban on hospital advertising, and whether those fears are justified.

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Ashley Smith
Public Affairs Coordinator
INFORMS
Catonsville, MD
[email protected]
443-757-3578

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