22 Buffalo Business Autumn 2026
Insights
Successful minority employees
can create a false sense
of diversity
"The presence of counter-stereotypically successful women and racial
minority employees in organizations has clear positive effects, but
perceptions of diversity oen differ from objective reality."
— Daniela Goya-Tocchetto, assistant professor of organization
and human resources, on her study that found highly success-
ful women and racial minorities help to challenge stereotypes
and serve as role models for members of their social groups, but
seeing them in prominent roles can also create the illusion that organizations are
more diverse than they really are. The study appeared in the Journal of Applied
Psychology. Read more at bit.ly/ubmgt-minorities-orgs.
Remote work takes toll
on audit leaders
"Recent surveys show that junior
employees list work-life balance as
one of the most important factors they
consider when choosing an employer.
When leaders struggle to maintain
balance, it signals to junior employees
what their own future may look like,
impacting a firms' ability to attract and retain talent."
— Joshua Khavis, assistant professor of accounting
and law, on his study examining how the abrupt tran-
sition to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic
affected accounting professionals. The research-
ers found that audit leaders, such as managers and
partners, were the most affected because they were
forced to navigate more complex communications
and take on new technical challenges. The study
appeared in Accounting Horizons. Read more at
bit.ly/UBMgt-remote-audit.
Why doesn't the U.S. recycle more plastic?
"Many people in the South and Southeast live in underserved recycling
areas. They generate similar amounts of plastic waste but recovery
and processing facilities are far away, which can make recycling
much less feasible."
— Aditya Vedantam, associate professor of operations manage-
ment and strategy, on his study that finds areas with higher
income and education levels tend to be closer to large-scale indus-
trial recycling facilities, making recycling more convenient and accessible. In
contrast, communities with less wealth and formal education oen have fewer
— if any — nearby facilities, which makes recycling more difficult and expensive.
The study appeared in Communications Sustainability. Read more at bit.ly/
UB-recycling-inequities.
