Sarah Ali, Ph.D.

A National Package from IMPLAN is essential for understanding the large-scale repercussions of economic events. Using economic analytics on a national scale can be transformative for policy advocacy, supplier diversity analysis, public relations, and more.

1

⚠Virtual Masterclass ALERT "Driving Organizational Change with Data" [USC Marshall Center for Effective Organizations] September 24 at 8:00 am - October 15 at 11:00 am PDT (6 virtual sessions) https://lnkd.in/gDaUWgZq 🔍 Exploring the Intersection of HR, Organization Development, and People Analytics 🔍 Addressing the pressing challenges faced by HR Business Partners, Organization Development, and People Analytics, this masterclass emphasizes the need for a more integrated approach. Currently operating in silos, the disjointed nature of these functions leaves substantial value on the table, impacting strategy execution and organizational effectiveness. Key Takeaways: - HRBPs can leverage insights from both OD and PA more effectively with a more integrated approach. - #OD should enhance its use of data and measurement in diagnosing systems challenges and driving change. - #PeopleAnalytics needs closer alignment with OD and HRBPs for impactful interpersonal and change work. AGENDA: https://lnkd.in/g5WCercC Join the Masterclass Faculty (Alec Levenson, Maura Stevenson, Ph.D. and Paul Taffinder to gain: 📊 Insights on turning data into C-Suite decision-making. 🔄 Strategies to integrate analytics and OD for successful org change. 👥 Tactics to engage senior business leaders effectively. 🔍 Techniques for conducting comprehensive org diagnostics using qualitative and quantitative analysis. Unlock actionable insights and drive meaningful change! #HR #OrganizationDevelopment #PeopleAnalytics #BusinessImpact #DataDrivenDecisions CEO USC Marshall REGISTER: https://lnkd.in/ghkFcfHJ

7

2 Comments

I am starting a new phase in my journey at Harvard as a Senior Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School. I will research the complexities of AI regulation in the United States and propose a framework considering rapid technological advancements and their societal impacts. His work will evaluate the viability of a centralized regulatory agency versus a decentralized, sectoral regulation approach within the context of evolving judicial doctrine. John Haigh https://lnkd.in/eBUXFtDi

274

54 Comments

My newest in Manhattan Institute's City Journal: Why Trump's tariff plan just doesn't add up. "Government spending as a share of GDP is approximately 22 percent. Import spending as a share of GDP is 14 percent. To fully cover federal outlays, we would need to find a way to generate tariff revenue in excess of 150 percent of what we spend on all imports. Even if we wanted to cover current receipts only—remember, we run perpetual deficits—we would still have to squeeze an additional 100 percent of revenue out of current imports. There’s no way to make the numbers work." Link in comments.

1

1 Comment

Center for Risk Management Education and Research, Kansas State University-2-DC 2024 program is a wrap.  Some thought Emily Garwood and I were crazy to bring so many students to DC.  Here is our secret sauce. Risk Fellows come from a pool of the best students across the Kansas State University campus. The students make it easy for Emily and I to create experiences for large numbers. It's why leaders eagerily agree when invited to engage with the Risk Fellows.  It's why Risk Fellows are in high demand.  Check them out here,  https://lnkd.in/gz-wvEyc   Thanks to industry partners for creating opportunities for Risk Fellows: BNSF Railway, CME Group, StoneX Group Inc., John Deere, Bartlett, Innovative Livestock Services, Koch Industries, Smithfield Foods, Scoular, Frontier Farm Credit / Farm Credit Services of America     #CRMERatKState #FocusedOnManagingRiskToAccomplishGoals

32

CNN, The New York Times, and USA Today reported on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released earlier this week regarding #ecoli infections associated with consumers eating McDonald's #QuarterPounders. The news media reporting the story and the CDC must improve their critical thinking skills. The CDC reported that a recent E. coli outbreak (during a recent 15-day period in mostly midwestern states) is linked to Quarter Pounder consumption, resulting in 49 infections 10 hospitalizations 1 death On the surface, one might be outraged by this news. However, to understand if this outbreak is unusual, one must put these numbers in relative terms and then compare them to their national counterparts. To do this, I will compute a best-case scenario for McDonald's by dividing the above numbers by 110,000,000, the estimated number of Americans visiting a McDonald's at least once a year (see the enterpriseappstoday.com report published on 5/22/24). Doing that results in the following McDonald's E. coli rates: 0.45 infections per 1,000,000 people 0.91 hospitalizations per 10,000,000 people 0.91 deaths per 100,000,000 people To get a worst-case scenario, you can divide the above numbers by 28,000,000, which is the average number of Americans who visit a McDonald's daily*. Doing that results in the following McDonald's E. coli rates: 1.75 infections per 1,000,000 people 3.57 hospitalizations per 10,000,000 people 3.57 deaths per 100,000,000 people Either set of rates seems high UNTIL we look at E. coli rates of the general population. An AP article published on 10/22/24 reported the following: in the US, E. coli results in ~74,000 infections 2,000+ hospitalizations 61 deaths Dividing the above by 350,000,000, the estimated population of the US*, results in the following national E. coli rates: 211.43 infections per 1,000,000 people 57.14 hospitalizations per 10,000,000 people 17.43 deaths per 100,000,000 people When McDonald's E. coli rates are compared to their corresponding national rates--both best-case and worst-case scenarios--McDonald's E. coli rates are much LOWER than their corresponding national rates. In short, the CDC recommends you eat at McDonald's if you want to MINIMIZE E. coli infection risk. *The US Census Bureau estimates the population at around 350 million and a report published by enterpriseappstoday.com on 5/22/24 says 8% of Americans visit a McDonald's daily.

3

2 Comments

The likely introduction of digital price tags and dynamic pricing in grocery stores have been getting plenty of attention in the US lately. Kroger, one of the largest chains, has even received a worrying letter from Democratic senators: https://lnkd.in/dihNtz6J. This CNN article from today, which features some of my views on the subject, provides a more balanced account than normal. Worth the read!

57

6 Comments

Excited to share our new paper forthcoming at the Journal of Consumer Research, led by first author Lauren Min, an assistant professor at The University of Kansas School of Business, and coauthored with Cary Anderson, PhD, graduate from the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business. We were inspired by seeing minimalist product designs all over the marketplace - fairly plain t-shirts, water bottles, bags, plates, and so on. We were struck by this feeling that it felt disconcerting to be paying so much for products with such visually simple surface aesthetics, even though we often personally liked these simple designs. What did we find in this research? First, we find that consumers believe that products with visually simple aesthetics cost less to produce than those with visually complex aesthetics. This lay belief occurs more strongly in comparative contexts - when consumers evaluate visually simple and complex product versions next to each other. Why does this lay belief matter? We find that consumers are not willing to pay as much for product versions with visually simple aesthetics as for product versions with visually complex aesthetics, even when they actually like the visually simple design more. We also find that consumers believe it is unfair to price the visually simple product design higher than the visually complex product design. One way to reduce the gap in willingness to pay is to inform consumers that both the visually simple and visually complex products cost the same amount of time and effort to produce. In fact, many designers know that good design is often as much about subtracting elements as it is about adding elements, such that visual simplicity in design doesn’t always mean less time and effort. Read more at: https://lnkd.in/eq-w8Zf2 University of Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business University of Pittsburgh College of Business Administration #marketing #minimalism #products #design

240

13 Comments

This is an important, interesting and timely article. Congratulations to Michael Wade, Anja Lagodny, Ann-Christin Andersen, Corinne Avelines, and Achim Plueckebaum for publishing it at MIT Sloan Management Review. Instead of presenting "the best solution", the authors analyze and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of creating the role of a Chief AI Officer (CAIO). My experience after facilitating several workshops on this topic is in line with the conclusion presented in the paper. Whether a company needs a CAIO depends largely on its strategic priorities and maturity level. I would add that when creating the role of the CAIO, it must be clear what their main function will be, as a mix of the following. Coordinate Develop Implement Monitor Evangelize Research Collaborate #artificialintelligence #ai #CAIO

8

1 Comment

Generative AI systems like ChatGPT are becoming increasingly embedded in our lives, but how secure is the infrastructure driving the AI age? In this new #ResearchfortheWorld article, Nils Peters, LSE Fellow in Economic Sociology at the Department of Sociology, LSE talks about his research mapping the Large Language Model supply chain, that exposes the power dynamics at play in this growing market. Read "How secure is ChatGPT’s supply chain?" now 👇 https://lnkd.in/eRzxmCYD

10

Colleges and Universities are closing down programs. Which ones? In recent years, there's been increasing coverage about colleges and universities shutting down programs because of financial strains and declining enrollments. Can we measure the extent of these closures? The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program from the Bureau of Labor Statistics offers data on employment across specific postgraduate teaching jobs. It's important to note that this data isn't ideally suited for tracking changes over time, presenting a risk of inaccuracies in our analysis. Despite this limitation, the chart below appears to be plausible based on what we know. Does this align with your understanding of the issue? Are there any results that surprise you? #highered #colleges #universities #jobs #labormarkets

64

24 Comments

Can tariffs increase American employment? It's theoretically possible, but the substitution and scale effects almost certainly reduce US firms' labor demand. Using trade restrictions to bolster labor markets is a bad strategy. "This isn’t the last word on protectionism, of course. We need to consider a host of related economic and political goals, including national security. Nevertheless, it’s revealing that this limited analysis shows that the argument for tariffs stumbles at the first hurdle. If even manufacturing workers are hurt, how much worse will things be for ordinary families, international competitiveness, and economic resilience?" From my National Review CapitalMatters commentary article, "Tariffs' False Promise." https://lnkd.in/eD9GMKdN

5

A federal ban on price gouging in the #food industry might seem like a win for consumers, but it's bad economic #policy. While it might score political points, the reality is that it could create more problems than it solves. Basic #economic theory shows that keeping prices below market equilibrium causes demand to rise but supply can't keep up—leading to shortages. But that's not all. Price controls incentivize lower product quality. When producers can't raise prices to cover costs, they often cut corners— leading to more issues like #skimpflation and #shrinkflation. Consumers end up paying the same for less, whether it's smaller packaging or inferior products. On top of this, defining & enforcing price gouging is no easy task. Prices fluctuate due to a range of factors-- input costs, supply chain disruptions, disease outbreaks, consumer food spending, and regional differences. Monitoring and enforcing a ban on price gouging would be logistically difficult and very costly. #FoodEconomics #FoodPolicy #Inflation

129

21 Comments

I am thrilled to announce the publication of our latest research article in the International Journal of Consumer Studies (IF = 9.9) titled, "Consumers' intention to use online food delivery services: A meta-analytic structural equation modeling approach." In collaboration with my excellent colleagues Frank Badu Baiden, PhD from the University of Central Florida and Heetae Cho from Sungkyunkwan University, this study delves into the psychological variables influencing consumer behavior in the context of online food delivery services using a meta-analytic structural equation modeling approach (MASEM). 👉 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gWnUnXhW #Research #Publication #OnlineFoodDelivery #ConsumerBehavior #HKMU

22

2 Comments

Trends in colleges and universities employment Most employees in U.S. colleges and universities fall into two employment categories in government statistics: Private Colleges and Universities, and State Government Education. As shown in the chart below, employment in private colleges and universities peaked in 2018 and has since declined. Private colleges face financial strain due to declining demographics and enrollment. The pandemic exacerbated these issues, leading to budget cuts, layoffs, and closures. Additionally, the rise of online education, which typically requires fewer employees per student, has further reduced employment needs​. The long-term decline in for-profit colleges, driven by increased scrutiny and poor student outcomes, has also contributed to reduced employment in the private sector​. Conversely, employment in state government education continues to grow. State schools rarely close and often benefit from increased enrollment due to private college closures. However, the sustainability of this growth in state government education employment is questionable. The public sector usually adjusts more slowly to market forces. The demographic cliff and the shift to online education will eventually impact employment in state colleges and universities as well​​. #highered #labormarkets #employment #demographics #onlineeducation #states #government

43

5 Comments

#ICYMI: Interested in learning more about FPF’s Multistate AI Policymaker Working Group (MAP-WG)? FPF recently launched a landing page with information about the working group, including answers to FAQs, how to join, and more! The MAP-WG is a bipartisan assembly of over 200 state lawmakers from more than 45 states brought together through FPF. The Group aims to foster a shared understanding of emerging technologies and related policy issues. Get more information about the working group here: https://lnkd.in/gyWyAvyr

19

In the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, University of Washington EMPA program, we cultivate compassion and curiosity. Today, we got curious about 12 words. Students created maps of how important each word was to strategy development. As is often the case in leadership, there was no right or wrong answer. There was the groups' best thinking given available resources--white boards, post-it notes, brain power, lived experience, etc. Interacting with the words led to lively discussions about their meaning. What does strategy really mean? What's the difference between a goal and an objective? How is it possible that adding one little 's' changes the meaning of a word so much (e.g. value to values)? Defining words may not be everyone's version of fun, but it's important, especially in collaborative processes. Words take on the meaning we give them. A co-created vocabulary is a valuable organizational asset. The sense-making the students did was creative and strategic. Their curiosity was infectious. If you're curious about advancing your career in public service, come to the Evans School's Prospective Student Open House on 11/13! Info here >>>> https://lnkd.in/gTbEGzV2 #wordsmatter #language #leadership #empa

24