Six researchers from U of M’s Asper school of business have secured over $390,000 in funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to support their diverse projects.

SSHRC, a Canadian federal research funding agency, is dedicated to promoting and supporting post-secondary-based research in social sciences and humanities. 

This agency offers various funding opportunities through three programs, such as the research training and talent development program, the insight research program and the research partnership programs to support research that contributes to the growth of Canada and the world. 

This year, six Asper school of business researchers — Xiumei Li, Namita Bhatnagar, Muhammad Kabir, Jie Yang, Jieying Chen and Changqiu Yu — received various grants under the insight research program to support their projects in different areas.

Li, Bhatnagar, Kabir and Yang secured Insight Development Grants worth over $230,000, while Chen and Yu received Insight Grants worth over $170,000.

The Insight Development Grants program support research in its initial stages, facilitating the development of new research questions, methods, theoretical approaches and ideas in the social sciences and humanities.

The Insight Grants program provides substantial support for social sciences and humanities research, encouraging both established and emerging scholars to contribute to advancing knowledge in their fields. This support is catered toward research that is in its later stages.

Li stated the importance of the received grants on UM Today, saying, “these grants are crucial for transforming promising ideas into actionable research projects.”

However, she also expressed that the path to success for researchers is beyond just that funding. 

She emphasized the importance of the strong research culture at Asper, stating that “[it] is both supportive and collaborative. I have benefited from formal support, such as funding programs, as well as informal opportunities, like stimulating discussions with my colleagues.” 

Li’s research project, “Entrepreneurial Success in Crowdfunding: The Art and Science of Sensemaking,” focuses on how entrepreneurs craft impactful referencing strategies to captivate audiences and acquire essential resources for crowdfunded projects. 

Li intends to examine popular crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, with a focus on entrepreneurs’ sensemaking around the nature of novelty and other reference points. 

She also mentioned that her project is a collaborative effort with a colleague from her department, Jie Yang.

Kabir’s research project is titled, “Auditor Liability, Firm-level Audit Quality, and Investment: The Effect of the Livent Case on Canadian Firms.” 

The project investigates how changes in auditors’ litigation risk influence audit quality and investment decisions among Canadian firms, providing empirical evidence that can inform regulatory practices. 

By examining the implications of increased auditor liability, Kabir aims to understand whether such changes positively or negatively affect audit quality. 

Additionally, the research will explore how firms adjust their investment strategies in response to variations in their auditors’ liability.

Kabir also expressed why the received funding is an important achievement for researchers. 

He said, “getting an external grant offers early-stage researchers a level of validation of their research, as they work to navigate the peer review and publication process in the first few years of their career.”

Yang’s research project is titled, “My Turf, my Rules: Investigating the Roles of Customers in Product Categorization.” 

With this project, Yang aims to deepen the understanding of product categorization by examining how individual customers influence this process. 

Traditionally, literature has emphasized the role of producers in defining product categories primarily for monetary gain. 

Yang intends to shift this perspective by exploring how customers participate in categorizing products, thus reframing the relationship between product categories and economic outcomes from a customer-centred perspective. 

Bhatnagar‘s research project, “Sensitive Women and Rational Men: Bridging the Gender Divide in Consumer and Employee Green Behaviours,” intends to address the gender disparities in pro-environmental behaviours among consumers and employees. 

It focuses on de-stigmatizing strategies that can encourage both men and women to engage more actively in environmental sustainability efforts. 

The research highlights the stereotypes that may inhibit participation. 

Bhatnagar proposes a multi-phase exploration that examines these gender stereotypes within both traditional homemaking contexts and the modern green technology sector, aiming to foster greater inclusivity in environmental initiatives.

Chen’s research, “Immigrants’ Proactive Socialization Tactics, Adaptation and Career Success,” explores the challenges faced by immigrants in Canada, particularly their employment outcomes which are often poorer compared to Canadian-born individuals. 

The research investigates the psychological and behavioural factors that affect newcomers during their initial adaptation process. 

Chen intends to use a lens of individual proactivity to understand how immigrants can utilize socialization tactics to enhance their workplace experiences. 

Her findings are expected to provide insights into effective intervention programs that can support immigrants in achieving career success.

Yu’s research, “Carbon Emissions, Environmental Transition Risks and Firm Valuation: Evidence From Financial Analysts,” addresses the pressing issue of climate change by examining how carbon emissions impact firm valuations. 

As companies face increasing pressure to transition toward a low-carbon economy, Yu’s research will analyze how financial analysts incorporate emissions data into their evaluations of firms. 

The research aims to fill a significant gap in understanding the relationship between environmental transition risks and firm valuation, particularly focusing on how analysts factor in cash flow and discount rate forecasts when assessing companies with varying levels of carbon emissions

In regard to the received funding, Yu explained that the funding promotes knowledge mobilization, as it enables her to acquire datasets, hire research support and participate in knowledge exchanges at Canadian and international conferences.

She said to UM Today, “in order to advance understanding of how environmental factors are integrated into firm valuations, I need access to a large amount of data.”