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Expert Insights on Budgeting

cfabi002 — Fri, 23 May 2025 17:40:32 +0000

Expert Insights on Budgeting cfabi002 Fri, 05/23/2025 - 10:40 More Blog Posts Adam McCann | WalletHub May 23, 2025

Assistant Professor of Accounting Eric Allen

UCR School of Business Assistant Professor of Accounting Eric Allen was asked to provide expert insights on Budgeting for an article recently published on WalletHub.

What are some benefits to having a budget?

The best way to think about a budget is that it's a plan. Like all good plans, making one forces you to get intentional and really think about what resources you have and how to use them. A budget also gives you a framework to evaluate future decisions, so you're not just making financial choices in the heat of them moment without consideration of your overarching goals. And even if you don’t follow it perfectly, it still gives you a clear picture of what you thought would happen versus what actually happened — and that comparison can be really eye-opening and helpful.

Are there any downsides to budgeting?

Budgeting can be time-consuming, and if you don't put enough time into it, you'll have one that doesn't match your actual situation. Also, remember it is just a plan, and life can be unpredictable. If you're too rigid about sticking to the original budget instead of adjusting with changing circumstances, it can feel stressful and discouraging. A budget should be a guide not a trap.

Do you have any tips to help people create and stick to a budget?

Like any habit, it's good to 'ritualize' the process. Set aside time each week, to check in on the budget and make any updates. The more you make the budget part of your regular routine, the more likely you'll use it, and the habit will stick. Also, if you typically hate anything related to dealing with financials, look at it as another way to learn - in this case, about yourself. What you value, how you spend, and what makes you feel secure. If you approach it that way, and allow yourself to be flexible as things change, you'll be surprised how much you can learn from the process.

A budget is a plan that outlines how much of your income should go to different parts of your finances, from monthly bills and day-to-day purchases to savings, charitable donations and investments. Having a budget helps you stay organized while moving toward your financial goals and holding yourself accountable.

Unfortunately, budgeting isn’t something that’s often taught in schools, despite 94% of the country thinking it should be, according to a WalletHub survey. The good news is that it’s a skill that’s never too late to learn, and it’s actually a lot easier than it seems.

Below you can learn even more about budgeting, from why it’s important to how to actually go about doing it.

Key Things to Know About Budgets

Importance of Budgeting: Having a budget is important because it keeps you organized and can improve your financial status. Other benefits include building discipline and feeling like you’ve accomplished something.
Creating a Budget: To build your budget, first gather information on your income and expenses. Then, set goals, choose budgeting tools, prioritize your expenses, and allocate money based on your priorities.
Tracking Your Budget: You’ll need to track your budget progress each month and reassess from time to time, to make sure you’re on the best financial path possible. It’s also important to be honest about your spending and whether you meet your goals. Nearly 1 in 5 Americans aren’t honest with themselves while budgeting.
General Budgeting Guidelines: Many people recommend setting aside 50% of your income for necessities, 30% for “wants,” and 20% for other things like building your savings or paying down debt. This is called a 50/30/20 budget.
Different Budgeting Strategies: With a “zero-based budget,” you focus on making your income minus your expenses equal $0, regardless of specific percentages. An “envelope budget” can help you tangibly lay out cash for each spending category. And a “pay yourself first” budget prioritizes saving and investing.

Why Is Budgeting Important?

There are many reasons why having a budget is worthwhile – and even essential – for everyone. They include:

It improves your financial situation. Budgeting helps you avoid overspending, and it helps you work toward goals like building an emergency fund, paying down debt, growing your investments, or saving for a big purchase. Sticking to a budget can also help improve your credit score.
It helps you stay organized. Knowing exactly how much you plan to spend on each item in your budget makes it easier to set money aside and track your progress each month. People who have a budget feel significantly more secure, confident and in control of their lives, according to a survey by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.
It expands your knowledge. Budgeting gives you a better idea of how much you’re spending relative to how much you earn, as well as what you’re spending your money on.
It builds discipline. Sticking to your budget may involve passing up on things that you want, which can build self-control and other good habits. Only 1 in 5 Americans with a budget say they exceed it, according to a recent WalletHub study.
It gives you a sense of accomplishment. Budgeting may not be fun, with 27% of Americans saying they’d rather do laundry and 20% saying they’d rather do their taxes. But once you have a budget, you’ll find that setting goals and achieving them feels good, especially when it also leads to growing your net worth or reducing your debt.

How to Make a Budget

Making a budget might seem daunting at first, but it’s actually pretty simple once you break it down into the proper steps. Plus, once you make a budget for the first time, you’ll have the skills you need to update it as your financial needs change.

Gather information: Figure out how much money you take home each month, and then come up with a list of your monthly expenses and how much they typically cost.
Set goals: Decide what you want your budget to accomplish, such as getting debt-free in a certain time period, growing your emergency fund to a certain amount, saving up for a big trip or investing a certain amount every month. Your goal can even be as simple as staying organized and spending less than you make.
Use tools: There are a number of free and paid budgeting tools available that can simplify the process.
Prioritize: Divide your expenses into categories of high, medium and low priority. High priority means you must put money toward them. Medium priority means you should allocate them some funds, but they’re not the most important. Low priority means you can do without them.
Plan: Decide how much money to give to each item on your budget. You can start by setting aside money for all your mandatory bills, and then divide the remaining money between your personal “wants” and more important things like paying down debt, saving, and investing.
Track your progress: Use your budgeting tools to automatically or manually track your spending each month. See whether you are able to stick to your budget or you frequently exceed it.
Reassess: The budget you make now won’t necessarily be the right budget forever. If you meet one of your goals, you can set a new one and adjust accordingly. In addition, if you’re having trouble with your current budget, you may need to go back to the drawing board.

Budget Example

Below is an example budget for a typical American household, broken down into some common expense categories the household might have. This example is based on the real median household income, which is around $64,200 per year or $5,350 per month, after taxes. Keep in mind that actual incomes and expenses will differ widely by person and location.

In general, many sources say that you should follow a 50/30/20 structure with your budget, spending 50% on “needs,” 30% on “wants,” and 20% for savings and paying down debt. As you can see, though, it may be difficult to keep your “needs” to 50% of your budget during this inflationary period (the example budget above spends 62% on “needs”). In addition, it may be wiser to spend a higher portion of your budget on things that will help you financially, like paying off debt and building your savings, rather than things you simply want to have but don’t really need.

You can learn more about budgeting with WalletHub’s helpful budgeting tips guide. You can also join WalletHub for free to gain instant access to our budgeting tools.

Types of Budgets

There are several different types of budgeting strategies you can use, and you may want to try out various ones in order to see which works best for you.

50/30/20 Budget: You put 50% of your income toward your “needs,” 30% toward your “wants,” and 20% toward debt payoff, savings, and investments. This budget allocation is a good general rule of thumb, but you don’t need to strictly follow the recommended percentages, especially if your “needs,” or essential expenses, take up more than 50% of your income.

Zero-Based Budget: Zero-based budgeting focuses on ensuring that you don’t spend more than you make, requiring you to assign every dollar you make to a specific expense. Its concept is simple – your income minus your expenses should equal $0, regardless of how you distribute the money.

Envelope Budget: This is a budgeting style for people who want to make sure they don’t spend too much in one specific category. Essentially, you put a certain amount of money into “envelopes” each month for each spending category. This can be actual physical envelopes with cash or just virtual envelopes on a spreadsheet. Each time you pay for an expense, you take money out of the envelope, and once it’s empty, you’re not allowed to spend any more in that category.

Pay-Yourself-First Budget: Unlike other types of budgets, this one focuses the most on your future. It stresses that the first thing you should do each month is set aside a certain amount of money for savings and investments. After you’ve done that, you can divide the rest of your budget between essential expenses and things you want. This type of budget is good for people who want to make sure they don’t treat saving and investing as an afterthought.

The No-Budget Budget: This is the loosest type of budget, and we don’t recommend it over other types. With this budgeting strategy, you just focus on the things you absolutely must pay for each month. As long as you track your spending and set aside the money you need for those essential expenses, you can spend the rest of your money on whatever you want, without a defined plan. Budgeting this way is better than nothing, but planning out all or most of your monthly expenses in detail is always better.

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All images courtesy of Google Gemini AI

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Eric Allen

The Future of Decision Making

ilseu — Thu, 22 May 2025 23:37:40 +0000

The Future of Decision Making ilseu Thu, 05/22/2025 - 16:37 More Blog Posts Josh Haynam | Interact May 02, 2025

In a recent episode of the Quiz Marketing Podcast, Josh Haynam, Co-founder at Interact, sat down with Professor Ye Li, Associate Professor of Management at UC Riverside, to explore the fascinating world of behavioral science and decision-making. What makes this episode so compelling is how it bridges theory and practice, showing listeners why the psychology behind our choices matters not only in research but also in real-world applications like marketing, finance, and even health-related behaviors.

Professor Li and Josh begin by discussing the role of emotions in shaping decisions. Many people assume decision-making is purely rational, but as Li explains, emotions often act as shortcuts that influence how we evaluate options. For example, feelings of gratitude can lead individuals to be more generous with money or more trusting in negotiations. On the other hand, fear or anxiety might cause people to avoid risks even when the logical choice points the other way. Understanding these emotional drivers allows businesses, marketers, and policymakers to anticipate behavior and design strategies that resonate with people on a deeper level.

They then dive into the concept of cognitive shortcuts—or heuristics—and how these mental “rules of thumb” help us navigate daily life. Heuristics are essential because they save time and energy, but they can also introduce bias. Professor Li gives examples of how the framing of a question or the way information is presented can dramatically influence outcomes. Something as simple as asking whether a glass is “half full” versus “half empty” can change how people feel about the same situation. For marketers, this insight is crucial: the phrasing of quiz questions, survey items, or product descriptions can determine whether someone engages positively or feels uncertain.

Another major theme of the episode is personalization. Li highlights how micro-targeting and individual differences shape the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Two people may react very differently to the same message based on their values, past experiences, or personality traits. By paying attention to these nuances, businesses can craft experiences that feel more personal, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty. Interact’s quiz-based marketing model fits seamlessly into this discussion, as it allows brands to segment audiences and provide tailored recommendations.

The conversation also turns toward the future of decision-making in the age of artificial intelligence. Far from replacing human judgment, Professor Li emphasizes that AI works best when it collaborates with human insight. Algorithms can process massive amounts of data, but humans bring context, creativity, and ethical considerations that machines alone cannot provide. Together, the two create a decision-making process that is not only efficient but also more balanced and humane. For students, entrepreneurs, and professionals alike, this perspective encourages critical thinking about how to leverage AI responsibly while respecting human judgment.

Whether you’re interested in marketing strategy, psychology, or leadership, this podcast episode delivers valuable takeaways. If you’re a marketer, you’ll walk away with new ways to frame questions, design quizzes, and appeal to your audience’s emotions. If you’re a business leader, you’ll gain insights into motivating teams, understanding customer behavior, and making more informed decisions. And for students or lifelong learners, Professor Li provides a clear and engaging introduction to behavioral science that connects academic research with everyday life.

The 48-minute podcast is available on two platforms, making it easy to tune in on your favorite service:

Spotify

Apple Podcasts.

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The Interact podcast explores human behavior and decision making. Interviews with experts delve into the specifics of how humans operate and make choices, with the goal of better understanding what drives people. Josh Haynam, Co-founder at Interact, hosts the podcast. Josh has been studying human behavior through the lens of personality quizzes since 2013 and has seen over 1 billion data points come through the Interact platform. Conversations weave in and out of research studies and anecdotal information derived from experiences of guests and quiz creators.

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2023 UCR Business Magazine and Dean's Report

ilseu — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 22:53:59 +0000

2023 UCR Business Magazine and Dean's Report ilseu Wed, 10/25/2023 - 15:53 More Publications October 25, 2023

2023 UCR Business Magazine and Dean's Report

The publication highlights major achievements at the UCR School of Business and provides an overview of the school's growth, academic programs, people, and strategic initiatives.

View publication full-screen

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2022 UCR Business Magazine and Dean's Report

ilseu — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 13:28:28 +0000

2022 UCR Business Magazine and Dean's Report ilseu Wed, 10/05/2022 - 06:28 More Publications October 05, 2022

2022 UCR Business Magazine and Dean's Report

The publication highlights major achievements at the UCR School of Business and provides an overview of the school's growth, academic programs, people, and strategic initiatives.

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Business Faculty Lauded for Classroom Instruction

ilseu — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 21:38:10 +0000

Business Faculty Lauded for Classroom Instruction ilseu Wed, 06/15/2022 - 14:38 More News Laurie McLaughlin June 15, 2022

UCR School of Business faculty recently received recognition with student-voted accolades for their effectiveness and expertise in the classroom:

Assistant Professor of Teaching in Information Systems Rich Yueh was honored with the 2021-2022 James Merino Innovation Award, which was created and endowed by alumnus James Merino ’98 to recognize faculty bringing new ideas, methods, tools, and technology to the classroom; the award includes a $5,000 prize. In evaluating potential honorees, students judge the effectiveness of innovative teaching, originality, use of interactive teaching tools, communication strategies, and overall teaching practice and how well it improves student learning.

Assistant Professor of Teaching in Management Kyle Ingram was the recipient of the 2021-2022 Shulman Endowed Excellence in Teaching Award, which was established by an alumnus and his wife to honor David Shulman, a former associate professor of management and economics. The designation recognizes an exemplary business professor who embodies the fulfillment of learning through excellence and achievements in teaching, just as Professor Shulman did. In selecting an awardee, students examine the “professor’s capacity to awaken in students an awareness of the subject and its relationship to other fields of knowledge,” in addition to spurring curiosity and creativity, encouraging high standards, and providing an academic environment open and encouraging to all students. The award includes a $5,000 prize for the professor. Ingram was also selected by UCR’s faculty Academy of Distinguished Teaching for the 2022 Innovative Teaching Award, which acknowledges his original, inventive, and impactful approach to instruction.

For the Golden Apple Award for Teaching Excellence, students choose the professors providing the best overall classroom experience for learning, engagement, teaching style, and innovative teaching methods. Each honoree receives $2,500, and the 2021-2022 Golden Apple recipients in their respective categories are:

Lecturer John Acker for Business Administration Pre-requisite and Core Courses
Associate Professor of Management Michael Haselhuhn for Business Administrative Elective Courses
Assistant Professor of Management Ye Li for Graduate Elective Courses (tie)
Lecturer Alexandru Roman for Graduate Core Courses
Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Professor of Marketing Rami Zwick for Graduate Elective Courses (tie)

Congratulations to each of these exemplary professors.

View more photos from the Award banquet on Flickr:

Flickr album

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Header image (from left to right): UCR Business faculty awards recipients Ye Li, Rich Yueh, Kyle Ingram, Michael Haselhuhn, and Rami Zwick

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Professor Earns High Marks in the Classroom

ilseu — Thu, 19 May 2022 18:12:48 +0000

Professor Earns High Marks in the Classroom ilseu Thu, 05/19/2022 - 11:12 More News Laurie McLaughlin May 26, 2022

Professor Kyle Ingram was recently honored with the 2022 Innovative Teaching Award from UC Riverside and the Shulman Endowed Excellence in Teaching Award from the UCR School of Business.

“Professor Ingram is one of the best, if not the best professor, I have ever had. His enthusiasm combined with his great teaching style makes the class very enjoyable,” said one of Ingram’s students in a review of the professor’s interaction in the classroom. “He is easy to connect with and brings out the best in every student. He combines theory from well-research journals but lets students speak about their own experiences.”

The award reflects Ingram’s passion for his craft. “I firmly believe the efforts we make through investing in our students will be rewarded 10 times over,” says Ingram, who is a professor of teaching in management. “My motivation is deeply rooted in recognizing the responsibility we have as professors to create experiences for our students that they will carry with them long into the future.”

Prof. Kyle Ingram, professor of teaching in management, teaching an undergraduate business class in UCR's Student Success Center

Ingram was also recognized with the School of Business Golden Apple Award—students vote to honor professors providing the best overall classroom experience—in 2018 for elective courses and 2019 for preparation for business administration and upper-division major core requirement courses.

His care and attention ensuring an immersive classroom experience is reflected in another student’s review: “Professor Ingram is extremely attentive to all of the students in the class and manages to interact with all of us—even during the pandemic.

“The amount of participation every individual has in class amazes me, … and I look forward attending his lecture every time.”

The business school’s Shulman Endowed Excellence in Teaching Award rewards exemplary business professors who embody the fulfillment of learning through excellence and achievements in teaching, as demonstrated by Professor David Shulman, former associate professor of management and economics.

The university’s Innovative Teaching Award recognizes professors for their creative and innovative high-impact teaching methods and exceptional passion for finding new and effective ways to help students learn.

“The experience and knowledge from this class will be very beneficial for me when I enter the workforce,” says one of his students. “I learned a lot in the course, but I’ve also learned even more about myself as a leader and team member.”

From left to right: undergraduate student Pengchi Xiao, graduate student Victor Sarmiento, Prof. Kyle Ingram, graduate students Ramie Mousa and Viresha Perera, and undergraduate student Rachel Lennen

View photos of the 2022 Faculty Awards at the UCR Business AGSM Spring Banquet:

Flickr album

Watch the video clip produced for the UCR Spring 2022 Celebration of Teaching:

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Understanding Why We Do What We Do

ilseu — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 16:55:54 +0000

Understanding Why We Do What We Do ilseu Sun, 12/12/2021 - 08:55 More News Darin Estep January 03, 2022

Professor Ye Li knows why you are checking Twitter instead of working on that project that’s due next week.

Ye Li, assistant professor of management

You might chalk it up to simple procrastination. But Li sees such things through the lens of his research of “intertemporal choices” – and the tradeoffs between immediate and later consequences. As an assistant professor of management in the School of Business, Li helps students understand the implications not just for business but nearly every aspect of life.

“I teach the Judgment and Decision Making course, which is at the intersection of economics and psychology,” he says. “I'm not really looking at the decisions we're supposed to be making, which is what most business classes cover, but rather how do people make decisions – the descriptive reality – and then understanding what mistakes people make.”

Li has a knack for helping students connect these concepts to real life. It was among the reasons he was recognized as one of the “Best 40 Under 40 Professors” in 2020 by Poets & Quants. Li also has been nominated for the UCR Academy of Distinguished Teaching, among other recognitions.

His work has been published in journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Psychological Science, Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, and Annual Review of Psychology. A paper in the Journal of Marketing Research is forthcoming.

Showing an Interest in Students

Students have praised his enthusiasm for robust class participation. They also have noticed that he makes a point to learn the names of every student in every class he teaches. This reflects an interest in students that Li says comes naturally.

“So, one big thing that I absolutely have to cop to is that I like giving advice. And I especially like it when students come to me for advice,” he says. “That's why, after class, I always stay to see if anyone has additional questions. I actively invite people to my office hours. I love it when someone comes in, and I can just talk their ear off for half an hour and offer them advice.”

That’s important, Li says, especially for the significant number of first-generation students at UCR. Many of these students aren’t familiar with the strategies needed to succeed in higher education. “I try not to be intimidating. So, I think that's a big part of why there's this comfort to come talk to me in the first place,” he says. “And once you reach that connection, you can sense this relief of like, ‘Oh, this professor's a real person. And being able to engage with them one-on-one is not as scary as I expected.’”

An Academic Influence

Li can speak from personal experience about the value of engaging with professors. While an undergrad at California Institute of Technology, he studied and worked with behavioral economics pioneer Colin F. Camerer. This sparked his fascination with the psychology behind economic decision-making.

After earning two bachelor of science degrees (business economics and management and electrical engineering) with highest honors, he went on to earn master’s and doctoral degrees in behavioral science at the same graduate school where Camerer studied: the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

“And so, it really was this happenstance that I discovered this field,” he says. “And I just love it. For example, in my daily life, I love playing board games with my kids and my friends, which is all about making decisions.”

Learning from Perspectives

Because he teaches a behavioral science class, he encourages a lot of class discussion.

“We all have different perspectives. We make mistakes on one side or on the other side of the coin, and I always try to get the student perspectives in class,” he says. “And I tell people, ‘It's not about having the right answer. It's about having your perspective on things. And even if it happens to be wrong, we will all learn from it.’"

In behavioral economics, these perspectives apply to decisions with long-term consequences for business, but they also are evident in everyday life.

Li abounds with examples: Whether you should force yourself to finish a meal at a restaurant just because you paid for it (get the doggy bag); or whether you should go running in the morning, as Li does, even though it’s cold and unpleasant (you’ll feel better later); or whether you should accept $10 now versus $20 in three months (the latter is equivalent to a 400% annualized return).

“When you frame it that way, people are like, ‘OK, well, if you say it like that, then sure. It seems like I should do the long-term thing.’ And so, a lot of my research here obviously applies to business.”

Li encourages students to take a similarly long view, particularly when using their time at UCR.

“For the students who really take advantage of their time at UCR,” he says, “I think they can do really great things.”

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Dean's Report 2020/2021

ilseu — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 00:05:57 +0000

Dean's Report 2020/2021 ilseu Mon, 10/04/2021 - 17:05 More Publications October 05, 2021

2020/2021 Dean's Report

The Dean's Report highlights the major achievements at the UCR School of Business and provides an overview of the school's growth, academic programs and strategic initiatives.

► View the Dean's Report full screen

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Faculty Achieve High Honors

ilseu — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 22:42:30 +0000

Faculty Achieve High Honors ilseu Wed, 03/31/2021 - 15:42 More News March 31, 2021

Among the most recent UCR School of Business faculty honors and achievements:

Editorships at Top Journals

Elodie Adida Goodman, associate professor of operations and supply chain management, was recently appointed to the editorial boards of two top journals in the field: She is an associate editor for both Management Science and Manufacturing & Service Operations Management. She also serves as senior editor for Production and Operations Management. Goodman’s current research explores health-care payment systems, and her most recent co-authored articles include the forthcoming “Reference Pricing for Healthcare Services” in Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, and “Outcome-Based Pricing for New Pharmaceuticals via Rebates” in Management Science.

American Accounting Association’s Best Paper Award

The American Accounting Association, the apex organization of accountants in academia, has awarded the prestigious Journal of Information Systems (JIS) best paper award in the accounting information systems section to “Budget Adjustments and Spending Patterns: A Transaction-Cycle View,” published in JIS and co-authored by Birendra (Barry) K. Mishra, professor of accounting information systems. The paper is first to operationalize “transaction cycles” (TC), a fundamental construct of accounting information systems, and provides a theory-based competing alternative for TC-based budgeting. Using the rational expectations theory-based partial adjustment model and Porter’s value chain concept, the authors find “that a transaction cycle’s position in the value chain and its technology content plays a critical role in determining asymmetric ratcheting during budgeting.”

Manufacturing & Service Operations Management Volunteer Service Award

Danko Turcic, associate professor of operations and supply chain management, was recently selected for the Manufacturing & Service Operations Management journal’s 2020 Meritorious Service Award. The honor recognizes the outstanding service Turcic provided over the past year to the journal and to the professional community. “We depend on the volunteer services of many, but your work and effort have stood out, and we wish to recognize [you] with this award,” says Georgia Perakis, editor-in-chief of Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, of Turcic’s contributions.

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Strategic Decisions Driving Mergers, Acquisitions

ilseu — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 06:24:54 +0000

Strategic Decisions Driving Mergers, Acquisitions ilseu Sun, 03/28/2021 - 23:24 More News Laurie McLaughlin March 30, 2021

Professor of Management Jerayr “John” Haleblian earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology before earning a Ph.D. in business. During his academic career, he’s found that the two disciplines marry well within his teaching and research.

“Training in psychology helped me better understand how organizational actors can influence strategic decisions,” says Haleblian, whose research interests include mergers and acquisitions, organizational learning, and strategic leadership. “I have often used that lens to explore how decisions are made and their influence on firm outcomes.”

Haleblian is a widely published acquisitions scholar, associate dean of faculty, department chair at UC Riverside’s School of Business, and was named Anderson Presidential Chair in Business Administration last year. “The Anderson family has been the most generous donor to the school,” he says. “It’s always an honor when your colleagues consider your research accomplishments to be worthy of a chair, the highest research distinction a university can confer.”

Currently, Haleblian’s research looks at how board composition affects a company’s sale: “From the perspective of the firm being bought, their board of directors can have a positive impact on value achieved for target shareholders,” he says of his findings. “Specifically, target boards that meet more often and comprise some female board members, board members that serve only on one board, and board members who have acquisition experience, tend to enhance target firm performance.”

His previous research includes co-authored studies published in Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, and the Harvard Business Review, among many other publications. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Economist, and Businessweek.

Having earned his doctoral degree at University of Southern California, Haleblian joined UCR’s business faculty in 1995. From 2011 to 2014, he taught at the University of Georgia and then returned to UCR, where he appreciates the diversity of the students he teaches. “Many are first-generation college students, and it’s rewarding to teach young minds and help them on their path to improving their social mobility,” he says.

Within his classroom, his research helps students understand the mutable nature of the business world and the avenues successful corporate leadership must navigate. “Strategic management is an inherently interesting topic because it’s not always clear why some firms perform better than others,” says Haleblian. With a nod to his background in psychology, he adds, “Business is also a great context to assess individual decision processes.”

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