The Costello College of Business at George Mason University is a leading center for impactful business research.
Our faculty are engaged with research that is both rigorous and relevant. Our faculty love to bring their research to the classroom, where they talk about their findings and ideas—which enriches the knowledge our students are exposed to. Our faculty research also shows up in policy and business practice, and is making an impact on the business of government and industry.
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55k
Research Citations by Costello’s Top 10 most-cited scholars
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#81
UT-Dallas North American Business School Research Rankings
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19
Costello professors holding editorial positions at academic journals
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22
Published papers in premier journals by Costello faculty in 2024-2025
Hot Topics
October 2, 2026Zhechao Yang, assistant professor of information systems and operations management at Costello College of Business at George Mason University, has helped develop a machine learning framework that can sift through the online buzz to identify the social media posts most likely to drive product purchases.
September 23, 2026During unexpected absences of the Fortnite superstar streamer Richard Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, one of the most-followed channels on the live video streaming platform Twitch, his lesser-known competitors took the stage, research by Brad Greenwood, professor of information systems and operations management at George Mason University shows.
September 16, 2026The rapid acceleration of digital transformation is reshaping economies and redefining how governments approach responsible, sustainable growth, and competitiveness. Across West Asia, countries pursuing ambitious economic diversification strategies under initiatives such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 are investing billions in artificial intelligence, smart infrastructure, and advanced technologies.
July 16, 2026The best way to resolve a consumer’s doubts about electric cars is to let them drive one for a day or two. But Ioannis Bellos and Hang Ren, professors in the information systems and operations management area at George Mason University, argue that extended test drives can sometimes do more harm than good, for both profits and the planet.
October 8, 2026George Mason University management professor David Lucas finds that the rising generation of entrepreneurs are far more likely to build mission-driven businesses than their over-30 counterparts. But the differences don’t end there.-
September 16, 2026The rapid acceleration of digital transformation is reshaping economies and redefining how governments approach responsible, sustainable growth, and competitiveness. Across West Asia, countries pursuing ambitious economic diversification strategies under initiatives such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 are investing billions in artificial intelligence, smart infrastructure, and advanced technologies.
September 8, 2026Companies with a serious commitment to social impact can be designated as such by state governments and/or certified by B-Lab, a global NGO. Those that do both are not just seeking twice the acclaim; their redoubled commitment is measurable using AI-assisted quality frameworks employed by David Lucas, a management professor at George Mason University.
August 17, 2026When crowdfunding platform Kickstarter started allowing creators to put environmental pledges front and center, George Mason University accounting professor Yi Cao saw a unique opportunity. His co-authored research shows how “going green” turned out to be an impactful business choice with financial, operational and, yes, environmental implications for entrepreneurs and customers.-
July 16, 2026The best way to resolve a consumer’s doubts about electric cars is to let them drive one for a day or two. But Ioannis Bellos and Hang Ren, professors in the information systems and operations management area at George Mason University, argue that extended test drives can sometimes do more harm than good, for both profits and the planet.
June 26, 2026Legalized gambling can bring in significant economic rewards from tax revenue and job creation. But at what cost to society? The states that legalized online sports betting saw a 3.1 percent increase in suicide rates, according to research co-authored by Brad Greenwood, professor of information systems and operations management.
May 5, 2026Saudi Arabia is not just "going green”—the Kingdom is rebuilding its economy around sustainability.
May 4, 2026Management professor Kevin Rockmann’s research concerns the often-ignored, multifaceted value of workplace relationships. In a recent executive education course at Costello College of Business, Rockmann put his findings into action, with strongly positive results for a leading company.
May 1, 2026In-process work by Jingyuan Yang, a professor of information systems and operations management at George Mason University, suggests that downward redistribution of high-value opportunities can increase performance outcomes as well as fairness.
December 4, 2025To please both the planet and shareholders at the same time, firms must travel a triangular path.
October 24, 2025Air quality standards do more than reduce pollution for noncompliant counties; they increase the cost of funding public infrastructure like schools, hospitals, and roads.
September 29, 2025Illicit massage businesses (IMBs) run by human trafficking rings are rampant in the United States. A George Mason professor has helped build what may be the best AI-driven tool to root them out.
November 3, 2025Rising rivalry between the U.S. and China is reshaping corporate decisions on sourcing, production, and investment.
June 16, 2025A Costello College of Business professor’s 2019 academic paper was one of the first to analyze the unique market features of the federal government contracting ecosystem.
May 7, 2025To predict how a CEO’s compensation may change through the years, you first need to know how corporate boards monitor earnings histories for potential long-term risks.
April 29, 2025Two Costello College of Business accounting professors are exploring how inherent personal traits may influence business success—and their early findings will gratify the left-handed among us.
November 19, 2024The 2008 financial crisis cast a pall of pessimism over veteran CEOs that took three years to lift. David Koo, assistant professor of accounting, has found that memories of past recessions, triggered by recent ones, can weigh on chief executives’ decisions, literally for years.
October 1, 2024Not all organizations measure success in dollars and cents. There are also the purists, whose unswerving integrity may deliver outsized market benefits—if they aren’t fatally misunderstood first.
June 17, 2024George Mason senior associate dean and associate professor of accounting, JK Aier's prizewinning paper shows how firms can benefit from executive roles that strategically bridge the board and management.
April 5, 2024You can spend millions to buy a company for its employees, but how do you know they’ll stay put? Now, AI can predict post-deal turnover with a startling degree of accuracy. In a recently working paper, Jingyuan Yang, an information systems and operations management professor at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University, discovers how to efficiently predict employee turnover using an innovative AI-driven approach
March 28, 2024The college that now bears Donald G. Costello’s name is a fitting testament to his entrepreneurial legacy. This extends not only to coursework and outreach programs, which have long stressed entrepreneurship, but also to the faculty’s research expertise. Indeed, a number of Costello College of Business professors were key contributors to Mason’s being named the #2 university for entrepreneurship research in North America by independent ratings agency EduRank.
February 6, 2024Mason finance professor Lei Gao, finds a “precautionary effect” at work in the minds of Republican-supporting CEOs, leading to more frequent and accurate earnings forecasts.-
October 18, 2023A disproportionate number of the most innovative CEOs hail from U.S. counties with a frontier history.
September 15, 2023It’s not the combined skill level of the team that counts, so much as the chemistry (or lack thereof) between the members.
February 12, 2026Whether ordering a pizza to split with friends or planning a family excursion, better communication can help reduce the anxiety that surrounds joint-consumption situations. Sharaya Jones, assistant professor of marketing at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University, recently published research targeting this understudied area of consumer psychology.-
December 4, 2025To please both the planet and shareholders at the same time, firms must travel a triangular path.
November 7, 2025A pair of George Mason University marketing professors have unpacked the surprisingly intense and complicated emotional consequences of brand inauthenticity.-
October 10, 2025Jessica Hoppner, associate professor of marketing at the Donald G. Costello College of Business at George Mason University, has been named a recipient of Academy of Marketing Research Funding for 2025.
July 2, 2025It’s one thing to be a force for good behind the scenes. Having consumers reward you for it, however, depends upon a unique combination of elements.-
June 16, 2025A Costello College of Business professor’s 2019 academic paper was one of the first to analyze the unique market features of the federal government contracting ecosystem.
November 25, 2024A George Mason marketing professor is using AI to help organizations gain deeper insights into consumers based on very little information
October 8, 2024Not only are retailers failing to retain and redirect business from shuttered physical locations, but their performance elsewhere also suffers as a result.-
September 18, 2023When government contractors merge, comparing their customers can predict a lot about how investors will respond to the deal.
May 30, 2023Not all pharmaceutical companies are equally well-suited to surf the sea change that’s happening in healthcare.
May 22, 2023How can you convince someone to give you their time or money free of charge? Focus on the head, not the heart.-
March 28, 2023There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to growing a franchise business. But stock market reactions to companies’ strategic moves can give you more than a clue.
June 3, 2026How do “blind box” products like the Labubu make money? Zhechao Yang, assistant professor of information systems and operations management, has co-authored a paper that breaks down the “win-win-win” at the center of this trendy selling strategy.
March 20, 2026Technological advancements and the dynamics of the platform economy make rooting out fraud more complicated than it may seem.
January 7, 2026How employees respond to being under surveillance depends on a number of factors, including how good they are at their jobs.-
November 3, 2025Rising rivalry between the U.S. and China is reshaping corporate decisions on sourcing, production, and investment.
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July 2, 2025It’s one thing to be a force for good behind the scenes. Having consumers reward you for it, however, depends upon a unique combination of elements.
March 4, 2025China’s complicated and colorful e-commerce landscape gives us a sense of how livestream shopping is transforming retail. Si Xie, assistant professor of information systems and operations management, researches this new trend.
August 27, 2024With the right operational strategy, transitioning from selling products to delivering services can be the right move for profits, people and the planet. Ioannis Bellos, associate professor of information systems and operations management (OM) and MBA Program Director at the Donald G. Costello College of Business, and Hang Ren, associate professor of OM at Costello, have published research exploring how servicization can live up to its massive potential.
August 6, 2024The economic data on climate and business outcomes paints a picture of profound disruption beneath a placid-seeming surface.
May 30, 2024The Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting is working with the federal government to reform the military’s Cold War-era processes for tech development.
April 29, 2024The executive director of George Mason’s government contracting research center highlights “agile acquisition” as the key to beefing up national defense.
June 20, 2023Why are some firms more forthcoming than others about their social and environmental impact? It may have to do with the CEO’s personal incentives.
November 29, 2022Mehmet Altug, an associate professor of operations management, has been researching retail returns policies for a decade. The issue has recently come to prominence, as the lenient policies of online retailers have led to skyrocketing return rates (now exceeding 20 percent in the U.S.). Altug’s various academic papers delve into the difficult trade-offs retailers face when setting returns policies. While there are no easy answers, Altug’s research identifies factors that can help retailers achieve more strategic flexibility.
October 14, 2026The inescapable “negotiator’s dilemma”—i.e., whether to take a competitive or cooperative stance—is less vexing if one remembers that the long-term relationship between the counterparties is often more valuable than the stakes of any one negotiation, says George Mason University management professor Einav Hart.-
October 8, 2026George Mason University management professor David Lucas finds that the rising generation of entrepreneurs are far more likely to build mission-driven businesses than their over-30 counterparts. But the differences don’t end there.
August 13, 2026As workers enter new organizational roles, join new employers, or transition into different fields, they often experience emotional turmoil associated with changes in their professional identity. To ease the adjustment, they can train their “transition muscles” by learning from past experiences and anticipating future changes, suggests a new book chapter from George Mason University management professor Sarah Wittman.
July 24, 2026How fast is too fast to reply to a prospective employer? Wrong question, argues George Mason University management professor Einav Hart. Across several settings and contexts, Hart and her co-authors found that once a hiring manager is interested enough to reach out, even the slightest delay in responding could harm your chances.-
May 6, 2026When a popular online video game added AI-controlled opponents that mimicked human activity, the entire ecosystem improved. Zhechao Yang, professor in the information systems and operations management area, believes this example holds general lessons for education and competition design.
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May 4, 2026Management professor Kevin Rockmann’s research concerns the often-ignored, multifaceted value of workplace relationships. In a recent executive education course at Costello College of Business, Rockmann put his findings into action, with strongly positive results for a leading company.
March 12, 2026Glassdoor data show pandemic-era disruption was especially hard on audit team leaders. Worse, the effects have likely lingered until the present day.
May 28, 2025Management professor Kevin Rockmann’s research shows how collegial, cooperative relationships are a feature, not a bug, of great organizations.
April 3, 2025Organizational coherence and trust begin with the stories that individual employees tell themselves about their complex identities.-
October 1, 2024Not all organizations measure success in dollars and cents. There are also the purists, whose unswerving integrity may deliver outsized market benefits—if they aren’t fatally misunderstood first.
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September 19, 2024Post-Covid complaints about “Zoom fatigue,” work-life imbalance, etc. belie a deeper longing for what was lost in the transition to remote work.
September 4, 2024Thanking someone in advance for something you’re asking them to do increases their motivation and commitment to the task. This savvy managerial technique also raises some tricky ethical questions.
October 20, 2026A pair of accounting professors at George Mason University’s Songdo (South Korea) campus discovered that CEOs with formative Korean War memories reacted differently to perceptions of downside risk.-
August 26, 2026Given today’s short attention spans, how much could it really hurt a business to get caught attempting to manipulate their reputation on a platform like Yelp? George Mason University accounting professor Yi Cao has done the math, and it isn’t pretty for businesses willing to cross ethical lines.
August 20, 2026What is the role of professional judgment and oversight in AI-assisted audits? How is private equity investment altering the management and strategic direction of accounting firms? Can regulators close the tax gap for cryptocurrencies and borderless digital assets and ensure enforcement? The 2026 Accounting Horizons Conference, hosted by the Costello College of Business at George Mason University, provided a platform to examine answers to questions shaping the accounting industry’s future.-
August 17, 2026When crowdfunding platform Kickstarter started allowing creators to put environmental pledges front and center, George Mason University accounting professor Yi Cao saw a unique opportunity. His co-authored research shows how “going green” turned out to be an impactful business choice with financial, operational and, yes, environmental implications for entrepreneurs and customers.
July 7, 2026In his award-winning dissertation, now a published paper, George Mason University accounting professor Steven Maex reveals that privacy laws such as the European Union’s GDPR can spur firms to improve how they manage one of their most valuable assets: their data.
May 11, 2026Co-owned companies are more likely to use the same audit firm. This has positive implications for institutional investors and the market as a whole, according to Young Hoon Kim, assistant professor of accounting at Costello.-
April 27, 2026The SEC’s communications with equity issuers are a potential treasure trove for info-hungry investors, according to research by accounting professor David Koo. But they are not always getting into the public eye early enough to make a difference.
April 16, 2026Bridging the information gap between HQ and the local level is one of the main challenges for consolidated companies. In a forthcoming paper in Management Science, Barbara Su, assistant professor of accounting at Costello, explores how multi-bank holding companies rely on internal accounting information as a complement to financial performance, to help them make intramural investment decisions.
March 24, 2026A George Mason University accounting professor explains how information on the behavior of companies that have been under SEC investigation reveals a variety of changes and opens the way for a step forward in accounting research.
October 8, 2025Managers’ attempts to distract investors from bad news have serious implications for market efficiency.
September 3, 2025Taxing “book” income may result in worse information for shareholders and creditors.
July 29, 2025After taking the Survey of Accounting 203 course with Muhammad Awais (BS Accounting ‘13, MS Accounting ‘14), an adjunct instructor at the Costello College of Business, Khaled Alkurd knew everything he needed to know to switch his area of study from marketing to accounting.
October 19, 2026With a lifelong love of baking and dual majors in marketing and business analytics from the Costello College of Business, Musa is tackling small business ownership and her education with a cup of creativity, a dash of determination, and a whole helping of heart.-
October 8, 2026George Mason University management professor David Lucas finds that the rising generation of entrepreneurs are far more likely to build mission-driven businesses than their over-30 counterparts. But the differences don’t end there.
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September 23, 2026During unexpected absences of the Fortnite superstar streamer Richard Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, one of the most-followed channels on the live video streaming platform Twitch, his lesser-known competitors took the stage, research by Brad Greenwood, professor of information systems and operations management at George Mason University shows.
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August 26, 2026Given today’s short attention spans, how much could it really hurt a business to get caught attempting to manipulate their reputation on a platform like Yelp? George Mason University accounting professor Yi Cao has done the math, and it isn’t pretty for businesses willing to cross ethical lines.
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August 17, 2026When crowdfunding platform Kickstarter started allowing creators to put environmental pledges front and center, George Mason University accounting professor Yi Cao saw a unique opportunity. His co-authored research shows how “going green” turned out to be an impactful business choice with financial, operational and, yes, environmental implications for entrepreneurs and customers.
July 21, 2026“I think it's the real American dream to have something of your own, build something of your own,” says Bailey Mahoney, MBA ‘26. He grew up witnessing firsthand not only what could be built but also the freedom it created, as his father, who owned an electrical contracting business, always made time to be present for the important moments in his life. Without even realizing it, Mahoney found his first business mentor in his father.
September 25, 2023The business school’s SOAR Initiative is a critical building block in George Mason University’s efforts to advance social mobility, or an individual’s ability to improve their socioeconomic status.
September 15, 2026It’s good PR for banks to tout their tight relationships with borrowers in their local community. But do they put their money where their mouth is? George Mason University finance professor Stephen Karolyi sheds light on how lenders weigh the value of future relationships against concrete payoffs in the here and now.
August 4, 2026Retail investor attention creates an incentive for firms to present earnings that satisfy investors' expectations using accounting discretion. Such a “numbers game” – the use of legally permissible accounting practices to influence reported earnings – makes investor attention an economic force influencing corporate reporting decisions, argues finance professor Lei Gao of George Mason University.
June 17, 2026The widely used machine-learning technique known as LASSO relegates smaller market events to an ignored “inactive zone”. How can that be a good thing for ambitious asset traders? Bo Hu, assistant professor of finance, explores the logic (and illogic) behind LASSO’s popularity and power.-
October 24, 2025Air quality standards do more than reduce pollution for noncompliant counties; they increase the cost of funding public infrastructure like schools, hospitals, and roads.
October 22, 2025It’s no surprise that short-selling carries heavy weight on Wall Street. But next to nothing has been known about the agent lenders from whom short-sellers borrow their shares—until now.
November 21, 2024We know from prior research that savvy investors respond to ESG data. But a pair of finance professors have discovered perhaps the most lucrative wrinkle in this strategy.
October 22, 2024Under the supervision of Costello professor Derek Horstmeyer, student-driven research insights are raising eyebrows among employers—and readers of major newspapers.
August 16, 2024Fake trades engineered to juice an exchange’s numbers have been a part of bitcoin exchanges since the beginning, finds a George Mason finance prof.-
August 8, 2024In churchgoing counties, financial advisors are more likely to remember their ethical training and resist the temptation to misbehave.
July 22, 2024You can tell a lot about a hedge fund’s quality—and long-term performance—from the market climate in which it was launched. Lin Sun, assistant professor of finance, recently published a paper in Review of Finance that compares hedge funds formed in high-demand, or “hot,” markets to those produced in a “cold” market climate.
April 18, 2024Bo Hu, an assistant professor of finance at Mason, is developing new research methods to better capture the intricate, interlinked dynamics of financial markets.-
April 16, 2024Like financial markets, the creative industries are driven to seek equilibrium, which may be good news for both human content creators and their algorithmic adversaries. Jiasun Li, an associate professor of finance, is researching this in a new working paper.