Is Being Good-Looking Enough To Land Your Dream Job? Maybe — And Maybe Not

From Cambridge, UK: While many people believe that physical attractiveness should play no role in whether someone is interviewed or offered a job, scholars have for decades looked at this link – with conflicting results. Research co-authored by Professor Christopher Marquis of Cambridge Judge Business School helps to resolve such contradictions.

Some previous field and laboratory studies have shown that more attractive job candidates are more likely to be hired, but several other studies have found that employers might disfavour attractive candidates – perhaps because they perceive them as more entitled and less hardworking, or assume that they have more options and thus represent a higher turnover risk.

The research by Chris examines this topic in 2 seemingly different employment contexts – China and the United States. The findings forthcoming in the American Journal of Sociology show there is a remarkable similarity in both locations – that the effects of attractiveness depends on consistency with other status characteristics, most notably educational prestige, as well as the fit with the job in question.

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ESMT Berlin launches new sustainability institute

From Berlin: ESMT Berlin is significantly expanding its sustainability focus across all facets of the international business school. Building upon a decade of highly successful sustainability initiatives, it is bringing together its diverse and effective programmes under one roof: the ESMT Institute for Sustainable Transformation. The institute will bundle the business school’s sustainability activities in the areas of research, teaching, and outreach, thus amplifying their impact and fostering responsible leadership practices that benefit individuals, businesses, and society at large.

The ESMT Institute for Sustainable Transformation is at the forefront of addressing real-world environmental, social, and governance (ESG) challenges through rigorous academic research. The institute’s academic pedigree is strengthened through the expertise of its leading researchers: ESMT President Jörg Rocholl, the Deutsche Bank professor in sustainable finance, and ESMT Dean of Faculty and Research Per Olsson, the DHL Group professor in sustainable accounting. Their combined knowledge and leadership underscore the institute’s commitment to developing impactful solutions and advancing the field of sustainable business practices.

“ESMT is committed to driving positive change through research, education, and collaboration. The establishment of this institute marks a pivotal step in enhancing our capacity to effect substantial and enduring impact,” says Jörg Rocholl.

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What it’s like to be a woman in STEM, according to one-year master’s students at Michigan Ross

From Ann Arbor, Michigan: In honor of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on Feb.11, the Ross School of Business celebrates the innovative and barrier-breaking women of the One-Year Master’s Programs.

STEM, an acronym that stands for the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, has not always been a welcoming space for women. Even now, the fields remain mostly male-dominated: in 2021, “about two-thirds (65%) of those employed in STEM occupations were men and about one-third (35%) were women,” according to the National Science Foundation.

Despite many barriers to entry in the field, like unwelcoming work cultures and stereotypes, the number of women pursuing STEM careers has increased by 3% between 2011 and 2021, according to NSF.

Many careers under the STEM umbrella are some of the fastest-growing and highest-earning jobs — from analysts to engineers to scientists. Women everywhere are breaking down barriers in order to make STEM more accessible to the promising young leaders of the future. To delve deeper into what it means to be a woman in STEM, the Ross School asked six students in two of the school’s STEM-designated OYM Programs, the Master of Supply Chain Management and Master of Business Analytics, to share their experiences.

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