2024 Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors: Ioannis Evangelidis, Esade Business School

Ioannis Evangelidis
Esade Business School

“Professor Ioannis stands out as an exceptional elective professor in my academic journey. Despite the intricacies of Consumer Data Analytics, he adeptly simplifies the subject matter for students, many of whom possess limited prior knowledge but a strong desire to comprehend the material. His approach goes beyond mere technicalities; he delves into practical applications within the business aspect, ensuring that we not only grasp the theories but also understand their real-world significance post-MBA graduation.

“Even during full-day classes brimming with data and numerical analyses, he maintains our attention—a crucial skill for MBA students juggling myriad responsibilities as they near the end of their studies.” – Karen Robles

Ioannis Evangelidis, 39, is Associate Professor of Marketing at Esade Business School in Barcelona.

He studies consumers’ decision-making, and his research primarily focuses on understanding how people’s use of attribute information and choice behavior can be influenced by changes in the decision context. Additionally, Ioannis investigates how researchers can better measure people’s preferences and valuations.

Recently, he became interested in investigating consumers’ judgments of fairness in the marketplace, particularly in response to deceptive practices, such as shrinkflation and skimpflation.

His research has been published in leading marketing, management, and psychology journals, such as the Journal of Marketing Research, the Journal of Consumer Research, Marketing Science, Management Science, Psychological Science, and the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

His findings have been featured in popular media outlets, including the New York Times, Boston Globe, and the Huffington Post.

His work has received numerous honors and awards, and he was selected as an MSI Young Scholar by the Marketing Science Institute.

BACKGROUND

At current institution since what year? 2019

Education: Ph.D. degree in Management with a specialization in Marketing from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam.
M.Sc. in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam.
B.Sc. in Marketing and Communication from Athens University of Economics and Business.

List of MBA courses you currently teach: Consumer Data Analytics

TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR

I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when… I was an undergrad student. I loved the constant pursuit of knowledge, conversing with people that are smarter than me, and, most importantly, the possibility to take long holidays.

What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? Among other things, I am currently researching people’s reactions to the practices of shrinkflation (i.e., when firms decrease the size of products while keeping the same price) and skimpflation (i.e., when firms decrease the quality of products, while price stays the same). In recent studies, I consistently find that people judge both practices to be much more unfair than raising prices. This is because people think companies are trying to deceive them when they reduce the size of quality of products, given that it is particularly hard to notice changes in the size or quality of products. These findings have important policy implications for regulating shrinkflation and skimpflation.

If I weren’t a business school professor… I would be playing guitar for a thrash metal band (most likely, a mediocre one).

What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? I think I do a good job making complex topics as accessible as possible. I make sure that all students can follow my classes, even if their background knowledge in statistics is very limited. Students find me approachable and easy to talk to, which helps make everyone feel comfortable and welcome in my classes.

One word that describes my first time teaching: STRESSED

Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: How much of our time goes to activities that provide no real benefits to anyone (sitting through trivial meetings, committees, etc.).

Professor I most admire and why: My colleague Uri Simonsohn. His work has been instrumental for raising the quality of research in social sciences.

TEACHING MBA STUDENTS

What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? Business students, particularly MBA students, are great at problem solving, which is key for doing well in my data analytics courses. MBA students constantly bring in a fresh perspective to my classes and help elevate our discussions on how the skills they acquire could be used in their daily lives by help addressing key challenges that firms nowadays face.

What is most challenging? Making sure that everyone is engaged. When you teach courses that are technical in nature, stimulating every student in class can be challenging at times.

In one word, describe your favorite type of student: Collegial

In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: Arrogant

When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as… fair (I hope!)

LIFE OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM

What are your hobbies? I love traveling. When I’m not traveling, I like spending time outdoors, hitting the gym, playing the guitar, listening to music, playing video games, and watching movies, football (the real one), and basketball. I also enjoy scuba diving.

How will you spend your summer? Will be heading to Tanzania for safari. I’m super excited about this trip! I will also spend a couple of weeks with family and friends in Greece. I’ll spend the rest of my summer in Barcelona drinking wine and enjoying the good life with my wife.

Favorite place(s) to vacation: Japan, Greece, and Indonesia (in no particular order).

Favorite book(s): Hard to pick one, but perhaps 1984 by George Orwell. I love stories set in dystopian environments and I’m a big fan of Orwell’s work.

What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? Not exactly current, but I loved everything about Twin Peaks. I’ve been a fan of the series for decades, and the third and final season, which was recently released after 20+ years of waiting, was phenomenal. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time while watching. Twin Peaks has great storytelling, direction, cinematography, and an air of overwhelming mystery. When it comes to movies, my all-time favorite is the Elephant Man, also by David Lynch. If one movie can make you cry, it is this one.

What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? My favorite genre is metal (though I do like rock, jazz, and country as well). I’ve been listening to heavy metal for as long as I can remember. Some of my favorite artists are Pantera, Lamb of God, Metallica, Slayer, and Mastodon.

THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS

If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this… educating students how to carefully read and evaluate science. I’m quite disheartened by the fact that many scientific findings, some considered to be canonical until recently, were found to be false or impossible to reproduce. I think we need to be doing a better job educating students about the fallibility of science.

In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at… being transparent and respectful towards consumers. There is a lot of deception in the marketplace these days, which I’m trying to point out in my recent research on shrinkflation and skimpflation. I think that companies neglect how much consumers appreciate transparency and honesty.

I’m grateful for… Inter Milan winning the league. But also, my wife, family, and friends for their constant support.

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