SSHRC Insight Development Grants awarded to SFU Beedie researchers

SFU Beedie researchers Jamal Nazari and Aviva Philipp-Muller.

We are pleased to share that two SFU Beedie faculty members have each been awarded an Insight Development Grant from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

SSHRC is Canada’s funding agency that promotes and supports research and training in the humanities and social sciences.

Aviva Philipp-Muller, assistant professor of marketing, was awarded $65,000 for How Donors’ Assumptions Impact the Recipients of Charity.

This research examines how consumers make the choices to give different types of items to charity. Consumers make a variety of assumptions about which items are appropriate to donate, and which are not. Philipp-Muller will look at the mismatch between what consumers think they ought to give to charity and what charitable recipients actually want to receive. So far, she has found that charity recipients (and charity administrators) want to receive fun products that enhance their lives, but donors think that indulgent products are inappropriate to donate, instead only donating very practical items.

Jamal Nazari, professor of accounting, received a grant totaling $72,000 for Assurer Expertise: Greenwashing Antidote or Antecedent.

Nazari and his team will examine how non-financial information, such as environmental and social reports, impacts investor confidence amidst the rise of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing. With $35 trillion in ESG assets, reliable data is vital to prevent greenwashing, where funds falsely claim environmental friendliness. Researchers will investigate the effects of mandatory reporting and unconscious biases on investor decisions and explore if third-party audits can mitigate these biases. Their research aims to enhance sustainability reporting, improve investor decision-making, and guide policymakers on better ESG standards.

Insight Development Grants support research in its initial stages. The grants enable researchers to develop new research questions, as well as experimentation with new methods, theoretical approaches and ideas.

We extend our heartiest congratulations to these exceptional researchers for their well-deserved success in securing SSHRC grants.