Overview
Business for Social Good research grants support innovative, early-stage student research examining how business can be a force for social good, which we define as actions that benefit the planet and/or the people that live on it. This can include business actions that foster social responsibility, social impact, ethical business, and/or sustainability. Relevant topics include (but are not limited to) work examining:
- Social responsibility.
- Justice, equity, diversity, decolonization, Indigenization or inclusion.
- Cause marketing.
- Impact investing.
- Social entrepreneurship.
- Ethical decision-making/purchasing.
- Charitable giving.
- Positive workplace citizenship behaviours.
Call for Proposals
Objective: To support and encourage academic research involving graduate students and post-doctoral researchers in the domain of business for social good.
Eligibility: The Principal Investigator must be a UBC research faculty member (tenured or tenure-track) and the Co-Applicant must be a graduate student or post-doctoral researcher at UBC.
Details: First place is a total amount of $4,000, divided equally between a $2,000 graduate student stipend and a $2,000 allocation towards research costs. A limited number of additional smaller grants may also be awarded.
Decision Criteria: Proposals will be reviewed by a committee and decisions will be based on:
- Application quality: Priority will be given to projects that the reviewers deem to have a high likelihood of leading to published research and/or additional grant funding.
- Research relevance and impact: Preference will be given to topics that are strongly linked to the theme of business for social good and that seem likely to generate practical insights with potential for real societal impact.
- Student training and experience: Preference will be given to applications that explicitly outline how the graduate student will receive specific training and experience that is relevant to their degree and their future career.
- Need for funding: Preference will be given to applications making a strong case for (1) why the funding is needed for ongoing or forthcoming research (as opposed to completed research) and (2) how funding will move this research forward. Note that travel costs are ineligible, unless travel is integral for data collection.
Application Procedure: In a maximum of three pages (double-spaced and 12-point font), proposals should cover:
- Applicant information: List the name, rank (e.g., PhD student, Assistant Professor, etc.), and affiliation (e.g., division or department at UBC) of both the Co-Applicant and the Principal Investigator.
- Project summary: Clearly summarize the proposed research, including:
- The project title
- The research question and theoretical background
- The proposed project methodology
- The theoretical and practical implications of the project
- The project status (noting that this grant is intended to support forthcoming or ongoing projects rather than completed projects).
- Training: Clearly outline the role of the graduate student or post-doctoral researcher and discuss the specific training and/or experience that the research project will provide for them.
- Need for funding: Briefly describe how grant funding would be used to achieve project goals, noting that travel costs are ineligible, unless travel is integral for data collection.
Application Deadline: Applications are due by 11:59pm on July 31. and should be emailed to the Dhillon Centre at <Dhillon.Centre@sauder.ubc.ca>. Proposals will be reviewed by a panel and decisions will be announced in September.
Previous Winners
| Year | Topics | Researchers |
|---|---|---|
|
2024 |
Socially Responsible Investment Motives Inventory |
Shakti Sethi, Marketing & Behavioural Science PhD student, and advisor Dr. Dale Griffin |
|
2024 |
Taking Environmental, Social and Governance Private: How ESG Fits into the Business Models and Legal Landscape of Privately-Held Canadian Corporations |
Jacqueline Hope Fitzpatrick, Law PhD student, and advisor Dr. Carol Liao |
|
2024 |
When and How Ethical Leadership Influences Employee Disclosure of Unethical Practices |
Hsuan-Che (Brad) Huang, Organizational Behaviour & Human Resources PhD student, and advisor Dr. Daniel Skarlicki |
|
2024 |
When Plus-Size Models Help Versus Hinder Brand Outcomes |
Julie Hommik, Marketing & Behavioural Science PhD student, and advisor Dr. Lisa Cavanaugh |
|
2024 |
Granting Men’s Psychological Standing in Allyship? The Roles of Autonomous and Controlled Motivation |
Huiyan (Vivian) Liu, Organizational Behaviour & Human Resources PhD student, and advisor Dr. Rebecca Paluch |
|
2024 |
Shaping the Future: The Role of Renewable Energy Companies in the Middle East's Energy Transition |
Reem Salameh, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability PhD student, and advisor Dr. M. V. Ramana |
|
2024 |
Transformative Effects of Climate Change: A Text-based Examination Using Large Language Models |
Leyao Tan, Marketing & Behavioural Science PhD student, and advisor Dr. Yi Qian |
|
2024 |
Token-Based Decentralized Governance, Data Economy, and Platform Business Model |
Shiqi Zhan, Finance PhD student, and advisor Dr. Jan Bena |
|
2023 |
Responsible Consumption, Demand Elasticities, and Green Premium |
Xuhui Chen, Finance PhD student, and advisors Dr. Lorenzo Garlappi and Dr. Ali Lazrak |
|
2023 |
More is Always Better? How Should Businesses Make CSR Donations |
Shangwen Yi, Marketing and Behavioural Science PhD student, and advisor Dr. David Hardisty |
|
2023 |
Impact of Physician Preference on Medication Compliance and Patient Health |
Xixi Hu, Marketing and Behavioural Science PhD student, and advisor Dr. Yi Qian |
|
2023 |
Harnessing Synergistic Incentives to Scale-up Pro-environmental Consumer Choices |
Sepide Sadeghi, Management Information Systems PhD student, and advisor Dr. Ning Nan |
|
2023 |
Surveillance Capitalism in Educational Technology |
Natalie Chu, Management Information Systems MSc student, and advisor Dr. Ron Cenfetelli |
|
2022 |
Say It and Then Do It: Improving Institutionalized Land Acknowledgments to Motivate Settlers to Restorative Actions |
Irein Thomas, Psychology Master’s student, and advisor Dr. Kristin Laurin |
|
2022 |
When Technology Lets Us Down: Exploring Public Narratives After A.I. Failures |
Gabrielle Voiseux, Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources PhD student, and advisor Dr. Sima Sajjadiani |
|
2022 |
Africanization of International Investment Law: Reconciling Sustainable Development, Climate Change Mitigation, and Foreign Investment in the Global South |
Gideon Odionu, Law PhD student, and advisor Dr. Stepan Wood |
|
2022 |
DEI Operations Against Customers Discrimination on Two-Sided Platforms |
Jiangze Han, Operations and Logistics PhD student, and advisor Dr. Christopher Thomas Ryan |
|
2022 |
One Percent for the Planet: Better Framings to Motivate Charitable Purchases |
Shangwen Yi, Marketing and Behavioural Science PhD student, and advisor Dr. David Hardisty |
|
2022 |
The Allyship Gap: True or Performative Allyship from Organizational Leaders? |
Hsuan-Che (Brad) Huang, Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources PhD student, and advisor Dr. Michael Daniels |
|
2021 |
The More the Better? Diversity Training Effectiveness after Wide-Reaching EDI Events |
Jiawei Li, Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources PhD student, and advisor Dr. Sima Sajjadiani |
|
2021 |
What Forms of Male Allyship Are Effective at Fostering Inclusive Cultures for Women in STEM Workplaces? |
Lucy De Souza, Psychology PhD student, and advisor Dr. Toni Schmader |
|
2021 |
The Entrepreneurship Gap |
Valentina Rutigliano, Finance PhD student, and advisor Dr. Jan Bena |
|
2021 |
Encouraging Product Reuse: The Role of Functional Fixedness |
Wade Wade, Marketing and Behavioural Science PhD student, and advisors Dr. Joey Hoegg and Dr. Darren Dahl |
|
2021 |
When Forgiveness Leads to Moral Outrage: Third-Party Impressions of Forgiveness in the Workplace |
Hsuan-Che (Brad) Huang, Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources PhD student, and advisor Dr. Daniel Skarlicki |
|
2021 |
Fixed or Malleable? A Mindset-Based Intervention to Improve Supervisors’ Response to Low Performers |
Rui Zhong, Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources PhD student, and advisor Dr. Sandra Robinson |
|
2021 |
How Moral Beliefs Help and Hinder the Management of Common Pool Natural Resources |
Matthew Billet, Psychology PhD student, and advisor Dr. Ara Norenzayan |
Overview
EDI Catalyst research grants provide seed funding for UBC Sauder research related to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). The goal of the funding is to catalyze new research in the EDI space and to set up applicants to apply for additional funding from other sources, including university or national sources. Relevant topics include (but are not limited to) work related to:
- Underrepresented or marginalized identities including, but not limited to, Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour, gender identity, individuals from 2SLGBTQ+ communities, those with visible and invisible disabilities, and members of other historically marginalized groups.
- Anti-racism and allyship.
- Economic and social disparities.
- Equity and social justice in society and organizations.
- Barriers and facilitators of inclusion and belonging in organizational and societal contexts.
- Antecedents and outcomes of equity, diversity, and inclusion in organizational and societal contexts.
Call for Proposals
Objective: To support and encourage academic research in the domain of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at UBC Sauder by providing recipients with seed funding to move EDI research forward and enable researchers to apply for additional funding.
Eligibility: The Principal Investigator should be UBC Sauder research faculty member (tenured or tenure-track), graduate student, or post-doctoral researcher. If a UBC Sauder graduate student or post-doctoral researcher applies as Principal Investigator, their Co-Applicant must be a UBC Sauder tenured or tenure-track research faculty member.
Details: Seed funding may be requested in amounts of up to $5,000 per proposal. Funding is based on limited funds and will be disbursed based on the below criteria, along with the number of requests for funding.
Decision Criteria: Proposals will be reviewed by a committee and decisions will be based on:
- The quality of the application: Priority will be given to projects that the reviewers deem to have a high likelihood of leading to published research and/or additional grant funding.
- Relevance and impact of the research: Preference will be given to topics that are clearly relevant and impactful in the EDI space.
- Need for funding. Preference will be given to applications making a strong case for (1) why the funding is needed for ongoing or forthcoming research (as opposed to completed research) and (2) how funding will move this research forward in terms of publication and/or future funding applications. Preference will also be given to projects that have not already received UBC Sauder funding (e.g., the Exploratory Grants program). Note that travel costs are ineligible, unless travel is integral for data collection.
Application Procedure: In a maximum of two pages (double-spaced and 12-point font), proposals should include:
- Applicant information: List the name, rank (e.g., PhD student, Assistant Professor, etc.), and affiliation (e.g., division or department at UBC) of the Principal Investigator as well as any Co-Applicants.
- Project summary: Clearly summarize the proposed research, including the project title, research question, and the proposed project methodology.
- Need for funding: Briefly describe how seed funding would be used to move forward the research project, lead to published work, and/or lead to an application for additional grant funding. The proposal should clearly outline the budget for the requested funds, noting that travel costs are ineligible, unless travel is integral for data collection.
Application Deadline: Applications are due by 11:59pm on January 31 and should be emailed to the Dhillon Centre at <Dhillon.Centre@sauder.ubc.ca>. Proposals will be reviewed by a panel and decisions will be announced in February.
Previous Winners
| Year | Topics | Researchers |
|---|---|---|
|
2025 |
The Power of Moral Framing: How to Best Sell EDI Issues to Majority Group Leaders? |
Lingtao Yu, Assistant Professor, in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources |
|
2025 |
The Two Body Problem: A Quantitative Spatial Model with Couples |
Eileen Bian, PhD student, & Keith Head, Professor, both in Strategy and Business Economics |
|
2025 |
Can Stigma Signaling Hurt Stigmatized Leaders? |
Lucy Lu, PhD student, & Joey Hoegg, Professor, both in Marketing and Behavioural Science |
|
2025 |
Examining Individual Innovativeness Patterns Across Genders |
Angéle Beausoleil, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, and Innovation Group |
|
2024 |
Can AI-Human Collaboration Decrease Demographic Biases in Performance Evaluations |
Sima Sajjadiani, Assistant Professor in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources, Danielle van Jaarsveld, Professor in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources, David Walker, Assistant Professor in Management, & Gabrielle Voiseux, PhD student in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources |
|
2024 |
Understanding Minority Employees’ Moral Responses to Managers’ Superficial Support for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion |
Hsuan-Che (Brad) Huang, PhD student in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources, & Daniel Skarlicki, Professor in Marketing and Behavioural Science |
|
2024 |
Gender Diversity and Corporate Environmental and Social Performance |
Chelsea (Chunxue) Yang, PhD student, & Kai Li, Professor, both in Finance |
|
2024 |
Gender Matters…or Not? Supervisor’s Emotional and Behavioral Responses to an Influential Subordinate |
Angéle Beausoleil, Assistant Professor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation |
|
2024 |
Exploring the Gender Variables of Innovation and Entrepreneurship |
Nicolas Wesseler, PhD student, & Keith Head, Professor, both in Strategy and Business Economics |
|
2024 |
The Role of Diversity for Group Performance: Evidence from the Top of the World |
Lingtao Yu, Assistant Professor, in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources |
|
2023 |
The Ripple Effects of Racial Diversity: from Boardroom to Supply Chain |
Jenny Li Zhang, Associate Professor in Accounting and Information Systems; Minjia (Minka) Li, PhD student in Accounting; & Yiwen Jin, PhD student in Management Science |
|
2023 |
EDI, Victim Climate, and Employee Relationships |
Karl Aquino, Professor in Marketing and Behavioural Science |
|
2023 |
Race and Reactions to Women Leaders’ Expression of Forgiveness at Work |
Jonathan Evans, Assistant Professor, & Tao (Ryan) Zhou, PhD student, both in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources |
|
2023 |
Do Minority-Owned Labels Help or Hurt Minority Businesses? The Effect of Minority-Owned Labels on Purchase Intentions Depending on Consumers' Political Orientation and Race |
Siddhanth Mookerjee, PhD student, & Yann Cornil, Associate Professor, both in Marketing and Behavioural Science |
|
2022 |
Which Workplace Ally Behaviors are Beneficial? Public versus Private Confrontation and Affirmation Responses to Gender Inequality |
Hsuan-Che (Brad) Huang, PhD student, & Jonathan Evans, Assistant Professor, both in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources |
|
2022 |
Effects of Shame and Pride on Disclosure of Stigmatized Identities at Work |
Barnini Bhattacharya, PhD student, & Michael Daniels, Assistant Professor, both in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources |
|
2022 |
Are Women Perceived to be Better Suited to Lead EDI in Organizations |
Rebecca Paluch, Assistant Professor, in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources |
|
2022 |
I Care about the Name and Time: Diversity Training Framing, Events, and Pre-Training Reaction |
Jiawei Li, PhD student, & Lingtao Yu, Assistant Professor, both in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources |