Three Asper professors awarded SSHRC Insight Development Grants

The Asper School of Business is proud to celebrate three faculty members who have received 2026 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Insight Development Grants. These prestigious grants support early-stage research with strong potential for impact in the social sciences and humanities. 
The Asper School was awarded $221,270 in funding between three professors:

• Ratchel Zeng, Associate Professor and Asper Behavioural Management Fellow, investigates the effectiveness of purpose-drive businesses on a worldwide scale.
• Jianning Huang, Assistant Professor of Finance, conducts an overview of news media’s influence over financial markets.
• Kimia Ansari, Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems, researches how employers can effectively integrate AI decision-making into the workforce.

This brings SSHRC funding for Asper School research to over $440,000 for 2026, and a five-year total of around $1.5 million.

Earlier this year, two Asper School business administration scholars—Rong (Ratchel) Zeng, Associate Professor and Asper Behavioural Management Fellow, and Wei Wang, Assistant Professor and The Associates Fellow in Leadership and Ethics—received SSHRC Insight Grants to look at the international implications of cross-border acquisitions and study the day-to-day ethical decisions of leaders. 

Zeng’s research project takes a birds-eye view of business models prioritizing social and environmental goals alongside profit on a global scale. It aims to understand purpose-driven business models while providing practical insights for practitioners and policymakers.

“This research brings fragmented ideas about organizational paradoxes into one clear framework, offering practical, evidence-based tools to help purpose-driven firms grow internationally without losing sight of their social mission,” said Zeng. 

For Canada, the research offers a roadmap for how purpose-driven organizations can compete and grow internationally while staying true to their social and environmental commitments.

Media outlets not only rebroadcast information about financial markets but also conduct original investigation and analysis. They have the power to obscure or bend the truth, the choice not to include certain facts or perspectives, or spotlight firms that may not warrant attention.

Huang’s research asks how these perceptions, created by the media, can influence corporate decision making. 

“Media outlets have tremendous power to change our perceptions about financial markets. The research of how media affects corporate decisions remains underexplored and inconclusive. Our research aims to provide novel evidence on media influence,” said Huang. 

The research hopes to let investors and regulators in on how they can make informed decisions using media information. The research also informs the general public that media isn’t just sharing information, but creating real consequences on financial markets.

What happens when AI advice conflicts with employee’s judgments in organizational decision-making? While some people may reconsider their decisions and use the AI’s advice, others resist or dismiss it. 

Ansari’s research sets out to understand how organizations can support more effective human-AI decision making, whether that is through framing AI’s role, changing the way AI communicates, or changing decision processes to encourage a thoughtful, constructive relationship with this tool. 

“The value of AI investments ultimately depends on how employees actually engage with AI-generated advice, particularly when it challenges their own expertise or judgment,” said Ansari. 

As organizations invest heavily in AI and it becomes involved in increasingly consequential organizational decisions in areas such as finance, healthcare, and public services, this research can show us the way forward.