If you've got it, don't flaunt it. That's the conclusion Smith School professor Rosellina Ferraro and two colleagues came to when they studied how people display the brands they use. Using brands in a conspicuous manner is a turnoff for many others.

In the technology world, what's old is rarely new again, which can be problematic for tech manufacturers. Smith School professor Wedad Elmaghraby says online liquidation auctions have emerged as a potential solution, operating as secondary marketplaces.

Companies that want to boldly go into new knowledge domains should start by looking inward at compensation design. A working paper co-authored by Smith School professor Waverly W. Ding shows that large pay gaps among research and development professionals at the same job level within an organization can stifle exploratory innovation — the kind that leads to U.S. patent filings.

Hiring managers invite harsh moral judgments when they give jobs to friends and acquaintances referred by high-powered individuals within their organizations, new research from Smith School professor Rellie Derfler-Rozin and two co-authors shows.

How best should companies seek to evolve? The Smith School's M. Susan Taylor says continuous organizational change is likely to have its roots at lower "work unit" levels and wind its way upward. Her model helps explain why.

Leaders might deserve dismissal when they behave badly, but some lose their jobs for simply having the right skills at the wrong time. "Over time changes in business conditions may call for a change of top management," Smith School professor M. Cecilia Bustamante says.

A new app that culls through medical data can offer a better answer to many cancer patients' top question: "What's my prognosis?" Having an accurate answer helps them choose the best treatment. Smith School professor Margrét Bjarnadóttir and a team of researchers developed the app and patient-specific prediction method.

Setting your sales goals for the new year? The best way to get everyone motivated is to get them invested from the start. Smith School professor Christine Beckman recently studied how the process of setting budget goals is the key to motivating individuals to hit their numbers.

Conventional wisdom says firms are better off hiring people with prior experience and skills that mirror the job. But research co-authored by Smith School professor Rajshree Agarwal finds that many firms benefit from hiring rookies who are new to top management.

Strict enforcement of the law sometimes rewards dirty-dealing and hypocrisy, which bothered T. Leigh Anenson as a litigator. Her new book, "Judging Equity: The Fusion of Unclean Hands in U.S. Law," explores a safety valve in the legal system designed to correct injustice.