Topic:

Talking without Speaking, Hearing without Listening: Social Media and Court Decision

Time&Date: 

10:30 am - 12:00 pm, Dec 13, 2023 (Wednesday)

Venue

Room 619, Teaching A Building

Zoom Link:

https://cuhk-edu-cn.zoom.us/j/8913862860?pwd=WDdDbFBRbW9hSTVyTTRTancvbmI0dz09

Meeting ID: 891 386 2860

Passcode: 123456

Speaker:

With the massive growth of social media and other informational platforms that businesses and individuals may use to share their opinions, a society's perspectives of certain contentious issues may be influenced significantly. At the same time, it has been noted that various parties have used paid trolls (i.e., fake comments made by bot accounts) to sway public opinions concerning some hotly debated issues or legal proceedings.

This article aims to investigate how public opinions and bot accounts may affect the outcome of legal disputes between opposing parties. Our research indicates that ''practice what you preach, unite knowledge and practice" may lose out to ''words speak louder than actions" when businesses are involved in lawsuits with social media engagement. We also discover that social media users' sophistication may be a pitfall for the involved parties, including the judge who is adjudicating the case. Additionally, the court may be misled by a number of variables in its decision while listening to the public opinions and seeking the truth.

Biography:

Dr. Haitao (Tony) Cui is the Ecolab-Pierson Grieve Chair in International Marketing, Professor of Marketing, and Deputy Associate Dean for Global DBA, at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, and an Affiliated Professor at the Industrial Engineering Department of U of Minnesota. Cui is also the Marketing Science Institute Inaugural MSI Scholars, the Chang Jiang Scholars by Ministry of Education of China, and the Vice President of Behavioral Operations Research and Management Chapter of Operations Research Society of China. Cui serves as Departmental Editor of Marketing-OM Interface area at Production and Operations Management, Departmental Editor of Customer Experience, Behavior, & Decision Making area at Service Science, Guest Associate Editor at Management Science, and serves on the editorial board of Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing Science, and Journal of Operations Management.

Dr. Cui has been devoted to applying behavioral and experimental economics to business decision making. Cui is among the small cohort of pioneers in this emerging academic area. His research has been published on top tier business journals including JM, JMR, JAMS, JEBO, Management Science, Marketing Science, POM, and SMJ. Cui has been named the Marketing Science Institute Young Scholars in 2011, 3M Non-Tenure Faculty Award, Management Science Meritorious or Distinguished Service Awards from 2009 until 2019, Marketing Science Service Award in 2013 and 2014,and was selected as an AMA-Sheth Doctoral Consortium Fellow in 2004. He was named the Marketing Science Institute Young Scholars in 2011 (to scholars whose work suggests they are “potential leaders of the next generation of marketing academics”), the Marketing Science Institute Inaugural MSI Scholars in 2018 (the award recognizes “individuals’ excellence in scholarship and top scholars who are setting the research agenda in their field”), selected by Carlson CHEMBA EMBA students as the "Popular Professor of The Year" in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2023, “Carlson Teaching Award” in 2020, the "Carlson Outstanding Research Award" in 2017, Carlson DBA Teaching Award in 2023, and was awarded for Outstanding Teaching and Dedication to Helping Students Learn by the Center for Educational Innovation, University of Minnesota in 2019, besides other awards and achievements.

Dr. Cui received a B.Eng. in Industrial Engineering, a B.Eng. in Fluid Machinery and Fluid Engineering, and an IMBA, all from Tsinghua University. He also received an M.A. in Operations and Information Management and a Ph.D. in Managerial Science & Applied Economics, both from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.