In a world that is both expanding and shrinking by the minute, we’re keeping stride by developing and refining our programs, courses, and research to fit modern realities.
From our perspective, there are three sectors of the global economy that are particularly vital in terms of job creation, economic wealth, and contribution to society and the world: health, digital business, and social impact. Within Questrom, we have faculty whose interests cluster around these three specialty sectors that are not defined by official academic departments.
These sector pages provide a listing of faculty whose work relates to the topic. Because our faculty do work and research in a wide range of subject areas, there will be occasional overlap across these broad fields. Much of our research is multi-disciplinary, and we promote collaboration within Questrom and the University.
Digital Business
The field of the future is also the field of today. In the past, businesses have thought about value in financial terms—making money out of money. Digital business is the opportunity to create value on a global scale—value for consumers, employees, stakeholders, and society—in a way that has not been possible in the past.
From healthcare to financial services, digital business is the engine of growth for future innovation. Our faculty members are inspired to challenge the status quo and work together to be at the forefront of innovation and technology, creating competitive advantages that benefit the human condition.
Health
For the past century, the primary focus of the healthcare industry has been to identify, manage, and treat leading causes of death. As we embark on new challenges in healthcare, it is time for a cognitive shift towards prevention. As business scholars, we can have the most impact by improving health and wellbeing through research, leading to new and improved business strategies and industry best practices.
The health sector at Questrom joins together faculty interested in a broad spectrum of public and private interests from insurance companies to national health policies, from pharmaceutical and surgical equipment manufacturers to hospital management groups. Boston, one of the major medical centers of the world, is host to hospitals, research labs, manufacturers, HMOs, and numerous schools of medicine and public health, providing an abundance of resources to further enrich this critical area.
Social Impact
Every action, every choice, has implications elsewhere. And the role of business in society is expanding. Beyond financial value, business can—and should— create social and environmental value. At Questrom, our faculty continue to search for new and improved strategies to ensure that social enterprises create positive social impact while remaining sustainable.
As business activities are increasingly impacting the environment, the field of sustainability is devoted to building products with a carbon-neutral impact, creating policies and processes to eliminate waste and environmental destruction, and educating individuals, governments, and institutions of all kinds about changing habits and making choices that benefit the human race as a whole. It is a vast, complex task, which fortunately has many champions at Boston University and within the Questrom School of Business.