Michael Totty

Writer

About

Michael Totty is a freelance reporter and editor. Previously, he was a news editor with the Wall Street Journal in charge of assigning and editing Journal reports on technology, energy, health care, management and other topics. Totty works from Berkeley, California.

A nighttime blurry image of a woman and a man walking into a store. Research Brief / Economics

CEOs Risk Alienating Customers with High-Profile Activism

Taking a stand on controversial issues can hurt sales, but the effect is brief

An overhead view of shipping containers and semi trucks going through a gate Research Question / Supply Chain

Can Supply Chains — Global, Opaque, Ever-Changing — Be Made Fair?

Amid the pandemic, price gouging and stiffing of suppliers and workers surged

An exterior night shot of a Dollar General store. Research Brief / Retail

How Dollar Stores Contribute to Food Deserts

Expanding chains drive out independent grocers, reduce access to fresh produce

Thousands of exuberant backers of the Equal Rights Amendment, marched on Congress to plea for extension of the ratification deadline. Research Brief / Public Policy

Do Social Laws Always Cause a Backlash?

Laws that threaten ideological preferences prompt some opponents to adopt more extreme beliefs

A cube of hundred dollar bills wrapped in a blue bow Research Brief / Productivity

Trying Out Bonus-Pay Theory on Unsupervised, Low-Skill Tasks

Incentives boost output, but benefits level off at a fairly low point

An out of foucs image of a female in a conference room with windows Research Brief / Gender Gap

Do the Benefits of Pay Transparency Accrue Mostly to Employers?

Revealed compensation might motivate workers to do more, without a raise

An electric charging station filled 2ith cars Research Brief / Supply Chain

Want More Charging Stations? Spur Purchases of More EVs

Governments needn’t subsidize charging networks

An illustration of a woman pulling a suitcase as she walks toward her ride share. Research Brief / Ride-Sharing Services

Surge Pricing’s Benefits Go to a Subset of Ride-Hailing Drivers

Full-timers gain the least, part-time drivers the most

Split screen of fake lemon on the left and real lemon on the right. Research Brief / E-commerce

To Spot Fake Online Reviews, Target the Reviewers

A test was 93% accurate; more efficient than analyzing reviews

A pile of glittery gold stars on the left of the frame and in the center a yellow star Research Brief / Sales

Online Reviews: Should Sellers Show All or a Subset Relevant to You?

Most sellers do one or the other, but giving shoppers both might lift sales

A refugee carrying a basket on their head walks through a tent encampment. Research Brief / Sustainability

Can Humanitarian Aid Turn Wastefulness to Sustainability?

Seeing global crises as ongoing, rather than episodic, and applying modern supply-chain management

A pill bottle lies on its side with white pills spilling out Research Brief / Health Care

Public Disclosure of Drug Company Gifts: High-Prescribing Physicians Unaffected

The average doctor, following sunshine laws, writes fewer Rx’s for marketed medicines

A photo of a merge sign Research Brief / Mergers and Acquisitions

Unvarnished Merger Talk: Will This Deal Help Us Raise Prices?

Customer loyalty, barriers to entry and other factors at play

An itemized bill of hospital care with a pen and phone laid on top Research Brief / Health Care

Hospital Financial-Aid Programs Boost Use of Vital Health Care

Uninsured and insured both receive help; benefits are temporary