Aparna B
- Research Program Mentor
MBA at Columbia University
Expertise
Behavioral Economics, Social Impact and Finance, Venture Capital, Business Management, Clean Energy, Financial Technology, Financial Crime Compliance, Development Economics
Bio
Hello! I’m excited to support you as you take on your research project. A little bit about me: I’m passionate about the intersection of finance and impact, and how we can achieve great economic results while also prioritizing positive social outcomes. I spent the majority of my undergraduate degree focused on behavioral and financial economics, and was able to apply what I learned to understand how teams and businesses can operate at their best during my 5 years consulting at Deloitte. I look forward to helping you find a business, social science / economics, or finance research project that you are passionate about, and supporting you as you complete your research. In addition to your project, I’d also be happy to discuss possible career options for students studying these subjects in college, and share how I have personally adapted my career as I’ve been exposed to different opportunities. In my free time, I love to try new recipes, go to concerts and musicals, read new books (let me know if you have any recommendations!), keep up with the latest tennis tournaments, and spend time with my friends.Project ideas
How does "green marketing" influence customer purchasing behavior?
Based on where your interest lies, we will choose an industry (food, beauty, fashion to name some examples) and explore differences between (1) brands that center around sustainability, (2) brands that have some sustainable options, and (3) brands that don’t seem to talk about sustainability at all. We’ll make a step-by-step research plan to understand why some brands are performing better than others, and can even set up a survey for your friends and family to get a real-life perspective on whether they would spend differently if they knew a brand cared about sustainability. At the end, you will put together a presentation or research paper with your findings and data analysis, so we can find out if green marketing actually works!
Venture Capital for profit and good (Impact Investing)
Can you invest money in a way that achieves high financial return while also delivering high social impact? As part of this project, you will complete research on (1) what makes an investment a good financial opportunity and (2) what would show us that an investment can deliver positive social outcomes in the future, along with the risks that come with this. You will then try to find examples where both trends exist (or not!) at the same time, to understand whether it is possible to invest successfully for both profit and good - also known as impact investing. The outcome of this project can be an example check-list of what an investor should be looking for when making and investment, and risks they should be aware of.