2011 Faculty Pioneers

Professor Becker-Blease has established himself as an innovative educator in corporate finance, where his classes challenge students to think beyond a shareholder-only understanding in financial decision-making. His graduate corporate finance courses use a combination of theory, case studies and academic papers to demonstrate to students how common market imperfections can make shareholder primacy harmful to economic wealth and how a more holistic perspective inclusive of all stakeholders will better equip students to make valuable long-term management decisions.

Becker-Blease’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) infused finance graduate course material is publicly available for educators through the Aspen Institute’s CasePlace site, with over 5,300 views to date. He has also been an invited speaker on CSR and curriculum reform at the AACSB’s Sustainability Conference, Boston University’s Stakeholder Marketing Consortium, the Financial Management Association and the Financial Education Conference. He is a contributing author for two textbooks on CSR in finance and a collaborator on the Aspen founded Giving Voice to Values curriculum.

A substantial portion of Becker-Blease’s research examines social justice in corporations, with a particular emphasis on gender equality. His research has appeared in a wide range of leading academic outlets across multiple disciplines including finance, entrepreneurship, accounting and economics, and it is frequently cited in the popular press at such outlets as BusinessWeek, Forbes, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, NPR, ABC News and CNBC among others. His current research investigates the perseverance of corporations’ CSR initiatives in the presence of poor market conditions, the impact of these initiatives on investor awareness of the firm, and how competitors respond to these initiatives.

Prior to his current role as assistant professor of finance at OSU, Becker-Blease held appointments at Washington State University and the University of New Hampshire, where he was the Reginald F. Atkins Professor of Finance. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in Financial Economics and degrees in history from the University of New Hampshire and in finance and insurance from the University of Florida.