Some people go shopping for a lift when life delivers a blow to the ego, but that purchase may not make them feel better. Marketing researcher Monika Lisjak has found that depending on what people buy, they actually might make themselves feel worse and will perform worse on subsequent tasks.

What are the risks associated with outsourcing services? Associate Marketing Professor Michael Wiles and his research partners discovered that it depends on which party is at fault for the breach, and whether the employees of the outsourcing firm are productive.

If your company has a social media manager, chances are that person reports into the marketing department.