SFU experts on shopping and wellness this holiday season

Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, the double whammy of inflation and high interest rates are causing people to exercise more caution with how they spend their money this holiday season. Among concerns generated by financial uncertainty, many Canadians are facing the pressures brought about by long-term impacts of the pandemic and global conflicts.

Experts from Simon Fraser University are available to speak to various issues around the holidays, including gift-giving tips, shopping and consumer insights, and fostering well-being during the festive season.

HOLIDAY SHOPPING AND THE ECONOMY: 

AVIVA PHILIPP-MULLER, assistant professor, marketing, business  
| aviva_philipp-muller@sfu.ca

• Gift-giving, and how consumers decide what gifts to give (including common gift-giving mistakes)
• How shopping impacts consumer well-being 
• Marketing of innovations, consumer morality, and consumer well-being including how to counter moral opposition to certain products/services
• How consumers respond to moral transgressions in the marketplace 

KAM PHUNG, assistant professor, business & society, business 
| kam_phung@sfu.ca

• Tips for consumers looking to shop more ethically/responsibly 
• Forced labour, modern slavery/human exploitation in supply chains 
  

ANDREY PAVLOV, professor, finance, Beedie School of Business
| apavlov@sfu.ca

• Economic and financial causes of supply chain issues; regulatory impacts on production
• Impacts of interest rates and inflation on the holiday spending 
• The possibility of interest rate hikes in the new year 

HEALTH & WELLNESS:

HALI KIL, assistant professor, psychology
| hali_kil@sfu.ca

• Ways to encourage kids to be more charitable and kinder during the holiday season
• Parenting, kindness and resilience, immigrant youth and families, well-being 
  

LARA AKNIN, associate professor, psychology (Aknin is currently on holidays and may be delayed in responding to inquiries)
| laknin@sfu.ca

• Happiness, well-being, altruism (gift-giving, donating to charity), kindness, social relationships, money, inequality
  

SCOTT LEAR, professor, health sciences & Pfizer/Heart & Stroke Foundation Chair in Cardiovascular Prevention Research
| slear@providencehealth.bc.ca

• Exercise and tips to stay healthy over the busy holiday season including practicing self-care and compassion
  

TAMMARA SOMA, assistant professor, resource & environmental management, co-founder, Food Systems Lab
| 604-655-5434

• Reducing food waste during the holidays, food insecurity/food security, school food and meals
  

CONTACT

RAY SHARMA, SFU Communications & Marketing 
778.782.3210 | ray_sharma@sfu.ca

Simon Fraser University
Communications & Marketing |  SFU Media Experts Directory
778.782.3210

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