2020 Best Undergraduate Professors: Andrea Bonezzi, New York University Stern School of Business

Andrea Bonezzi of New York University’s Stern School of Business is a 2020 Poets&Quants Best Undergraduate Business School Professor

Andrea Bonezzi

Associate Professor of Marketing

New York University, Stern School of Business

Andrea Bonezzi was one of the most-nominated professors to be included on this year’s list, receiving 57 glowing reviews from former and current students. Bonezzi has been at New York University’s Stern School of Business since 2012, where he teaches the school’s Introduction to Marketing course. Bonezzi says he first realized he might want to become a business school professor while studying at the University of Parma.

“In my senior year as an undergraduate I took a course taught by a truly inspiring professor, Cristina Ziliani. She sparked my interest in becoming a business school professor,” Bonezzi says.

Bonezzi’s research examines how consumers make judgments and decisions. His current research looks specifically at how consumers relate to artificial intelligence. “For example, in a recent project I looked at people’s receptivity to medical AI (i.e., artificial intelligence for medical decision-making),” Bonezzi explains. “I found that people are reluctant to embrace medical AI because they erroneously believe that AI cannot consider the unique facets of one’s case to the same extent that a human can.”

Current age: 41

At current institution since what year? 2012

Education: Ph.D. from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

List of courses you currently teach: Introduction to Marketing

TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR

I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when… in my senior year as an undergraduate I took a course taught by a truly inspiring professor, Cristina Ziliani. She sparked my interest in becoming a business school professor.

What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it?

Broadly speaking, my research focuses on understanding how consumers make judgments and decisions. Most of my current research examines how consumers relate to artificial intelligence. For example, in a recent project I looked at people’s receptivity to medical AI (i.e., artificial intelligence for medical decision-making). I found that people are reluctant to embrace medical AI because they erroneously believe that AI cannot consider the unique facets of one’s case to the same extent that a human can. In another project, I looked at people’s perceptions of algorithmic bias. I found that, even though algorithms can be just as biased as humans, people are less likely to attribute gender and racial disparities to bias when algorithms rather than humans perpetrate such disparities. As a result, people are less willing to take action against discriminatory decisions made by algorithms, as compared to humans.

If I weren’t a business school professor, I’d be… an entrepreneur

What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? I try to be a mentor rather than a sage on the stage.

One word that describes my first time teaching: fun

Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: as a business school professor your role is not just to impart knowledge and skills, but first and foremost to be an educator, a mentor who helps students achieve professional as well as personal growth, inside and outside the classroom.

Professor I most admire and why: Cristina Ziliani at the University of Parma, in Italy. She sparked my interest in becoming a professor, advised my undergraduate thesis and has been a mentor since then.

TEACHING BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS

What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? I like teaching undergraduate business students because they are intellectually curious, creative and are not afraid to dream big.

What is most challenging? Getting students to realize that the answers to business problems cannot be found in a textbook or in a formula.

In one word, describe your favorite type of student: inquisitive

In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: entitled

When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as… fair, I hope

LIFE OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM

What are your hobbies? Reading, learning, traveling.

How will you spend your summer? Working on research and spending time with my family.

Favorite place(s) to vacation: Italy

Favorite book(s): The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Waiting Child

What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? Shark Tank, entertaining and full of business insights.

What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? I do not have one. I like to listen to different types of music depending on the situation and mood.

THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS

If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this… much more mentoring and experiential learning (i.e., practical projects with real stakes), and much less lecturing and fluffy discussions.

In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at… taking care of employees, the environment and society.

I’m grateful for… my family

Faculty, students, alumni, and/or administrators say:

“Professor Bonezzi is the rare professor who cares both about academic research and passing his knowledge onto the next generation. I was lucky to have him for my Introduction to Marketing class, where he took the time and effort to bring in different companies every semester to give students problems to work on. Anyone who has ever tried to get industry giants to listen to green undergraduates knows that such a feat is only achievable with a little bit of marketing genius. What makes Professor Bonezzi an excellent teacher is that he takes the time to both teach what marketing is, and what marketing is not. Marketing is business strategy; marketing is not advertising. Marketing is everyone’s job; marketing is not limited to the marketing team. Marketing insights should be driven by data, but marketing initiatives should not be blocked by a lack of data. The contrasts he drew on in class, and the sampling of real world experience he gives his students leaves them with a grounding in marketing as strategy that will never leave them in their lifetime. Bonezzi’s ability to impart real world knowledge is not limited to classroom projects. He gave me the advice that I used to launch my career (paraphrasing, as it’s been a few years): “You can’t be meek about asking for help. If you want help, you have to ask for it. The world is full of helpful people, but nobody will help you until you help yourself first.””

“Professor Bonezzi is one of the best teachers I had in college, and should be nominated for this award, because he taught the class not just about the core principles of marketing, but about the whole marketing universe, and how we can approach it on our own. He had us research and develop our own marketing plans, which were presented to real brand strategists. The professor taught us to think about marketing from a practical and multi-faceted perspective, by reviewing in-depth case studies with the class, and having discussions about what the company being reviewed could have done, accounting for all potential stakeholders. We also had classes with guest speakers from different walks of life within marketing, teaching us how expansive the field is, and yet how all the different businesses within it interact with each other. Professor Bonezzi was an amazing teacher and should be nominated for this award because he made marketing real and exciting for the students, by demonstrating the impact of good marketing, as well as giving us the tools necessary to delve deeper into the field on our own, and see the influence of marketing everywhere we go.”

“He was my professor and remains a mentor. He cares about the professional development of his students. He helped me prepare for recruitment by reviewing and providing feedback on my resume and giving me interview books. He was happy to discuss my internships and would recommend activities like case competitions that he thought I would be interested in. His marketing class was based on practical assignments and group projects and I was able to apply the content and skills I learned in his class at work. He made the class take a personality test for forming project groups so that we could interact with different personalities. He brought very knowledgeable industry professionals as guest speakers and also had an important industry professional attend our final project presentations. I appreciate the effort he put in preparing the course and I remember the material because of how well it was taught.”

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