Claiming your business page on review platforms can have unintended effects on customer reviews, study shows

Study warns small businesses of unexpected risks on review platforms

Florida International University

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Claiming a business page on an online review platform such as Yelp may result in a sharp decline in ratings and an increase in lengthy, negative customer feedback, according to a study from Florida International University. 

The study, led by Jong Youl Lee, assistant professor of information systems and business analytics at FIU’s College of Business, finds that once a business claims its Yelp page, its average rating falls by more than 10%, driven largely by an influx of one-star reviews and a decrease in five-star reviews. The shift is immediate and persistent, lasting more than a year after the claim date. The study was published in Information Systems Research.  

The likelihood of a one-star review rises by nearly 10% as well. These lowest-rated reviews also become substantially longer, with customers directly addressing owners or managers about service failures. An analysis of reviews shows a clear increase in negative language and a decline in positive sentiment. 

The reason, the researchers say, is rooted in consumer psychology. Claiming a page signals to the public that the owner is present, paying attention and potentially available to address complaints. That shift in perception encourages dissatisfied customers – who otherwise might have stayed silent – to voice concerns, seek remedies or demand accountability through the review platforms. 

“When customers see the page is claimed, they believe the owner is watching,” Lee said. “That motivates very unsatisfied customers to write reviews they otherwise might not have written, and they tend to be more critical and more detailed.” 

Many review platforms, including Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Yellow Pages, offer business owners the option to claim their pages, which can provide features such as photo control, basic analytics and the ability to respond to reviews. But Lee’s research suggests these perks may come with hidden costs, particularly for small, resource-constrained businesses. 

“Claiming your business page is not costless, even if it’s free of charge,” Lee said. “Businesses need to be prepared to monitor reviews and respond effectively. If they’re not ready to do this, claiming can actually hurt their reputation.” 

Drawing on a large dataset of newly opened popular restaurants in the nation’s 200 largest metro areas, the team analyzed what happened to ratings before and after a business claimed its Yelp page. Instead of relying on simple comparisons, the researchers looked at what happened before and after business owners claimed their online business pages, comparing owners who did so at different times. Using technology that can analyze and interpret written text, they also examined the review texts to measure shifts in tone and topics, and they conducted an online experiment to confirm how customers interpret the “claimed” badge. 

The implications extend beyond the restaurant industry. Any small business that lacks the staff to monitor online feedback may be vulnerable to the same dynamic, Lee said. 

The takeaway for business owners: claim your page when you are operationally ready. 

“Claiming is the very first step that allows owners to use customer management features as powerful tools for service recovery but only if owners are prepared for what comes next,” Lee said.  

Lee conducted the study with Mikhail Lysyakov and Huaxia Rui, both from the University of Rochester. 

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Journal

Information Systems Research

DOI

10.1287/isre.2024.1305 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

To Claim or Not To Claim? Hidden Costs of Business Page Claiming

 

Want to ride your bicycle? SFU study highlights rise of Canada’s bike network

Simon Fraser University

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A new Simon Fraser University study has found that Canada’s cycling network is growing, but not everyone is benefitting. 

Between 2022 and 2024, nearly 3,600 kilometres of high-quality cycling infrastructure was added across the country, with the largest proportional increases seen in small- to medium-sized cities. 

But one consistent finding across Canadian cities is that areas with more children and older adults tend to have less cycling infrastructure. 

“Total distance is one metric, but it’s not necessarily the only consideration – it’s important to look at the type of infrastructure and who benefits from access,” says health sciences professor Meghan Winters, lead author of the study, published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health.   

“When environments are supportive, cycling can be a healthy, fun, environmentally friendly and low-cost way to get around.  

“Our research has shown that things are improving, but not everyone is feeling those improvements.”  

Winters was part of the team of researchers that built the first ever Canada-wide map of cycling infrastructure in 2022. 

In their new study, the researchers used open-source data from OpenStreetMap for 2022 and 2024 to get a picture of how Canada’s cycling infrastructure had changed over that time. 

They classified the infrastructure according to the Canadian Bikeway Comfort and Safety system, which categorizes routes as high, medium, or low, in terms of comfort and safety.  

Key findings from the study include:   

• Total cycling infrastructure grew from 23,502 kilometres to 27,098 kilometres, equating to 3,596 kilometres – that’s roughly the distance between Toronto and Edmonton.   

• Multi-use paths accounted for 2,725 kilometres of new pathways, a 75.8 per cent increase in distance over two years. Multi-use paths are situated next to or away from roadways and are regarded as “medium comfort” for cyclists.  

• Painted bike lanes along roads, deemed “low comfort”, increased by 492 kilometres, a 5.8 per cent increase in distance.  

• Bike-only paths, one of the route types regarded as “high comfort”, increased by 49 kilometres, representing a 46.7 per cent increase in distance.    

• Areas with more children and older adults saw less growth in cycling infrastructure.  

• Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto saw the greatest overall distance of new infrastructure.  

While cities usually invest in cycling infrastructure in their downtown cores to support commuters or because there is more vehicle traffic, Winters says it’s important not to overlook everyday trips by bike.  

“We know that work commutes are maybe a quarter of all the trips we make,” says Winters.  

“People make all sorts of trips – to school, to the grocery store or café, or for social reasons. 

“It’s important to keep the focus on how transportation planning can facilitate cycling as part of people’s everyday lives, by making sure people have safe and comfortable bike infrastructure within their neighbourhoods, connecting them to the places they need to go to.” 

Some cities are making rapid changes by developing new cycling infrastructure that goes beyond the downtown core and into suburban areas. Winters highlighted Montreal as a positive example.  

“Montreal already had an established cycling network, but more recently with the REV they’ve been building farther out into different neighbourhoods so that people have real connectivity,” she says.  

“Vancouver is another city that had extensive cycling infrastructure. However, in this study period, few new investments happened.” 

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Journal

Canadian Journal of Public Health

DOI

10.17269/s41997-025-01139-w 

 

UH psychologist explores reducing anxiety among survivors of sexual assault

Sexual violence can lead to PTSD and alcohol use disorder

University of Houston

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From the University of Houston, Michael Zvolensky, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished University Professor of psychology, led a team examining how the violence of a sexual assault can lead to a higher risk of lifelong challenges from post-traumatic stress disorder to alcohol use disorder.

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Credit: University of Houston

A psychologist at the University of Houston is providing guidance to improve the mental health of victims of sexual violence, recognized by major health organizations as a public health crisis with serious implications on victims’ physical, mental and reproductive health.  

Michael Zvolensky, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished University Professor of psychology, led a team examining how the violence of a sexual assault can lead to a higher risk of lifelong challenges from post-traumatic stress disorder to alcohol use disorder. His findings are published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. Exposure to sexual assault maintains a higher risk for severe PTSD and AUD when compared with some other types of traumatic events like combat exposure. 

“Improving mental health and drinking behavior among survivors of sexual assault may require reducing both anxiety sensitivity and pain-related anxiety,” said Zvolensky. Anxiety sensitivity is the fear of anxiety; pain-related anxiety focuses on a specific pain or painful situation.  

The investigation evaluated anxiety sensitivity and pain-related anxiety as linked to mental health and clinically significant alcohol use among 133 persons with a history of traumatic sexual assault who engaged in hazardous drinking.  

“While anxiety sensitivity is generally associated with severe mental health problems, pain-related anxiety is related to alcohol use processes,” said Zvolensky, who admits, however, it’s not that simple. “Anxiety sensitivity may also be especially relevant among people exposed to traumatic sexual assault, as this experience is related to aversive bodily sensations and associated with more risk for coping-oriented drinking and alcohol use problems among trauma-exposed samples.” 

The relevance of the two types of anxiety among hazardous drinkers who are victims of traumatic sexual violence has not been explored until now.  

“The present investigation sought to test the roles of anxiety sensitivity and pain-related anxiety in the context of one another as both factors have been shown to serve as affect-amplifying constructs,” said Neha Pathak, lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate in Zvolensky’s lab. 

The UH team worked with researchers from Texas A&M University and the University of Nevada. 

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Journal

The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease

Article Title

Anxiety Sensitivity and Pain-Related Anxiety Among Sexual Assault Survivors With Hazardous Drinking and PTSD

SOLAR PANELS

Physicists predict significant growth for cadmium telluride photovoltaics

A team of scientists analyzes challenges and proposes corresponding research goals in new solar energy research published in the peer-reviewed journal Joule.

University of Toledo

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Dr. Michael Heben is a Distinguished University Professor and McMaster Chair and Director of the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization.

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Credit: The University of Toledo

A solar energy generation technology once considered limited in its potential is poised for significant growth in the United States.

That’s the conclusion of a team of scientists who analyzed the outlook for cadmium telluride photovoltaics in research published in the peer-reviewed journal Joule.

University of Toledo physicists including Dr. Michael Heben, a Distinguished University Professor and McMaster Chair and Director of the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, collaborated with partners at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies, the Missouri University of Science and Technology, Colorado State University, Sivananthan Labs and First Solar under the umbrella of Department of Energy’s Cadmium Telluride Accelerator Consortium.

Their analysis presents challenges and corresponding research goals that the team of scientists believe will bring this technology to a manufacturing capacity of 100 gigawatts by 2030.

“There are a lot of advantages to cadmium telluride,” Heben said. “They perform better in hot and humid climates than the silicon photovoltaics that currently dominate the industry, and because their manufacturing process leverages domestic supply chains, they’re less sensitive to import restrictions while supporting national energy security.”

Cadmium telluride photovoltaics are a category of thin-film solar cells that have long shown promise as a reliable, low-cost and high-efficiency alternative to the crystalline silicon modules that currently dominate the global solar energy industry.

Cadmium telluride solar cells are the only other photovoltaics to be manufactured at the gigawatt scale, enjoying a particular niche in utility-scale deployment. But comparatively lower power conversion efficiencies and supply chain challenges have limited their share of the total solar power generation portfolio in the United States to approximately 16%.

UToledo is deeply engaged in the research and development of cadmium telluride solar cells through its Wright Center, where physicists’ groundbreaking work on this and other thin-film photovoltaic technologies in large part accounts for UToledo’s rank in the top quarter of global universities in materials science by U.S. News & World Report.

First Solar, the world’s largest manufacturer of cadmium telluride solar panels with a major presence in northwest Ohio, notably traces its roots to early work completed in campus labs in the 1980s.

The Joule research makes a case for significant growth potential in cadmium telluride photovoltaics, taking into account factors like economic policies favoring domestic manufacturing and technological advancements improving power conversion efficiency.

“Cadmium telluride has much more room to grow in performance compared to silicon,” Heben said. “The technology is very reliable and predictable, while the energy conversion efficiency is constantly moving upward.”

Scientists also address technological and supply chain advancements related to the element tellurium. They credit the technological advancements with enabling more efficient extraction and utilization of this mining byproduct, and they cite economic and industry data to demonstrate that its availability is not proving to be the limiting growth factor that manufacturers once predicted it would be.

It all adds up to a promising outlook for cadmium telluride photovoltaics.

“This research is essentially a roadmap for further growing and expanding this technology,” Heben said.

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Journal

Joule

DOI

10.1016/j.joule.2025.102235 

Article Title

Roadmap to 100 GWDC: Scientific and Supply Chain Challenges for CdTe Photovoltaics

Liverpool scientists discover graphene’s electronic properties in 3D material in boost for green computing

University of Liverpool

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University of Liverpool researchers have discovered a way to host some of the most significant properties of graphene in a three‑dimensional (3D) material, potentially removing the hurdles for these properties to be used at scale in green computing.

Graphene is famous for being incredibly strong, lightweight, and an excellent conductor of electricity and its applications range from electronics to aerospace and medical technologies. However, its two-dimensional (2D) structure makes it mechanically fragile and limits its use in demanding environments and large-scale applications.

In a paper published today, a team of researchers have identified that 3D material, HfSn₂, mimics graphene’s fast, 2D electron flow. This ground-breaking discovery offers opportunities for designing materials that are more stable yet that still show advanced low‑energy electronic behaviour. Such materials are attractive for next‑generation, low‑energy logic and spintronic devices, which are central to future computing technologies.

The work was jointly led by Dr Jonathan Alaria (Physic), and Professor Matthew Rosseinsky OBE FRS, (Chemistry), highlighting the essential synergy between physics and chemistry that underpins this discovery. The team used a combination of theoretical modelling and experiments on high‑quality single crystals grown in the laboratory. Here researchers showed that HfSn₂ contains honeycomb layers arranged in three dimensions in a special chiral stacking pattern (similar to the twist in DNA). This arrangement preserves the unique electronic behaviour normally seen only in 2D materials.

These honeycomb layers also allow the material to host Weyl points - unusual points in the electronic structure that can dramatically enhance how easily electrons move. As a result, electrons in HfSn₂ act as if they are travelling in a 2D material, even though the structure itself is fully 3D.

The paper’s key finding is that the way electrons move in HfSn₂ can behave like a 2D system, even though the atoms form a strong 3D network. This means the electronic behaviour can be separated from the actual structure of the material. It also shows that 2D‑like performance is possible in materials that are much more robust than typical layered crystals.

The HfSn₂ study demonstrates how carefully controlling chemical bonding and stacking patterns in direct physical space can be used to tune electronic behaviour in energy–momentum space.

Dr Jonathan Alaria, Senior Lecturer in Physics at the University of Liverpool, said: “Our work shows that 2D‑like electronic transport can be realised within a fully 3D material. Demonstrating this required advanced physics experiments under extreme conditions, combined with close collaboration with our chemistry colleagues. This synergy was vital and we could only uncover these new concepts by uniting theoretical modelling, crystal growth and high‑field transport measurements.”

Professor Matt Rosseinsky concluded: “We asked ourselves, do materials need to be two‑dimensional to behave like graphene, or can we create graphene‑like properties in completely different kinds of materials with higher structural dimensions? These results show the power of chemistry to generate counter-intuitive properties by controlling the atomic arrangements that determine function and suggest there may be broader opportunities to generate two-dimensional high mobility for low-energy electronic devices beyond reliance on structurally layered materials.”

This research forms part of the EPSRC Programme Grant “Digital Navigation of Chemical Space for Function”, an £8.6 million initiative that aims to change how functional materials are discovered. By merging cutting-edge physical science with advanced computer science, including AI and machine learning, the project is developing digital tools and workflows that can identify entirely new classes of materials and evaluate their properties in the context of technological opportunities. The work was performed in collaboration with the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Liverpool, the Max Planck Institute for the Chemical Physics of Solids, Dresden, and the Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology at AGH University of Krakow.

The paper, ‘Decoupling structural and electronic dimensionality: 2D transport in a 3D honeycomb chiral stacking’, will be published in Matter on Tuesday 27 January 2026, 11 AM EST (DOI: 10.1016/j.matt.2025.102578).

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Journal

Matter

DOI

10.1016/j.matt.2025.102578 

Article Title

Decoupling structural and electronic dimensionality: 2D transport in a 3D honeycomb chiral stacking

Article Publication Date

27-Jan-2026