An increasing number of political advertisers are using cookie programs created when users register at news sites and social media channels and combining this information with voter-registration data to target persuadable voters. "They're gaining growing acceptance," Temple Fox School of Business professor Steven N. Pyser said. "The ethics professor in me says, 'You're data-mining in ways people aren't accepting.' But a lot of people don't know an Internet cookie from a Dunkin' Donut. I think this is just the start."

Forty-seven percent of all social media users have used their networks to get customer service from a company, according to a study from NM Incite. "Social media has an amplification effect that turns customer service into a critical market tool," said Steven L. Johnson, an assistant professor at Temple's Fox School of Business. "When a customer raises a customer support issue via social media, that's not just a private conversation between the consumer and company, it's a public conversation with an audience of thousands, if not millions," he said.

James Creedon, Temple’s senior vice president for construction, facilities and operations, said the university is doing well in terms of minority participation on the construction of its new residence hall. “We look at it in two ways. One is the participation by minority and women-owned businesses and also the employment on the construction itself of minority and women workers,” he said, adding that Philadelphia residents account for almost 50 percent of the construction workforce.