Digital Commons Network^™

Jaak's Bevs Business Plan, Antoinette Schreiber

Student Conference Abstracts

Nine out of ten start-up businesses fail. Among the many arguments why this happens, one key reason is that start-ups do not have a well thought-out business plan, which prepares them to think through the business planning process in a systematic manner. In my Entrepreneurship course in the Barowsky School of Business, we used “The Successful Business Plan: Secrets & Strategies” by Rhonda Abrams (2019) to build a semester-long business planning project. Because the work is still in progress, the current study presents some of the main elements that are key for a successful start-up business: mission statement, company description, …

The Impacts Of Covid-19 On Business Practice: Some Key Insights, Rajeev Sooreea, Brinda Sooreea

Barowsky School of Business | Faculty Scholarship

This paper provides an overview of some of the key economic impacts of COVID-19 on business practice, especially in the U.S. In particular, we synthesize some of the latest research, findings and developments from various academic literature and business sources to provide a managerial perspective of the effects of this pandemic. In addition, we show some characteristics of the so-called “new normal” and what kind of innovative business opportunities could arise as a result of the fundamental changes in the global economy. We conclude by highlighting how some emerging countries like India could tap into such opportunities despite the dire …

How Do Globalism And Nationalism Impact The International Business Competitiveness Of The United States Of America?, Françoise Lepage, Denise Lucy, Jayati Ghosh

Barowsky School of Business | Faculty Scholarship

Business competitiveness in the global marketplace is dependent upon the stability, infrastructure, policies, and practices of the nations with which it does business. A nation’s competitiveness is fundamentally interconnected with its businesses and while on the world stage, it is tied to its globalist and nationalist strategies. There are objective approaches to measuring various dimensions of national outcomes of competitiveness from economic, political, and social platforms. Many internationally recognized indices seek to offer standard-based, objective perspectives and associated data on what constitutes nation-state greatness. These indices are based upon a globalist perspective, acknowledging that a nation’s competitiveness is in relationship …

Voluntary Simplicity: An Exploration Through Text Analysis, Apollo Demierel

Barowsky School of Business | Faculty Scholarship

Overconsumption poses severe ethical problems and causes harm to the environment. Today many individuals change their consumption practices and actively limit their overall consumption due to ethical and environmental concerns. This article focuses on voluntary simplicity, a sustainable lifestyle phenomenon that comprises environment-friendly consumption practices as an innate characteristic. This paper offers a fresh and nuanced understanding of voluntary simplicity through the lens of social cognitive theory (SCT) and by examining textual content generated by voluntary simplifiers on Facebook. Five thousand three hundred thirty-six Facebook posts and comments were scrapped and examined using sentiment analysis, associative networks and cluster analysis. …

Why Do Cognitive Prompts Hurt Learning In Older Adults?, Kurt Kraiger, Thomas M. Cavanagh, Collin M. G. Willis

Barowsky School of Business | Faculty Scholarship

The purposes of the present investigation were to attempt to replicate the negative effects for learning prompts in older adults reported by Cavanagh, Kraiger and Peters (2016), determine if the impact of learning prompts depends on type of prompt, and investigate the two possible explanations of the negative impact of prompts – increased cognitive load and higher negative affect. Learning prompts refer to short text inserted into training content to encourage trainees to rehearse new content or engage in meta‐cognitive activity. Although learning prompts generally lead to greater learning in training, Cavanagh et al. reported a negative impact for prompts …

Does Economic Freedom Matter To Foreign Direct Investment In Sub-Saharan Africa, Brinda Sooreea-Bheemul, Uzma Shataz Rasool, Rajeev Sooreea

Barowsky School of Business | Faculty Scholarship

This paper examines whether economic freedom matters to inward Foreign Direct Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa. A key contribution of this study is that it uses disaggregated measures of economic freedom from the Heritage Foundation and the Fraser Institute to unveil which components of economic freedom matter for inward FDI in a sample of 40 SSA countries during the 1997-2016 period. The estimation is done using panel data models with fixed and random effects. The results indicate that higher overall economic freedom is a key determinant of inward FDI in SSA. However, there is clear evidence that it is regulatory efficiency …

The Relationship Between Leadership Style And Personality Type Among College Students, Samantha Easley

Honors Theses

A successful leader must evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each team member in order to ensure the most workplace success. Research has shown that an individual’s personality type is related to his or her personality style and contributes to how well someone responds to the leadership style. The goal of this study was to look at the personality types of undergraduate college students and assess the relationship to their preferred leadership styles. A positive relationship between both personality traits openness and extraversion with a more transformational leadership style. A positive relationship between both personality traits conscientiousness and neuroticism with …

Proving Yourself: How Top Executives Relate Their Leadership Experience, Ellen S. O'Connor, Denise M. Lucy

Barowsky School of Business | Faculty Scholarship

We asked 30 top executives (CEOs, COOs, and Presidents) to describe their paths to and in office. Our purpose was to explore how executives practice leadership in the way they discuss their experience. We identified three structures that interviewees used: the full proof, a thesis statement backed by evidence; the narrative plot, a trajectory toward a goal; and the signature story, a defining leadership experience. We argue that structuration proves leadership; that is, full proofs and narrative plots communicate dependability and signature stories convey realism. We also constructed paradigmatic narratives or representative experiences of leadership, which suggest an experiential curriculum …

Best Practices In A Clinical Development Project Management Office (Pmo) To Achieve A Reference Standard In The Pharmaceutical Industry, Russell Guinto

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Medications are developed by the pharmaceutical industry starting with the discovery phase, proceeds to preclinical trials, moves into clinical trials (progressing from Phase I to Phase III), and if the data are positive, may lead to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Once approved, post-marketing surveillance for safety is required as long as the drug is marketed to consumers. This phase may also include clinical trial Phase IV studies if additional safety testing is required. This process usually takes between ten to fifteen years, with clinical development taking seven to ten years of that time (1). Clinical development can …

Social Media Marketing Strategies In The Organic Food Industry, John Haff

Senior Theses

This study used content analysis to review the social media marketing strategies of the organic food industry. The results reveal which social media channels are being used and which social media marketing strategies are being used. Qualitative techniques were used to generate a pool of eight organic companies. The social media channels used were highlighted by Chanthinok, Ussahawanitichakit, and Jhundra-indra (2015) as those used by frequency and the ability of the application to achieve the desired marketing goal. The marketing strategies assessed were categorized first as transformational or informational and then further subcategorized by the way it is perceived by …

The Sustainable Future Of The Modern Fashion Industry, Zhanna Kutsenkova

Honors Theses

Sustainable fashion is a recent movement within the fashion industry that aims to reduce textile waste and environmental depletion while increasing ethical treatment of workers; the goal is to slow down the global production and consumption process in order to form an industry that will be more sustainable in the long run. Along with the development of more socially and eco-conscious production and marketing practices, there is still room for the sustainable fashion movement to grow beyond its current scope. With the support of growing information networks and brand transparency consumers will be better equipped than ever before to make …

The Magic Behind The Magic: Discovering Why The Walt Disney Company Is So Successful, Chloe Becker

Honors Theses

One might not realize the empire standing behind the brand name “Disney” and what has gone into the creation of such a multifaceted business model that is leading the industry. While Disney, officially called The Walt Disney Company, has hand-crafted every element of the magical experiences and creations they put forward, there is an underlying business model and leadership skill-set that has brought the company ahead of the rest. It is within the social sciences that we can focus on this model and how it affects the rest of the film and mass media companies who strive to mimic the …

Understanding Youtube Culture And How It Affects Today's Media, Jessica A. Zanatta

Senior Theses

The rise and growth of YouTube has created some of the biggest social media and marketing entrepreneurs and has enabled its audience to navigate the platform to their liking. Because of the business franchise YouTube has become a catalyst for famous YouTube creators, regular people with a dream to make it in the “Hollywood Industry.” YouTube provided the resources to these stars, so they would could share their content and be given the opportunity to partner with other Public Relations and Marketing teams for other businesses.

The Sustainable Future Of The Fashion Industry, Zhanna Kutsenkova

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Sustainable fashion is a recent movement within the fashion industry that aims to reduce textile waste and environmental depletion while increasing ethical treatment of workers; the goal is to slow down the global production and consumption process in order to form an industry that will be more sustainable in the long run. Along with the development of more socially and eco-conscious production and marketing practices, there is still room for the sustainable fashion movement to grow beyond its current scope. With the support of growing information networks and brand transparency consumers will be better equipped than ever before to make …

The Fdi-Political Risk Nexus: Some New Insights, Meghan M. Nelson, Rajeev Sooreea, Gigi Gokcek

Barowsky School of Business | Faculty Scholarship

Most of the existing literature in the FDI-political risk nexus has focused on the creation of economic models to assess foreign investment decisions in the presence of political risk. This is entirely legitimate and valuable as foreign investors are interested in assessing the political risk climate of their investment location. However, not much research has been done to assess how FDI could affect political risk. Globalization implies an increasing amount of cross-border investment and trade flows. For some countries, FDI is a huge component of their GDP. Since FDI is a composite bundle of capital stock, knowledge and technology (Balasubramanyam …

Cognitive Prompts Fail To Moderate The Impact Of Stereotype Threat On Older Adults’ Training Performance, Thomas M. Cavanagh, Kurt Kraiger, Janet Peters

Barowsky School of Business | Faculty Scholarship

Using a sample of 131 adults aged 55 to 70 years, researchers employed a 2 x 2 between-subject design to investigate whether cognitive prompts would counteract the negative effect of stereotype threat on older adults’ training outcomes. As hypothesized, stereotype threat negatively affected training outcomes. Contrary to expectations, cognitive prompts also negatively affected training outcomes, worsening the negative impact of stereotype threat. Results are discussed within the framework of cognitive load theory.

Bsg: Strategic Decision Making For An Athletics Footwear Company, Mekdi Yilma

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

No abstract available

Synchonizing U.S. States' Strategic Plans To Increase Exports To Emerging Markets, Jayati Ghosh, Denise M. Lucy, Françoise O. Lepage

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The United States seeks to increase and expand exports to emerging markets. The majority of U.S. firms (98 percent) are small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with only 1 percent engaging in exporting. The Federal and State Governments encourage SMEs to expand exporting through the National Export Initiative (NEI) and NEI/NEXT initiatives. This paper examines NEI’s progress and strategies by leading U.S. exporting states, export activity to BRICSA, states’ alignment with NEI and the extent to which NEI has facilitated federal and state collaboration. Further, it reviews NEI/NEXT objectives and strategies to internationalize U.S. business practices.

An Analysis Of The Changing Competitive Landscape In The Hotel Industry Regarding Airbnb, Dean D. Lehr

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

This thesis analyzes the competition between hotels and Airbnb in San Francisco. Airbnb is an internet platform that allows hosts to rent shared space, private rooms or homes to tourists. This study identifies the affect Airbnb has on hotels, workers, renters, neighborhoods, and tax revenue.

Interviews and research was engaged with travel industry professionals. Hoteliers were found to be apathetic about the competition between hotels and Airbnb.

Airbnb can be a meaningful experience between hosts and tourists. Budget travelers might not travel if not for low Airbnb rates. Airbnb rooms supplement hotel inventory during extraordinary events.

This utopian view …

Fast Fashion: At What Cost?, Fiona Hall-Roulac

Senior Theses

Fashion has played a large role in society and the production of clothing has greatly changed for American consumers over the past hundred years. I will examine the notion of fast fashion and how these practices have changed how people shop and as a result how workers work. I will examine how some companies are creating transparency by showing their factories, actual prices of the goods, as well as focusing on small locally produced goods and the cost for Americans receiving low cost fast fashion goods. The 20^th century marked the industrial revolution where clothing production greatly transformed. It …

The Affect Of Utilizing Social Media Marketing In The Publishing Industry, Lauren V. Kretzschmar

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

In the publishing industry, marketers have found it difficult in the past to market directly to consumers, so they were mainly focused on marketing to other businesses and retailers. Recently, there has been a shift in the way publishers market, and they are now utilizing social media to market directly to potential customers. Implementing social media marketing allows publishers to establish a relationship with their readers. It also provides a platform for companies to promote content marketing, and for readers to converse and share testimonials about the books. Delivering content marketing is becoming an essential part of marketing in the …

The Left Bank Brasseries: The Evolution Of A French-Inspired Restaurant, John A. Sansone

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Due to the high failure rates of restaurants in the United States, many studies have come up with various reasons to explain the underlying causes of such a phenomenon. One key study by Parsa (2005) suggests, “Restaurant failures have been attributed to economic and social factors […]” and “Restaurant failures can be studied from economic, marketing, and managerial perspectives.” In particular, lack of capital is a major contributing factor for restaurants failure and researchers agree that a restaurant without a sufficient amount of capital will not survive because of three major expenses: overhead, labor, and food cost. Today’s service industry …

“I Love Lucy” Gender Analysis And Its Influence On Popularity And Longevity, Brianna Knoll

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

This thesis takes an analytical approach to examine the television show I Love Lucy. The contributing factors to the show’s continued success are considered, including Lucille Ball’s comedic style, domesticity and the role of housewives, marital relations, pregnancy on television, and the larger gender representations with a subtopic of social norms. Upon studying the above aspects of I Love Lucy, it is clear that each topic played an essential role in the success of the show. Ball’s comedic style combined with her portrayal of a 1950s housewife, and the social norms that she and her co-stars broke through …

The Left Bank Brasseries: The Evolution Of A French-Inspired Restaurant, John A. Sansone

Student Research Posters

Due to the high failure rates of restaurants in the United States, many studies have come up with various reasons to explain the underlying causes of such a phenomenon. One key study by Parsa (2005) suggests, “Restaurant failures have been attributed to economic and social factors […]” and “Restaurant failures can be studied from economic, marketing, and managerial perspectives.” In particular, lack of capital is a major contributing factor for restaurants failure and researchers agree that a restaurant without a sufficient amount of capital will not survive because of three major expenses: overhead, labor, and food cost. Today’s service industry …

California's Contributions To The U.S. Export Profile, Denise M. Lucy, Françoise Lepage, Jayati Ghosh

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Small to medium sized enterprises (SME) are the engine of the United States economy. And the world’s emerging economies offer great opportunities to expand. However, only 1% of U.S. SMEs engage in the international marketplace. Efforts at the national level to expand all U.S. exports, and especially those of SMEs, depend upon each state in the union to participate in this venture. As a key contributor to the U.S. economy, California’s and its vast majority of SMEs, play a key role in U.S. export profile. This paper describes the export landscape of the top five U.S. states, focusing on California’s …

The Art Of The Kaizen Approach For Sugar Production In Ethiopia: Lessons From The Methara Sugar Factory, Asayehgn Desta

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) deals with fundamental organizational change, or is the great-leap approach to redesigning and retooling. It seeks to bring a radical approach to creating a breakthrough in organizations trapped in outmoded and outdated business processes. Top managers and consultants design new ways of doing things and force companies to go beyond continuous improvement of existing products, services, and processes. Though innovative, BPR is being challenged by some companies looking for a strategic remedy that will contribute to the sustainable improvement of their performance and quality, add value for their customers while minimizing cost and eliminating waste. To …

Analysis Of Kaizen Implementation In Northern Ethiopia’S Manufacturing Industries, Asayehgn Desta, Hadush Berhe Asgedom, Alula Gebresas, Mengstu Asheber

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The Kaizen manufacturing processes in Japan have revolutionized the way enterprises deliver products to their customers. Given ambitions to advance, retain market share, and satisfy their domestic market while expanding into the international market, it has become a dream for many manufacturing companies similar to Japanese manufacturing enterprises to build a culture of continuous improvement. In other words, a number of foreign companies are striving to acquire the habit of improvement using kaizen, as well as to focus on a customer-driven strategy to improve productivity and the quality of products and services by continuously amassing marginal improvements over time. Mapping …

Why Self-Proclaimed Kaizen Management Is Becoming Very Fashionable In Ethiopia? An Observation, Asayehgn Desta

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Despite the current economic slowdown in Japan (for example, according to Global competitiveness, , Japan's stance has declined from 8 in 2009/10 to 9 in 2011/12, see for example, Kitaw, 2013, it is very interesting to note that a number of public and private enterprises in contemporary Ethiopia are proclaiming that the Japanese kaizen management strategy (meaning change for better or continuous improvement involving everyone in the organization) would restore for them the quality and quantity of their products. It is generally assumed that implementing the kaizen management technique in Ethiopian firms would create competitive products (i.e., products with lowest …

Understanding The Impact Of The Global Economic Crisis On U.S. Smes' Trade Exports To Bric, Jayati Ghosh, Denise Lucy, Françoise Lepage

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The global economy offers vast trade opportunities for U.S. businesses. United States’ SMEs are grossly under-represented in the global market. It is essential that U.S. SMEs adopt a global approach by expanding trade focus to include the emerging BRIC markets. Demographics and increasing purchasing power in the emerging countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) offer significant trade potential for U.S. SMEs export expansion. However, there are external and internal barriers to expanding beyond the NAFTA region. Free trade agreements reduce trade barriers, while creating opportunities for U.S. exports. Although US SMEs face their own set of challenges to …

Reversing Ethiopia's Intellectual Capital Flight, Asayehgn Desta

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Recently, the Ethiopian Government drafted a five year plan (2010 to 2015) to achieve the country’s economic growth. When Ethiopia’s Growth and Transformation plan was analyzed in light of the new growth theory and traced historically in terms of the push and pull factors that contributed to the flight of skilled Ethiopians to more advanced countries, it was found that over the years Ethiopia has funded the education of its nationals only to see them contributing to the growth of developed countries. Being stripped of skilled human capital, leaving it ill prepared to face globalization and survive in the new …