Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Visual Cues And Service Behavior On The Consumer Retail Experience, Taylor Bjerk

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

With product differentiation low in the retail industry, businesses need to create strong brand images and increase customer loyalty in order to remain competitive. Visual merchandising is one tool that businesses have to communicate their message in a compelling and strategic manner. Within the scope of visual merchandising there are a number of atmospherics, or cues, which include visual, tactile, and auditory, that can be used in conjunction with one another to influence consumer behavior. Service encounters also have a strong influence on the consumer retail experience and must be managed effectively to make sure their influence is positive. All …

A Step In The Right Direction, Kyle Draper

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The Small Enterprise Education and Development (SEED) Program is a semester long internship through the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. Through the program, students are able to travel abroad and "teach basic business and financial principles to local entrepreneurs ... to break the poverty cycle by teaching others to become self-reliant and improve their standard of living in a sustainable way"

Targeting The Weak: A Content Analysis Of Violence In Advergames, Arshak Papazyan

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

With a rising trend of targeting children using various means of advertisement, the popularity of advergames has significantly increased. Although previous research suggests that negative content in advergames result in less favorable attitudes toward the game (Waiguny, et al., 2013), the presence of violence in advergames targeted to children aged three to ten years is significantly high. Despite the growing concern regarding violence in advergames and other means of advertisement targeted to children, research has not yet investigated the actual amount of violence in advergames. To shed light on this important issue, the present research discusses results of a descriptive …

Cultural Influences On Women In Leadership: An Extension Of The Hofstede And Globe Dimensions, Wendy Bosshardt

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Technology has forever changed the face of business. Although in the past business markets have been limited to local geographic areas, the concept of outsourcing has opened a diverse spectrum of international markets. An increase in suppliers and consumers can improve business effectiveness and efficiency, but entering international markets can be detrimental if the business is unaware of the subtle differences the new market has in regard to leadership styles and cultural values. Hofstede's cultural dimension analysis has been the primary research study for many industry and academic professionals (Bond 2002; Hofstede 1997). However, many scholars are questioning whether Hofstede's …

The Affordable Care Act: Five Years Later, Andrew Dana Izatt

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The challenges facing the American health care system are well known and manifold. The United States pays substantially more for its health care than any other developed, industrialized nation. Per capita health care spending in 2012 was $8,745, up from $356 in 1970 without marked improvements in life expectancy, quality of life, or outcomes. But despite all of our health spending, large portions of our population go without health insurance. Being uninsured carries real consequences. A report published in the American Journal of Public Health, by researchers at Harvard Medical School, using statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and …

Bringing The Best Of Business To School Administration, Michael Antony De Filippis

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The disciplines of business and school administration are recognized as distinct and separate in purpose, product, and operation. While fundamental differences do exist between the two, school administrators have a need for application of business principles in order to manage an educational institution. Schools are, at their foundation, organizations relying on effective management, budgeting, public relations, value creation, etc. Despite this need, school administrators often come from backgrounds in teaching rather than management.

Research was conducted from secondary sources and personal interviews with teachers, university professors, and school administrators to examine the similarities between administration in business and schools. The …

Women-Owned Business Branding: Consumer Behavior Based On Hedonic Vs. Utilitarian Positioning, Gracie Leeann Arnold

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Similar to the "country of origin" effect, branding a business with a specific ownership may have an effect on consumer purchasing behavior; but, as this trend grows so does the amount of research on how this effect is manifested. Large, powerful companies like Wal-Mart, Ex-IM Bank, and Toyota have recently launched initiatives to promote women-owned business enterprises by targeting women-owned suppliers. Women-owned business have seen unprecedented growth and market share in the past decade. In response, Wal-Mart has pledged to source $20 billion in goods from women-owned businesses by 2016. Wal-Mart began using the "Women-Owned" business logo (WOB) that was …