Digital Commons Network^™

Roles Of Acquirer Financial Advisors In M&A Deal Completion, Scarlett Pho

Senior Theses

The central theme that this thesis addresses is the role of valuation by investment banks who act as financial advisors to M&A buyers by answering two questions relating to the process. The first question is if buyers should hire investment banks for a higher chance of success of deals. For the second question, I will examine buyers who hire investment banks for some certain characteristics of deals. This study focuses on M&A deals that happened between 2012 and 2015, especially between advisor and nonadvisor, successful and failed deals. The conclusion presented in this thesis will be contributable to the understanding …

Cancel Culture In College: A Phenomenological Study To Define Cancel Culture In The College Generation, William D. Morgan

Senior Theses

The history of civic activism dates back centuries and in 2021, with the increased role of technology and social media, civic engagement rates are at all-time highs in the United States. The rise in popularity of smartphones and social media applications have given consumers new ways to connect with like-minded peers and develop a unified voice to fight for movements towards equality and justice in the US economy. College students represent a large point of emphasis for public relations and marketing teams as their generation is entering the US consumer market with high rates of social media use to make …

Advertising And Social Media Strategy For America’S National Parks: A Case Study Of Congaree National Park, Abigail Gallup

Senior Theses

Advertising for America’s National Parks comes in many different forms but is highly limited for national parks with lower visitation rates and less funding. Congaree National Park located just outside of Columbia, South Carolina has a small budget for advertising and goals to increase their visitation rates and visitor diversity. Particularly, Congaree rangers hope to increase visitation from the local Black community which surrounds Congaree National Park. Rangers at Congaree mainly use social media to advertise but have also investigated other forms of advertising and fundraising as well, including a Friends of Congaree Swamp license plate. This thesis will show …

Roles Of Acquirer Financial Advisors In M&A Deal Completion, Scarlett Pho

Senior Theses

The central theme that this thesis addresses is the role of valuation by investment banks who act as financial advisors to M&A buyers by answering two questions relating to the process. The first question is if buyers should hire investment banks for a higher chance of success of deals. For the second question, I will examine buyers who hire investment banks for some certain characteristics of deals. This study focuses on M&A deals that happened between 2012 and 2015, especially between advisor and nonadvisor, successful and failed deals. The conclusion presented in this thesis will be contributable to the understanding …

Inditex: A Case Study In Transferring Fast Fashion To International Markets, Anna Stooksbury

Senior Theses

Using Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. (Inditex) and its subsidiaries as a case study, this thesis is an analysis of the largest fashion group in the world and its success in transferring a unique fast fashion business model into almost 100 markets worldwide. This thesis examines the internationalization of a large company and the steps it must take to enter into a new market, including internationalization motivations, market selection, and entrance strategies (both physical and virtual). This analysis uses an in-depth case approach to analyze the fast fashion business model that has made Inditex a success. Using extensive secondary research, …

Winning Investment: The Strategic Implications Of The Growth Of Sabermetrics In Japanese Baseball, David Trent Pagliarini

Senior Theses

This thesis examines Japanese baseball and how the use of analytics and statistical research has been implemented into Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), compared to its North American counterpart, Major League Baseball (MLB). Due to the large financial implications of the MLB, teams have fully adopted the use of advanced metrics to find competitive disparities and advantages in roster construction, game strategies, and player development. Because of the long history attached to baseball in Japan, many cultural differences have adapted the game and recently slowed the growth of sabermetrics. While the NPB is beginning to understand the competitive value that analytics …

The Role Of Small Businesses In American Culture And Economics, Molly Meinhart

Senior Theses

This paper seeks to address and prove the role small businesses play in the makeup of the American economy and culture. Through an analysis of key economic measures such as GDP, employment, and international trade it is made clear that small businesses contribute substantially to both the domestic and global economies. An exploration into the history of small businesses in America as well as the current small business landscape is conducted to solidify the idea that small business is built into the culture of the United States. Interviews were conducted with current small business owners in differing industries and personal …

The Benefits Of A More Physically Active Workforce In The Corporate World, Dillon M. Billingham-Hemminger, Jacob D. Locke

Senior Theses

With the ever-expanding knowledge of the benefits of physical activity and good general health for all aspects of our lives, it should be quite surprising that activity levels are declining at accelerating rates. After taking a deeper look into the probable cause for this phenomenon, it becomes clearer that the increasing pressures of workplace culture are leading to more sedentary lifestyles.

This paper looks at the benefits of physical activity on people and on corporations, specifically workplace disease prevention and wellness programs, to see if there exists a mutualistic relationship between the two. For people, physical activity was consistently found …

The Evolution Of Cyber Risk And The Cyber Insurance Market, Abigail Chase

Senior Theses

Insurance and hedging instruments can help corporations manage many of the operational and financial risks they face. Yet, additional complexities are introduced now that many risks are increasingly interdependent and thus strongly correlated, making them more challenging to manage. Few risks illustrate this challenge better than cyber risk.

This thesis will focus on the increasing attention that the management of cyber risks receives in corporations, institutions and industries, and the role that insurance and risk management strategies play in mitigating this risk. The decision to focus on cyber risks—and the financing and management of those risks—is directly related to the …

Elements Of Effective, Engaging, And Enjoyable Education Environments, Ivan Harjehausen

Senior Theses

I explore three elements of effective education that promote student development. First, a classroom culture that encourages students to be responsible for managing their own learning rather than relying on the teacher can boost student learning. Two ways of accomplishing this are teachers communicating high expectations for students and teachers normalizing the concept of failure by acknowledging that making mistakes is an essential part of learning.

Second, teachers can model the skills and attitudes they hope to cultivate in students. Children learn by observing behavior of parents then imitating; these same learning mechanisms do not stop in childhood but rather …

Meat Alternatives: The State Of The Industry, Barriers To Adoption, And Overcoming Barriers, Steven Maler

Senior Theses

The world faces many environmental problems that can be linked to human activity, including links to the production of food. The meat industry is often seen as a major contributor to such problems. Meat alternatives are often proposed as a way to address these environmental problems. However, these products face barriers when it comes to their adoption by consumers, and firms that produce meat alternatives must overcome these barriers to be successful. I used data from a variety of academic works, newspaper articles, research reports, and company websites to find that these barriers are related to taste, nutrition, convenience, expense, …

Emergent Trends In The Chinese Counterfeit Pharmaceutical Supply Chain And Opportunities For Public-Private Reform, Mary Monk

Senior Theses

This research seeks to identify and analyze emerging trends in the Chinese counterfeit pharmaceutical trade, extending from the supply chain’s point of origin to domestic and overseas retail dispensary. To aid readability, Chapter 1 of this thesis opens with key conclusions and policy recommendations for various Chinese and U.S. stakeholders based on the shortcomings identified in Chapter 5. Chapter 2 begins with a review of international roadblocks to diagnosing the issue, such as lack of consensus on working definitions and cross-border discrepancies in pharmaceutical oversight regulation. This section also provides a general overview of existing factors driving demand for counterfeit …

Analysis Of The Relationship Between Covid-19 And Employee Satisfaction In Luxury Hotels, Renee Bawcom

Senior Theses

This paper investigates the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and employee satisfaction in luxury hotels. Through a review of the existing body of scholarly literature about factors affecting employee satisfaction, and new collection and analysis of data on the topic, the identification and evolution of factors affecting employee satisfaction was explored. In reference to companies’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, luxury hotel employees’ levels of satisfaction were analyzed. The analysis concluded that the widespread changes made to the luxury hotel industry in response to the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a negative impact on employee satisfaction.

Ironing Out Anemia: Assessing The Role Of Marketplace Factors And Government Investment Incentives In Shaping East African Pharmaceutical Markets, Madison M. Bradley

Senior Theses

Africa suffers from the highest disease burden in the world, with over half of the population lacking regular access to essential medicines (Owoeye, 2014, p.214; Chaudhuri & West, 2015, p.23). Following two decades of reform, the continent has now emerged one of the fastest-growing economic regions, shifting public health focus toward non-communicable diseases (NCDs) (Holt et al., 2015, p.2). Among these NCDs is anemia, which has direct and indirect economic effects as large as 4.05% of GDP (Horton & Ross, 2003, p.51). Encouraged by the rapid growth of liberalized markets, African governments and health officials are now considering local pharmaceutical …

The Female Sports Fan Experience: How Women Consume Sports And How Sports Are Marketed To Women, Natalie Elser

Senior Theses

This study analyzes the growing subsection of female sports fans. Through a review of scholarly research articles, this study examines female sports fan motivations and behaviors and how they differ from the classic male sports fan. Additionally, this study aims to investigate how sports marketing executives try to appeal to women as sports consumers and how these practices have begun to change in recent years. This study will provide a summary of existing research on female sports fans along with a review of marketing initiatives used to engage female sports fans.

Carolina Consulting Scholars Cohort: Enabling Students To Be Stronger Analytical Thinkers And Problem Solvers, Alexis Mcconomy, Justin Farley

Senior Theses

Undergraduate students at the Moore School currently have limited avenues to pursue management consulting upon graduating from the University of South Carolina. The Darla Moore School of Business has academic excellence initiatives that have led to great success from certain programs and centers; however, there lacks a formalized support system to help students looking for internships or full-time roles in consulting. Our proposed Consulting Scholars cohort seeks to gather top students from all majors and offer them a cohort that will educate and prepare them for success as future consultants. By leveraging existing classes within the Management department and the …

The Budding Disruption Of Blockchain Technology Upon The Current Structure Of The Music Industry, Bradley Rauman

Senior Theses

One of the most pertinent opportunities within the music industry, and many other industries as well, stems from the use of blockchain technology. Blockchain’s core technology, which enables smart contracts and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), could be used to restructure and decentralize the music industry to be in alignment with the best interests of artists - the individuals responsible for driving the success of this industry.

The current system is outmoded. It evinces a disparity in the level of information held by artists and intermediaries (i.e. labels, publishers, and streaming services) and this disparity enables intermediaries to deduct egregious fees that …

The Dominance Of Masculinity: How The Expectation Of Stereotypical Gender Role Performance Undermines The Productivity Of Gay Men Working In Public Accounting Firms, Joshua Leinheiser

Senior Theses

Discrimination against LGBTQ employees in business settings has been shown to be a problem and negatively affects these employees’ productivity and well-being. In particular, discrimination against gay and other queer men often stems from the view that homosexuality is emasculating and conflicts with traditional expectations of male gender performance. This is seen as undesirable in business since traditional masculinity is seen as useful due to its association with competitiveness and control.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether this paradigm extends to the workplaces of public accounting firms. A survey containing questions about gender, sexuality, gender expression, experiences …

An Evaluation Of The Sustainability Of The Palm Oil Industry, Leah Marie Roberts

Senior Theses

The goal of this thesis is to critically analyze the sustainability of the rapidly growing palm oil industry in order to diagnose whether the benefits of production outweigh the varied costs incurred by stakeholders, how the industry can be improved, and what analytical tools consumers can use to make better purchasing decisions. The body of the thesis begins with a discussion on sustainability definitions and determines that for this paper, sustainability will be defined as analyzing the socioeconomic and environmental effects of palm oil and how they affect different actors of the value chain in order to allow for prescriptions …

Business Responses To A Pandemic In A Global Economy: Case Studies Detailing The Impact Of Covid-19 On Medical Supply Chains, Lowell Hundley Coleman

Senior Theses

This paper details the best practices of three multinational medical supply companies in their efforts to overcome supply chain disruptions stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Through a series of case studies on the supply chain responses of 3M, Becton Dickinson, and Honeywell between January and December of 2020, this paper highlights the strengths and weaknesses of their respective supply chains, company cultures, and mitigation strategies and provides useful insight into what actions medical supply companies will need to make going forward to prevent and reduce supply chain disruptions amidst future global pandemics.