Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact On Gay Men Of Support And Enforcement Of Workplace Dei Policies: A Meta Analysis, Steven M. Vega

Student Theses and Dissertations

The poor enforcement of workplace DEI policies affects gay men in ways that are unique and invite close attention. The nature of the impact of missing or unsupported DEI policies on gay men has been widely debated in the field of human resources and communication studies, with scholars such as David Wicks, Helen Seitzer, James Ward, and Diana Winstansley arguing that these effects include lasting negative mental and physical health effects and discomfort with self-disclosure in the workplace. However, the existing research on this topic has not sufficiently considered the effects of the poor enforcement of workplace DEI policies side …

Coming Together: The Street Vendors Of Corona Plaza, Hannah Bottum

Capstones

Of New York City’s 20,000 street vendors, nearly all of them are immigrants, and most are unlicensed. This makes them vulnerable to harassment, fines, and even arrest. In Corona Plaza in Queens, vendors are coming together to push for change. This is their story.

De los 20,000 vendedores ambulantes de la ciudad de Nueva York, casi todos son inmigrantes y la mayoría no tienen licencia ni permiso. Esto los hace vulnerables al acoso, multas e incluso la detención. En Corona Plaza, en Queens, los vendedores se están organizando para impulsar el cambio. Esta es su historia.

The Experiences Of Nyc's Social Equity Cannabis Initiative, Jimmie J. Mckinney Ii

Capstones

This capstone is a photo essay documenting the experiences of a few recreational cannabis dispensary applicants. These stores will be some of the first legal dispensaries in NYS and owned by those once arrested for cannabis-- and their families. Photography, text, and videography are incorporated in the project.

Here is a link to my capstone website: https://readymag.com/u2050520461/4094571/

Limpieza De Asbestos En La Ciudad De Nueva York, Ariana G. Perez-Castells

Capstones

This is the story of how asbestos is removed in New York City, and who carries out the work. It's unclear how much more asbestos abatement is left in the county, and the U.S. has not completely banned the dangerous material, unlike over 50 other countries across the world. Both of these things could change soon. A new study that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will carry out by December 2024 would give us a better picture of how much asbestos there is still in buildings and how much more removal work is to be done. At the same time, …

Some In Corporate America Have Followed Through On Their Commitments To The Black Lives Matter Movement, But The Black Community Has Yet To Be Convinced., Brianna M. Monsanto

Capstones

Nearly three years following George Floyd's murder back in 2020, corporations are continuing to follow up on their commitments to the Black community. However, the Black community has yet to be impressed.

Link to Project: https://briannamonsanto64.wixsite.com/cuny

Cookies, Pop-Ups And Commercials: How Tech Companies' Privacy Promises Are Preserving Their Data Dominance, Cailley Lapara

Capstones

As antitrust sentiment focused on Big Tech from regulators and consumers grows, companies like Google and Apple and more have announced plans to move away from the behavioral ad business model that brought the companies to the size they are today. This trend is marketed to customers as a way to address their growing concerns over privacy and data collection. It also comes as the companies face sweeping antitrust litigation and legislation that would break up the firms. But the companies' claims of moving towards privacy are sketchy at best, and appear to serve as a way for the companies …

Secondhand Shopping Is Now The Coolest Way To Get Your Clothes, Camryn Quick

Capstones

Shopping secondhand has experienced an uptick in popularity in the past few years. There are a few reasons for this, all of which are examined in the project. One reason for the increase in secondhand shoppers is the daunting news about the state of our environment. Another reason, perhaps even more powerful than the fear of environmental collapse, is that thrifting has become a fashion phenomenon showcased and distributed throughout social media apps like TikTok. Essentially, shopping secondhand has become cool. This project explores these driving forces behind the thrifting boom, as well as the possible impacts, including "thrift store …

Financial Institutions Continue To Adopt Crypto Despite Industry Turmoil, Andre Beganski

Capstones

Even though this calamitous year has raised doubts about crypto's future, not a single large financial institution has backed away from their forays into digital assets. And despite a period of turmoil that’s seen the market value of all cryptocurrencies crater to under $880 billion from over $3 trillion, many sizable firms continue to view crypto as an emerging sector of finance and technology that’s rife with opportunity.

While financial firms have the potential to foster a widespread perception of cryptocurrencies as a legitimate asset class, their involvement runs counter to the intent of those who pioneered blockchain technology for …

New York Set High Sights On A Progressive Retail Weed Industry. But The State Now Stands To Fall Short., Trina Mannino

Capstones

Almost a year-and-a-half after New York legalized recreational marijuana, state officials and other industry insiders praise what they view as the country's most socially equitable cannabis industry. But as New York prepares to launch its legal retail dispensary program, rollout details remain murky. The state also faces challenges with the legal industry’s most significant obstacle: illicit sales. If the state doesn’t deliver an equitable and robust market, New York risks winding up with a sputtering legal industry that could cause harm to the very people and communities it intends to lift up.

Link: https://trinamannino9.wixsite.com/mannino-mckinney

The Bronx Solidifies Itself In The Fashion World With Borough-Based Nonprofit, Nicholas R. Hernandez, Demetria Osei-Tutu

Capstones

Bronx-born nonprofit organizer, Flora Montes, founded Bronx Fashion NYC in 2014. The organization aims to establish Bronx-centric fashion-event opportunities and better representation in an industry where access is often unattainable for people of color or of limited means—or who happen to come from the Bronx, a borough often perceived by some as un-chic despite boasting a culturally thriving history of innovation in both fashion and music.

With Bronx Fashion NYC, Montes is working on putting Bronx models and local designers on the map with multiple fashion shows and paving the way for the future with the addition of a start-up …

Serving Behind The Screen: Practical Recommendations For Best Practices On Social Media For Government Practitioners, Livianette Cabrera

Student Theses and Dissertations

The usage and importance of social media continues to grow in our everyday life, however, governments lag on using the platforms to the fullest extent. This study aimed at learning what best practices should government practitioners exercise to meet constituents needs and provide services and information online. Through oral histories conducted with a small pool of participants, four themes emerged which helped to answer the research question. Findings illustrated four main traits/themes were essential if social media managers wanted to excel at their job: Competent Strategic Senior Management, Effective Community Management, Mission and Value Alignment, and Customized Curation. Through an …

The Value Of Nfts, Angelina Tham

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Non-fungible token stories have flooded the media since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. NFTs have changed the public’s views on art, finances, and the self. The emergence of Web 3 redefined ways of self expression with the help of NFTs. What are NFTs, how are they valuable, and how will they shape the future of digital art? The data visualization for this project indicates that the most popular type of crypto art is in the style of a profile picture. The discussion suggests that NFTs are in their infancy and there will be more to come from digital art, …

Lost In Digitization: Physical Products Are Vessels For Social Meaning, Oden H. Groth

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The explosion in digitization means that consumers increasingly have the opportunity to choose between digital and physical versions of products — for example, between an eBook and a paperback book. However, despite the popularity of digital objects, many people nonetheless prefer physical equivalents. This dissertation explores one reason why this may be the case; namely, that physical versions of objects and products are better vessels for social meaning. In chapter 1, explore the specialness of physical objects, and posit that materiality is critical for holding and embodying significance. In chapter 2, I investigate the effects of product format on perceptions …

Bondholders’ Influence On Corporate Disclosure: Evidence From Capital Expenditure Forecasts As A Firm’S Commitment, Sae Young Yoon

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This paper addresses how firms cater to bondholders’ demand for additional information by examining capital expenditure (capex) forecasts prior to bond issuance. While bondholders’ demand for additional information incentivizes firms to be more transparent, the importance of macroeconomic factors and comparable bonds outstanding in bond pricing might, however, decrease the benefit of additional disclosure. Using the difference-in-differences approach, I document that firms provide more capex forecasts prior to bond issuance. This increase in capex forecasts is detected when bonds are issued for capital expenditure purposes or when investment-restricting covenants protect bondholders. Next, I find that firms provide more conservative capex …

A Survey Study Of Speech-Language Therapists’ Experiences With Teletherapy At The Onset Of The Covid-19 Crisis, Jason A. Rosas

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The present study aimed to understand how delivering pediatric treatment services via ‘teletherapy’ affected speech-language therapists (SLTs) during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis in 2020. SLTs reported on their experiences with the change from in-person to remote service delivery via two national surveys distributed at the start of the pandemic between April 2020 and July 2020. To explain SLTs’ survey responses, this dissertation introduced the Professional Adaptation Model (PA Model). The PA Model facilitated evaluation of the SLTs’ professional environment and the psychological constructs of their professional identity believed to influence the transition to speech-language teletherapy. Specifically, …

The Euro And Bumps In The Road: Historical Patterns Of Nonresident Holdings In Eurozone Bonds, 1980–2018, Michael H. Scarlatos

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

A developed bond market which attracts nonresident investors both enables and reflects a host currency’s transition from domestic to international status. My analysis of historical private nonresident holdings of Eurozone portfolio debt securities spanning the euro’s 1999 creation and its subsequent 2008 crisis reveals diverging patterns.

This analysis, complemented by coefficient stability tests, discovers that the conversion of national currencies to the euro was reflected by a pickup in nonresident holdings of bonds issued by countries adopting the euro, especially those of the periphery (Portugal, Ireland, Italy and Spain) relative to the core (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, and the …

The Effects Of Network Structure And Social Information On Contribution Performance On Crowdfunding Platforms: An Experimental Investigation, Yanni Hu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The long-term potentiality of online communities and activities depends critically on contribution behaviors of online individuals. In this dissertation, this study deepen and extend our understanding of contribution behavior by applying contributions to crowdfunding platforms, whereas social networks, social information, and social influence affect people’s contribution decisions, which in turn influences their contribution performances. Specifically, this study looked into how contribution behavior at crowdfunding platforms is shaped at a fundamental level of social interactions initiated by social and information technologies on contribution performance, using online and natural experiments as study methodologies.

Examining the effects brought by online social interactions on …

Comparing The Environmental And Social Factors Of Uk And Us Firms: A Case For Stringent Disclosure Regulation, Jasmine Pybas

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Variation in “good” corporate behavior can be observed across countries. Corporate social re- sponsibility (CSR) can be measured with a quantifiable environmental, social, and governance (ESG) score, which was developed in part from investor demand. ESG scores are popular among investors to make sound, responsible investment decisions and corporations to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable business practices. In a comparison of environmental and social fac- tors of US and UK firms among three industries, the British outperform their American counter- parts. The degree of disclosure regulation by their respective financial authoritative bodies ac- counts for this discrepancy.

Economic Policy Uncertainty And Non-Gaap Reporting, Ryan H. Wynne

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study investigates the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on non-GAAP reporting. Prior research documents that numerous factors influence the frequency and quality of non-GAAP earnings disclosures, but the expected association between EPU and non-GAAP reporting is unclear. On the one hand, greater EPU may increase investor demand for additional financial information, while on the other hand, more EPU may lead to less non-GAAP disclosure by making core or recurring earnings more difficult to predict. Additionally, greater EPU may provide increased opportunity for managers to use non-GAAP reporting to mislead investors. I document a significantly positive association, on average, …

Just Between You And Me: Private Financial Transactions Signal Communal Traits And Enhance Others’ Willingness To Cooperate, Lennay Chapman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Increasingly, consumers’ everyday interactions are facilitated by online platforms. One notable feature of many online platforms is that they give consumers the ability to interact privately or publicly. Interacting publicly (e.g., by sending a public payment) can reveal private information pertaining to two or more consumers; this is known as co-owned information. The present work examines disclosure decisions about co-owned information in the context of peer-to-peer financial transactions. We propose that choosing a private mode of transacting represents a socially mindful behavior, as it considers partners’ preferences and preserves their future ability to keep private or disclose the transaction details. …

Corporate Reputations Measured And In Practice: How Can Corporations Stay Authentic To Their Positive External Depictions, Internally?, Valeene Wilson

Student Theses and Dissertations

This research paper discusses corporate reputation and how companies can stay authentic to their positive external reputations internally. Organizations are getting better at communicating who they are but fall short in fulfilling broader reputation goals. To be managed, corporate reputations must be measured. Fombrun introduced the Reputation Institute and the RepTrak measurement system, which builds on research done on leadership, employee engagement, and the evolution of corporate reputation. This paper dives into how to assess a corporation’s reputation using the aggregate reputation ranking RepTrak as a frame for the analysis of qualitative data, collected on four organizations and supplemented with …

Citizenship As A Social Determinant Of Health: Healthcare Access And Utilization In The Wake Of The Public Charge Policy Change, Errol Pierre

Student Theses and Dissertations

Research shows that many non-medical factors, called social determinants of health, impact health outcomes. These social determinants include both socioeconomic factors, such as income and education, and public policies, such as laws and regulations affecting access to healthcare. This study proposes that citizenship status is also a social determinant of health and supports this proposition by examining the impact of citizenship status on healthcare access and utilization in New York. The study data consist of enrollments, disenrollments, and paid medical expenses incurred by patients enrolled in Medicaid or the Essential plan, both of which are government-sponsored health plans. In addition …

Muslim Fashion Influencers Shaping Modesty In The Twenty-First Century On Social Media, Awa Sanno

Student Theses and Dissertations

The depiction of Muslim women in Western media has been a long-running joke, as they are framed to be oppressed by the burdens of their religion and the hijab. However, Muslim women have used the power of social media to counter that narrative through their large followings as fashion influencers, digital creators, food bloggers, makeup artists, lifestyle bloggers, musicians, and so much more. Specifically, Muslim fashion influencers are changing and redefining the notion of modesty throughout their posted content on social media. Many people in Muslim communities see this redefinition of modesty as a conflict with the "proper" ways of …

Diversity And Inclusion In The Beauty And Cosmetic Advertising And Its Impact On Corporate Reputation, Lisa N. Alli

Student Theses and Dissertations

Across many industries, reputation management has been a top priority, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing issues surrounding gender, race, and ethnicity. The beauty and cosmetic industry, for example, continues to face several challenges involving diversity and representation in product development and advertising. This is a study of the beauty and cosmetic industry and how corporate reputation is shaped by representation in advertising and product development. This research demonstrates select ways how brands have marketed their products throughout history by retrieving print advertisements from archives and social media. Changes in representation of gender, age, skin tone, skin type, …

Development Of The Patient Propensity Indicator: Measuring And Predicting Antecedents Of Insights Into The Individual Management Of Healthcare, Julie Monroid

Student Theses and Dissertations

This research describes the development of the Patient Propensity Indicator (PPI), a reliable and valid measure, which is grounded in the rigorous conceptualization and operationalization of psychometric (ability, attitude, belief), health literacy, and learning preferences constructs and their effect on medication adherence. Adopting a well-established protocol for instrument development (DeVillis, 2017) the PPI’s multi-construct items were developed based on the findings from an extensive literature review both within and outside of healthcare.

An expert assessment of 130 items was conducted by a distinguished judging panel who provided validation of the constructs and item reduction (87). Refined constructs and items were …

The Use Of Ethnonyms In Communication Strategies, Cristina B. Gonzales Otoya Villanueva

Student Theses and Dissertations

This research aims to explore the effectiveness of the language used in external communications, including brand campaigns already launched targeting different ethnic groups, with a particular emphasis on the Hispanic, Latino and Latinx communities. The final objective is to provide recommendations on the appropriate use of ethnonyms in their marketing strategies while authentically approaching their target market to generate brand affinity and long-standing trust.

Differences Between Brand Activism And Corporate Social Responsibility In Consumer Perception, Erika Marchiondo

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to determine if there is a perceived difference among consumers between brand activism and corporate social responsibility. Taking a stand in social and political causes has become an unspoken requirement for major brands. Consumers are selective about purchasing from brands that do not adhere to ethical practices. Consumers are also demanding increased brand transparency about the philanthropical causes brands support. I want to determine how aware consumers are of acts of corporate social responsibility and brand activism, and if consumers are able to identify a fundamental difference between behaviors associated with the two terms. …

Millennials In The Workplace: Recalling Critical Incidents Of Negative Feedback, Jocelyn C. Key

Student Theses and Dissertations

The Millennial generation has become one of the largest groups in the workplace and reports needing constant feedback from their supervisors. However, previous research has suggested that while Millennials desire feedback, they only want it to be positive. This research study examined the critical incidents of negative feedback that Millennials employees and supervisors recall receiving and giving. The study consisted of a qualitative survey with multiple-choice and open-ended questions. The sample comprised of 61 respondents who identified as a Millennial – born between 1981-2000 and between the ages of 22-41 – and full-time employees, the equivalent of 35 or more …

The Significance Of Sonic Branding To Strategically Stimulate Consumer Behavior: Content Analysis Of Four Interviews From Jeanna Isham’S “Sound In Marketing” Podcast, Ina Beilina

Student Theses and Dissertations

Purpose:
Sonic branding is not just about composing jingles like McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It.” Sonic branding is an industry that strategically designs a cohesive auditory component of a brand’s corporate identity. This paper examines the psychological impact of music and sound on consumer behavior reviewing studies from the past 40 years and investigates the significance of stimulating auditory perception by infusing sound in consumer experience in the modern 2020s.

Design/methodology/approach:
Qualitative content analysis of audio media was used to test two hypotheses. Four archival oral interview recordings from Jeanna Isham’s podcast “Sound in Marketing” featuring the sonic branding experts …

The Shopping Experience: Pandemic Edition, Katie De Paula

Student Theses and Dissertations

This study is an initial dive behind the decline of shopping malls and stores across America. More specifically, how did the pandemic caused by COVID-19 contribute to the closure and bankruptcies of many shopping malls. Will the e-commerce business eventually take over and be the primary way consumers obtain their items?