Business Commons^™

Examining The Impact Of Sports Influencer Advertising On Consumer Behavior In The Us And Saudi Arabia On Instagram., Mohammed Samer Alassaf

Masters Theses

This paper discusses the influence of sports influencers on the buying pattern of fans in the United States and Saudi Arabia. Sports are a crucial part of life in both countries, with numerous athletes being considered celebrities. Sports influencers have a tremendous impact on the audience, who often imitate their behavior and buy the products they advertise. The sports market is huge in both countries, with businesses utilizing sports influencers to promote their brands. Instagram is a popular platform for businesses to gain young fans and customers. The research and development of the sports industry have enabled considerable growth of …

The Effect Of Inputs On Poultry Production Output, Ty M. Wolaver

Masters Theses

To combat poverty and malnutrition, Feed the Future Tworore Inkoko, Twunguke (TI) has set out to teach Rwandan farmers how to grow broilers as additional income for the farmers and an additional protein source within the community to combat malnutrition. Throughout this program, the inputs and outputs of the farmers were recorded, and the goal is to determine an efficiency score for each flock raised and use that information to determine what factors contributed to a higher flock efficiency. A data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to determine the efficiency score of each flock. Using these efficiency scores, a regression …

The Role Of Athletic Trainers In The Mental Health Care Of Student-Athletes, Dominic J. Palumbo

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of athletic trainers (ATs) in the mental health care of NCAA Division I student-athletes. Previous research has explored the current experiences of both student-athletes and ATs, along with the current models of care that are prevalent in Division I athletic training rooms. Research described the student-athlete population as unique. According to Beauchemin (2014) the life of a student-athlete “presents challenges and stressors related to athletic status that can lead to a compromised well-being.” This compromised well-being could potentially lead to mental health diagnoses among the student-athlete population. Along with student-athletes, …

Cell Phone Ethnography: Mixed Methods And The Brand Consumer Relationship, Robert Nathaniel Dove

Masters Theses

Overall, the goal of this study is to identify and differentiate the various motivations and cultural influences that can be used to explain consumer behavior. In doing so, this study hopes to facilitate the development of new and innovative marketing strategies, providing a new research design for the ethnographer’s toolkit. More importantly, this model can give shape to new constructs and new variables for further empirical testing in the field through quantitative and qualitative methods. By blending the two approaches, using qualitative interpretive anthropological analysis by field study with quantitative sentiment analysis adapted from market researcher Jeffery Breen’s (2012) methodology, …

Effects Of Optical Sensing And Variable Rate Technology On Nitrogen Fertilizer Use, Lint Yields, And Profitability In Cotton Production, Melissa Reynolds Stefanini

Masters Theses

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer is expensive and can be harmful to the environment. Precision agriculture (PA) has the capability to reduce the amount of excess N from crop production released into the environment, increase net returns to the grower, and reduce the risk of profit loss due to spatial and temporal variability. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the profitability, risk management potential, and N use efficiency of using real-time optical sensing with variable-rate technologies (VRT) to manage spatial variability in cotton production. Data collected from 29 field trials in Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri from 2011 to 2014 …

Consumer Perceptions Of A Brand's Social Media Marketing, Taylor Michelle Smith

Masters Theses

This project seeks to inform corporate marketing efforts, as well as add to the growing body of literature on social media marketing. The purpose of this project is to assess consumer perceptions of a brand’s social media marketing. Participants were obtained from the PetSafe® brand Facebook fan page, and a total of 195 respondents completed all measures and were included in the study. The results show that brands must be actively engaging their consumers via social media in order to compete in a competitive marketplace. Engagement can be promoted through entertaining and interactive posts, useful and relevant content, word of …

Intensity Of Adoption Of Direct Marketing Strategies Among Fruit And Vegetable Farmers In Tennessee, Carey Ann Wolanin

Masters Theses

Consumer interest in fresher foods has increased over the past few years and has stimulated the growth of direct-to-consumer outlets. Tennessee currently hosts many types of direct food outlets, including farmer markets, CSAs, roadside stands, and pick-your-own operations. Using data from a 2011 survey of Tennessee fruit and vegetable producers, factors associated with the percentage of sales fruit and vegetable producers make through direct-to-consumer outlets or intensity of adoption of direct-to-consumer marketing strategies are evaluated using fractional logit and logit regressions. Findings suggest that the percentage of sales a producer makes through direct-to-consumer outlets is associated with farmer age, the …

Projecting A Preferred Identity: How Five Government Contractors Frame Their Corporate Brands Online, Nicole A. Merrifield

Masters Theses

This study expands framing research as a competitive intelligence tool for discerning the message strategies of a company’s competition. A content analysis of five Oak Ridge Associated Universities’ competitor websites was conducted to determine key subject areas and how each competitor positioned their business to a variety of publics. Using Entman (1991, 1993) and Hallahan’s (1999) framing research as the theoretical framework, the study reviews extant literature on corporate use of websites to frame reputations and cultivate relationships. Key findings reveal that ORAU’s competitors are more likely to promote new business, new hires/promotions, awards/honors, and project completions when issuing press …

Evaluation Of Capital Investment And Cash Flows For Alternative Switchgrass Feedstock Supply Chain Configurations, Jie Chen

Masters Theses

Biofuels have been widely recognized as a potential renewable energy source, and the United States’ government has been interested in producing ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass such as switchgrass. To evaluate whether lignocellulosic biomass based biofuels production is economically feasible, this paper estimated the capital investment outlays, operation costs, and net present value for investment in alternative switchgrass feedstock supply chain configurations in East Tennessee a 25 million gallon per year ethanol biorefinery. Two scenarios are analyzed in the study. The conventional hay harvest scenario includes the production, harvest, storage and transportation of biomass feedstocks from the fields to the biorefinery. …

Exploring The Effectiveness Of Environmentally Sustainable Practices In Municipal Government: A Case Study Of The City Of Knoxville’S Department Of Parks And Recreation, Anthony Michael Brown

Masters Theses

Sustainability practices produce programs and services that meet current needs while preserving the environment and natural resources for the future. City parks and recreation departments are facing budget shortfalls and increasing expectations from customers. Governments are now embracing sustainability practices to create financial savings while also fostering relations with customers.

The purpose of this single case study was twofold: (1) to examine the effectiveness of one city department’s strategies in outsourcing its environmental sustainability program through a performance contract with Ameresco; and (2) to examine the perceptions of key department employees about the effectiveness of the sustainability initiative. A …

Effective Change Communication In The Workplace, Amy Lynn Harp

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate effective change communication in the workplace by utilizing goal setting theory. Due to potential validity issues with previous organizational communication audit research, a multi-methods study was devised to investigate and construct a new measure for effective change communication in the workplace. Preliminary interviews along with previous research were utilized to construct a survey questionnaire gauging effective change communication in the workplace. Over 1,000 employees at a large, health-services companies participated in the study. The results from the study yield a framework for evaluating effective change communication on individual (i.e. behavior, trait, and …

"Motorbike Guide For Westerners": Entrepreneurial Development And The Creation Of A Cultural Tourism Product In Transitional Vietnam, Karl Russell Kirby

Masters Theses

Vietnam is undergoing economic transition from a command economy to an economy with greater market characteristics. Transition is fundamentally reshaping the country through economic liberalization and increased exposure to foreign markets. The Vietnamese are developing institutions necessary for market growth and international tourists are arriving in ever-larger numbers. This research project is a case study of businesses that provide guided motorbike tours and evaluates the businesses based on two criteria: as a study of institutional growth during economic transition and as an examination of tourism production through guide interpretation. The author interviewed and observed sixteen guides in Vietnam—from Dalat in …

Professional Preparation Of The Ncaa Division I Athletic Director: An Occupational Framework, Jeffrey Charles Spenard

Masters Theses

The study collected occupational data from the 99 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I membership institutions head athletic directors. The purpose of this study was to identify common professional preparation and occupational characteristics among NCAA Division I athletic directors. Through issuing an electronic survey, the current study identified common characteristics and themes among Division I athletic directors specifically within the socio-demographical background, educational background, professional experience and career progression, and career and job satisfaction. The study also provided demographic information about the participant’s institutional athletic department. The necessity of this study is not due directly to the current lack …