Business Commons^™

Fostering Coastal Destination Resilience In Maine: Understanding Climate Change Risks And Behaviors, Lydia Horne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tourism is an increasingly important global industry. Coastal and nature-based tourism destinations are especially vulnerable to climate change. Trends in visitation are expected to shift under changing climate conditions, influencing tourist travel behaviors related to destination selection, timing of visits, and activity participation. Tourism suppliers’ adaptation and mitigation behaviors have the potential to alleviate negative shifts in visitation and respond to negative climate change impacts, while also enabling suppliers to take advantage of emerging opportunities. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand how tourism stakeholders, including tourism suppliers (i.e., business owners, managers) and consumers (i.e., visitors), perceive their risk …

An Economic Analysis Of Using Retired Vessels To Create Artificial Reefs In Costa Rica, Josué González

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The Republic of Costa Rica is a Central American country with only 0.03% of the world’s landmass, but 5% of the world’s biodiversity, making it a leading ecotourism destination. Ecotourism is one of the main sources of revenue for the country, but the degradation of coastal reefs has resulted in a significant loss of financial income for developing areas. As a result, many of these areas are searching for methods to revert the degradation of coral reefs.

Artificial reefs play an important ecological role in marine ecosystems due to their complexity and size. They help in the development of …

Kids These Days: Corporate Social Responsibility And Generational Influence On Consumer Intention, Maya Mathis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Millennials are known for being a unique generation that places a high value on improving their community. They are also unlike any other generation because they are harder to market to since they are more aware of common marketing strategies used by companies today. Millennials want to improve the community and expect others to do the same. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a popular topic and has gained momentum in research over the years; understanding the relationship between CSR and millennials is important due to the generational shifts. Therefore, this study examines the importance of CSR to different generations and …

The Corporate Venture Dyad: A Study Of The Impact Of Cultural Distance On Venture Performance., Tommie R. Welcher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Even though corporate ventures (CVs) provide many benefits to established corporations, they continue to fail at a high rate. Whereas research supports that a corporation can gain a parenting advantage over its competitors (Campbell et al., 1995), there is no evidence to support that starting more CVs leads to more successful CVs. Parenting advantage theory postulates that if a corporation with a parenting advantage starts a venture then that venture will be more successful than if any of their competitors had started the same venture (Campbell et al., 1995). CVs are typified by dynamism and innovation, but established corporations have …

Health Insurance Plan Design And Chronic Disease Management, Daniel E. Feldman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Each year, Americans spend more money on health care than any other industrialized nation, despite comparable mortality rates for people with risk factors for heart disease. The reasons for this lack of health care value in the US are numerous and complex – including market distortions like supplier-inflated pricing and regulatory structures that enable consumers to utilize ubiquitous, high-cost medical technologies that yield uncertain benefits. Health insurance, once thought to be an insignificant contributor to rising health spending, has changed considerably in the past few decades in ways that make it more accessible and more generous in coverage. Health insurance …

Identifying Competencies And Outputs Of Sss Role In Stem Bridge Programs In The Silicon Valley, Alexandra C. Duran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study identified the competencies and outputs associated with the role of student support specialists (SSS) in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) bridge programs in the community colleges of Silicon Valley. The growth of STEM education, coupled with the increasing diversity of student population in community colleges, has made the work of SSS professionals in the region challenging. While the SSS professionals are often positioned as comprehensive, nonacademic support for STEM students, not enough has been documented on the competencies and outputs associated with SSS role in STEM bridge programs. In addition, most studies on student affairs professionals primarily …

Differences In Opportunity Evaluation Between Corporate And Independent Entrepreneurs., Alireza Aghaey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Opportunity evaluation is a critical step in the process of entrepreneurship and is the main precursor to entrepreneurial action. This is true for both corporate entrepreneurs and independent entrepreneurs. However, these two groups may evaluate entrepreneurial opportunities in different ways because they operate in different contexts and have different decision-making schemas. In my dissertation, I use an “entrepreneurial cognition” perspective to explore such differences. By using two major theoretical lenses – i.e. resource availability and tolerance for uncertainty – and employing a conjoint experimental design, I compare and contrast decision policies of corporate and independent entrepreneurs captured in real time. …

Perceptions And Challenges Of Female Workplace Mediators And How They Overcome Them, Gaedria B. Goodwin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This holistic case study with embedded units was conducted to understand and describe the perceptions of female workplace mediators and if they encounter stereotypes, bias, and other challenges as mediators in the state of Texas. Ten female workplace mediators in Texas participated with in-depth, semistructured interviews and an open-ended survey response describing a unique experience they had while mediating workplace disputes. A cross-case synthesis analysis of the results was then conducted with journal notes, literature on gender inequality, mediation, alternative dispute resolution, and Goffman’s theory of stigma. The results of this qualitative research can provide additional alternative dispute resolution techniques …

Opening Gates: Elevating Corporate Social Responsibility Communication And Strategic Philanthrocapitalism For Social Change, Beth E. Michalec Ph.D.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In today’s global marketplace, the Aristotelian notion of philanthrôpía manifests in myriad terms and meanings: corporate social responsibility, corporate citizenship, social entrepreneurship, venture capitalism and philanthrocapitalism, to name a few. Now, nonprofit organizations and foundations are building on the social and financial capital of successful business titans, such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Ted Turner, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and others, to address ongoing and growing social issues of health, education, and poverty worldwide. This dissertation will explore the question: Is philanthrocapitalism the next paradigm to elevate global corporate social responsibility efforts? To answer this question, I draw on Jürgen …

Trends In Advertising: How The Rise In Artificial Intelligence May Influence The Field Of Content Strategy, Joel Eaton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Whereas prior research on artificial intelligence has dealt with automation in fields like medicine, engineering, and computer science, this research study seeks to answer the question, “To what extent can AI be creative in the context of content strategy?” To answer this, this study employs content analysis using 16 online news and blog articles from primarily marketing organizations to identify and explain key variables surrounding the relationship between the computer and the creative professional. This study has found that the core belief that AI will play the future role of creative assistant in the context of content strategy is shared …

Web Analytics: Best Practices For An Organization’S Successful Performance; A Preliminary Analysis, Salma Dahbi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research presents an exploratory study concerning organizations’ best practices of Web analytics for a successful performance and the factors influencing the companies’ successful adoption of Web analytics.

A qualitative research methodology was used engaging a comprehension of Web analytics adoption using the Diffusion of Innovation theory (Rogers, 1995) and the theory building approach (Eisenhardt, 1989). Interviews with five companies from different industries were conducted.

Findings suggest that for a successful performance, companies should consider:

• Data for better decision making.

• Web analytics barriers

• Selecting the right KPIs and metrics based on the company’s goals.

• Web analytics …

Global Public Relations And Multinational Corporations: The Influence Of Culture On Public’S Reactions To H&M, Dove, And Nivea’S Media Campaigns In The United States And Nigeria, Olayinka Makanjuola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the significant impact of culture on global public relations practices using a case study analysis of Dove, H&M, and Nivea’s media campaigns between 2017 and 2019. The analysis was carried out through a structural comparison between the public’s reaction from the United States and Nigeria. Cultural variations between the two countries were examined, and how the variations impact GPR practices were explored. Social judgment theory, apologia, and image restoration theory were used as the theoretical frameworks alongside Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. This study demonstrates that understanding cultural dimensions as it applies to diverse countries operating in the global …

Exploring The Relationships Between Collegiate Sport Coaches’ Creative Productivity And Factors Of Creative Potential, Sean Flanders

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sport coaches are perceived as problem solvers who engage in creativity to handle the spontaneity of competitive activity and generate winning results. However, while creativity in athletes has been researched, little has been investigated regarding coaches. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine different aspects of creativity – person, process, press, and product – among collegiate team sport coaches in the United States. Specifically, how personality traits, ideational fluency, remote association ability, years of coaching experience, and work climate related to creative product impact and frequency. A modified creativity personality test was found to be positively …

Metaphors And Emotions In Advertising: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Audi’S Online Video Commercials, Richard Opoku Amoako

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Advertising often employs metaphor because of its rhetorical utility. By drawing on analogous imagery and language, metaphor has the potential to elicit emotional responses. As the digital age is increasingly saturated with commercial messaging, advertising experts leverage the persuasive power of metaphor and emotion to produce creative, compelling, and memorable commercials. German automobile company Audi employs metaphorical language and imagery in their video advertisements to arouse consumer emotions. In this study, I conduct rhetorical analyses of Audi’s online video commercials in order to: identify instances in their ads that employ metaphorical language and imagery; investigate how those metaphors function rhetorically; …

Emotional Appeals In Nonprofit Advertising: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Print Ads By The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation And The American Cancer Society, Dominique N. A. Harrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emotional appeals are frequently employed in strategic messaging by nonprofit organizations. In this study, I identify instances of emotional appeals in select print adverts of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the American Cancer Society, and use rhetorical analysis to explore how each organization’s tactics are strategic in their appeal to target audiences’ emotions. In doing so, I identify several reoccurring emotional themes—including hope, love, and unity—that engage their target audiences and persuade them to respond to diverse calls-to-action. In order to make these appeals to audience emotion, the adverts employ rhetorical devices such as personification, metaphor, repetition, …

"It's Personal": A Case Study Analysis Of The Strategic Management Of Resources In A Historically Black University Athletic Department., Brigitte M. Burpo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a qualitative case study examination of the strategic management of critical resources in an HBCU athletic program. It begins with a historical overview of HBCUs and HBCU athletic departments focusing on the systemic and societal influences that contributed to the current state of HBCU athletic programs. This dissertation later discusses the influence of a lack of financial resources on HBCU athletic departments further depletes the ability to operate with a competitive advantage. Chapter One focuses on the historic background of HBCUs and their formation as well as the societal influences that depleted critical resources. Chapter Two covers …

An Actor's Process In Bridging The Gap Between First-Generation And Multi-Generational African-American Identities., Mutiyat Ade-Salu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reflects my process assimilating into the role of Chelle in the production of Detroit '67 at the University of Louisville. Although there have been instances of actors crossing lines of gender, nationality, race, and even sexuality, to perform roles in contemporary theatre, discussion about generational differences is almost non-existent. Through historical research, first-hand interviews, and conventional acting methods, I explore the world of my role, searching for spirituality, authenticity, and identity. Additionally, I explain my use of The WAY Method ®, a process I began creating in 2014 to help actors be clear with who they are before …

The Making Of A Person: The Relationship Of Job Crafting And Leisure Crafting On Work Engagement, Occupational Role Salience, Job Performance And Psychological Well-Being., Joshua D. Anna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study looks at how an individuals’ ability to job craft relates to work engagement, job performance and their psychological well-being; and when job crafting opportunities are low, how leisure crafting can compensate to provide the individual similar personal outcomes. This study also examines when job-crafting opportunities are high, how these positive effects can spillover onto other aspects of an individuals’ life such as leisure. This study also examines the extent to which an individual views work as a mean of self-identification and how this relates to job crafting. A total of 303 respondents met the inclusion criteria and completed …

College Student Engagement On Campus: Attending Collegiate Sports Events, Nur Islamiah Mohamad Fuad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While attending collegiate sports events is part of the college experience, especially in the United States, there is a decline in students’ attendance at collegiate sports events shown in the past years. The purpose of this study is to (1) investigate college students' experience in attending collegiate sports events, (2) identify college students’ motivations and constraints in attending collegiate sports events, and (3) recognize possible strategies to improve collegiate sports events attendance and engagement on college campuses. A qualitative research approach, focus group, was used to facilitate discussion and interaction with a group of students sharing their experiences and perspectives …

Rural Npo Leadership In Time Of Volatility: A Study Of Nonprofit Organizations In South Dakota, Mellissa Heermann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study determined the legitimacy of the leadership gap in Nonprofit Organizations (NPOs) in South Dakota by collecting quantitative and qualitative data and then comparing the results with national studies. It aimed to understand if NPOs were more vulnerable to leadership transitions and the costs associated with them. It also provided additional insight for future research opportunities. While there were studies on larger NPOs, such as the United Way, or NPOs in more highly populated regions, there was a gap in research for rural NPOs that potentially would not be financially able to research these trends on their own. …

A Look At Vision: Perspectives Throughout The Organizational Hierarchy Of The Christian University Context, William Kyle Brantley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research supports vision as a central tenet to leadership. Just as important as the content of vision is how it is communicated. However, once a vision is cast, far less is known about how it is communicated throughout the organization and how it influences members throughout the organizational hierarchy. For faith-based organizations like Christian colleges and universities, vision is particularly important as it serves to steer the institution toward a greater realization of its faith-based identity. This study contributes to the empirical research on vision, its communication, and its effect, as both the nature and impact of vision communication within …

Assessing Public Health Workforce Informatics Competencies: A Study Of Three Health Departments In Metro Atlanta, Olatanwa Adewale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: There is a need for the public health workforce to be current and versatile in technology usage. Public health leveraging technology usage in service delivery has the potential to improve efficiency and bring it to the forefront in the provision of healthcare services. The purpose of this study was to assess public health workforce informatics competencies in select Atlanta health districts and determine the correlates of public health informatics proficiency.

Methods: A 10-item instrument adapted from the recommendations of a Working Group document by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the 2015 Informatics Capacity and …