Business Commons^™

Catholicism Online: How The Church Is Communicating In The Visual Field, Alexandra Barfield

Honors Theses

ABSTRACT

Given the rise and importance of social media in the last two decades, religious institutions, especially the Roman Catholic Church, have an important place online to fulfill their mission and belief of spreading the Gospel message. Communicating this message on social media and with contemporary marketing practices is an opportunity and a challenge for churches, Catholics, and apostolates alike. In this study, I analyze a variety of Catholic-related Instagram accounts and interview individuals involved in Church management and content creation. This primary research is prefaced with secondary research exploring the status of the Catholic Church in the United States, …

The Life Of Una Estudiante Americana: Here Y Allí, Madeline Kastel

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyze the differences between studying Spanish at an American university, Western Michigan University, in Kalamazoo, Michigan to that of a study abroad program at La Universidad de Burgos, in Burgos, Spain in three main areas: teaching styles in classes, extracurricular activities and student experiences.

To begin this study, it is important to note the differences in demographics and available public transportation where each study took place: Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA and Burgos, Spain. In Kalamazoo, students have the option to use the city bus system, the Metro, for free, but tend to use their …

Covid-19 As An Industry Accelerant, Betty Huang

Honors Theses

The coronavirus pandemic, declared as a national emergency on March 13th, 2020, has caused extreme social and economic disruption all over the world, forever leaving a distinct imprint on history. Although many companies struggled immensely, either barely pulling out of the pandemic alive or having to completely shut down, several other companies have found ways to flourish during this unprecedented time.

The beginning of the pandemic brought lowered advertising rates. Several companies made the marketing decision to run campaigns during this time to take advantage of these lowered rates while creating a company response to the pandemic itself. The world …

Grasping The Intangible: The Perseverance Of Physical Music Media In A Digital World, Sam Youmans

Honors Theses

Music is a unique economic good with several interesting characteristics: as an art form, its value is immensely subjective and changes with the culture; it is most widely consumed via online streaming platforms but still embedded onto physical formats and sold through retailers; and the United States music business had to pivot through substantial economic disruption at the turn of the century with the advent of peer-to-peer file sharing. Given the digital world in which we live, this thesis explains why people still purchase music on physical formats. This is accomplished by discussing revenue data from the past few years, …

Fakes, Forgeries, And Value Perception, Pearson Moore

Honors Theses

Fakes and forgeries generate a false sense of value in the art market that changes the perception of authentic works. Understanding the difference between a fake and a forgery is essential for explaining the schemes of deceivers who have fooled the art market into believing their work is of grandiose value and prestige. The creation of a forged piece or fake provenance documents requires immense artistic skill and a talent for breaking the rules. Examining famous figures and the criminal cases against them is a great way to work backwards from their “successes,” tracing the alleged origins of the piece’s …

Representation Matters: African American Female Readers’ Perceptions Of Young Adult Literature, Asia Harden

Honors Theses

In 2019, only 6% of U.S. children’s books published were written by black authors. This portion of the publishing industry, and particularly the category of young adult literature (YA) has room for improvement when it comes to African American representation. To identify how this lack of representation affects readers, this study was broken into two parts which resulted in obtaining the African American female YA author perspective, as well as African American female readers. J. Elle and Kristina Forest were interviewed in the first portion of the study, and three focus groups were conducted in the second study with 13 …

Media, Marketing, And More – How Social Technology Is Changing The Face Of Small Business, Lily Reynolds

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify the ways in which social media and marketing technology advances are affecting small retail businesses. A total of three interviews were conducted with working professionals in different areas along the fashion supply chain, and were contacted based on common acquaintances. Each interview was conducted over the phone, and lasted between ten minutes and half an hour, with guided and supplemental questions focusing on their experiences with technology in their fields. The results showed that each area was affected in numerous ways, from superficial business changes to advancements at the cores of their …

Mindstate: A Capstone Project, Kyle Petronio

Honors Theses

Objectives For four years, I have been trying to release music under the moniker of Rookie Plenty. Aside from a few songs on Bandcamp, my releases have been few and far between. In addition to releasing music on streaming platforms, MindState: A Capstone Project is an experiment in exploring genre fluidity. Many mainstream musical projects released in the twenty-first century are often genre constrained and demonstrate minimal sonic deviation between songs. This extended-play album is an attempt to exemplify a mastery of genre conventions while branching outward into new musical territory.

Methods To demonstrate an understanding of genres, I focused …

The Textile Industry: A Deep Look Into The Environmental Impacts Of Fast Fashion, Jordan Miller

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research was to understand the detrimental effects the textile industry has had on global environments and ecosystems across the globe. The textile industry for many years has continued to disregard the current acceleration of global warming and other environmental crises, and it is time the fashion industry holds itself accountable for these actions and takes a change in a new, more sustainable future. With proper education of the environmental pollution the textile industry has made, young consumers will be able to make the change necessary for businesses to develop more sustainable habits for the future production. …

Producing Thacker Jr. A Guidebook To Production & Reflections Of A Student Director, Ava Street

Honors Theses

This narrative documents a student’s preparation and execution of the children’s music and literature program entitled, Thacker Jr. Radio Hour. The author documents and analyzes experiences over the course of two academic years preparing and producing the program. The author describes the process of production including content creation, marketing, budgeting, fundraising, and casting. The author recounts and reflects upon her experience in the role of Thacker Jr. Executive Director and her desire to create student-centric arts programming. Finally, the author evaluates the immediate impact of the program on the LOU community and predicts how her experience will shape her …

Cooperating For Charity: The Effect Of Decentralization On French Associations, Ragan Ketrow

Honors Theses

This thesis explored the relationship between the decentralization laws of 1982 and 1983 in France and French associations as well as the resulting lack of exceptionalism in the French nonprofit sector. This thesis explores the claims of the French nonprofit scholar Edith Archambault as she argues that the steep rise in associations in France in the 1980s is due to the legal changes that occured during that same decade. In order to evaluate these claims, I used regression tests to compare the relationship between the growth of associations and other variants including economic growth, disposable income, and government expenditure. In …

‘How Has Art Refocused Consumers’ Attention Within A Visual World Through The Exploration Of Package Design?’, Frances Hackney

Honors Theses

The art of design has refocused the attention of consumers as they have entered into a visually demanding world. While this concept is complex and perplexing, stemming from endless influencing factors, the elements of design can be broken down into areas of focus to dissect the visual world of marketing. A simple way to communicate the influence of design on the consumers is to unveil the answers through the study of art.

In this thesis, the study will turn to the world of art to learn more about consumerism. The goal is to understand how visual images and the ongoing …

“Damn, You Reek Of Pr”: Anti-Establishment Rhetoric And Resistance To Advertising Within Science Fiction Film Discussions In The Reddit Movie Community, Bailey R. Tinsley

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Cartel Practices And Policies In The World War Ii Era, Caleb Yoken

Honors Theses

The goal of this thesis is to examine cartels in the World War II era: how and why they operated, why they existed, and any assistance they may or may not have received from their respective governments. This thesis, in particular, will focus on three countries, the United States, Germany, and Britain. Cartels are typically defined through the lens of monopolized business activity that can deal with anything from petroleum and steel to pharmaceuticals, and take actions to restrict output and raise prices to eliminate their competition. The research finds that cartels that operated in Europe during this era were …

Highway 61: Good Roads, Great Migrations, And Delta Blues, Samuel Willcoxon

Honors Theses

This thesis analyzes the social and racial factors that contributed to the cultural significance of U.S. Highway 61. First, I explore the background of road building and transportation in the United States. Next I detail the history of convict labor in the South, from convict leasing to convict labor on roads as a result of the Good Roads Movement. Third, I describe how economic and social conditions contributed to the out-migration of southerners during the twentieth century. Lastly, I analyze how social conditions spawned the Mississippi Delta blues, and how Highway 61 became a symbol of opportunity for blues musicians.

Who Is The Fairest Of Them All? Disney’S Depiction Of Non-Normative Embodiment In Its Villainesses, Caroline Bradley

Honors Theses

The world of Disney has long been criticized for the lack of empowered princesses, racial representation, and unrealistic body images in its princess films. While steps have been made to provide a fairer representation through the bodies of the princesses, there has not been much progress in the way villains’ bodies are depicted. Most Disney villains exhibit a form of disability or non-normative embodiment including missing limbs, old age, or fatness. This thesis will analyze the bodies of three well-known Disney villainesses from three different eras—The Evil Queen, Ursula, and Mother Gothel—and will demonstrate how their bodies reflect the historical …

Business And Plurilingualism: The Advantage Of A Foreign Language, Anabelis E. Martinez

Honors Theses

Nowadays, global economy has implications that suggest the need for an adaptation to operate efficiently in this new environment. Is bilingualism a skill that professionals should be acquiring? To investigate this aspect, I am researching how many online job postings come out over the course of a week asking for language proficiency across three different business specialties (Accounting, Management and Marketing). My project will answer the following questions: How often do job openings require bilingualism within the sample? Which states have a higher demand for bilingual candidates? And which languages are the most sought after?

Applying Nehemiah's Leadership Characteristics In The Business World Today, Amanda Abbud

Honors Theses

As a Business major interested in Biblical studies, I studied leadership skills found in the biblical book of Nehemiah. My research involved identifying key leadership characteristics from Nehemiah's life, then comparing and contrasting these characteristics with books such as Hand Me Another Brick by Charles R. Swindoll and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader by John C. Maxwell. Also, I gathered information from New American Commentaries Ezra Nehemiah and Esther by Leslie Allen, and Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther by Mervin Breneman.

The Sustainable Future Of The Modern Fashion Industry, Zhanna Kutsenkova

Honors Theses

Sustainable fashion is a recent movement within the fashion industry that aims to reduce textile waste and environmental depletion while increasing ethical treatment of workers; the goal is to slow down the global production and consumption process in order to form an industry that will be more sustainable in the long run. Along with the development of more socially and eco-conscious production and marketing practices, there is still room for the sustainable fashion movement to grow beyond its current scope. With the support of growing information networks and brand transparency consumers will be better equipped than ever before to make …

Western Michigan University’S Department Of Dance Marketing Plan, Cassandra Hartline

Honors Theses

The following report constitutes the formal marketing plan for the department of dance at Western Michigan University. This plan is intended to synthesize all of the marketing related information pertinent to Western’s dance department and provide easy one step access to this material at any time. The other purpose of this plan is to dictate the primary objectives the department is looking to accomplish through implementation of marketing tactics.

The first primary objective includes increasing visibility of the department of dance as a whole to both our primary and secondary target audiences; the second objective is to create innovative marketing …

St. John Publishing Business Plan, Nicholas Leo

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Tanzanian Art: Attracting Tourism And Constructing A Packaged African Image, Ben Washburn

Honors Theses

Over the past thirty-or-so years, there has been a large increase of tourism in East Africa. In the coastal town Bagamoyo of Tanzania, many young men have made a career out of the tourist-industry – by producing tourist art. In this paper, I analyze the lives of local artists in Bagamoyo, as well as argue that they brand their art in particular ways that align with their ideas of tourist expectations and preconceived ideas of Africa. I argue that these artists practice different types of branding – primarily depicting Africa as primitive and wild, as they see producing art as …

Detection And Depletion Of Digital Cameras: An Exploration Into Protecting Personal Privacy In The Modern World, Jessica Sanford

Honors Theses

As all forms of technology become more integrated into our daily lives, personal privacy has become a major concern. Everyday devices, such as mobile phones, have surveillance capabilities simply by having a digital camera as part of the device. And while privacy and secrecy seem to go hand in hand, it is not always the case that one does not care about privacy because they have nothing to hide. For example, everything from unflattering photographs to being unknowingly and perhaps criminally surveilled, are ample reasons to desire some means of combatting the not so candid presence of digital cameras in …

The Origins And Evolution Of Corporate Sponsored Film, Clara Boesch

Honors Theses

Though possibly one of the most extensive genres in cinematic history, corporate sponsored films have been largely untouched by both historians and film critics. This thesis explores the origins and evolution of corporate-sponsored film resulting from the technological and economic climate of the nation from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. It references the works of a few specialists in the field such as Rick Prelinger and Walter Klein, among others, as well as contemporary publications such as the trade journal Business Screen. In addition, it critically analyzes corporate-sponsored films from the pre-and post‐war periods to identify the …

Unionization And Income Inequality: The Impact Of Labor Union Participation On Income Inequality In The United States, Terence Finnigan

Honors Theses

Using Current Population Survey data in the period from 1996 -2011, this paper analyzes the relationship between labor union participation and income inequality in each of the 50 U.S. states. Since the 1970s the income gap in the United States has grown steadily and today the United States is the most unequal of all OECD countries (with the exception of Mexico and Turkey). In the past ten years alone, the disposable income for middle class families in the United States has shrank by a figure of 4 percent. In addition to rising income inequality, labor union participation has been on …

Gender And Career Success In Public Accounting, Jessica L. Rowe

Honors Theses

Public accountants, students, and others evaluated career success and the effect of specific activities on career success. The results suggest that gender bias is not pervasive in public accounting, at least with respect to overall assessments of success, but male and female accountants do appear to weight differently various activities that contribute to career success. This may explain, in part, why women hold fewer public accounting leadership positions than men even though women appear to have an advantage over men when they begin their careers.

Wmu Career And Student Employment Services – Present Practices And Future Recommendations For Employer Relations, Amanda Jeppesen

Honors Theses

Career services offices currently find themselves in a rapidly changing environment. Due to economic hardship, students and employers are expecting more effective and fruitful engagement, and offices must create innovative solutions to provide such engagement on shrinking budgets. Career services staff charged with conducting employer relations activities are charged with brokering these relationships between employers, students, faculty and staff, and the offerings of their departments. The purpose of this study is to determine current practices for the career services offices at Western Michigan University, Oakland University, and Central Michigan University. Then, best practices identified by industry experts will be explored …

Discovery Of Timbuktu: Geopolitical Rivalries And Myths, Katherine Van Meter

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the exploration and discovery of Timbuktu primarily focusing on the travels and narrative of René Caillié the first European to publish his successful journey to Timbucku in 1828. Timbuktu since the thirteenth century had become a romantic mystery for Europeans and stimulated massive interest in its discovery by major geographical Societies. Through a mixture of primary and secondary sources I am able to analyze the geopolitical rivalries and myths surrounding Timbuktu that would instigate the travels of twenty-five English, fourteen Frenchmen, two Americans and one German which the majority of resulted in death. Examining Caillié’s published narrative …

The Military-Industrial Complex: Tracing The Effects Of Defense Production On General Electrics Growth Wwii-1970, Jeffrey Lounsbury

Honors Theses

This thesis examines General Electric's role within the Military-Industrial Complex from World War II to 1970, with a particular focus on how defense work affected General Electric’s growth during this period. The study relies heavily on two General Electric publications, the company's annual reports and The General Electric Monogram, and is also based on a number of secondary sources. For purposes of analysis, this thesis has been divided into three periods: WWII-1952, 1953-1961, and 1962-1970. Each section details General Electric's work as a defense contractor, indicates what portion of the company's total sales was from defense production, and describes how …

Fashion And Cosmetic Advertising In Three Magazines In The 1950s: How Advertising Shaped Societal Expectations Of Beauty, Lindsey B. Sloan

Honors Theses

Since its creation, print advertising has affected how women perceive beauty and has shaped the trend of consumer purchasing, as well as the social status of women. This thesis analyzes three women’s magazines—Life, Ladies’ Home Journal and Ebony and evaluates how the advertising of fashion and cosmetics portrayed ideals of beauty in the 1950s and how the advertisements may have shaped or reflected class differences and racial perceptions in mid 19th century America. In order to accomplish this analysis and to evaluate how fashion and cosmetic advertising may have differed based on targeted demographic, advertisements from the months April and …