Marketing Commons^™

From Classroom To Career: Use Of Digital Collaboration Tools To Bridge Theory & Practice, Della Clark, Kristina Kaufman, Sphurti Sewak, Peter Kaufman, Rick Valentin, Hulda Black

Faculty Publications – Marketing

Teamwork and project management skills, from in-person to remote interactions, remain central to marketing graduates’ career readiness, yet students often complete team projects with limited guidance on how to organize work, especially in hybrid and technology‑mediated environments. This study explores a pilot of integrating Miro, a widely used digital collaboration whiteboard, into classroom student projects. A pre- and post-survey design was implemented across two undergraduate marketing courses at a large Midwestern U.S. university to explore if Miro can improve students’ team‑project experience and perceived preparedness for working with emerging technologies. Students completed a questionnaire at the beginning of the semester …

Service Failures Under The Influence Of Ideological Polarization, Cheuk Hang Au

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In an era of heightened ideological polarization, characterized by intense divisions in political and social beliefs, both political and business environments face unprecedented challenges. Socio-political risks, historically explored in strategic management, have gained renewed significance as polarization amplifies their impact on business operations and consumer behavior. This paper examines Cathay Pacific as a case study to investigate how ideological polarization influences consumer reactions to service failures and controversies. Using the Belief-Action-Outcomes (BAO) framework, we analyze the interplay between polarization-driven beliefs and anti-brand actions during periods of heightened political tension in Hong Kong. Our findings offer critical insights into the role …

Employing The Marketing Mix Framework To Increase Usage Of Academic Libraries, Chantelle Swaren

The Southeastern Librarian

Academic libraries face a regular influx of new students, creating an ongoing need to increase awareness and usage. To accomplish this, many academic libraries rely on short-term outreach tactics that focus on only one element of the marketing mix: Promotion. This article introduces the complete marketing mix framework, including seven elements (7 Ps), and explains how they can be applied in academic libraries. Definitions and library-specific examples are provided for each element: Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process, and Physical Proof. The integrated approach of marketing mix theory and planning can be employed by academic libraries to increase patron awareness, …

The Charity Capacity Curse, Shirley (Lijun) Zhang, Thomas Allard, David Hardisty, Shane Wang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Can displays of charity capacity cues paradoxically harm charities' fundraising efforts? Six pre-registered studies provide evidence of a charity capacity curse whereby donors penalize charities for displaying capacity cues, such as human resources capacity, organizational capacity, and financial capacity cues. This curse occurs because donors perceive higher-capacity charities as needing less help. As donors typically donate based on need, they donate less to charities with superior capacity signals. This effect is attenuated when: (1) higher-capacity charities' needs are made salient, and (2) donors reflect on how their decision impacts end-beneficiaries. This research contributes to the literature on effective altruism and …

Crisis Communication In The Influencer Era: A Crisis Response Analysis Of Poppi And Alani Nu, Meredith E. Staley

Honors College Theses

As social media continues to reshape modern public relations practice, beverage brands like Alani Nu and Poppi offer relevant examples of influencer-driven communication and crisis response. This honors thesis compares and contrasts these brands following two major crises: Poppi’s influencer vending machine campaign and the health concerns and backlash surrounding Alani Nu’s energy drinks. Despite the well-known prevalence of these brands, there is little scholarly research examining their crisis communication strategies. Guided by Situational Crisis Communication Theory, this study uses a combination of social and news media content analysis to evaluate how each brand responded to its respective crisis. Each …

Eurovision As A Platform For Cultural Diplomacy In Times Of Conflict, Lucy Meza

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines how states utilize the Eurovision Song Contest as a platform for soft power, focusing on the conditions under which cultural performance translates into reputational gains. Drawing on Joseph Nye’s concept of soft power, Biasioli’s theory of songwashing, Zamorano’s typology of cultural diplomacy, Anholt’s competitive identity framework, and Feklyunina’s analysis of identity and narrative, it argues that Eurovision’s effectiveness as a soft power platform is fundamentally contingent on the alignment between a state’s cultural narrative and dominant international perceptions of its legitimacy. Through a qualitative comparative case study approach, the thesis examines two nations whose Eurovision participation during …

Unlocking The Intellectual Core Of Transformative Service: A Hybrid Review And Research Agenda, Pranav Nijhawan, Somnath Chakrabarti, Sanjit K. Roy

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: Research on the Transformative Service Research (TSR) domain has proliferated in the service management literature over the past decade. The purpose of this study is to undertake a hybrid systematic literature review of TSR to trace its theoretical evolution, examine its conceptual underpinnings and propose pathways for future research. Design/methodology/approach: We identify and categorise the fundamental themes in TSR research by supplementing a systematic literature review with bibliographic coupling of 247 extracted papers. Furthermore, based on content analysis of extracted themes, we propose a comprehensive conceptual framework encompassing facilitators and unintended outcomes of transformative value creation. We used the …

Integrating Social Media And Entrepreneurship: A Study Of Social Media, Creativity, Strategy, And Innovation In Building A Successful Brand Presence In The Digital Era, Lys Ishiari

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Social media has completely changed what it means to start a business. It was once just a place for personal interactions but is currently a powerful channel that drives the growth of multiple industries (Felicia, 2022). Now, anyone can use their personal creativity and hobbies to build a brand, especially on apps like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. The purpose of this study is to identify the common themes behind social media entrepreneurs’ success, which allows individuals to become both creators and business owners in the digital age. Furthermore, a key part of writing this paper is personal; it connects to …

The Impact Of A Kentucky Nutrition Education Program Social Marketing Campaign On Resident Health, Trinity Elizabeth Foster

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

Poor diet quality and physical inactivity are common health issues in the United States. To remedy these issues among low-income households, the United States Department of Agriculture created the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education Program (SNAP-Ed), which promoted healthy eating and physically active lifestyles through multiple avenues. The social marketing approach of SNAP-Ed uses marketing strategies to relay information to the public. In Kentucky, a statewide billboard campaign was launched in 2018 encouraging residents to focus on nutrition and physical activity. This study investigates the impact of that campaign on health outcomes in counties throughout the state. Using billboard location …

The Hidden Costs Of Consumption: A Multi-Context Investigation On Stigma And Social Judgment, Siti Nuraisyah Suwanda

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Consumption is not always as simple as an exchange of value between a buyer and a seller. In many contexts, what individuals choose to consume or not consume can carry social meaning, leading to judgment and devaluation. While prior research has explored stigma broadly in marketing and consumer behavior, less attention has been given to stigma that caused specifically by consumption choices. This dissertation addresses this gap by examining how consumption becomes socially evaluated and judged across different contexts, with the goal of advancing both theoretical understanding and practical insights into socially sensitive consumption.

Essay One develops the foundation by …

Greed, Guilt, And Generative Ai: Emotional Dynamics In Digital Consumer Interactions, Danielle Lynn Hass

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Digital consumer interactions are increasingly shaped by complex emotional dynamics. As digital platforms and Generative AI (GenAI) technologies proliferate in our everyday lives, it is critical to understand the emotional undercurrents and how they impact consumer behavior. This dissertation investigates these dynamics through three essays that explore how emotions impact consumer experiences in digital spaces, with an overall goal to offer theoretical and practical insights into the interaction of human psychology and technological advancement in the consumer behavior field.

Essay One examines the paradox of pleasure and pain in online brand communities, where collectors grapple with the opposing forces of …

Ai-Assisted Task Completion: Consumer Sentiments By Effort Level, Jason Mickey Martin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examines consumer anger in reaction to firms’ use of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist them in the completion of tasks. Specifically, we focus on instances when AI supplements rather than replaces human effort. Using cognitive appraisal theory and psychological contract constructs, this research investigates how the amount of effort consumers invest into a service review and the effort reciprocated by firms influences emotional reactions. Across two studies, using scenario-based experiments, we find that consumers report higher levels of anger when AI is used to aid in responding to high-effort reviews compared to low-effort reviews. The results suggest that …

Heartbeats: Sustainable Practices In Business, Natalie Pham, Shareef Awadallah, Lily Lisco, Logan Blissenbach, Nikolaos Verginis

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

HeartBeats Co. LLC is a premier audio and software technology brand that brings renewed character and performance to a stagnant space, revolutionizing the listening experience by engineering a digital music platform and headphones that possess distinct style and exceptional performance. While our team identifies and tracks trends in the market, we strive to establish market trends rather than to follow them. We are a company founded on innovation, redefining the music streaming market by combining the importance of wellness with the latest audio and software technologies and innovative functionalities. This document outlines a ten-year plan for efficient and impactful scaling, …

Causal Effect Estimates Of Online E-Cigarette Marketing Exposure On Future E-Cigarette Harm Perception And Use, Paul T. Harrell, Nicholas T. Williams, Kara E. Rudolph, Rachel Ayala Guzman, Ateeqa Ijaz, Nicole Rychagov, Aaron Null, Silvia S. Martins

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Background

Globally, over 10 million youth use e-cigarettes; United States use, in particular, dramatically rose in the late 2010's, exceeding year-over-year increases from any other substance in over four decades. This rise has been partially attributed to youth online e-cigarette marketing exposure, but has not been appropriately studied.

Methods

We examined youth data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) spanning the dramatic increase period (Waves 4, 4.5, and 5; 2016-2019). We estimated average risk differences (RD) for Wave 5 e-cigarette harmfulness perception and use comparing all youth versus no youth reporting past-month online e-cigarette marketing exposure in …

A Strategic Analysis Of Project Learn Of Summit County, Alex Kennedy, Tyler Hutchinson, Haley Guest, Zach D. Thomas, Lizzie Sisler

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Our group is working with Project Learn of Summit County, a GED and ESL assistance program located in the Akron Public Library. Our group will be performing a strategic analysis and providing them with a strategic plan, to be presented to them at the end of the term. We aim to increase awareness for the program, point out areas of growth, and increase functionality.

Whose Responsibility Is It: Corporate Ethics And Supply Chain Accountability In The Uyghur Crisis, Katelyn Evans

2026 Research Poster Competition

Global supply chains have become increasingly complex, making it difficult to identify and prevent unethical labor practices embedded within everyday consumer goods. In recent years, attention has been directed toward the use of Uyghur forced labor in China, particularly within the fashion and automotive industries. While governments and corporations have faced growing scrutiny, less is known about how consumers perceive responsibility for unethical sourcing and how unethical practices influence their purchasing behavior. This research seeks to examine the question: Whose responsibility is it to address unethical practices in global supply chains? Specifically, the study evaluates perceptions of responsibility across three …

The Effect Of Innovative Value Proposition On Buyer Reactions: The Moderating Roles Of Price Orientation And Perceived Risk, Chad Stuttz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Value propositions are essential to the success of personal selling in the Business-to-Business (B2B) context. While earlier studies have offered valuable insights into the roles of value propositions in driving B2B sales, they have often regarded value propositions as uniform. In this dissertation, I argue that value propositions vary in their levels of innovativeness. The dissertation introduces the concept of innovative value proposition (IVP) and proposes that IVP indicates greater future growth potential to buyers, leading to more favorable reactions such as responsiveness and willingness to engage than less innovative ones. Additionally, the dissertation explores the moderating effects of buyer …

Do You Walk On By? The Effects Of Donor Fatigue On Willingness To Donate, Shawn Michael Henry

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Donation solicitation literature validates the successful usage of various solicitation tactics that lead to achieving set donation goals for their associated cause. Yet, while the financial success of “checkout charity” is well-documented, a significant gap remains regarding the impact of high-frequency solicitations on long-term consumer-brand relationship. This research addresses this gap. Over the span of three surveys, this study finds that donation request frequency overall erodes donation likelihood through donor fatigue when donation frequency changes (occasional vs. always). However, this relationship is moderated by the perceived consumer base, with a larger perceived consumer base exacerbating the “diffusion of responsibility.” Further, …

Documenting Sustainable Social Media Workflows: Supporting Student Professionalization In Faculty-Student Teams, Jenny Rissen

Master's Projects

This capstone project, Documenting Sustainable Social Media Workflows: Supporting Student Professionalization in Faculty-Student Teams, examines how departmental social media teams serve as informal training grounds where students build professional identities through collaborative, often undocumented communication work (Buck; Leon & Pigg). Addressing writing studies concerns about experiential learning gaps (McNabb; Carr et al.), the project creates a handbook offering practical guidance for onboarding, workflow continuity, accessibility, and ethical social media practices. It shows how mentorship and structured documentation turn everyday digital work into meaningful professional development. Situated in technical communication and rhetoric, the project demonstrates how social media teams help …

Design Thinking For Corporate Social Responsibility Program Proposal Creation, Michelle "Mindy" D. Danovaro

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study used action research to explore how the use of design thinking engaged employees in the creation of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program proposal in a small- to medium-enterprises (SME) in the Sacramento region of California. The purpose of the study was to assess whether employee participation in a design thinking exercise could improve employee perception of engagement, inclusion, and reciprocity during the CSR program proposal creation. The study was grounded in social exchange theory, stakeholder theory, and design thinking methodologies. The iterative research process followed action research cycles (i.e., plan, act, observe, and reflect) integrated with …