Digital Commons Network^™

Kate Spade Strategic Analysis, Cydne Munson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Kate Spade is an American luxury handbag and accessory company. The company is best known for its fun yet timeless and functional designs and has been a highly regarded and recognized brand since its inception nearly thirty years ago. This report explores the history of the Kate Spade brand and its resources that contribute to competitive advantages in the industry. A Porter’s Five Forces analysis and a PESTEL analysis are used to examine Kate Spade’s external environment and the luxury handbag industry as a whole. Finally, potential future threats and strategies to counteract them are examined.

An Analysis Of Tiktok's Digital Marketing Capabilities And Its Effectiveness For Brands And Businesses Across Different Industries, Katherine Jacome Guerrero

Theses

TikTok, a video-sharing social media site, has become one of the most popular platforms among digital natives. As a result of evolving globalization trends and unprecedented social changes, this platform has rapidly grown in popularity since its debut in 2016. TikTok has established an ideal setting to boost engagement by fostering a repetitive logic and enabling everyone around the globe to easily create and consume short videos. Although TikTok has capabilities similar to those found on other more established platforms, it has a distinct framework and platform culture refined by its predictive algorithm and user-friendly content interface. For this study, …

Understanding The Operations And Decision-Making Of Cow-Calf Farmers In Northwest Arkansas, Clayton Weyl

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Societal pressure on farmers has become a more central part of the rhetoric surrounding livestock production. This study includes farmers in the discourse on the rhetoric surrounding climate change via interviews and simulations tailored to their operation. Previous research has addressed regenerative agricultural practices and conditions that influence farmer decision-making, but little research has analyzed decision-making in tandem with environmental practices. The literature reveals that cow-calf producer decision-making is influenced by their reliance on cattle as an income source, and farmers overall choose climate-friendly practices based on their perceptions about climate change. The goal of this research was to gather …

A Consumer's Guide To Greenwashing, Katie Fowler

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Over the past 37 years since the term greenwashing was coined, there have been sparse attempts to regulate this deceptive environmental marketing. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) created its Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, also known as the Green Guides, in 1992. The Guides have been revised on three separate occasions – 1996, 1998, and 2012 – in an attempt to remain relevant with the proliferation of environmental marketing claims and trends. However, the Guides were created as interpretive rules that do not give the FTC the authority to enforce the regulations unless they can prove that …

Nintendo Strategic Audit, Stephanie Herridge

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Nintendo is a Japanese-based multinational company that is one of the primary competitors in the video game industry. It has smaller headquarters located in North America and Europe and continues to pursue new markets and customers. Having remained successful for over a century, Nintendo pursues unique forms of strategy to maintain relevance for current generations of consumers. This strategic audit seeks to dissect Nintendo’s long-term profitability by analyzing the company’s history, competitive resources and advantages, and the current challenges and trends in the video game industry as a whole. The tools used to explore the industry include Porter’s Five Forces …

Salivary Microrna As A Concussion Biomarker And The Implications For Athletic Trainers' Practices, Thomas Richard Campbell

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Many concussions are sustained globally each year; however, research suggests that a large number may go undiagnosed due to a reliance on subjective information from patients and limitations of current objective measures. Recently, efforts have been focused on identifying clinical biomarkers of concussions, including salivary microRNA (miRNA), to improve healthcare professionals’ concussion management practices. Even if salivary miRNA were shown to be a valid and reliable measure for managing concussions, healthcare professionals, such as athletic trainers (ATs), must be familiar with the tool and have positive attitudes toward the implementation into clinical practice. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was …

Towards A Formal Theory Of Humor In Organizations, Richard Joseph Hayes

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Current theories and models of humor conceptualize humor at the individual, dyadic, and organizational level. These theories laid the foundation for research and empirical findings that have established humor’s impact in the workplace. Yet, because these theories are not integrated, they individually do not offer a comprehensive view of humor in the workplace across different levels, hindering the development of multilevel research designs. Additionally, the ambiguity of these narrative theories hampers empirical testing precision. This dissertation expands the literature by introducing a mathematical, multilevel model of humor and tests that theory using computational simulation methods. Synthetic environments reproduced observed correlations …

Affordances And Information Systems Research: Taking Stock And Moving Forward, Mostafa Mesgari, Kaveh Mohajeri, Bijan Azad

Information Systems and Business Analytics Faculty Works

The term affordance appears with increasing frequency in the Information Systems (IS) literature. Nevertheless, those who study information technologies/information systems (IT/IS) via the affordance lens often have different views about its origin, meaning, and appropriate application in IS research. In turn, not spelling out the related assumptions and boundaries inherent in these diverse views may have hindered a wider and more cumulative adoption of the affordance lens in IS research. This paper offers a potential solution by (1) synthesizing the ecological psychology literature to suggest five key modules of the affordance concept relevant to IS research and (2) taking stock …

Revolutionizing Agriculture Through Digital Twins, Mohsen Attaran, Sharmin Attaran, Bilge Gokhan Celik

Marketing Department Faculty Book Publications

The rise of digital twin (DT) technology is transforming the way businesses operate, with its applications and use cases expanding across various industries. This article focuses on the agriculture industry and explores how DT can enable intelligent automation. Through a comprehensive review of DT's concept, evolution, and development, as well as a discussion of its key enabling technologies, trends, and challenges, the authors identify potential use cases for DT in agriculture. By presenting this analysis, this article aims to provide insights into how DT can streamline operations and enhance productivity in the agriculture industry.

Rattus Norvegicus As A Biological Detector Of Clandestine Remains And The Use Of Ultrasonic Vocalizations As A Locating Mechanism, Gabrielle M. Johnston

Master's Theses

In investigations, locating missing persons and clandestine remains are imperative. One way that first responder and police agencies can search for the remains is by using cadaver dogs as biological detectors. Cadaver dogs are typically used due to their olfactory sensitivity and ability to detect low concentrations of volatile organic compounds produced by biological remains. Cadaver dogs are typically chosen for their stamina, agility, and olfactory sensitivity. However, what is not taken into account often is the size of the animal and the expense of maintaining and training the animal. Cadaver dogs are typically large breeds that cannot fit in …

Ireland V. United States: Agricultural And Environmental Sustainability Policies, Lauryn O'Grady

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

The United States and Ireland have varying practices to achieve similar objectives in regard to environmental sustainability. While the European Union has maintained and updated a uniform policy throughout its existence--the Common Agricultural Policy--the United States instead created short-term solutions to a long-term problem. Not only does the United States tend to solve issues in the short-term, the policies between agricultural production and environmental sustainability are not necessarily aligned or remotely relative to the other. While the United States’ new Global Food Security Strategy implements parts of both agricultural and environmental sustainability, much of the history was not based off …

Fixed Assets Accounting: How It Can Impact Employees, Auditors & Shareholders, Zach Markey

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this thesis, I demonstrate how the proper, or improper, accounting of fixed assets can distinctly impact employees, auditors, and shareholders of publicly traded companies. As a foundation for this thesis, I give an overview of fixed assets accounting by explaining its magnitude on the balance sheet and income statement in addition to the differences between financial and tax accounting for fixed assets. Next, I focus on three areas relating to fixed assets accounting that I find the most compelling for this thesis: capital expenditures, auditing and fraud. Each of these subtopics will share studies, procedures, and stories on how …

Meeting, Moving, Mastering - A Text Analysis Of The Aesthetic Attractions Of 'Wild Swimming', Dagmar Dahl, Åsa I. Bäckström

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Why are people fascinated by swimming in nature? This article addresses the aesthetic experiences of wild swimming as expressed by five wild swimming authors in their books. Drawing from aesthetic philosophy, we analyze the ways in which the appeal of wild swimming is described on three levels: the allure of water in the environment, the sensory encounter between water and the body, and the experience of moving in water. Furthermore, with reference to Seel’s concept of nature aesthetics (1996), the experience of wild swimming is analyzed in terms of contemplation, correspondence, and imagination. We can conclude that the special intensity …

Love Is Blind: The Ironic Effect Of Fans’ Experience On Taste Perception, Jennifer L. Stoner, Maria A. Rodas

Marketing Faculty Publications

Many consumers may proclaim a love for a certain sensory experience (e.g., the taste of chocolate for “chocoholics”). These fans may have a wealth of experience consuming the product they love. In three studies, we find that these fans’ love actually blinds them in their ability to report nuances about the products they consume because of the use of top-down information processing. However, when presented with novel brand information, fans switch to a more bottom-up approach which allows greater discernment of the consumption experience. Prompting mindful consumption can also impact a fan’s ability to report a product’s nuances more accurately.

An Imc Approach To Building Trust Among Nonprofit Donors, Catherine A. Romaine

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the role of a holistic Integrated Marketing Communications strategy within the nonprofit sector. The research aims to identify the effectiveness of different marketing communication tactics in soliciting donations for nonprofit organizations. It examines the influences and motivations of donors when choosing one organization over another for their monetary contributions. The thesis investigates the impact of specific integrated marketing strategies in building and maintaining relationships with different stakeholders such as donors, volunteers, and employees.

Through a literature review of successful nonprofits and missteps within the sector, this thesis identifies various factors that contribute to nonprofit marketing success, including …

Utilization Of Beta-Agonists On The Effects Of Marbling / Fat Deposition In Beef Cattle, Rafael Andrade, Sara Erby, Blaine Holzman

ATU Scholars Symposium

In the beef industry, producers have tried to find ways to optimize production and performance for the benefit of their beef cattle operations. To do that, if they wished to, they would use modernizing technologies that are available today. With these modern technologies, such as Beta – androgenic agonists, producers have been able to utilize these to see the positive effects of marbling and fat deposition. They act to enhance lean muscle gain, increase growth rate in the animals, and increase feed efficiency without having to use extra inputs, needed supplements, or compensation for gain. By using these technologies, they …

Avian Influenza In The United States And It's Ramifications On Our Market In The Poultry Industry, Alaini C. Carrington, Jada Trotter, Savannah Sanders

ATU Scholars Symposium

While researching Avian Influenza (AI) in the United States, we have found that it has significantly impacted 47 states. Four main AI types have an impact on poultry farms. Avian Influenza can be reduced by taking preventative methods such as biosecurity and culling birds to have a healthy flock on the farm. Since 2022 egg-laying hens have been affected by the Avian Influenza Virus, causing egg inventories to become lower. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has affected farmers tremendously; because of this, farmers must worry about their families' source of income, their workers and the workers' families' source of income, …

Benefits Of Growth Hormone Implants In Beef Cattle, Brody Jones, Jaxsen Franco, Riley Knight

ATU Scholars Symposium

Using growth hormone implants in beef cattle producers could combat the decreasing market supply that is currently being experienced in the United States (US). Growth hormone implants increases individual cattle weight by 15 to 20 percent, produces the same amount of product using fewer head of cattle. This study provides an insight into the benefit of using growth hormone implants in the production of beef cattle. The paper takes a look at the rising costs of input prices, cattle market supply in the US, and the effects these implants had on beef cattle of varying species and environments. Most of …

Environmental And Agricultural Effects On Waterfowl Population In Arkansas, Caleb Sipes, Ellison Stephens, Marissa Young

ATU Scholars Symposium

This paper discusses some of the positive and negative effects of environmental and agricultural influences on the waterfowl population in the state of Arkansas. Waterfowl hunting has been a prominent source of revenue to the state of Arkansas for many decades. Waterfowl hunting will continue to be prominent in this state in future as long as Arkansans maintain and preserve the natural resources here as well as use our own to further progress the waterfowl industry in Arkansas. Through aerial surveying, requiring hunters to purchase licenses and stamps to legally hunt waterfowl, and conservation efforts from the Arkansas Game and …

Effective Strategies For Midsized Nonprofit Human Service Organizations In The Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area To Maintain Financial Sustainability, Ivy Ann Beckham

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative multiple case study explored the perspectives of nonprofits on factors impacting and challenges associated with utilizing revenue diversification and structured spending in midsized nonprofit human service organizations (NHSO) in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. The researcher conducted semi-structured one-on-one interviews with eight nonprofit officials in Washington, D.C., to gain insight into their perspectives on revenue and spending strategies. The researcher also used document review to compare and verify the information from the semi-structured interviews and add more nuances to what the interviews provided. The findings of the study demonstrated that NHSOs could implement revenue diversification and structured spending …

The Role Of Legal Studies In Undergraduate Business Curricula And Its Impact On Students' Problem-Solving Skills, Olivia Martucci

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

Although the presence of legal studies within undergraduate business curricula is continuously growing, there seems to be a lack of understanding and appreciation for the value that legal studies coursework brings to undergraduate business education. This research aims to determine whether legal studies courses provide undergraduate business students with transferrable non-legal skills, such as problem-solving skills. The goal of this research is to explore the importance of legal studies in undergraduate business curricula by trying to determine if it provides students with valuable skills that can be utilized across disciplines. The methodology of this research is a posttest-only control group …

Japan: Where Did All The People Go? An Empirical Study On Economic And Social Impacts On Low Fertility In Japan, Sasha Heasley

Business and Economics Honors Papers

This project analyzed potential impacts on the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in Japan (2010 and 2015), which is dealing with both a declining population and an ageing population in parallel. Results indicate that income per person has the largest impact on TFR, and it is highly considered when making fertility decisions. Results also show that government policies are largely ineffective in impacting TFR. Results were obtained through two panel regressions and two Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions, in which TFR was the dependent variable.

School Of Culinary Arts & Food Technology, Tu Dublin Newsletter - Spring Edition 2023, James Murphy

Other resources

The School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology, TU Dublin, Spring Newsletter captured the many events, research, awards, significant contributions and special civic and community activities which the students and staff members of the school across our (3) three campuses have successfully completed up to the Spring period of 2023. The successful completion of these activities would not be possible without the active and on-going support of the 'INSPIRED' friends of Culinary Arts (school supporters), our school's industry association supporters and our school's fantastic academic, laboratory assistants, technical support and administrations teams across our (3) three TU Dublin campuses in …

Moving Forward By Looking Back: How Family Firms Create Competitive Advantage By Embracing Their History, Adam Goldman

Dissertations

Family businesses are the engine that drives the United States economy. While extensive implications have been made in the literature about the advantages or disadvantages of family-owned businesses compared to non-family-owned businesses, the focus of this study was to show how small to medium-sized family-owned firms (FF SMEs) based in the United States can use their unique history to create a competitive advantage. Drawing on imprint theory and the resource-based view (RBV), this history-informed study helped identify the impact that founder imprints, business traditions, and storytelling have on the business performance of FF SMEs. Using quantitative methods, the findings of …

Air Temperature And Diet Are Not Associated With Oxygen Consumption Rate In Banded Crickets, Gryllodes Sigillatus, Nicole Bailey, Connor Oakes, Rachel Sleeth, Mallorie Smith

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

All living organisms acclimate to their environments, with ectothermic species particularly susceptible to environmental change, specifically temperature. Ectothermic insects like crickets directly alter their physiological processes depending on the environment in which they live. Temperature is vital in regulating processes such as metabolism, respiration, and reproduction, among other things. What remains unclear is how a change in the environment, specifically extreme temperature change and dietary alterations, affects physiological processes. In this study, we performed experiments on ectothermic banded crickets to examine the effects of temperature change and the interaction of temperature and diet on oxygen consumption. For both experiments, we …

Effects Of Anthropogenic Noise On Body Mass In Gryllodes Sigillatus, Jessica L. Venturi, Joyce Zheng

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

Insects use vibrational structures to produce and sense airborne sounds in intraspecific communication. These signals are important in courtship as well as defensive behavior against predators. For example, insects can detect the presence of nearby predators using vibrations. With an increase in anthropogenic activity, processing these signals and the constant threat they represent may increase stress on insects, subsequently affecting their behavior and physiology. Our experiment was designed to determine whether anthropogenic noise, possibly perceived as a stressor, will decrease the body mass of banded crickets, Gryllodes sigillatus. We predicted that the anthropogenic noise would stress the crickets, leading to …

Permission-Based Marketing: Using Gis To Create Information Visualizations For Nonprofit Organizations., Mark J. Sciuchetti Dr., Jianping Huang

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Social Media Perceptions And Guest Satisfaction Concerning Recent Changes Related To The Genie+ System In The Walt Disney World Theme Parks, Kylie N. Bennett

Honors College Theses

This study examines the social media perceptions and guest satisfaction rates concerning recent changes related to the introduction of the Genie+ system in the Walt Disney World theme parks. Social media has allowed the public to share these opinions about changes in the Walt Disney World theme parks, but it is not known how these opinions compare to the lived guest experience. It is said that with the introduction of a paid standby queue bypass system the Walt Disney Company is making that aspect of its parks less accessible than in the past (Austin, 2022). This study uses a mixed …

Collapse: The History Of How We Fail, And What We Can Do To Save Ourselves, David Ace, Grace Funke, Aj Abdel-Rahman, Nate Floccare, Kristen Russell, Madison Ingram, Douglas Mock

2023 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Using Diamond's Five point framework for how societies have collapsed in the past allow us in the present to recognize these signs in modern societies. We have the gift of hindsight in which we now know that factors such as climate change, impact on the environment, decline on friendly contact, increase in hostile contact, and a conservative outlook have all contributed to past societies' collapse. We now recognize these issues in modern societies such as China, Australia, Rwanda, and Haiti. This allows these societies to reevaluate their current environmental standards on whether they are compatible with their survival or collapse. …

High School Students' Response To Writing Mentor Feedback Of "Mirrors, Windows, Doors Literature Circle", Lee Mcconnell, Christopher Logan, Alison Hruby, Andrea Olinger, James Chisholm

2023 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

How do high school writers feel about feedback on their writing drafts from pre-service English teachers, when those drafts are written during a Mirrors, Windows, Doors Literature Circles unit?