Digital Commons Network^™

A Comparative Analysis Of Advertising Appeals In Anti- Smoking Advertisements (Print And Online Display Ads) From 1990s To 2020s In The U.K, Ayomide Adebare Mr, Jill Nash Dr

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

This study provides a comparative analysis of advertising appeals in static anti-smoking advertisements in the U.K. from the 1990s to the 2020s, using quantitative content analysis. The research evaluates print and online display advertisements, focusing on the prevalence of rational (gain-framed and statistical) and emotional (fear and guilt) appeals. The study investigates shifts in appeal usage over time and the broader societal and regulatory influences driving these changes. Findings indicate a strategic shift in public health messaging, moving from fear-based appeals in the 1990s to increased reliance on gain-framed appeals by the 2020s. This study enhances academic understanding of how …

The Effects Of Hyper-Communication: A Quantitative Study On Workplace Productivity, David J. Olson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Today's workforce is overwhelmed with information delivered by tools designed to make them more productive. In a milieu of distraction and overload, employees are disadvantaged in processing the tremendous volumes of information they receive. This is called hyper-communication, which is associated with stress, overload, communication misalignment, and, ultimately, distractedness that impairs an employee’s work efficiency. This quantitative study presents research conducted through surveys examining hyper-communication's effects on workplace productivity. A sample of 631 respondents, solicited through social media, participated in this study. The participants came from diverse occupational backgrounds, providing cross-sectional insights into how factors like employees' titles, roles, gender, …

Detecting Ideological Bias In Trump's Tweets: Trump's Peace Plan As A Case Study, Amer Qasem

Middle East Journal of Communication Studies

This study aims to explore the extent of ideological bias in the discourse of elected U.S. President Donald Trump on social media platforms, specifically Twitter (now known as X), regarding his peace plan, commonly referred to as the "Deal of the Century." The study employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine all of Trump’s tweets related to the Deal of the Century, seeking to answer the following research questions: How did Trump portray the parties affected by the deal in his tweets? What rhetorical strategies did he employ to present the deal? The analysis spans the period from the announcement …

Survival Of The Venture Companies Depending On The Access To Capitals, Ruslan Akhmadullin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Social and entrepreneurial capitals encompass a combination of human, social, and intellectual resources that enable entrepreneurs to identify, create, and exploit business opportunities. This study investigates how the interplay between these forms of capital influences entrepreneurs' access to financial resources and their overall success. Social capital, comprising networks, relationships, and trust, is critical for accessing resources and building credibility with investors. Human capital, including skills, experience, and perseverance, enhances the capacity to navigate entrepreneurial challenges and present viable business proposals. However, traditional funding processes often impose barriers, such as stringent requirements and limited access to capital, that disproportionately affect startups. …

2025- The Twenty-Ninth Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the 29th Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 16-18, 2025. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

The Role Of Organizational Culture And Pastoral Leadership In Sustainable Church Outreach: A Multisite Mini-Ethnographic Case Study, Althea P. Gordon-Scott

PhD in Organizational Leadership

This study examined the role of organizational culture and pastoral leadership in sustainable church outreach programs. Two churches were chosen for this multisite mini-ethnographic case study because, for multiple years, they have participated in multiple outreaches each week to their non-Christian neighbors. These two churches differed in terms of geographical location, size, demographics, and budget. Data collection included field observations, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. The themes that surfaced from the data were altruistic foundations, relational equity, organizational agility, organizational challenges, exemplary pastoral leadership, and the centrality of God. This research contributes to the theoretical and practical understanding …

Combating Forced Labor In Global Supply Chains Through Modern Technology: A Case Study Of Uyghurs In Xinjiang, Samuel Donohue

Senior Theses

This thesis examines how modern traceability technologies can help combat forced labor in global supply chains, focusing on the case of Uyghur workers in Xinjiang, China. The research addresses the pressing challenge of verifying ethical labor practices in complex, multi-tiered supply networks, using the case study alongside an extensive literature review. It evaluates advanced technological solutions, including blockchain ledgers, isotope analysis, radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagging, and microbiome tracing as tools to improve supply chain transparency. Through qualitative case analysis and analysis of current research, the thesis assesses each technology’s capability to trace product origins and authenticate labor conditions. The findings …

Crafting Connections: Language Use And Cultural Resonance In Marketing Campaigns For The Hispanic Market, Santiago Reyes, Alessandra Noli Peschiera, Kristina Simon, Melany Sarcevic

AMTP Proceedings 2025

Considering the rapid growth and relevance of the Hispanic market in the U.S., this study explores strategies employed by brands in their communication efforts to connect with this consumer base. Through a qualitative content analysis, the study analyzes emerging themes and patterns in terms of language use and cultural values employed in marketing and advertising campaigns directed to the U.S. Hispanic market. Results reveal a prevalent use of Spanish, with a rise in the use of English reflective of changing demographic trends of Hispanics in the U.S. Cultural values resonant with Hispanic identity are also employed in campaigns. Important implications …

Reducing Information Asymmetry: Economic Value Of Airbnb Signals In A Small College Town, Hatice Sena Akkurt

Theses and Dissertations

Trust is the backbone of platform operations. Airbnb platform designers implement various methods including trust-building mechanisms, user interface (UI) artifacts, and reputation management systems. Previous research has explored trust in Airbnb, yet little is known about the economic value of trust indicators in smaller cities and rural areas. Thus, this thesis investigates the economic significance of User Interface (UI) artifacts, including the “Superhost” badge, star ratings, and listing photographs, within the peer-to-peer accommodation sector in the Columbia Metropolitan Area. Drawing on signaling theory, we conducted quantitative analysis, to examine the relationship between trust indicators and listing prices, controlling factors like …

Sex & Startups, Jens Frankenreiter, Talia B. Gillis, Eric L. Talley

Faculty Scholarship

Private law offers a unique solution to the problem of long-term fiscal commitment. When Congress enacts a spending program that will take many years to reach fruition, there is a risk of a subsequent Congress or President cutting off funding in the interim. There is no escape from the problem within appropriations law itself. One solution, however, is to entrust private sector allies as vessels of long-term commitment. As a matter of political economy, that solution draws on policy-feedback theory. As a matter of law, the solution rests on a mechanism that Congress already uses but has not recognized its …

Exploiting Structures In Reinforcement Learning: Multi-Agent Homogeneity, Euclidean Symmetry, And Natural Languages, Dingyang Chen

Theses and Dissertations

Reinforcement learning (RL) has emerged as a powerful paradigm for decision-making in complex environments. However, many RL tasks exhibit inherent structural properties—such as homogeneity, symmetry, and linguistic patterns—that are often underutilized, leading to inefficiencies in learning and generalization. This dissertation systematically exploits these structures to improve the efficiency, scalability, and robustness of RL algorithms across multi-agent and sequential decision-making settings. First, we investigate homogeneity in multi-agent systems, where agents share similar roles and objectives. By leveraging this structure, we develop communication-efficient actor-critic methods for homogeneous Markov games, enabling scalable learning with reduced coordination overhead. Second, we introduce Euclidean symmetry in …

“Do I Stand On My Own” Or “Are We All In This Together”? The Effect Of Collectivist Marketing Messages During Challenging Times Like Pandemic, Milad Hour, Golshad Parsimoghadam

AMTP Proceedings 2025

During the pandemic, as people dealt with fatalities, lockdowns, and the psychological impact of reduced social interactions, some marketing messages still captured significant public attention. What was the key element contributing to the success of these communications during such challenging times? This study focuses on the role of collectivism as a stress-coping mechanism included within marketing communications. Analyzing approximately 56,000 brand-generated posts on Platform X, the research examines how the use of collectivist language (e.g., we, us, etc.) relates to message likability, particularly as the pandemic nears its peak. The findings reveal that collectivist terms are positively associated with the …

Unveiling Risk Strategies In The Online Food Delivery Platforms: Evidence From Risk Disclosures And Reprisk Index, Maryam Mahdikhani, Jiyoon An, Arim Park

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Online Food Delivery Platforms (OFDPs) have faced unique challenges related to uncertainty and global risk in recent decades. To address these risks, this study utilized machine learning (ML) techniques, including Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and Word2Vec, to extract and cluster OFDP-related risk factors. The analysis was conducted using unstructured text data from the annual reports of two prominent OFDP companies—Delivery Hero (DH) and Grubhub (GH)—from 2017 to 2020. We also examined the multidimensional RepRisk Index (RRI) for these companies and developed a two-dimensional matrix to evaluate preparedness and responsiveness across various risk categories in the OFDP sector. The results indicate …

The Curious Case Of Japanese Denim, Aaron Francis Ward

Japanese Society and Culture

From its humble beginnings as wholly utilitarian workwear in the 19^th century, to its modern rise to high-fashion, the ubiquity of denim, particularly in the form of jeans, has had a fascinating journey in its little-over-150-year history (Beazley, 2015). Of note has been the recent rise in popularity of Japanese denim. Since the end of the Second World War, Japan seems to have had an insatiable demand for Americana (Marx, 2023). Yet, if considered in the sociohistorical context of Japanese-American relations, this ought to be highly improbable. The current paper examines the sociological nature of Japanese denim from semiotic …

How Do Collective Agreements Stack Up? Implications For Academic Freedom, Tim Ribaric, Rahul Kumar

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

Abstract Academic freedom, a cornerstone of higher education, is formally codified within the enforceable language of collective agreements (CAs) between universities and faculty unions in Canada. While the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) provides an exemplar framework for academic freedom clauses, institutional interpretations and implementations vary significantly. This study comprehensively analyzed CAs from 44 Canadian universities using computational text analysis methods, specifically Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF). The analysis revealed that approximately 27% of institutions closely align with the CAUT exemplar, while 57% incorporate additional limiting factors that qualify the exercise of academic freedom. …

“Burned At The Stake”: Unpacking Disinformation In The Story Of A Coach Allegedly “Terminated” For Expressing Anti-Transgender Women Athlete Beliefs, Ellen J. Staurowsky

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

On August 29, 2023, a video testimony entitled ‘Burned at the Stake’: One NCAA Coach’s Battle to Protect Women’s Sport was released. The film was part of a “female athlete storytelling series” developed and funded by the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) designed to support the IWF’s stated agenda to “fight to save women’s sports and counter the radical agenda that seeks to erase women” by allowing transgender girls and women on teams that match their identities. The central figure in the video is Kim Russell, then head women’s lacrosse coach at NCAA Division III Oberlin College, who claimed her right …

The Impact Of Visual Brand Identity On Consumer Response In Rebranding: A Case Study Of Burger King, Andressa De Ungaro Dos Santos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This case study investigates consumer perceptions of rebranding through the lens of visual brand identity (VBI) and brand associations, focusing on Burger King’s recent rebranding. Using the Aaker Model as the theoretical framework, the study analyzes how brand awareness and associations influence consumer responses to visual identity changes. The research involves two focal areas in which comparative study will be applied by: (1) analyzing rebranding awareness by evaluating media coverage of Burger King’s new branding; (2) examining consumer-brand relationships through social media interactions to understand responses to the rebranding and to measure emotional and associative responses to visual elements. Through …

Sharing With Crowds: Bibliometric Insights Into The Role Of Emotions In Crowdfunding, Saima Hafeez, Mateja Drnovšek

Economic and Business Review

In this paper, we provide an overview of the existing research on emotions in crowdfunding and integrate it using a bibliometric analysis of publication data from the decade 2013–2023. Our analysis includes a citation and cocitation analysis, a productivity analysis, a co-occurrence analysis, and a topic analysis based on abstracts. We find that the Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice are the most prominent journals publishing research at the intersection of emotions and crowdfunding. The coword analysis shows that current and frequently discussed topics are related to emotions, sentiment analysis, reward-based crowdfunding, machine learning, and blockchain. Furthermore, …

The Neuromarketing: Bridging Neuroscience And Marketing For Enhanced Consumer Engagement, Guo Song, Md Abu Issa Gazi, Abdul Waaje, Md Mustaqim Roshid, Rejaul Karim, Md Atikur Rahaman

Michigan Tech Publications

This review paper examines the influence of neuromarketing on consumer behavior research, emphasizing its origins, methodologies, impacts, and implications for customer engagement. This paper conducts a thorough narrative literature review on neuromarketing, analyzing the application of diverse neuroscientific techniques, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), positron emission tomography (PET), magnetoencephalography (MEG), and facial coding/eye tracking, to assess cerebral responses and forecast consumer behavior. Recent scholarly investigations underscore how neuromarketing utilizes contemporary breakthroughs to transform consumer behavior research by offering enhanced insights into cognition and emotion. These sophisticated tools have contested conventional study methodologies, facilitating a more comprehensive comprehension …

Guardians Or Bystanders? Examining School Shooting Responses In The Southern United States, Andre L. Tompkins Ed.D.

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

School shootings challenge educational safety, demanding effective leadership strategies. The Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which claimed the lives of 19 children and 2 teachers, heightened concerns about campus vulnerabilities, urging administrators to prioritize student protection. I performed a qualitative study interviewing principals, teachers, parents, and community leaders to examine their experiences addressing campus threats. The findings revealed three themes: (1) ineffective leadership affects campus safety, (2) prompt actions enhance trust in leadership, and (3) connecting with others enhances safety. In this study, I spotlight the crucial role that proactive leadership plays in building the coalitions needed to …

Integrating Three-Dimensional Mentoring With Workforce Development Training: A Collaborative Autoethnographic Examination Of Skill Transfer, Danny L. Darden, Ramiro Pesina

Human Resource Development Student Publications and Presentations

The increasing demand for skilled professionals in technical fields necessitates innovative educational approaches that integrate skill development with effective mentoring frameworks. This paper presents an autoethnographic analysis of skill transfer within workforce development environments, emphasizing a three-dimensional mentoring model encompassing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral mentoring dimensions. The study examines applications in command-line learning, gamified instruction, and safety training within virtual environments. The research highlights best practices in mentoring sustainability, the role of technology in reinforcing skill acquisition, and the ways in which learning-community engagement enhances workforce readiness. Additionally, this study integrates research on student engagement, community experiences, and retention strategies, …

Emoji Marketing: Toward A Theory Of Brand Paralinguistics, Jacob Almaguer, Reto Felix, Colleen M. Harmeling

Marketing Faculty Publications

Emojis, or pictographs that supplement or replace written language, have become ubiquitous in contemporary communication, including emoji marketing. Drawing on insights from linguistics and sign theory, the current research proposes an emoji marketing framework in which emoji symbolism (symbolic vs. iconic emoji use) affects consumers’ message appraisals (perceived message intimacy and clarity), which in turn influence brand cultural relevance (propositions P1 and P2). Emoji syntax (i.e., whether emojis are supplemented with text or not) and marketer-consumer group relatedness (shared vs. unshared group membership) moderate the relationship between emoji symbolism and consumers’ message appraisals. The framework suggests that messages that use …

Are Emojis The New Words? A Sentiment Analysis Of Social Media Brand Conversations, Yashodhan Karulkar, Dev T. Vora, Siddharth Vaddepalli, Yash Thakur

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Emojis have become an increasingly important aspect of consumer-brand interactions in the Indian subcontinent. However, the impact of emoji use on brand image and mental health remains underexplored, particularly in emerging economies like India, where structured research on this topic is limited. To address this gap, the present study analyzes over 4,600 consumer tweets related to 19 prominent brands across eleven industries. Using VADER sentiment analysis, the research develops a metric to assess consumer sentiment and brand engagement in relation to emoji usage. The findings indicate that effective integration of emojis contributes to positive consumer sentiment and enhanced brand engagement. …

The Impact Of Marriage Status On Career Aspiration And Performance, Qiang Yi

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This study explores the impact of marital status on employee workplace behavior and job performance. Specifically, it finds that compared to unmarried employees, married employees demonstrate higher career aspirations and job performance. Further analysis reveals that this effect is primarily driven by the enhancement of family and career commitments brought about by marriage. These increased commitments significantly contribute to the improvement of employees' career aspirations and job performance. Moreover, this study examines the gender differences in the influence of marital status on family and career commitments.

The results show that marriage has a stronger effect on promoting family commitments among …

Attention To Market Expansion: Aspirational Antecedent And Risk-Taking Consequence, Renfei Gao, Man Zhang, Xiaogang He, Zhengyu Li

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The behavioral theory of the firm (BTOF) emphasizes the goal-directed logic in explaining firms’ risk-taking.Scholars in this tradition typically conceptualize how performance feedback indicates problems and triggers risk-taking behaviors. Yet, the theory remains underdeveloped in understanding decision-makers’ attention to forward-looking goals, such as market expansion, and its impact on firm risk-taking. In this study, we theorize performance feedback as an antecedent to decision-makers’ attention to forward-looking goals, and firm risktaking as a consequence of such attention. Focusing on market expansion as a critical forward-looking goal, we first theorize how performance feedback influences decision-makers’ attention to market expansion. Then, we examine …

Exploring The Experiences And Challenges Of Online Learning At A Private University In Malaysia, Harpaljit Kaur, Kyra Ley Sy Law

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

This study explores online learning experiences, focusing on their advantages and disadvantages through a qualitative analysis of responses from 30 students at a private institution in Malaysia. The data was collected to gain insight into students' positive impacts and challenges during online learning. The study identified key positive impacts of online learning, including flexibility and accessibility, which allowed students to attend classes from any location and manage their schedules effectively. Students appreciated the opportunity to review recorded lectures and access various online resources. However, the research also highlighted significant negative impacts, such as feelings of isolation, technical issues like unstable …

The Ability Of Chatgpt To Aid In The Rapid Development Of Inoculation Message Treatments: A Case Study And Recommendations, Alicia Mason, Josh Compton, Griffin Cooper

Faculty Submissions

One of the most widely known types of AI technologies in recent years is ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a state-of-the-art language model that has revolutionized natural language processing by generating human-like text with context and coherence, enabling new possibilities for human-AI interaction (Brown et al., 2020). This case study reports on a 10-week conversational AI training initiative to assess whether ChatGPT4 can (a) identify the structural elements and features of conventional inoculation messages (i.e., forewarnings and preemptive refutations); (b) augment inoculation message design features (i.e., linguistic signatures, language, and length); (c) adapt messages for specific audiences (i.e., younger populations, experts); and …

Educating Students On The Behavioral And Psychological Aspects Of Romance Scam Victimization Via A Social Engineering Competition, Rachel Bleiman, Hwanhee Park, Aunshul Rege

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The online dating industry generated 2.98 billion USD in 2023 and is estimated to reach 3.6 billion USD by 2025. Not surprisingly, online dating platforms are rife with romance scams that cause financial damages, with estimated losses of 1.3 billion USD in 2022 alone. Additionally, victims suffer emotional and psychological harms. This paper shares findings from a 2023 Romance Scam and Social Engineering Competition (RSSEC) that introduced students to the behavioral and psychological aspects of romance scams. Specifically, the competition aimed to expose students to (i) understanding how victims experience social engineering (SE) - the psychological manipulation of human behavior, …

Integrating Intercultural Competencies In An Introductory Business Information Literacy Course, Annette Bochenek, Heather A. Howard, Zoeanna A. Mayhook

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Librarians at a large Midwestern university integrated intercultural competencies into an information literacy course taught annually to over 100 first-year business students. The interventions aim to improve intercultural skills and characteristics as defined by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU) Intercultural Knowledge and Competence VALUE Rubric. Student intercultural competencies were assessed via online surveys according to the VALUE Rubric, comparing pre-, retrospective, and post-self-assessments. Students' intercultural competencies changed as a result of engaging with the course material. This paper describes the classroom interventions implemented by librarians, results from survey data analysis, and implications for library instruction.

Repositioning North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato): The New Security Dilemma On Trans–Atlantic Relations Amid Shifting Global Geopolitics, Daniel C. George, Indra Alverdian

Journal of Strategic and Global Studies

The shifting global geopolitics have led to a new security dilemma in Europe, especially in trans–Atlantic relations. NATO as the vanguard of the trans–Atlantic defense pact is faced with transitional conditions of non-conventional threats that return to conventional threats. Due to the shift in the new global order, these threats require a repositioning for NATO to counter the new security dilemma amidst shifting global geopolitics. By referring to the three asserted pillars–the return of conventional warfare on the European continent; a more assertive Russia in the European continent under Vladimir Putin; and the geopolitical of China's rise impacted trans–-Atlantic …