Digital Commons Network^™

From Bystanders To Upstanders: A Multi-Level Strategy To Combat Human Trafficking In Hospitality, Aili Wu, Wei Wei, Lu Zhang

ICHRIE Research Reports

Human trafficking, a prevalent hidden crime, continues to be a pressing concern in the hospitality industry. However, the effectiveness of existing anti-human trafficking programs in improving employee response behaviors remains unknown. This report evaluates the effectiveness of training messages to capture hospitality employees’ attention, facilitating empathy and willingness to help the victims. It further explores the facilitators and barriers influencing employees’ responses to human trafficking after training. The findings from this report provide a practical guide for hospitality practitioners to develop and refine ongoing training programs, strengthening employees’ commitment to combating human trafficking. Beyond general training, this report offers a …

Green Logistics: A Brief Look At Cutting Carbon In Global Supply Chains, Maria F. Navarro

Sustainable Supply Chain Management

This chapter looks at how companies are making their supply chains more eco-friendly by using green logistics. It explains how businesses are trying to lower their carbon footprint by improving things like transportation, packaging, and warehouse operations. Some of the main strategies include using electric trucks, planning better delivery routes, and using less energy in storage. It also talks about how new technologies like AI and automation can help make logistics both smarter and more sustainable. Overall, the chapter shows that being environmentally responsible is becoming more important for companies around the world.

The State Of Municipal Scale Highest Use Urban Wood Reclamation Projects, Bradley C. Almond

Graduate Liberal Studies Theses and Dissertations

Millions of urban trees are downed annually for various reasons, such as storms, disease, or development. We are all witnesses to the loss of trees as we see the piles of woody waste assembled on the curbside, ready for public works pickup. Today, most urban wood waste ends up in landfills, mulching/chipping facilities, or firewood production. Each of these alternatives results in the release of sequestered carbon back into the atmosphere.

The initial research led to successful diversion from landfills to mulch and firewood operations. Then, the research shifted to converting urban wood waste for its best use, which outlined …

Ai Governance In The Gaming Industry: A Proposal For A Use Case Registry, Cesar D. Lozoya Martinez

Student Research

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into everyday life. From customer service chatbots and marketing strategies to player protection tools and surveillance systems, casino operations are embracing the trend. However, without a systematic framework to track the current and emerging use cases across the industry, concerns about transparency, ethical use, and potential consumer harm continue to grow. Rather than aiming to establish binding regulatory practices for an industry and technology that are both quickly evolving, this policy brief advocates for the creation of an AI-use case registry. The registry would comprehensively track gaming companies that are using AI. The growing …

First Annual Advances In Business Education Conference 2025 Proceedings, Kelsey Metz, Joshua Ray

Advances in Business Education (ABE) Conference Proceedings

Conference Overview: The First Annual Advances in Business Education (ABE) Conference was held on May 16, 2025, at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. Hosted by the LMU School of Business, the ABE Conference was established to promote teaching excellence through innovation and collaboration in business education. With a focus on fostering meaningful dialogue among educators, researchers, and students, the conference welcomed participants from across disciplines and institutions. The event was structured around three key tracks:

Pedagogy & Teaching Excellence: Showcasing innovative teaching methods and strategies for enhancing student learning and engagement.

Business Research: Presenting research focused on advancing knowledge …

Sustainability In Professional Sports: A New Nexus Of Profit And Social Responsibility, Matthew Teplitz

Master's Theses

The world is facing a climate crisis – corrective action that will improve our collective situation is needed, now. Those with the power to do so, in the capitalist structure under which we live, are largely the individuals, corporations, and governments with financial resources and the platform to inspire others to act. Two such entities, complete with the financial heft to make a difference and inspiration to spare, are North America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) and Spain’s La Liga. This thesis seeks to understand what distinguishes the NBA’s approach to sustainability from La Liga, and by employing each league as …

The Algorithm Of Inclusion: Homonationalism, Queer Advocacy, And Digital Marketing Of Un Ecosoc Ingos And Indian Ngos, Dewansh Chauhan

Master's Theses

Advocacy organizations have increasingly turned to social media as digital platforms become integral to contemporary activism, shaping public discourse and securing institutional legitimacy. This thesis examines the organizational communication of organizations that support marginalized sexualities within a neoliberal and homonationalist context. Employing Critical Content Analysis (CCA), the study analyzes a representative sample of 200 Instagram posts from 2024, comparing two international NGOs with ECOSOC status at the UN (Outright International and ILGA) and two national NGOs in India (Humsafar Trust and Naz Foundation). The findings reveal how homonationalist tendencies may manifest at the intersection of engagement metrics, identity-centric rhetoric, brand …

Natural Resource Enterprises - Income Diversification And Conservation Practices Implemented On Private Lands In The United States, Daryl Jones

Journal of Extension

Wildlife-related recreation is popular with Americans spending over $150 billion dollars annually. I have conducted educational workshops (>100 events) to train U.S. landowners in natural resource enterprises development offering recreational hunting, angling, and nature tourism excursions along with conservation management practices to enhance wildlife habitats on their lands. To measure impacts, I conducted a comprehensive mail survey study with participants since 2010. Findings revealed that landowners who initiated these enterprises earned annual incomes and implemented conservation practices on properties. More training for landowners is recommended to increase income diversification and conservation of wildlife habitats and stewardship on private lands.

The Confluence, Volume 4, Issue 1, Full Issue

The Confluence

No abstract provided.

No Turning Back? Examining The Rise Of Short-Form Content In Post-Covid Marketing For Gen-Z And Gen Alpha, Collin Blackford, Mitchell Hamilton

Honors Thesis

Over the past 10 years, the world has seen a massive increase in the use of social media, specifically with the younger audiences of Gen-Z and Gen Alpha. When the Covid-19 Pandemic rocked the world in early 2020, many of these young generations were forced into their homes, with social media being a main source of communication with their peers. Coupled with a rise of short-form content like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Youtube Shorts, and social media content was now more widespread than ever. Due to this the digital marketing landscape has been drastically changed, with attention spans getting shorter …

There’S A Crisis Brewing In Higher Education, Caroline M. Graham

Dissertations, 2020-current

This dissertation addresses the increasing need to enhance crisis preparedness among student affairs practitioners in higher education. With the growing frequency and complexity of campus crises—ranging from mental health emergencies to incidents of violence, the preparedness and self-efficacy of those in student support roles are paramount. This three-manuscript dissertation explores crisis intervention training, crisis self-efficacy, and the lived experiences of student affairs practitioners navigating campus crises. The first manuscript provides a conceptual overview of the gaps in current crisis intervention training within graduate programs, advocating for the integration of core competencies informed by accreditation standards and professional associations. The second …

Gotta Be Fresh: Comedy Central’S Workaholics, Masculinity, And Paratextual Decay, Adamandrew Lenox

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis examines social media marketing materials for Workaholics, a sitcom aired on Comedy Central from 2011 to 2017, to study paratextual temporality/ephemerality, the “brand as friend” social media strategy, and how masculinity is articulated through paratexts. The project incorporates theories from the fields of social media and internet marketing studies, television content and industry studies, and promotional paratext studies. Research centered on 100 Workaholics X (formerly Twitter) posts, published from January 2012 to March 2017. Posts were collected using Google Chrome extension TwExportly. Qualitative textual and content analysis of these paratexts results in three categories of findings. First, I …

Women And Stem − A 2025 Update, Robyn C. Blackburn, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Although the term STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) was coined in 2001 by Judith A. Ramaley of the National Science Foundation and had been used informally in the previous decade,¹ the push for STEM in the US began in the 1950s with Russia launching Sputnik and the US subsequently pouring billions of dollars into educating students to ensure the nation became a technological global power. However, the gender gap in STEM fields today reduces the innovation that could be achieved with more unique perspectives contributing to the field. Closing the gender gap in STEM is vital because scientific …

Gambling-Related User-Generated Content: An In-Depth Analysis Of Slot Machine Vlogs On Youtube, Tiange Xu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The growing popularity of social media platforms has transformed how gambling content reaches audiences, with gambling vlogs now attracting millions of viewers outside traditional marketing channels. Despite their reach and potential influence, these user-generated videos remain understudied in gambling research. This study sought to analyze slot machine vlogs by examining their portrayal of gambling experiences, assessing viewer engagement patterns, and identifying the video features associated with higher engagement metrics. Using a comprehensive mixed-methods approach, I analyzed 170 popular YouTube slot machine vlogs and 43,837 viewer comments through advanced analytical techniques. Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic modeling identified four themes in gambling …

Ethics In The Age Of Digital Trading: Rethinking Responsibility In Modern Investing, Kennedy Solomon, Melissa Fitzpatrick

Honors Thesis

The rise of digital trading platforms such as Robinhood has transformed retail investing into an accessible activity for the general public. While these platforms claim to democratize investing through commission-free trading and intuitive interfaces, their gamified designs and aggressive marketing raise significant ethical concerns. This paper explores how such apps target inexperienced users, encouraging potentially reckless financial behavior under the guise of empowerment.

Lubin Business Magazine Spring 2025

Lubin Business Magazine

No abstract provided.

Sound Of The Circuit: Ferrari X Spotify’S Sponsorship Strategy To Engage The U.S. Formula 1 Market, Gabrielle Vullings

Honors College Theses

This thesis explores the effectiveness of cross-industry partnerships as a strategic marketing tool through the case study of Spotify and Ferrari Formula 1’s collaboration, Sound of the Circuit. The central research question investigates how such a partnership can expand Formula 1’s reach within the U.S. market, particularly among millennial and Gen Z audiences. With growing interest in Formula 1 driven by cultural phenomena such as Netflix’s Drive to Survive, and the continued dominance of Spotify in youth-centered audio streaming, this thesis examines how these two global brands can align to engage a shared audience and generate mutual commercial value. Using …

Resale Revolution: Trend Implications From Media Presence Transcended To Luxury Retail Markets, Penelope Prochnow

Capstone Projects

This study aims to deepen understanding of fashion trend decline from peak popularity to obsolescence, with implications for sustainability and producer profit margins. It investigates how the attributes and media presence of fashion items influence their journey from high-end editorial coverage to resale platforms. Using survival analysis to model trend lifetimes and cosine similarity metrics to compare resale and magazine keyword frequencies, alongside machine learning for price prediction, the study uncovers critical temporal patterns. Results show that resale trends reflect magazine content with a lag of approximately 18 to 30 months and draw from long-wave revivals spanning 6 to 14 …

Be Ready For What's Next: A Reflection On My Internship With Kpmg, Megan L. Bundren

Honors Theses

During my audit internship with KPMG in Dallas, I had the opportunity to apply classroom knowledge from the Patterson School of Accountancy to real-world client engagements across a variety of industries. I participated in substantive testing, financial statement tie-outs, depreciation analysis, and internal control evaluations, which deepened my understanding of audit standards and procedures. My training at KPMG’s Lakehouse in Orlando and use of tools like KPMG Clara Workflow and Microsoft Excel’s DataSnipper enhanced my technical skills and audit efficiency. I also gained insight into global collaboration through KPMG’s Global Delivery Center in India. Through engagements such as Seaport Entertainment …

Finnish Fashion Lessons For The Creation Of A Sustainable Textiles Industry, Susanna Monseau, Kaisa Sorsa, Heidi Salokangas

Pace International Law Review

The detrimental effects of textiles and the fashion industry on the planet are well-known.
In its 2022 Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles (the EU Textile Strategy) the EU proposed aggressive actions to transform the textile industry to implement the commitments of Europe’s Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan. The Textile Strategy’s aim is simple but ambitious: to end fast fashion. Its proposals will regulate textile businesses along the whole supply chain, but the views of the smaller enterprises that make up the majority of the supply chain have been overlooked, even as larger players lobby for policy changes. …

Strategic Audit: Wells Fargo & Company, Nathan Q. Gaughan

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

No abstract provided.

The Dark Side Of Global Supply Chains, Megan Soong

Sustainable Supply Chain Management

This article highlights the unfair supply chain practices many companies succumb to in order to increase their profits. Touching on the clothing industry, electronics, and food corporations, many big name brands hide their lack of pay, e-waste, and deforestation related operations in order to protect their name and image.

Exploring Contemporary Issues Through Accounting Case Studies, Emaline Myers

Honors Theses

This thesis was completed as part of the course “Accounting 420- Independent Study” under the guidance of Dr. Victoria Dickinson and includes a collection of five case studies exploring the role of accounting, ethics, and policy in today’s world. Each case investigates how financial information, government decisions, and business strategy intersect, and what that means for professionals entering the accounting field. The topics covered in this thesis range from international financial fraud to environmental disclosures, military spending, public education, and small business development. Several key takeaways emerged from the completion of these cases. Case Study I highlights issues in global …

Analyzing And Understanding The Broad Spectrum Of Accounting: Five Concentrated Case Studies, Anna D. Franks

Honors Theses

This thesis is a compilation of five case studies, each exploring a distinct aspect of the accounting profession and its role in modern society. They were written and compiled under the supervision of Dr. Victoria Dickinson during the Honors Accountancy 420 course and in accordance with the requirements of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Patterson School of Accountancy. Cases I-IV examine various pressing issues within the field of accounting, including the 2008 stock market crash, the implications of the military industrial complex that is present in many modern governments, environmental sustainability in accounting, and a look at …

Taking Everything Into Account: An Accumulation Of Real-World Accounting Case Studies, Sydney Baumgardner

Honors Theses

Accountancy 420, Independent Study, pushed students enrolled into the class to delve further into accounting than they had ever before. During this course, several independent case studies were completed, as were several group case studies. The following cases are presented chronologically. At the end of the spring semester, our knowledge cumulated into a final project exploring business establishment in the state of Mississippi, which was presented to esteemed state officials and academics. This project necessitated research and the creation of hypothetical financial statements for our imagined company. This presentation fulfilled the requirements of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. Throughout …

Accounting Problems Analysis In The Real World, Price A. Turner

Honors Theses

This thesis explores how real-world challenges intersect with the field of accounting through the analysis of six diverse case studies: The China Hustle, the Military-Industrial Complex, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) concerns, the economic philosophies of Dr. Thomas Sowell and Dr. Ben Carson, and an economic development proposal for Oxford, Mississippi. These cases were analyzed using financial models, evaluations, and qualitative research conducted under the guidance of Dr. Victoria Dickinson in the Honors Accountancy 420 course at the Patterson School of Accountancy, in partnership with the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College.

The findings illustrate how accounting principles and problem-solving …

Exploring Financial Implications Through Case Studies Of Various Economic, Financial, And Social Factors, Rachel Spencer

Honors Theses

This thesis explores many topics surrounding the financial, economic, and social implications of key issues identified in various case studies. Topics explored include financial fraud presented in The China Hustle, a reflection on the United States’ military industrial complex and their role in the Ukrainian war, the increasing prevalence of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) programs, the ideology of Dr. Ben Carson and Dr. Thomas Sowell, and a start-up business plan for a brewery.

Each chapter in this thesis analyzes one of these complex topics. This thesis is a critical reflection of how economic implications, government strategies, and social beliefs …

A Product Development Process From Concept To Production: Smartphone Projector, Ross G. Cohen, Piper G. Thomas

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate the production and documentation of the SmartPhone Projector Capstone for the Center of Manufacturing Excellence (CME). This document follows the production development from the beginning Spring 2024 problem definition all the way to the Fall of 2024 final product. This project was completed by a team of five undergraduate students, including an accounting major, finance major, biomedical engineering major, and two mechanical engineering majors. The goal of this project was to design and build a SmartPhone projector, then carry out a full production run located on the CME shop floor. To begin …

Case Studies In Financial Accounting, Jessica Krukar

Honors Theses

Over the course of two semesters in ACCY 420, under the instruction of Dr. Victoria Dickinson, I completed a series of case studies that analyzed different economic and financial accounting issues. These case studies required us to research the topic and to also reflect on what we have learned in previous accounting classes. Two of the case studies were presentation-based competitions: the KPMG Ideation Challenge and the Mississippi Economic Development Project. In both cases, my team and I researched the topic, proposed a solution, developed a presentation, and then argued our solution to a panel of accounting and business professionals. …

Exploring Key Accounting Trends Through Case Studies, Catherine D. Tisue

Honors Theses

This thesis explores topics related to financial accounting and the accounting field through the analysis of case studies. Included are six different case studies ranging from the military industrial complex situations governments are facing to environmentally sustainable practices that could benefit financial reporting. These cases were put together through extensive analysis and problem solving to thoroughly determine the reasons these topics affect our industry. The case studies were written with the supervision of Dr. Victoria Dickinson while in the Honors Accountancy 420 Independent Study course.

These case studies explore a range of topics that all contribute to my understanding of …