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The George-Anne Daily, Georgia Southern University

George-Anne Media Group: Newsletters & Magazines

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Elizabeth Allen

African American Funeral Programs

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The George-Anne Daily, Georgia Southern University

George-Anne Media Group: Newsletters & Magazines

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Message From The President, Georgia Southern University

Messages from the President

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The Significant Role Of Seo In Effective Web Marketing, Ramtin Ranjpour

AMTP Proceedings 2024

With the ever-rising popularity of online shopping, the power of web marketing has become more essential than ever. And search engine optimization (SEO) plays a huge role in web marketing. This paper is a critical literature review that goes over the important scholarly and non-scholarly works of influential experts in SEO. It serves as a fun and engaging introduction for anyone interested in learning about SEO, specifically about its importance, benefits, top strategies, rivals, and how it can be combined with other marketing methods. The hope is that it helps individuals and small business owners with their web marketing and …

Conflicted Positioning: Product Positioning When Market Segments Have Conflicting Risk Goals, Richard Flight

AMTP Proceedings 2024

ABSTRACT

In some product and service categories concern for physical risk as a result of the product or service rendered is an inherent barrier to purchase. Meanwhile, the same perceived danger attracts thrill seekers who want (or need) a sense of adventure. In this exploratory research, the question of motive for and emotions associated with learning how to fly a plane are explored. When prompted risk is cited oftentimes as both a deterrent to engage in the activity and a motive to pursue it. This presents product and brand managers with the question of how to simultaneously assuage risk-related fear …

Unilateralism And Strategic Ambiguity In American Foreign Policy: Contextualizing The Taiwan Relations Act, James L. Landers

Honors College Theses

The goal of this thesis is to examine the unique historical context surrounding the enactment of the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act in order to demonstrate how congressional unilateralism, a core component of enacting the TRA, led the United States to strengthen a policy of strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan and China. As a result of its enactment, the TRA has been criticized by the mainland Chinese government as an example of foreign policy that is contrary to the traditional values promoted by the United States. This study examines the creation of the TRA through government documents, legislation, and speeches and aims …

Bearing The Benefit: An Evolution Of Passing To Trespassing & How We Got Here, Kennedi J. Williams

Honors College Theses

In recent years, we have seen a shift in the social treatment of white people in America. The desire to be politically correct at all times, in hopes of avoiding becoming the next viral “Karen” or racist has become imperative. The following thesis will explore the latest trend of white women buying racial capital by producing mixed-race children. At first glance, this idea can be a bit problematic. How can we assume the reasoning behind a woman choosing to bear a child? With this in mind, I would like to emphasize that individuals do not have to consciously be racist …

Borglum’S Horse Flies: The Early Opposition To Mount Rushmore, Riley Merritt

Honors College Theses

This thesis explores the evolution of opposition to Mount Rushmore from 1923-1927—the period before carving began. The resistance was led by a group of preservationists who were concerned about the potential ecological and societal impacts of the project. While much of the existing scholarship has focused on the relationship between the local Indigenous community and the monument, I argue that the preservationists, who opposed the site for their own reasons, deserve similar attention. I aim to reframe the Mount Rushmore controversy within the broader context of the conservation movement, thereby contributing to wider environmental and historical debates. I also emphasize …

Interactions Between Societal, Social, And Social Media Marketing, Jessica Holden, Ismet Anitsal, Melek Meral Anitsal

AMTP Proceedings 2024

This research explores the interactions among societal, social, and social media marketing concepts to provide clarity and distinction. These concepts are often confused, causing misunderstanding and misuse in practice. Societal, social, and social media marketing concepts need to be differentiated from one another and linked to the appropriate marketing tactics for them to be understood and utilized effectively in practice.

Relationship Marketing And Collegiate Affinity Credit Cards: An Analysis Of Eleven Years Of Cfpb Data (2009 – 2020), Neleen S. Leslie-Piper

AMTP Proceedings 2024

Deregulation and increased market information have made competition fierce in today's market. Service marketers have sought to increase their competitive advantage by focusing on branding and social benefits to augment the functional benefits provided by the services they offer (Fock, Woo, and Hui, 2003). Financial services represent one such industry. Banks have, in recent decades, partnered with organizations with strong membership or supporter bases to create specialized products, including credit cards that are offered exclusively to various organizations. The primary goal of affinity marketing is to capitalize on the relationship between the affinity organization and its members for the promotion …

Embracing Digital Marketing Technologies And Increasing Student Engagement Through Marketing Agility And Reactance, Manisha Mathur

AMTP Proceedings 2024

This study aims to explore the role of marketing agility capability in facilitating students' acquisition of essential knowledge, skills, and abilities related to emerging technologies, as well as their active engagement with the course material. Utilizing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling of the data acquired from marketing students, this comprehensive inquiry yields valuable insights into the intricate dynamics of student responses to marketing technology within educational settings, emphasizing the pivotal role of nurturing digital fluency and marketing agility to enhance engagement and readiness for the professional arena.

Medical Tourism In The Post-Covid Era: Cultural Differences In Attitude Formation, Helena F. Allman, Anton P. Fenik, Hilmi A. Atadil

AMTP Proceedings 2024

Rising health care costs in the United States have been historically shown to increase the U.S. consumers’ interest in medical tourism. The number of uninsured people in the United States is still astronomically high compared to other advanced economies around the world. As a result, medical tourism was on the rise for decades prior to Covid. The pandemic introduced certain stressors and higher levels of risk associated with both the travel and medical treatment services. While the majority of the U.S. population now has some kind of Covid immunity, the long term mental effects of Covid stress in everyday decision …

The Impact Of De-Globalization On Global Supply Chains – An Exploratory Study, Mee-Shew Cheung

AMTP Proceedings 2024

The globalization of supply chains has been a critical driver of economic growth and development over the past few decades. However, the recent trend of de-globalization threatens to disrupt these supply chains and potentially undermine their benefits. This research anticipates uncovering significant insights into the impact of de-globalization on global supply chains, including changes in efficiency, supplier networks, and risk management strategies. Additionally, the study aims to provide practical recommendations for businesses and policymakers to navigate this evolving landscape.

Confidence In Personal Style: A Self-Empowered Path Toward Sustainable Clothing Consumption?, Catherine A. Roster

AMTP Proceedings 2024

This study examined the impact of clothing style confidence on sustainable clothing behaviors. An Internet survey was conducted with a valid sample of 560 U.S. residents equally split by gender between the ages of 25 to 65 purchased from Prolific. Five sub-dimensions of the Clothing Style Confidence scale (i.e., style longevity, aesthetic perceptive ability, creativity, appearance importance, and authenticity) were predicted to positively influence four dependent variables: clothing care and maintenance, purchase of environmentally friendly apparel, likelihood of clothing rental, and interest in upcycled clothing. PLS-SEM was used for data analysis. For both males and females, higher style confidence was …

Picture Perfect Or Symbolic Backfire? Assessing The Detrimental Effects Of Brand Emoji Use On Consumers’ Brand Attitudes, Michael Sciandra, Nazuk Sharma

AMTP Proceedings 2024

As consumers spend more time within digital environments, social media continues to be a critical tool for marketers. One of the most unique forms of communication specific to digital environments is the emoji. The marketing literature has identified numerous positive outcomes associated with marketers’ use of emojis, including strengthening persuasive appeals for social media influencers, increasing consumers’ feelings of positive affect, and bolstering engagement with branded communications. While brands use of emojis can offer benefits, it is critical to question if emoji usage always leads to favorable outcomes for marketers. Therefore, the goal of this research is to investigate when …

Whose Opinions Do We Trust? Some Thoughts On Online Product Ratings And Consumer Decision Making, David Ackerman, Barbara Gross, Jing Hu

AMTP Proceedings 2024

User-generated reviews play a crucial role in assessing market offerings and informing consumers’ purchase decisions. This study applies extant theory to examine the influence of online product ratings and reviews on consumers. The findings from experiments suggest that the impact of online ratings is heightened for higher-priced products in comparison to their lower-priced counterparts during both the information search and product evaluation stages of consumer decision making. Results also indicate that consumer ratings on social media may have more of an impact on consumers than do the ratings of experts. Consumers demonstrated a greater purchase intention for products that received …

Consumers' Brand Loyalty Towards Small Family-Owned Businesses, Christo A. Bisschoff Prof, Christoff Botha Prof, Marco Van Schoor Mr, Doret Botha Prof

AMTP Proceedings 2024

Family-owned businesses constitute a substantial portion of the workforce and GDP in South Africa and, with limited work opportunities in the public sector, play a significant role in job creation. As a result, family enterprises significantly influence South Africa's economy. This study aims to understand consumer loyalty towards family-owned businesses as brands by investigating family-owned businesses in the small mining town "Stilfontein" in the North-West Province, South Africa. Qualitative data collection involved semi-structured interviews with customers of family businesses to gather insights into brand loyalty. The identified themes and sub-themes highlight the importance of community bonds, personalized services, product quality, …

Examining Corporate Social Responsibility (Csr) And Employees In Convenience Store Business And Their Impact On Net Promoter Score (Nps), Musa Pinar, Faruk Guder, Tulay Girard

AMTP Proceedings 2024

In the realm of a convenience store business, this study aims to examine: 1) the customer perceptions of CSR activities, employee behavior, and value congruity; 2) the potential impact of respondent demographics on CSR activities, employee behavior, value congruity, and the likelihood of recommending convenience stores and fuel businesses; 3) the relationships between the CSR activities, employee behavior, and value congruity, and 4) the impact of CSR activities and gender on the likelihood of customer recommendation of the brand. Based on 2000 surveys from the loyalty members, the study found that CSR activities, employee behaviors, and value congruity are important …

Experts-Driven Design: A Framework For Measuring Social Influence In Online Social Networks, Shyamala N. Chalakudi, Dildar Hussain Dr., Gnana Bharathy Dr, Dakshinamurthy Kolluru Dr

AMTP Proceedings 2024

In our interconnected and ever-changing social landscape, influence is pivotal in molding individuals’ decisions, perspectives, and behaviors. Measuring Social Influence (SI) in Online Social Networks (OSNs) faces significant gaps, notably needing more integration with human behaviors. Our literature review has unveiled twelve psychological theories rooted in human behavior that are fundamental for assessing SI in OSNs. We have further elucidated how human behaviors interact in shaping the influence potential of social media users through exploratory interviews with experts from consulting, industry, and academia. Our study culminated in developing a novel framework designed to encompass the intricacies that not only nurture …

Consumer Decision-Making Constructs: Differences Among Generational Cohorts, Heather M. Meyer Ph.D., Chloe Murphy

AMTP Proceedings 2024

The goal of this study is to extend prior research by examining generational differences in consumer behavior. Most consumer decision-making models describes five main stages: 1) problem recognition, 2) information search, 3) alternative evaluation, 4) purchase, and 5) post-purchase. Although various scales can be utilized in order to measure each stage of this process, the authors decided to focus on a promotion-focus scale for problem recognition, an information acquisition scale to measure information search, a quality-consciousness scale and a price-consciousness scale to measure alternative evaluation, a confused by over-choice scale and a compulsive buying scale to measure purchase, and a …

Exploring The Effect Of Logos With Animals, Can Trinh

AMTP Proceedings 2024

Even though the use of logos that feature animals is prevalent (e.g., Porsche, Lamborghini, Hollister), there is a scant number of empirical works that examine the effect of such logos on marketing outcomes. This research represents a pioneering attempt to address this critical theoretical gap. We propose that logos that feature animals (i.e., animal logos) can influence product perceptions. Empirical evidence from two studies supports our propositions. The findings provide meaningful implications for both theory and practice.

Zoomer Generation: Used Car Automobile Purchasing Behaviors, Scott E. Whitaker, Joe Spencer, Giovanni Calise

AMTP Proceedings 2024

There is a growing trend of online automobile purchasing that is altering the relationship between consumers and automobile dealerships. Consumers are more informed and seek a larger variety of inventory and options when shopping for used vehicles. The online marketplace provides a viable alternative to local dealerships who have hereto dominated much of the market. This research shows the current generation of Zoomers is helping to drive this trend which has significant marketing implications toward the industry. There remains a gap in the academic body of knowledge examining this behavior in relation to large online purchases such as automobiles. This …

The A-B Gap: An Assessment Of The Differences Between Ethical Attitudes And Ethical Behaviour Among The Next Generation Of Business Leaders In South Africa, Christo Bisschoff, Sam Fullerton

AMTP Proceedings 2024

The current study scrutinizes differences between the ethical attitudes and behaviour of South Africa’s future generation of business leaders. The target population comprises first-level employed business managers who are currently completing an executive MBA degree. Business managers at three selected South African business schools comprised the sampling frame. Each member of the target population received an online link for access to a questionnaire which featured a previously validated series of balanced 6-point itemized rating scales. Data were collected on both behaviour and attitudes regarding 14 questionable business behaviours, each representing a potential breach of ethical conduct. A 60% response rate …

From Fan Avidity To Nil Ramifications: An Assessment Of The Attitudes Held By American University Students On An Array Of Sports Issues, Sam Fullerton, Tammy Mccullough

AMTP Proceedings 2024

A sample of 667 students drawn from seven universities in various regions of the United States provided feedback regarding 11 specific sports-related issues. These issues include the new NIL rules, fan avidity, and athlete compensation along with several other issues that are commonly addressed in the popular media. Means and percentages were used to derive aggregate measures for the respondents, and the same measures were used to assess the responses based upon one’s gender. For all 11 variables under scrutiny, a statistically significant difference was documented for the two gender-based groups. Thus, it is apparent that the market of intercollegiate …

The Interplay Of Organic Label, Natural Imagery, And Domestic Country-Of-Origin Claim In Shaping Consumer Responses: Independent, Interactive, And Conditional Effects, David Bourdin, Phillip Frankhofer

AMTP Proceedings 2024

With sustainable consumption on the rise, firms are increasingly showcasing their environmental efforts. However, it is still unclear how effective different verbal and visual ‘green’ product cues are in influencing consumer preferences. Addressing this gap, this study examines the independent and interactive effects of an organic label, natural imagery, and a local origin claim on consumer responses to packaged milk. Furthermore, the role of three potential moderators (green product skepticism, consumer ethnocentrism, and environmental concern) is considered. A 2x4 experimental study was conducted with 178 consumers. Structural equation modeling results show that an organic label and natural imagery indirectly increase …

Detecting Barriers And Drivers To The Adoption Of Circular Business Models In Small Companies From Developed And Developing Countries, Nathalie Touratier-Muller, Nikolina Koporcic, Stefan Markovic, Vesna Damnjanovic

AMTP Proceedings 2024

Circular business models (CBMs) have become crucial elements of the ecological and social transition of developed as well as developing countries. However, there is a lack of research focusing on small firms that are adopting CBMs, while facing various resource constraints. As small firms are becoming more conscious of the advantages of CBMs, there is a practical need to identify barriers and drivers to the adoption of those models, to accelerate their development trajectory. To contribute to these theoretical and practical needs, in this paper, we consider the CBMs of small firms and focus on a comparison between developed and …

The Dance Of Longevity: Rhythms Of Maturity In Mnes Subsidiary Management, Mehdi Rasouli Ghahroudi, Sundar Balakrishnan

AMTP Proceedings 2024

We investigate the factors influencing the sustainability of subsidiaries and their effective management in host countries over the long term. We explore the impact of subsidiary mandates on longstanding subsidiaries in comparison to younger counterparts, validating our hypotheses through the analysis of data from 1,463 Japanese subsidiaries operating in 26 developing and developed countries. Our findings reveal that efficiency and strategic asset-seeking subsidiaries are more likely to maintain longer operations in the host market. Additionally, we contribute to the literature by applying the resource-based view and institutional theory to promote the longevity of subsidiaries. Our results underscore the necessity of …

Blockchain-Enabled Participatory Design In Marketing: A Collaborative Approach For Enhanced Customer Engagement, Brian Whelan Dr.

AMTP Proceedings 2024

Participatory Design (PD) is an inclusive approach to designing products, services or systems that actively involve the people who use, will use, or be impacted by the design process (Robertson and Simonsen, 2012). PD has been applied in many domains, including architecture, urban planning, product design, healthcare administration, software development, and community engagement, but its application in marketing has been limited. The goal of this paper is to illuminate potential applications for blockchain-enabled PD initiatives in marketing, and to stimulate further thinking about how its use can lead to deeper customer engagement.