Digital Commons Network^™

Strategies And Methods Used To Improve Engagement: Mixed Methods Action Research In An Online Computer Applications Course, Yvette Newton Sands

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research is to evaluate and examine the strategies and methods that were used to improve interactions and engagement of students enrolled in a computer applications course at a large university in the southeast part of the United States. A mixed methods research model that included both quantitative and qualitative measures was used. Quantitative data were collected from 162 students who participated in the course discussion boards and forums and from 124 students who took part in the Online Student Engagement survey (OSE). Qualitative data were derived from interviews with five student focus groups and from …

The Impact Of Hotel Service Robot Appearance And Service Attributes On Customer Experience, Chuhan Thomsen

Theses and Dissertations

In the past decade, an increasing discussion has taken place regarding the employment of hotel service robots. One critical issue is the impact service robots exhibit on customer experience. However, most of the existing studies focus on service robots’ technical functions or customer’s adoption behavior instead of customers’ psychological or attitudinal reactions toward the robot. Meanwhile, the emergence of humanoid robots has raised great attention from both researchers and industry practitioners. Humanlike features (e.g. facial expressions, emotions, and motions) inherently affect customer experience in a hotel environment. Nevertheless, limited literature exists in incorporating service robots’ anthropomorphism and service attributes into …

Newcomer Student-Athlete Perceptions Of Coaches’ Socialization Strategies: Scale Development, Evelyn Su Jara-Pazmino

Theses and Dissertations

In this era of multi-million dollar paydays, the need to fill arenas and the pressure to win has increased dramatically. In order to build a winning program, the coaching staff turns to national and international recruiting. According to David Ching, Senior Contributor of Forbes, “Nearly every Power Five college athletics program spends more than $1 million per year on recruiting” (Ching, 2018). The fact that student-athletes have a limited time of four years of eligibility to perform for their institutions, results in a continuous influx of newcomers to the team. Student-athletes with a diverse cultural background have to adapt to …

The Downside Of National Team Identity: A Model To Measure Negative Outcomes Of Team Identity, Fei Gao

Theses and Dissertations

Team identity has been a prevailing subject and has drawn a wide range of attention from both academia and the sport industry. The previous literature indicates that team identity had significant impact on team-related purchases, game attendance, TV viewership, loyalty, other social identities (e.g., national identity), etc. However, the majority of team identity studies were merely focused on unveiling these positive outcomes of team identity. Little is known about how team identity works on fans’ negative sentiment toward outgroup members. The purpose of this dissertation was to establish a model to measure the effect of team identity on xenophobia and …

Rethinking The Customer Experience: An Empirical Comparison Of Airbnb And Hotels, Jing Li

Theses and Dissertations

Experience is at the heart of the tourism and hospitality industry. One of the fundamental objectives of this sector is to create memorable customer experiences. For years, the sharing economy has been an essential industry phenomenon. Distinct from the traditional sector, Airbnb emerged as a disruptive innovation and a dominant online sharing-economy platform and has had a significant impact on the traditional industry. Despite growing interest in customers’ experiences in tourism and hospitality, limited research has provided insight into what constitutes the customer experience with Airbnb, how it can be conceptualized, and how it should be measured. In addition, Airbnb …

The Importance Of Fan Engagement And Fan Management In Sports, Andrea Previati

Theses and Dissertations

This investigation explores the current state of fan management and engagement in the sports management, and its growing importance within sports clubs as a driver of revenue. Among the different aspects embedded in sports organizations’ management, “fan experience” has become one of the most relevant and innovative concepts developed. In 1980s, ticketing represented 90% of the turnover; currently, ticketing accounts for between 15% and 20% of revenue. Revenue is now largely derived from other sources of entries: e.g. broadcasting, TV rights, sponsorship and commercial deals. Fan experience, in this scenario, arises as a new lever for sports clubs for diversifying …

What Goes Into Successful Diversity And Inclusion Initiatives In Entertainment? Lessons From Advocates Of Creative Talent, Lindsey Sands

Theses and Dissertations

Entertainment offers a powerful medium in reducing bias and prejudice. Therefore, its critical role in shaping bias through on-screen representation needs to be explored through people who work directly with writers, directors, and actors. This qualitative study aimed to determine the impact of diversity and inclusion approaches by interviewing 14 advocates of creative talent in the entertainment industry. The study explored the types of Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) initiatives prevalent in entertainment, the correlation between bias and prejudice reduction, and the perceived impact of these initiatives in improving environments. The study found that six themes emerged: access to relationships, highlighting …

Systemic Barriers And Facilitators Of Help-Seeking And Highly Performing Individuals In Business And Sports, Jonathan N. Weller

Theses and Dissertations

The mental health and wellbeing of highly performing individuals in business and sport demands attention due to the high costs (personal and financial) that disruptions can create for these individuals and their organizations or teams. Utilizing 13 interviews with support professionals (e.g., executive coaches, psychologists), this study explored factors affecting help-seeking and wellbeing amongst high-performing athletes and executives, consequences of not seeking help, and similarities present in business and elite sports environments. Themes including stigma, career consequences, logistics, culture, and isolation of leadership were identified as factors inhibiting help-seeking and wellbeing. Service delivery factors, organizational resources and policies, and leadership …

Design Hub: Activating Community By Design, Ed Williams

Theses and Dissertations

MOTIVATION

At the turn of the century, Robert Putnam (2000, 27) wrote “...a powerful tide bore Americans into ever deeper engagement in the life of their communities, but a few decades ago that tide reversed and we were overtaken by a treacherous rip current.” Putnam is describing a loss of “social capital” throughout American society. Research suggests that many of our contemporary issues are the result of a decline in “social capital,” or “community.”

This pervasive lack of community is thought to be detrimental to “educational performance, safe neighborhoods, equitable tax collection, democratic responsiveness, everyday honesty, and even our health …

The Relationship Between Exercise And Quality Of Life In Adults In The U.S. Who Suffer From Cystic Fibrosis, April Renae Pitts

Theses and Dissertations

Cystic Fibrosis is a life-threatening lung condition that affects many yet the knowledge of its existence is very little. There is a relationship between the health and well-being of Cystic Fibrosis patients and physical activity. This research is designed to expand the knowledge on the effects exercise and lung function may have on the quality of life on adults that suffer from Cystic Fibrosis. The researcher also seeks to examine what control and behavioral beliefs might contribute to the intentions of an adult with Cystic Fibrosis exercising regularly while using the behavioral and control belief constructs of the Theory of …

“We Need Dawgs!”: Narrative Construction Of Athletic Identity Among Black High School Football Players, Victor Dion Kidd

Theses and Dissertations

Previous empirical inquiry of athletic identity (Brewer, Van Raalte, Linder, 1993) and participation has failed to examine how such identities and roles are developed at the high school level of competition. While focusing on salient athletic identities or role sets are important, research literature should target how devotion to athletic identities, roles, and responsibilities are developed and communicated to adolescent athletes by social interactions. Therefore, while adopting Narrative Identity Theory (Loseke, 2007; McAdams & McLean, 2013; Polkinghorne, 1991; Smith 2010) as an appropriate lens, the current study investigated how athletic identity, roles, and responsibilities are developed through complex interaction and …

Investigating Managerial Priority Of Environmental Inputs And Outputs In Public Assembly Venues, Walker Ross

Theses and Dissertations

This study was focused on understanding how managers of public assembly venues prioritize the various manager-perceived environmental inputs and outputs of the operation of their building when making decisions on environmental sustainability. Such research is necessary as there was little to no understanding of the operational impacts of sport on the natural environment. A survey of managers of public assembly venues that utilized the best-worst scaling method of experimental design and analysis was utilized to gather data that appropriately addressed the research question posed by this study. Findings suggest that managers prioritize the environmental inputs and outputs of their buildings …

Finding The Perfect Match: Dimension Analysis And Development Of The External Sponsorship Congruence Scale, Kelly Evans

Theses and Dissertations

The biggest problem interfering with effective sport sponsorships is marketing clutter and the negative impact it has on sponsorship recall accuracy (Cornwell & Relyea, 2000; Rumpf, 2012; Seguin & O’Reilly, 2008). Previous research shows that external sponsorship congruence plays an important role in how consumers remember and recall sport sponsors (Cornwell et al., 2005; Fleck et al., 2012; Jagre et al., 2001; Olson & Thjømøe, 2011; Solomon, 1996; Stangor & McMillan, 1992), ultimately influencing consumer attitudes and behavior (Close & Lacey, 2013; Gwinner & Bennett, 2008; Lee & Thorson, 2008; Simmons & Becker-Olson, 2006). Great strides have been made in …

Measuring Long-Term Advertising Effects In The Tourism And Hospitality Industry, Rui Qi

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the intangible characteristics of the service product, the tourism and hospitality industry relies heavily on advertising. This dissertation is composed of three interrelated studies, with the overall purpose to investigate advertising effectiveness within the tourism and hospitality industry from a firm-level perspective. Longitudinal and time-series models were employed to analyze firm-level accounting, finance, and marketing data. Overall, results provided supports for the strategic value of advertising in the airline, hotel, and restaurant firms. The first study’s findings indicate that the economic benefits from advertising expenditures, unlike other expenses, do not expire in the current period. In addition, advertising …

Selling Rooms And Making Money In The Lodging Industry: Analyzing The Effects Of Revpar And Goppar Together, Thomas Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

Based on previous research, revenue management now focus on alternative benchmarks for assessing bottom-line performance. The advent of alternative benchmarks leads to increased analysis of the relationship between revenue and profitability within hotel management. This thesis builds on previous research of revenue and profitability with RevPAR and GOPPAR acting as proxies for revenue and profitability to determine the relationship between the two variables as well as identifying their roles and analysis within revenue management as revenue management maneuvers toward a more strategic outlook. Also, this thesis identifies whether affiliation (independent vs. chain-affiliated) and hotel service levels directly affect the correlation …

The Importance Of Twitter To Destination Marketing Organizations, Tatiana Allgeyer

Theses and Dissertations

Social media has experienced quick and expansive growth since its beginnings. While the initial users were individuals, social media has become a melting pot of businesses, brands, and celebrities all vying for engagement from followers in the hopes of increasing likes, engagement levels and sales.

Destination marketing organizations (DMO’s) have been slow to adopt social media platforms and integrate them into their marketing strategies. The goal of this study is to analyze what kinds of social media content produces the highest levels of engagement in order to make specific social media strategy recommendations to the Columbia DMO, Experience Columbia. An …

Shaping The Southeastern Conference: Commercialization And Deregulation During The Great Depression And World War Ii, James Lawrence Watkins

Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation examines how member institutions in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) managed their college football programs during World War II. This time period in college sport history is unique because a few university presidents at SEC institutions believed the war gave them the opportunity to permanently implement reforms such as reducing practice hours and limiting the high salaries of coaches. Previous historiography demonstrates that these reforms did not come to fruition. Why were the university presidents and faculty, who claimed responsibility for governing the SEC, unable to capitalize on the opportunity they believed the war had given them to reform …

Skill Acquisition And Behavior Change Following An Exercise Bout In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Erika Jaci Richards

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine if antecedent bouts of exercise, through the means of a basketball practice, are beneficial to 5 children aged 8 to 11 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in decreasing competing behaviors (e.g., stereotypy, disruptive behaviors). Additionally, basketball skill mastery was measured. Antecedent exercise was corroborated by measuring heart rate. The results of the study indicate that antecedent exercise decreased disruptive behaviors and had no effect on stereotypic behaviors. Of the 5 participants, 4 of them had heart rate levels that indicated they were engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity. All 5 participants …

Child Sport Fan Behavior: An Examination Of The Effects Of Socialization, Branding, And Alternatives On Children’S Psychological Connections To Sports Teams, Katherine Rose Nakamoto Reifurth

Theses and Dissertations

This three-study dissertation focuses on child fans of professional sport teams and the ways in which they become fans and attach themselves and connect to these sport brands. In Study 1, the researchers focused on the socialization into fandom of young children and the effects of communities and the game-day environment on this socialization utilizing qualitative observations and interviews with children ages 6 to 14 and resulted in an expanded understanding of the dame-day aspects that attract and excite children most. In Study 2, the researchers focused on the aspects of a new team’s brand that children ages 5 to …

Premium Seating In College Athletics: Trends Of Today And The Future, Kendra Holaday

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to assist college athletic departments in attracting more fans to premium seating areas within their football stadiums. Existing research covers professional sporting venues in depth, but lacks volume regarding collegiate athletics. Due to the minimal knowledge and research recorded on premium seating in college football venues, there is a crucial need for the gap in research to be filled. The interviewing method and qualitative research was used to gain information on premium seating within college football venues. During the interview process existing premium seating, renovations in progress, and future addition plans were all explored. …

Work-Life Factors That Impact Job Burnout And Turnover Intention Among Athletic Academic Support Professionals, Jennifer Gellock

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to investigate factors in the work environment that impact job burnout among academic support professionals who work with college student-athletes. Specifically, the factors of job control match, fairness march, rewards match, and workload match were explored. Additionally, the extent to which emotional exhaustion and depersonalization had an effect on turnover intention was explored. Job burnout has been found to have negative impacts on professionals in human services professions. The sample consisted of academic advisors and learning specialists affiliated with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I programs. Results suggest academic support professionals experience …

Exploring Person-Organization Fit And Gender Bias In The Hiring Process Of Engineering Firms: Is Selection Impacted?, Vicky W. Knerly

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to discover whether intentionally considering person-organization (P-O) fit during the selection process of workforce planning is impacted by gender bias on the part of the hiring manager. Utilizing a comparative case study of hiring managers and employees of small, for-profit engineering firms, the study attempted to discover whether firms that specifically screen applicants for fit with the organization also exhibit gender bias in their selection decisions and whether this differs from firms that do not necessarily hire or rigorously screen for fit with the organization. The theoretical framework for the study follows the Attraction-Selection-Attrition (ASA) framework first …

The Impact Of Social Desirability On An Individual’S Scale Of Accurate Personality Prediction (Sapp) Score, Alexander James Kiss

Theses and Dissertations

The Scale of Accurate Personality Prediction (SAPP), developed by Miller (2000), was derived from the 16PF and purports to measure an individual’s ability to accurately assess his or her own self-knowledge. The scores from the SAPP are derived from calculating the absolute value of the difference between the individuals predicted scores on the 16PF, and the individual’s actual scores on the 16PF. The present study aimed to determine if individuals with lower SAPP scores were influenced by social desirability, and if social desirability perception differs by gender. Archival data of 607 individuals was organized into 150 low scoring SAPP individuals …

The Connection Between Race And Performance Of Nba Draft Picks, Jeremiah Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the relationship between race and performance in terms of one of the highest forms of efficiency in basketball, field goal percentage, based on college statistics, with regard to draft position, career earnings and NBA win shares.

Summer Bridge For Student Athletes: A Comparison Of Effects On Special Admit And General Admit Student Achievement, Laura Swee Ong

Theses and Dissertations

This study was an investigation of academic outcomes for student athletes who did or did not participate in an athlete-specific freshman Summer Bridge program in a private Division I university in the western United States. Analysis of data across five years yielded results regarding fall, winter, and cumulative GPA; and progress toward degree for special admit and general admit student athletes. Data indicate significant differences between groups in terms of GPA and progress toward degree for the first year. However, there were no significant main interaction between time and group as measured by differential slopes over time according to group …

Assessment Of The Evolving Low-Cost Business Model For The Future Importance Of U.S. Secondary Airports, Nurettin Dinler

Theses and Dissertations

Airline deregulation caused a profound reshape in the aviation industry. The liberalization of the aviation sector resulted in a favorable environment for the emergence of low-cost carriers (LCCs). Following deregulation, airlines saw many attempts at their business strategies to gain more passengers in air transportation market. To capture additional market shares of passenger traffic, the business models of LCCs have evolved to mirror the more common business models employed by the traditional legacy airlines. The purpose of this study was to examine what effect, if any, exists between LCCs’ market share of passenger enplanements at secondary airports and their business …

Athletic Identity, Institutional Support Services, And Transition Factors: An Analysis Of Student-Athlete Perceptions And Implications, John Nowak Kaczorowski

Theses and Dissertations

Brewer, Van Raalte and Linder (1993) defined the term athletic identity as the degree to which a person identifies with the role of an athlete and seeks outside acknowledgement of that role. Those who have a high athletic identity tend to be those who have achieved elite levels within athletics. These elite athletes tend to base their self-worth and self-esteem on their ability, performance and the appreciation of their athletic talent, while gradually neglecting other aspects of psycho-social development (Cieslak II, 2004). These resulting deficits have been attributed to what is called identity foreclosure in the literature. High-stakes athletes can …

Understanding The Role Of Sport For Development In Addressing Health Disparities In Low-Ses Communities, Tiesha R. Martin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the role of Sport for Development (SFD) in addressing health disparities in low-SES communities. This was done using a multiple case study design, in which administrators, staff, and youth participants from five SFD programs were interviewed. A theoretical model, consisting of the theory of fundamental causes (Link & Phelan, 1995), the classification of SFD programs (Coalter, 2007), and the ecological model of health promotion (McLeroy, 1988), was developed to guide this study.

Interviews were transcribed and then analyzed using a deductive coding process (Gilgun, 2005). The findings revealed that the SFD programs …

We Are One: The Role Of Group Identity And Self-Sacrificial Leaders On The Generation Of Social Capital Within Youth Sport Programs, Dorothy R. Collins

Theses and Dissertations

Popular culture often assumes that participation in youth sport has a host of positive benefits, including the ability to generate social capital, spur future occupational success and encourage greater levels of civic engagement (Coalter, 2007). There is; however, little empirical evidence to support this ideal (Coakley, 2011). In fact, little is known about the specific conditions within a sport organization that likely to facilitate youth sport organizations to become more adept at generating, maintaining, and distributing social capital to their members. Using the Community of Practice framework (Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002) as a lens, the author investigated the conditions …

Social Influence On Consumers’ Online Review Behavior, Hengyun Li

Theses and Dissertations

Online reviews constitute an important source of word-of-mouth, which can affect consumers’ product choices as well as company sales and profitability. Therefore, understanding the factors underlying consumers’ online posting behavior is essential for business success and relevant knowledge development. This dissertation consists of three independent but closely related studies focusing on hotel and restaurant contexts. The objectives of this dissertation are to investigate how prior reviews and disconfirmation (i.e., the deviance between post-consumption evaluations and other consumers’ prior average review rating) may affect subsequent consumers’ online review-posting behavior in terms of their willingness to post online reviews, the review ratings …