Digital Commons Network^™

Immigration: A Comparative Analysis Of The United States And Europe, Julissa Cavazos

Posters - 2025

* What can the United States do to improve the immigration system compared to Europe?

* What ideas and procedures could the United States adopt to alleviate the current immigration issue?

Remembering Ancient Heroes: How Literary Devices Inbeowulf And Homer Assist In Poetic Recollection, Emily Davey

Posters - 2025

In both Ancient Greek and Old English traditions of poetry, memory is an essential part in the retention of the language and story in the culture’s history. Beowulf shares some poetic lyrical elements with Homer’s epithets. Though both poems have unique and different poetic meters, they possess similar tactics in the language to move the story along while providing poets “footholds” in the poem to remember the story.To deliver these stories of heroes to the public, the sophists of Greece and the scops of Celtic England had only one tool available for the record of these lengthy poems: their capacity …

V.O.T.S. Virus Outbreak Tracking System, Izak O. De La Cruz, Elias Ciudad Leon, Van Nguyen, Amy Torres, Enzo Jaques

Posters - 2025

In a post-pandemic world, the need for real-time, accessible disease tracking has never been more critical. While global COVID-19 heat maps were widely utilized during the pandemic, local virus tracking tools have since diminished, leaving a gap in public health awareness.

V.O.T.S. is an interactive application that visualizes real time disease outbreaks through an interactive heatmap, enabling users to track virus trends by county, severity, and timeframe. The system integrates public health data from trusted sources such as the CDC, empowering individuals and healthcare professionals to make informed decisions. In addition, V.O.T.S. enhances accessibility with multilingual support, symptoms assessment, and …

Unmasking The Color Behind Human Trafficking, Miranda Ibarra

Posters - 2025

> Human Trafficking as a Global Crisis: Recognized as the second-largest criminal industry in the world, human trafficking affects millions worldwide.

> Legal Framework: The Trafficking Victims Protections Act (TVPA) (2000) introduced these primary strategies:

• Prevention
• Protection
• Prosecution

Definition of Trafficking:

• The illegal coercion and transporation of individuals for exploitation.

The Presence Of Substance Use In Individuals From A Non-Traditional Family Structure, Manuel Lastra-Cruz, Isac Perez, Mariana Torres, Cayla Travers

Posters - 2025

This study will analyze the relationship between family structure and substance use behaviors among young adults aged 18 to 25. The aim is to compare substance use between participants raised in nontraditional family structures (foster care or adoptive families) and those raised in biological families. The study will use a cross-sectional design where 200 participants will be recruited (100 from each family structure group). Data collection included the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT), an Intake Form Assessment, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). The participants will complete these surveys that will be used to measure the relationship between substance …

Key Factors In U.S. Mass Shootings: A Statistical Approach, Jared Martinez

Posters - 2025

Mass shootings in the U.S. have surged at an alarming rate. From 1976 to 2018, there were 155 mass public shootings, resulting in 1,078 deaths and 1,694 nonfatal injuries and the rate has only accelerated in recent years. In just eight years (2013–2021), over 200 more occurred. Understanding the factors behind these tragedies is critical for prevention. The 2022 Uvalde school shooting, where an 18-year-old legally purchased assault rifles before killing 21 people, exemplifies the consequences of easy firearm access. By identifying patterns, we can help shape policies to reduce these horrific events and protect communities

Gold & Blue Law Edition, Spring 2025, St. Mary's University - San Antonio, Texas

Gold & Blue Law Edition

This is the Spring 2025 edition of Gold & Blue Law Edition which is St. Mary's University's official School of Law publication.

Napoleon’S Playbook: The Political Strategies Behind His Empire And Legacy, Manjot Gill

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Napoleon Bonaparte’s rule from 1799 to 1814 exemplifies a masterclass in power politics, characterized by three interwoven strategies: institutional reforms, the synthesis of revolutionary ideals with traditional customs, and the strategic use of propaganda. By examining these strategies, this paper argues that Napoleon’s governance not only secured his authority in post- revolutionary France but also laid the groundwork for the mechanisms of modern authoritarian regimes. His legacy endures in the centralization of power, selective legal reforms, and propaganda techniques employed by modern regimes to shape public perception and suppress dissent, underscoring the relevance of Napoleon’s blueprint for power in understanding …

Colonial Legacies And Co-Ethnic Repatriation: A Comparative Analysis Of Germany And South Korea, Eunjin Yong

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

The paper examines the contrasting approaches of Germany and Korea in handling co-ethnic repatriation during the early Cold War era (1940-1950s). Focusing on Germany’s Federal Expellee Law of 1953 and Korea’s absence of formal policies for Korean-Chinese immigrants, the paper illustrates how colonial histories influenced their respective ethnic projects and provides a nuanced understanding of how repatriation policies are shaped by historical and political contexts.

The Study Of Factors Influencing The Commercialization Of Startup Ideas, Ebadallah Yarmoradian, Zahra Saffari, Mahdi Maskani

AMTP Proceedings 2025

Commercialization of startups transforms innovative ideas into marketable products or services, addressing challenges like business model design, target market identification, investment attraction, and resource management. This study examines these challenges and highlights differences between product and service commercialization. Leveraging social and digital technologies, the research emphasizes improving communication networks, customer engagement, and process efficiency. It also explores modern technology's role in supporting nonprofit organizations and NGOs. Key findings underline the importance of technology-driven marketing, intelligent financial management, and robust communication networks. This paper offers practical recommendations for startups and nonprofits to tackle commercialization challenges effectively.

Consumer Insights About Restaurant And Bar Preferences, Griffin D. Burt, Richard Kaminski, Zachary Eckenrode

AMTP Proceedings 2025

This study looks at how bar-restaurants, especially in small towns in Central Pennsylvania, can use market research and targeted marketing to attract and keep customers in today’s competitive landscape. As the market becomes more saturated and customer preferences shift, it's clear that offering quality food alone isn’t enough. Instead, businesses need to focus on creating a full dining experience, which includes great service, a welcoming atmosphere, and personalized touches. Using PJs Tavern as a case study, this research explores customer preferences, demographic factors, and the role of social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook in driving customer engagement. By …

Exploring The Affectionate Dimension Of Cuteness, Can Trinh

AMTP Proceedings 2025

This research aims to extend the current literature related to cuteness by exploring the affectionate dimension of cuteness to see how this dimension may differ from the other two types of cuteness discussed in the literature and the potential impacts of this cuteness dimension on consumers.

Integrating Consumer Behavior Theories: Understanding Modern Consumer Decision-Making, Khusbu Rahman

AMTP Proceedings 2025

This paper synthesizes recent consumer behavior research published in the Journal of Consumer Research between 2020-2024, addressing a significant gap in the consistent application of established theories across different contexts. The study examines key theoretical frameworks, including the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Stimulus-Organism-Response model, and their application in understanding modern consumer decision-making. Through a systematic literature review of 105 articles, the research highlights the complex interplay between rational and emotional factors in consumer behavior, the importance of psychological comfort and attachment in product relationships, and the role of framing and context in decision-making. The findings emphasize the need …

South Africans’ Attitudes And Behaviors Regarding Customer Citizenship: The Paradoxical Comparison Of The Primary And The Secondary Data, Christo A. Bisschoff, Sam Fullerton

AMTP Proceedings 2025

The current study compares the extant literature regarding South Africa to a current assessment using primary data to measure the same green phenomenon, namely customer citizenship. Secondary data were used to develop a profile of how external sources perceive South Africa. For the primary data, a sample of 513 consumers in South Africa responded to an invitation-only, Internet-based questionnaire that focused on attitudinal and behavioral issues germane to the five constructs commonly related to customer citizenship within the context of green purchasing and green consumption. The constructs in focus were green mindset, anti-consumption behavior, consumer coaching behavior, green advocacy, and …

A Model To Measure The Brand Equity Of South African Business Schools: A Case Study Of The North-West University Business School, Christo A. Bisschoff

AMTP Proceedings 2025

This study aims to measure the brand equity of a regional business school in the North-West province of South Africa. A tailor-made approach implied identifying relevant brand equity dimensions and their respective measuring criteria from the literature. Professionals and managers in the Gauteng and North-West provinces were targeted in a judgmental sample to complete the questionnaires, and 97 responses from the combined nine student research papers were analyzed. Five brand equity dimensions were identified from the literature and measured. They are: (1) Perceived quality, (2) Brand awareness, (3) Brand associations, (4) brand loyalty, and (5) University reputation. The results show …

Consumer Intentions And Its Influence On Local Rodeo Attendance, Sierra H. Greene, Melinda Mclelland

AMTP Proceedings 2025

The sport of rodeo has been an American fan favorite for many decades. The opportunity to experience western culture is captivating to many consumers. Although the sport has remained popular, there is limited research exploring consumer attitudes and behavioral intentions related to rodeo. Ultimately, this research will explore consumer attitudes and behavioral intentions toward rodeo via two studies. The objective for study one is to explore how students perceive local rodeos and how this impacts intentions to attend. The purpose of this study is to understand students’ attitudes towards rodeo and their intentions to participate and provide actionable insights to …

The Impact Of Buy-Now-Pay-Later Use Frequency On Social Media Shopping, Luxury Consumption And Consumer Indebtedness, Neleen S. Leslie-Piper, Toluwani Oloke, Ficawoyi Donou-Adonsou

AMTP Proceedings 2025

This study explores the impact of BNPL usage on social media purchasing, luxury consumption, and debt accumulation. 7,371 respondents participated in this study, and 7,248 reported their BNPL usage. The results indicate that the frequency of BNPL usage is positively related to the use of the buy now button on social media, luxury consumption, and indebtedness. Results indicate that all three dependent variables are significantly predicted by BNPL use. Both direct and indirect effects were observed, indicating BNPL's role in impulsive online consumption and consumer debt accumulation.

These results underscore the need for further study on the topic. Although significant …

Sustainability And Visit Intentions: The Mediating Role Of Identification With The Destination., Nicolas G. Lorgnier

AMTP Proceedings 2025

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a framework to enhance tourism competitiveness, crucial for recovery post-COVID-19. Despite initial successes, research on SDGs' impact on destination brand image is limited. This study explores SDGs' influence on destination brands and the mediating role of identification in a cross-cultural context, organized around four research questions. The study uses data from online surveys in five countries, analyzed through PLS-SEM. Results show that destination SDGs are the most predictive of visit intention, with tourist SDGs negatively moderating this influence. The study finds that SDG-congruity measures are redundant and do not enhance visit intention …

Exploring Digital Training In Sales: Insights From Technical Recruiters’ Professional Development Experiences, Christopher Wilkey, Austin Hostetter

AMTP Proceedings 2025

In today’s fast-moving sales world, keeping skills sharp and learning new ones is key to staying ahead. As digital platforms become more common in workplace training, it raises the question, are they really helping professionals grow? This study dives into the training opportunities available to technical recruiters, focusing on how they’re using digital tools for professional development. By interviewing technical recruiters from a variety of companies across the U.S., this research explores their experiences, preferences, and thoughts on the value of these training methods. The interviews show a clear preference for in-person training over digital programs, which are often seen …

How Do College Students’ Regulatory Focus Shape Their Behavioral Outcome Towards Institutes Of Higher Education? The Role Of Cognitive Flexibility And Social Perceptiveness, Saurabh Singh, Sarath Nonis

AMTP Proceedings 2025

Colleges and Universities across the United States are witnessing a decline in overall freshman enrollments. The latest data suggests that in 2023 there was an overall decline in enrollment of 5% among first year incoming freshman students across the country (Wood, 2024). To generate favorable attitude among current or potential students, institutions of higher education have adopted the use of social media channels for communication with students (Perera et. al., 2023). Through this paper, we address the critical question of how institutes of higher education can maximize students’ commitment, sense of belonging, as well as positive word of mouth intentions …

Understanding Med Spa Preferences, Lee O. Brannon Iii, Tabor L. Schilling, Baily R. Trettel, Nancy B. Alden

AMTP Proceedings 2025

This study aimed to understand the key factors that influence client loyalty, determining the most effective marketing channels, and analyzing industry trends and client preferences, in order for med spas to increase their number of client bookings. Utilizing a survey, the researchers gathered data on client demographics, preferences, and behaviors related to aesthetic services. The analysis highlighted the critical elements of client retention, the impact of various marketing strategies, and the competitive landscape. By analyzing the results, the researchers provided descriptive analysis of demographic variables and client preferences. This research provided actionable insights to enhance client loyalty, attract new clients, …

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 …

Doing Business With China And Decoupling: Recommendations For Global Strategy, Nader H. Shooshtari, Timothy A. Manuel

AMTP Proceedings 2025

In the last several years, the effort to reduce dependence on China supply networks and in general to lead western countries’ trade away from China has gained momentum. This effort largely led by the U.S. has been a result of supply chain uncertainty post COVID and growing geopolitical tensions between the two countries. China’s increasing global ambitions under President Xi Jinping, including territorial claims in the South China Sea and Taiwan have changed the view of China as a reliable global factory and trading partner to a major threat to U.S. power. U.S. policymakers view of China evolved from a …

Exploring The Effects Of Strategic Orientation Combinations: The Moderating Role Of Industry Context, Mohammad Elayyan, Zonghui Li, Douglas Johansen, Caitlin Sockbeson, John Shaw

AMTP Proceedings 2025

Prior studies have explored the effect of market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation on firm performance separately. However, when making strategic decisions, firms often integrate marketing activities and entrepreneurial initiatives, which indicate various combinations of strategic orientation. This study employs an integrated perspective to examine the impact of various market and entrepreneurial orientation combinations on firm performance. In addition, it argues that the impact of strategic orientation on firm performance is contingent upon industry context. Using a sample of 182 manufacturing firms listed on the S&P 500, this study explores the joint effects of strategic orientation combinations (i.e., market orientation, entrepreneurial …

Bridging Workplace Discrepancies: Enhancing Managerial Plasticity For Effective Internal Branding And Employee Engagement, Lauren Peng, Tulay Girard

AMTP Proceedings 2025

Workplace value shifts and remote work have created discrepancies in managerial approaches, widening the gap between managers and personnel. This study addresses managerial plasticity development to navigate modern work environments and enhance internal branding. It introduces the Plasticity Model for measuring managerial plasticity and the Internal Branding Plasticity Model (IBPM) to explore relationships between internal branding, plasticity, employee engagement, job satisfaction, and loyalty. The research aims to provide insights into neuroplasticity development for fostering inclusive and innovative work environments.

In, Out, Beyond: A Theology Of Selfhood Against Throwaway Culture, Ethan Pieter Vander Leek

Dissertations (1934 -)

Within what Pope Francis calls “throwaway culture,” everything—non-human and human alike—is perceived according to the dictates of powerful individuals and impersonal analyses and systems. Throwaway culture’s anthropology is both individualist and collectivist. According to throwaway culture’s individualism, the human being is an isolated subject dualistically opposed to the world, engaged with the world through either appropriative consumption or defensive withdrawal. According to its collectivism, the human being is a meaningless object within a collective whole, determined by forces and realities wholly external to it. These apparently opposed perspectives are in fact mutually reinforcing. To theologically respond to and critique throwaway …

A Comparative Analysis Of In-Person Versus Virtual Literacy Coaching To Support Tutor Intervention Fidelity, Jami Zahrt

Dissertations (1934 -)

Despite the increasing emphasis on instructional coaching to enhance intervention fidelity, limited research has compared the effectiveness of in-person versus virtual coaching modalities in structured literacy intervention programs. This study addresses this gap by exploring how coaching modality affects tutor intervention fidelity within the Reading Corps high-impact tutoring program. The central research question was: How does in-person literacy coaching compare to virtual literacy coaching in terms of tutor intervention fidelity? Using a causal-comparative design, the study analyzed archival fidelity check data from two school years: 2018–2019 (in-person coaching) and 2020–2021 (virtual coaching). The sample comprised four tutors, two in each …

Inferring Daily Gas Consumption From Multiple Nonuniformly Sampled Billing Cycles With Hierarchical Constraints, Colin O. Quinn

Dissertations (1934 -)

Local natural gas demand forecasting is essential for local distribution companies (LDCs) to optimize resources, maintain efficiency, and meet regulatory requirements. However, inconsistencies arising from nonuniform billing cycles, hierarchical data structures, and aggregated forecasts often degrade accuracy. This dissertation introduces three methodological advancements to address these issues: the Multi-Source Iterative Shifting Disaggregation (ISD) algorithm, Single-Dimension Hierarchical Reconciliation, and Cross-Temporal Hierarchical Forecast Reconciliation. The ISD algorithm disaggregates multiple, overlapping, nonuniformly sampled time series into a coherent high-frequency signal. Unlike existing methods, ISD iteratively refines estimates through constrained load shifting, improving forecast accuracy. Applied to billing cycle data, ISD reduces the Weighted …

Towards The Advancement Of Violence Recognition In Security Footage With Explainable Neural Networks, Paris Her

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation investigates the problem of violence recognition in surveillance footage using computer vision and machine learning techniques. More specifically, our goal is to achieve interpretable and explainable deep learning models because violence recognition is a sensitive task. We first propose to perform violence recognition using a 3D convolutional neural network through intuitive hyperparameter tuning and transfer learning. We utilize a state-of-the-art 3D model used for general activity recognition that is lightweight and adjustable. Along with that, we introduce a data augmentation technique called "resize-within" which uses interpolation, rather than cropping, to resize the original input video to a new …

Examining Early-Career Principals' Experiences With Coaching And Self-Efficacy Development In Wisconsin Public Schools, Jeff Carron

Dissertations (1934 -)

Research on principalship reveals that school leaders are entering the position with less experience and staying at their schools for shorter periods of time, resulting in more schools being led by novice principals. Additionally, research highlights how principals have a major influence on student achievement, teacher working conditions, and teacher retention. As a result, district leaders, and the outside organizations that support them, are faced with the challenge of inducting new principals and providing the support they need to be successful. Complicating this support are the myriads of skills, roles, and responsibilities that principals must master to be successful. This …