Digital Commons Network^™

Subsidiary Autonomy, Internal Embeddedness, And Innovation: The Role Of Government Intervention In Brazilian And Mexican Multilatinas, Ji Eun Park, Dominic Buccieri

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study examines innovation-based foreign direct investment of multilatinas. More specifically, how multilatinas utilize subsidiaries located to drive innovation performance. Partial least squares structural equation modeling is used to analyze a sample of 92 multilatinas from Brazil and Mexico. This study advances the multilatinas literature by examining how Brazilian and Mexican firms that experience varying levels of government intervention in their home countries related to internationalization and innovation pursue innovation-driven internationalization into developed markets. Our study contributes to the discussion that multilatinas are a heterogenous group despite the common history of the Latin American region.

Our results indicate that delegating …

Out Of Everything: Consumer Response To Extreme Scarcity, Melodie Philhours, Courtney Peters, John E. Mello

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Product shortages often evoke strong emotional reactions and subsequent behavioral responses that can amplify market disruptions. This research explores consumer behavior during two high-profile shortage events: the 2012 and 2020 U.S. ammunition shortage and the COVID-19 pandemic’s staple goods shortage. Using a comparative qualitative case study design, this research develops a psychologically grounded process model to explain how perceived scarcity can trigger emotional arousal, overreaction, and persistent marketplace behaviors. Drawing from reactance and self-determination theories, this research reveals how threats to autonomy, competence, and relatedness lead consumers to engage in coping tactics such as panic buying, hoarding, extended search, and …

Green Marketing And Culture: Understanding Hispanic Consumers’ Sustainable Purchase Intentions, Santiago Reyes, Sindy Chapa

AMTP Proceedings 2026

As sustainability becomes a central force in shaping consumer expectations, businesses increasingly rely on green marketing strategies to communicate environmental responsibility and influence purchasing behavior (Polonsky, 1994; Kuria, 2024). This study examines how environmental concern, attitudes toward cause-related marketing (CRM), and cultural values influence purchase intentions, and compares Hispanic and non-Hispanic consumers.

Defining Cultural Credibility: Perceptions Of Authenticity, Representation, And Appropriation In Brand Campaigns, Santiago Reyes, Alessandra Noli, Ashley Johns, Hannah Trandle, Leticia Falcao

AMTP Proceedings 2026

As brands navigate increasingly diverse consumer markets, cultural authenticity has become essential for building trust and relevance. Yet marketing scholarship lacks a clear framework for understanding cultural credibility as distinct from traditional notions of source or brand credibility. This study addresses that gap by examining how consumers conceptualize and evaluate cultural credibility in brand campaigns and collaborations. Drawing on theories of authenticity, cultural identity, and persuasion, the research positions cultural credibility as a socially constructed judgment shaped by perceived authenticity, shared values, and relational alignment. Using semi‑structured interviews and focus groups with multicultural consumers, the study employs thematic analysis to …

When Brand Protection Leads To Brand Crisis: The Case Of Disposable Fashion, Priya Rangaswamy, Rohini Daraboina, Lizhihan Yu

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Firms in the fashion industry have a practice of disposing unsold inventory to protect their brand value. It has gained a lot of importance in the media due to increasing consumer awareness about sustainability and has led to consumer backlash. This research examines whether this practice negatively impacts firm value, contrary to the firm’s belief. Specifically, the authors examine the effects of news on inventory disposal on short-term cumulative abnormal returns using an event-study methodology. Results show that news of this practice has a negative relationship with firm value for both the focal firm engaged in the practice and rival …

When Ai Joins Your Teaching Team: Reinventing Sales Education With Ai, Cindy B. Rippé, Caroline K. Munoz

AMTP Proceedings 2026

A key component of sales education is role-play practice, but grading role-plays is time-consuming and a beneficial but unscalable activity. Additionally, students struggle to act as a buyer in role-play practice because they have no business experience. The inability to act as a realistic buyer can impede sales call practice. This research empirically examines how the use of AI role-plays using Yoodi in a professional selling class impacts students and instructors. This research empirically examines how the use of AI role-plays in a professional selling class impacts students and instructors. Findings through a qualitative analysis of student feedback reveal that …

Assessing The Impact Of Alumni Relations: Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior To Understand Fsu Students Motivation To Engage, Eldaneka Rolle, Richard Waters Phd, Ciara A. Lewis

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study aimed to understand Florida State University graduate and upper-division undergraduate students in the College of Communication and Information, attitudes and perception of connection through the specific behavior, engagement with alumni relations. If individuals perceive a connection, is there perceived behavioral control (PBC), does PBC influence their intent to remain connected through one of the four key components, experience, communication, volunteer and philanthropy. Five focus group discussions were conducted using semi-structured interviews. Through thematic analysis, eight common themes were developed, Major, Minor or Certification Interest, Program Experience, Faculty, Advisors and Staff, Event Participation, Communication Preference, Volunteer Opportunities, Small Contributions …

Determinants Of E-Waste Recycling Intentions Among Us And Uk Consumers, Catherine A. Roster

AMTP Proceedings 2026

The amount of e-waste generated globally is rising faster than e-waste recycling rates and represents a danger to the environment and humans. The objective of this study was to investigate determinants of e-waste recycling intentions among a representative sample of 1,050 adult consumers from the US and the UK. Cross-national differences were also examined. A model integrating factors drawn from the theory of planned behavior and value-belief-norm theory was tested using PLS-SEM. Findings showed that values, awareness of consequences, ecological self-identity, and ascription of responsibility influenced personal norms toward e-waste recycling, and that personal norms partially mediated relationships between these …

Human Or Bot? How Tripartite Privacy Concerns Shape Ai Service Adoption, La Toya M. Russell, Neleen Leslie-Piper

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study investigates how tripartite privacy concerns: online, offline, and AI-specific, shape consumer preferences for AI chatbots versus human representatives across five service sectors. Utilizing a large-scale U.S. sample, the research extends privacy calculus theory by conceptualizing privacy concern as a single trait.

Findings reveal that participants who prefer human interaction consistently report higher mean privacy concern scores than those who prefer AI. However, this “human preference” weakens as the sector's inherent risk increases. While significant differences exist in retail and travel, they disappear in high-stakes contexts like healthcare. The results suggest that while AI privacy concerns are unique, they …

Being Compassionate Helps Improve College Students’ Perceived Well-Being. The Mediating Role Of Cognitive Flexibility And Perceived Anxiety, Saurabh Singh, Sarath Nonis

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Perceived well-being of college students is crucial to the success of students and institutions of higher education alike. Through this study we assert that promoting compassion among college students can improve their perceived well-being. Furthermore, the effect is mediated by cognitive flexibility and anxiety felt by students. The study has theoretical and managerial implications. The results can guide educators and university personnel to better craft curriculum and university communication.

Mindset Matters: How Growth And Fixed Mindsets Shape Consumer Adoption Of Ai, Myungjin Smale, Yuri Martirosyan, Hui Zhang

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This research examines how individuals’ mindsets shape their use of generative AI (gen AI). In a study with 348 undergraduate students, participants imagined writing a graduate school Statement of Purpose and indicated whether and how they would use AI tools. Among participants who indicated they would use AI, fixed-mindset students were more likely to rely on AI for brainstorming tasks, such as idea generation, whereas growth-mindset students were more likely to use AI for writing aids, such as grammar or spell checking. A significant interaction emerged between mindset and AI use type on anticipated guilt: growth-mindset students anticipated greater guilt …

From Personas To Experience Appetites: Extending Identity-Based Profiles To Improve Behavioral Prediction In Tourism, John Story

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Personas are widely used in tourism marketing, representing consumer segments through stable demographic, psychographic, and lifestyle profiles. While effective for communication and creative strategy, personas are limited in predicting specific behaviors. This research introduces experience appetites—derived from Fennell’s (1978) Perceived Product-Use Situation framework—as a complementary, behaviorally grounded extension. Whereas personas describe who the consumer is, experience appetites capture the motivational state activated within a particular decision context. Using data from repeat visitors to multiple destinations, we demonstrate substantial within-person variation in motives across trips, even to the same location. While persona categories alone failed to predict these shifts; appetite …

A Qualitative Study Of Product Placement In Light Of Perspective Of Female Audience And Femvertising, Khusnud Tabassum

AMTP Proceedings 2026

In this study, I have tried to evaluate the perception of female consumers about product placement within movies and TV/Web Series in association with fictional female characters. To conduct this study a qualitative approach was taken using the mini discussion group method. After analyzing the findings from the mini discussion group, it can be said that women feel an association with fictional female characters who are inspiring, whom they can relate to, and whose personality and styling they admire. This association has an impact on their purchasing behavior too. Therefore, the association between the female audience and fictional female characters …

Perceived Authority Of Ai-Generated Videos And Consumer Vulnerability, Kungpo Paul Tao

AMTP Proceedings 2026

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into social media has transformed how consumers watch, interpret, and engage with video content. While AI-driven personalization enhances engagement, the growing realism of AI-generated videos blurs the boundary between authentic and fabricated content, increasing consumer vulnerability. This study examines how creativity influences consumer attention, interpretation, and interaction with AI-generated videos, and how it moderates the relationship between perceived authority and consumer engagement. Using secondary data collected from YouTube, the study analyzes publicly available AI-generated videos and user responses, including engagement metrics and comment-based sentiment indicators. The findings reveal that most consumers struggle to …

What Drives Solar Energy Adoption? An Exploratory Study, Can Trinh

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Environmental pollution and its detrimental impact on people around the world have received significant attention in the past decades. As concerns for the environment grow, there have been increasing calls to adopt more environmentally-friendly practices in all aspects of life, including the adoption of green energy (Siddiqua et al., 2022). Green energy has become a hot topic in political debates (Schipani, 2023) because it can shape the future of global trade (Joselow, 2023) and the utility industry landscape (Waldholz, 2023). Recent polls showed that up to 80% of Americans were in favor of green energy in place of non-renewable energy …

Emotional Exhaustion In Entrepreneurs: The Role Of Family Support, Coping Strategies, And Cultural Moderators In Shaping Venture Success And Work–Family Spillovers, Franklin Velasco, Cintya Lanchimba

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Entrepreneurs operate at the intersection of intense business demands and family responsibilities, making them particularly vulnerable to emotional exhaustion—a condition that undermines both venture performance and family wellbeing. This study examines how instrumental family support and maladaptive coping strategies shape emotional exhaustion among entrepreneurs, and how such exhaustion influences economic performance and cross‑domain spillovers between work and family. Drawing on data from 1,495 entrepreneurs and tested through Structural Equation Modeling, the findings reveal that family support significantly reduces emotional exhaustion, whereas maladaptive coping amplifies it. Cultural values centered on achievement moderate both effects, weakening the benefits of support and exacerbating …

Cute, Collectible, And Contagious: Understanding The Starbucks Bear Cup Phenomenon, Natalya Vodopyanova

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study examines the Starbucks Bear Cup phenomenon to understand how identity expression, scarcity perceptions, and fear of missing out (FOMO) shaped consumer engagement during a highly publicized limited-edition product drop. Using Consumer Culture Theory and scarcity/FOMO frameworks, the research investigates how consumers constructed meaning around the Bear Cup through social media displays, community rituals, and symbolic participation. A qualitative content analysis of Instagram posts revealed five dominant patterns: celebratory acquisition posts, expressions of scarcity frustration, curated identity displays, community interaction, and creative substitution using bear-shaped alternatives. Findings show that consumers used the cup as a vehicle for identity signaling …

From Eye Rolls To Exploitation: Differentiating Consumer Incivility From Jay Customer Behavior, Scott M. Widmier, Prachi B. Gala, Nikolaos Iason Koufodontis

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Problematic customer behavior in service settings ranges from mild rudeness to deliberate exploitation, yet research often treats such actions as a single construct. Drawing on the General Aggression Model, this study differentiates customer incivility (reactive, stress‑driven misconduct) from Jay Customer behavior (calculated, strategic exploitation) and examines their distinct antecedents. Survey data from 820 U.S. adults show that Dark Triad personality traits strongly predict both behaviors, with a substantially stronger effect on Jay Customer behavior. Perceived stress predicts both outcomes but is particularly salient for incivility. In contrast, Light Triad traits negatively predict both forms of misbehavior and moderate the stress–incivility …

A Case Study On Building Core Curriculum With Purpose And Perspective, Christopher A. Wilkey, Austin Hostetter

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Business schools face pressure to deliver career-ready, ethically grounded graduates. This interpretive case study examines a Midwestern university's two-year redesign of its business core curriculum. Using interviews with nine task-force members and three external stakeholders, reflexive memos, and review of meeting notes, draft proposals, curriculum maps, and stakeholder communications, we trace how collaboration and strategic planning shaped key choices. Findings highlight three design moves: making professional selling a required competency, introducing a sustainability-focused "Beneficence in Business" course aligned with institutional mission, and creating a problem-solving course that emphasizes critical thinking and growth mindset. External signals (enrollment shifts, employer feedback, and …

Marketing Mindsets Abroad: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study Of Reflective Learning, Brand Meaning-Making, And Career Readiness In An Oxford-Based Study Abroad Program, Kari Wood, Kelly La Venture

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Marketing education faces a persistent transfer challenge; students may master concepts yet struggle to apply them in judgment, ethics, and persuasive communication in ambiguous contexts. This study reports early findings from a longitudinal qualitative case study of EuroSpring, an Oxford-based study abroad program that integrates cultural heritage learning with progressively stronger marketing experiences. Data include weekly reflections and course artifacts from two cohorts: 2024 (n = 15; heritage emphasis) and 2025 (n = 13; marketing-integrated commerce experiences including Harrods, Cadbury World, Borough Market, and an Indian Motorcycle heritage brand experience at Krazy Horse). Using reflexive thematic analysis, students framed place …

Selling The Self: Personal Branding And Impression Management On Linkedin, Matthew A. Gilbert

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Drawing on Erving Goffman's self-presentation theory, this study examines how professionals construct personal brands on LinkedIn through strategic identity performance. Using qualitative content analysis, the research analyzes 250 publicly available posts from 50 professionals across five occupational categories. The analysis employs deductive coding guided by Goffman's concepts of front-stage performance and impression management, examining visual elements, linguistic strategies, content themes, and engagement tactics. Data is analyzed using NVivo software. This study contributes to marketing theory by conceptualizing personal branding as both a communication practice and economic behavior, illuminating how professionals balance authenticity, visibility, and strategic positioning on career-focused platforms where …

Consumer’S Acceptance Of In-Store Retail Ai Powered Technology: Use Of Digital Tools And New Product Trial, Dale A. Cake, Wooyang Kim

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study examines consumer acceptance of in-store AI-powered retail technologies and their influence on digital tool usage and new product trial in grocery shopping. As retailers increasingly deploy personalized, AI-enabled tools such as kiosks, mobile prompts, digital displays, QR codes, shopping assistants, and augmented reality, consumer trust, privacy concerns, and perceived usefulness may shape adoption. Building on technology acceptance and response models, this research extends prior work by testing how technology readiness, innovativeness, optimism, insecurity, and customization affect acceptance of in-store AI tools. It also explores whether these technologies encourage trial of new products and increase purchase intention. Using an …

Consumer Willingness To Pay In The Metaverse: A Case Of Digital Vs Phygital, Shivam Agarwal, Jaehoon Lee, Umair Usman

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This research examines how brand strategy influences consumer willingness to pay for digital fashion in the Metaverse, focusing on differences between digital-only and physical-first (phygital) brands. Grounded in the Theory of Consumption Values, the study investigates the role of emotional value in shaping consumer behavior. Across five experimental studies (N > 800), results consistently show that consumers exhibit higher willingness to pay for phygital brands compared to digital-only brands. This effect is driven by enhanced emotional value, as phygital offerings connect virtual consumption with consumers’ real-world self-concept, increasing perceived authenticity. Mediation analyses confirm emotional value as a key underlying mechanism. Furthermore, …

Digital Fashion For The Avatar Or Digital Fashion For The Self? Understanding Gen Z’S Willingness To Spend On Digital Fashion In The Metaverse, Shivam Agarwal

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This research examines Generation Z’s (Gen Z) willingness to spend on digital fashion in the metaverse, comparing preferences for avatar-based consumption versus physical consumption for the self. Drawing on generational cohort theory and identity-based consumption, the study proposes that Gen Z consumers—who are deeply embedded in digital environments—place greater value on avatar identity and self-expression in virtual spaces. Using a between-subjects experimental design, participants from Gen Z and older cohorts evaluate their willingness to purchase digital fashion for their avatars versus identical physical items for themselves. We predict that Gen Z will exhibit a significantly higher willingness to spend on …

Promoting Inclusive Tourism Via Metaverse, Shivam Agarwal

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This research explores how metaverse-based virtual tourism can be leveraged to promote inclusive tourism and enhance place branding. Drawing on emerging literature in virtual experiences and destination marketing, the study examines how immersive environments enable tourism marketers to project inclusive destination identities. In metaverse settings, users engage through customizable avatars, allowing for representation of diverse identities and accessible experiences for vulnerable populations, including older adults, individuals with disabilities, and LGBTQ communities. We propose that inclusive cues embedded within virtual environments—such as diverse avatars and accessible design—enhance perceptions of destination inclusivity, which in turn increase motivation to visit the physical destination. …

Consumer Protest In A Hyperconnected World, Cara Lewis Levin, T. Andrew Poehlman, Angeline Scheinbaum

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Consumer protest in various forms—boycotts, negative word-of-mouth, brand sabotage—has largely been theorized within an “old” broadcast model of marketing, where firms spoke one-to-many and controlled most brand-related discourse. In contrast, today’s “hyperconnected” model embeds brands in dense human–technology networks, where social media, microtargeting, and always-on feeds shape how brands enter people’s lives and how protest unfolds. This paper argues that the informational substrate shift from broadcast to hyperconnectivity requires a fundamental rethinking of consumer protest. We first contrast the broadcast and hyperconnected models, then outline hyperconnectivity’s implications at the firm, consumer, and societal levels. We then revisit canonical constructs (e.g., …

An Integrated Bayesian Network-Based Zero Trust Model To Quantify Cyber Risk In Small-Medium Businesses, Ahmed Abdelmagid

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Small-medium businesses (SMBs) play a pivotal role in the worldwide economy as they constitute the most considerable portion of businesses in developed countries like the UK and the US. As such, SMBs are likely targets of cybercrimes by malicious agents because of their vulnerable IT systems. The digital infrastructure of SMBs is more likely to be hit by cyberattacks than large businesses due to many factors that facilitate hackers’ missions. These factors include a limited financial budget devoted to cybersecurity, a lack of knowledge, an underrating of how dangerous cyber threats are, and a shortage of IT expertise. The enormous …

The War Poetry Map Project: Exploring The Physical And Emotional Geography Of Conflict, Colin D. Halloran

English Theses & Dissertations

There can be no question that war is shaped by and has shaped cultures, and yet as an object of study it is rarely looked at from a cultural studies perspective. It is the great epics of war that form the cornerstones of Western literary tradition. It is the impact of war that gave rise to fields like trauma and memory studies. It is the propaganda produced, the hijacking of cultural industries, that help perpetuate wars. The War Poetry Map Project and accompanying written dissertation seek to move beyond historical and political contexts and view war as a cultural object. …

Shadowrunning The Human: Harebrained Schemes' Shadowrun Series And Transhumanism, Alexander P. Orelup

English Theses & Dissertations

I argue that Harebrained Schemes’ video game series Shadowrun critiques transhumanism in three distinct yet related ways: in terms of religion, political control, and identity capitalism. In doing so, Shadowrun attempts to counter claims that video games are an inherently transhumanist medium and provides an opportunity for players to resist a potential transhuman future. This further elucidates the trends and perceptions of transhumanism within American culture around the time period. I utilize a variety of methodologies in my argument, ranging from cultural studies, narratology, ludology, and close reading in order to grasp all of the audio-visual and gameplay elements that …

Women's Displacement And The Reclamation Of Identity: Navigating Landscapes Of Contestation In The Postcolonial Novel, Carol P. Harvest

English Theses & Dissertations

Landscapes affected by colonial domination are contested landscapes—places not only in danger of environmental destruction through colonial and neocolonial violence but also landscapes of struggle for people who survive in these precarious spaces. Historically, separate postcolonial and ecocritical literary analysis addressed contested landscapes; postcolonial critique centered on the lasting devastation of colonial violence on people and place, while ecocriticism, in its infancy, enjoyed the privilege of ignorance, focusing on endangered species and the preservation of land, but it did not consider the impact of landscapes on the very people who were largely forced to either leave or cross “natural” spaces. …