Business Commons^™

The Student Consumer: What Does Adding A Price Tag To Your Postsecondary Degree Do For You?, Allison Printz

Senior Theses

In contrast with the rest of the world, Student Affair at public universities are much more prevalent in the United States. Other countries are making efforts to begin and/or improve resources offered to students, introducing the concept more and more. One nation that has very limited exposure to the concept of Student Affairs is Germany. They focus mainly on providing instruction for a smaller number of students and research resources. This could be because the higher education is paid for by the state, which removes the student from being the consumer. In order to compare how a student can benefit …

Operational Challenges In Servicizing The Transportation Industry, Kelly Cavanagh

Senior Theses

As a result of declining consumer spending, more companies have been “servicizing” their business models, moving away from the typical product-centric model and offering their goods as services. This trend has been especially popular in the transportation industry, with cars and scooters now being rented by the minute, with no transfer of ownership. Apps like Uber and Lyft have disrupted the taxi service industry, effectively side-stepping expensive regulations due to their “car-sharing” business model. While this money-saving distinction has led to their success, it can also lead to their downfall, as they face many legal battles specific to ride-sharing services. …

Launching A Startup: Beacon's Road To Becoming A Lean Nonprofit, Samantha Kear, Jessica Thiergartner

Senior Theses

One would think that having a great product or service and a few compelling advertisements would be enough for an entrepreneur to successfully launch a company. However, this assumption no longer holds true in today’s competitive marketplace. In fact, the vast majority of startups fail. Research suggests that this failure is often derived from the rigidity that comes with the traditional startup model. To avoid this fate, startups have the option to adopt a different startup model—the recently developed lean startup method.

This thesis will follow the startup “Beacon”—a disaster relief application that seeks to efficiently distribute relief resources to …

Hindrances To South America's Emergence As A Key Player In International Business, Sloan Coolbroth

Senior Theses

South America, a region full of economic competitive advantages, intellectual capital, and a rapidly consolidating population, has experienced a sluggish emergence into international business affairs. Hindered by a myriad of historically pervasive and newly emerging issues, the South American region has been unable to effectively capitalize on its assets and has subsequently witnessed an economic stagnation. Including, but not limited to, political, economic, socioeconomic, and societal disruptions, both a macro and micro analytical approach is used to better understand the regional issues facing South America as a whole as well as those faced by individual countries. This thesis explores five …

The Impact Of Coffee Production On The Economy Of Colombia, Luke Alexander Ferguson

Senior Theses

This senior thesis seeks to determine the impact that the level of coffee production in Colombia has on economic wellbeing in the country. As a proxy for economic wellbeing in different arenas, I look at the income, health, and education variables of GDP, infant mortality rate, and secondary education enrollment. I use a Two-Stage Least Squares regression model to estimate this impact, with lagged international coffee prices and the occurrence of the fungal plant disease coffee leaf rust as instruments to account for endogeneity. The data which I use in this project include country-level indicators from the World Bank and …

The Asia Culture Shock Experience, Judith Lin

Senior Theses

While students go abroad to learn about new cultures and advance their language skills, there is typically an initial culture shock when entering these unfamiliar environments. It is important to understand the causes and effects of culture shock, in particular experiences in Asia, a region whose culture is significantly different from the individualist cultures in the United States and Europe. While being exposed to new cultures is increasingly important for our interdependent world, it becomes more important to observe reactions to that exposure and understand how those reactions form or how to handle them. In particular, students who study abroad …

Comparing Two Organizational Structures In Professional Ultimate, Jack Dowling

Senior Theses

Leaders of business organizations have always strived to find the most efficient method of organizing and conducting their business. New strategies are constantly being developed and adapted to new situations. The business of Sport is no different. Over the past century, the sport industry in America has experienced an explosive level of growth, with the largest major sport leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) earning multibillion dollar revenues in recent years.[1-4] In addition to these “Big Four,” there are numerous minor-league and semi-professional sport leagues. Each of these leagues must operate in a way to consider geographic, economic, and other important …

Navigating Culture, Politics, And Economics In A Global World, Haley Garcia

Senior Theses

This rise of international business has paved the way for the creation of the Multinational corporation (MNC). While MNCs must be primarily concerned with day to day operations and transactions across borders, there are many factors to consider in addition to business. Each MNC must decide how to navigate the global marketplace, finding a niche within cultural, political, and economic realities that change depending on the market being entered. By considering and understanding these factors, MNCs will be able to successfully enter and compete in global markets integrating the economies of the world into one.

A Competitive Edge? The Impact Of State Income Taxes On The Acquisition Of Free Agents By Major League Baseball Franchises, Bradley Hajdin

Senior Theses

In this paper, I will attempt to assess the impact of state income tax rates on the acquisition of free agent talent by Major League Baseball franchises. In order to do so, I have conducted regression analyses using four different dependent variables to measure the quality of free agent talent acquired. I hypothesized that the dependent variable, quality of free agent talent acquired, will have a negative relationship with the independent variable, state income tax rates. Therefore, teams residing in states with lower marginal tax rates should be able to acquire more quality free agent talent.

International Business Guide To Peru, Mark Kingsmore

Senior Theses

Every study abroad adventure is unique, exciting, and scary in its own way. When I chose to study abroad in Peru, I was selecting a university that had a brand new partnership with USC and no older students to give me advice. I embraced the opportunity to be a trailblazer to a new school instead of walking a path that had been walked hundreds of times before, but I still felt nervous at times that I didn’t have the same information as my peers going to universities with more established partnerships. As a junior at the International Business student meet …

The Implementation Of Financial Literacy Education In Public High School Classrooms, Shelby Olsen

Senior Theses

Due to the changing financial marketplace and the increased burden of financial decisions upon consumers there is a need for increased financial literacy among consumers. This thesis discusses and assesses promoting financial literacy within public high school classrooms to help provide students with the financial knowledge to confidently make informed financial decisions during their transition towards independence and into their adult lives. A strong financial literacy initiative within public high schools will help close the financial literacy gap created by little to no concrete financial education or parental background knowledge. This thesis will compile readily available curriculums and materials on …

Developing A Sustainable Nonprofit: The Case Of Syndio Health Foundation, Alexis Krcelic

Senior Theses

The intention of this senior thesis is to research what constitutes a sustainable nonprofit that cannot only be sustained for the short term but also for the long term. The purpose is to create Syndio Health Foundation as a successful and impactful nonprofit and all necessary structures to ensure the continuation of the organization for the foreseeable future. It is also to research and test out the model of the foundation for stability.

The Evolution Of Giving: An Exploration Of Time Banking As A Community Development Instrument, Sara Singh

Senior Theses

Time banking is a way for communities to capture value with minimal monetary cost through the recognition of individuals’ talents and the coordination of services according to their needs. Active engagement in time banking partnerships can enable members of a community to grow their personal networks, make lasting friendships, gain the knowledge and skills they need, pay for products/services with their time, grow in selfconfidence, and support those at risk of “falling through the cracks.” It can build trust and goodwill in schools, offices, neighborhoods and cities. Over time, time banking can generate profound social change and economic gains by …

Health Professions At Carolina: Promoting The University Of South Carolina Galen Health Fellows And Health Sciences Initiatives Using Social Media Marketing, Sarah Adair Roof

Senior Theses

This project sought to bring awareness to the newly developed Galen Health Fellows and health sciences programs at the University of South Carolina. In collaboration with the University of South Carolina Office of Admissions, investigators created and promoted a trackable social media marketing campaign for prospective program participants composed of online profiles of current USC health science students. These profiles aimed to promote the beyond-the-classroom experiences and advantages gained from pursuing a health sciences career at the University of South Carolina, particularly as a Galen Health Fellow. Student profiles were posted on the USC Admissions account of the blog site …

Is Populism Against Trade? Argentina's Trade Policy In The Context Of Latin American Populism, Natalie M. Pita

Senior Theses

The question at hand is if understanding trade and populism helps inform an understanding of concerns about populist governments in terms of trade. Countries in Latin America have been plagued by ISI policies, while East Asian countries saw success with export-led growth. Export expansion and import substitution are not contradictory policies; in fact, they complement each other. ISI is one stage of development policy, and export-led growth is a second stage (Amsden 172). Unfortunately, most Latin American countries never made it to the export expansion and trade openness stage of policy. The region came closest when many of its countries …

Motivation To Play Esports: Case Of League Of Legends, Yaoyao Sun

Theses and Dissertations

The population of playing electronic sports has increased recently, and the most popular one is League of Legends (LoL). As a multiplayer online battle arena video game, it’s not only a game, but also a competitive electronic sport. The purpose of this study was to assess the motivations of playing League of Legends and to relate them by genders, age groups and frequency groups. The final sample comprised 111 LoL players. The study categorized 12 items into three factors: achievement, socialization and immersion. Results indicated that achievement factors were stronger motives for men than women. For different age groups, there …

The Business Of Dentistry: A Financial Plan, Katherine Elizabeth Stewart

Senior Theses

At the University of South Carolina, I have taken action to find different ways to be more involved in my local community and to help families and people from underrepresented societies. While it is important to have this overarching goal, I have always wondered how I will be able to finance my goal so that I can have the money, supplies, and human capital to give back to communities in need. Through my thesis I have been able to create a business plan for a future dental practice in the Charlotte, NC metropolitan region. This business plan includes a financial …

Are Single Tier Inventory Systems Still Relevant In The Business World Today?, Hank Massaro

Senior Theses

The goal of this paper is to identify whether single tier inventory management systems are still effective and useful for businesses in today’s more globalized economy. Multitier inventory management systems are very popular, especially for researchers who have mostly forsaken single tier systems in recent years so there was reason to question the viability of single tier systems. However, to determine whether these inventory management systems are still viable, I would also have to identify at least one significant business sector that would benefit from their use, as well as exploring their assumptions and mathematical background to identify the inventory …

Active Vs. Passive Management: The Elusiveness Of Alpha To The Modern Hedge Fund, Robert Wesley Long Jr

Senior Theses

The goal of this thesis stated off with one question: are hedge funds worth the fees? This seemed like it would simple to answer, but the measurement of hedge fund performance turned out to be far more complex than one would imagine. The first complexity that became apparent was the bias to overly weight returns as a measure of performance. This is the simplest metric to comprehend and universally can be understood by investors. It seems like common sense that the fund with the highest return would be the best investment opportunity. But this rush to judgment often overlooks other …

Humanitarian Logistics For Grassroots Disaster Relief, Miller L. Love Iv

Senior Theses

Humanitarian Logistics is a branch of logistics which studies the field in the context of disasters. Research in the field divides the Disaster Relief process into three phases: Preparation, Immediate Recovery, and Reconstruction. Each phase has specific tasks and their sub-phases, which will be discussed in detail in this paper. I will examine grassroots Disaster Relief and Beacon in the context of Humanitarian Logistics by determining how grassroots relief differs from traditional Disaster Relief in each phase. I will also examine how Beacon can assist grassroots relief organizations apply the concepts of Humanitarian Logistics. Finally, I will recommend improvements to …

Three Essays On Relationships Among Financial Institutions, Chia-Chun Chiang

Theses and Dissertations

dissertation investigates relationships among financial institutions. I examine relationships from three different perspectives: relationships among affiliated banks and life insurers, correlated trading among life insurers, and relationships between insurers and bond dealers in the over-the-counter markets. The primary purpose of my research is to examine the benefits and drawbacks of relationships among financial institutions. The main findings are as follows. First, life insurers with bank affiliates had higher growth rates relative to other life insurers during the 2008 financial crisis. However, these Bank-Life Financial Holding Companies performed worse than Non-Bank-Life Financial Holding Companies during the same period. It indicates that …

Two Essays On Social Sharing Effects On Consumer Memories, Li Huang

Theses and Dissertations

Social sharing is universal in everyday life. Every day consumers share news, opinions, and personal experiences using different media, including face-to-face communications, cellphones, texting, email, and other social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter). Word-of-Mouth, a common type of social sharing has been found to be fundamental to marketing and has been shown to significantly impact firms’ sales and revenues. However little is known about the effects of WOM on consumer memories. Since consumer memory is an important variable in marketing due to its significant impact on consumer judgments and decisions, my dissertation addresses this gap and examines the effects of …

Toward A Theory Of Full Life Cycle Recruiters, Michael C. Campion

Theses and Dissertations

Despite their operational and strategic importance to their firms, recruiters remain virtually invisible within management scholarship today. In this dissertation, I draw on research from a variety of theoretical perspectives and use role theory as a foundation for developing a theory intended to generate insight into the major individual, social, and contextual factors that underpin their behavior and performance. I define full life cycle recruiters as quasi-agentic brokers of resources among parties internal and external to a firm who operate at the intersection of social systems, are involved in recruiting, assessment, and onboarding processes, and adopt multiple micro roles with …

The Effect Of Social Exclusion On Shoplifting, Christopher Ling

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the effect of social exclusion on shoplifting. Shoplifting is a serious problem for marketers, yet surprisingly little attention in the literature has been paid to its underlying social factors. The current research therefore seeks to document conditions under which, and the process through which, consumers may engage in aggressive behavior in the form of shoplifting. Supporting the proposition that shoplifting is an antisocial response to social exclusion that depends on prior shoplifting experience, four studies provide evidence that prior shoplifters (vs. nonshoplifters) are more likely to shoplift again when they are socially excluded because they expect that …

Three Essays On Privatization, State Ownership, And Corporate Policies, Ruiyuan Chen

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the impact of state ownership on corporate policies in the context of privatization. The first essay provides new evidence about the agency costs of state ownership on corporate cash holdings and new insight into the corporate governance role of country-level institutions. Consistent with agency theory, we find strong and robust evidence that state ownership is positively related to corporate cash holdings. Moreover, we find that the strength of country-level institutions affects the relation between state ownership and the value of cash holdings. In particular, as state ownership increases, markets discount the value of cash holdings more in …

Two Essays On The Impact Of Memory On Consumer Well-Being And Self-Definition, Kara Bentley

Theses and Dissertations

Consumer memory is an important variable for marketers to study because it is well documented that memories influence consumer attitudes, preferences, and behavioral intentions (Chattopadhyay and Alba 1988). In my dissertation, I focus on two specific types of consumer memories that are important for consumer well-being and self-definition – memories of shared (social) experiences and memories of special experiences. In my first essay, I contend that shared experiences are remembered better than individual experiences because of their positive impact on consumer well-being, while in my second essay, I investigate the manner in which memories of special experiences, which are inherently …

An Investigation Of Buyers’ Forecast Sharing And Ordering Behavior In A Two-Stage Supply Chain, Minseok Park

Theses and Dissertations

Profitably balancing demand and supply is a continuous challenge for companies under changing market conditions, and the potential benefit of collaboration between supply chain partners cannot be overlooked by any firm who strives to succeed. One of the key elements to successful collaboration is sharing of forecast information between supply chain partners. However, when supply shortage is expected, buyers may inflate order quantities and/or order forecasts to secure sufficient supply. An important question that arises is how the supplier should allocate inventory to customers when shortage exists. Literature shows that certain allocation policies can reduce buyers’ order inflation behavior. However, …

Sustainable, Operations-Enabled Solutions For Reducing Product Waste, Erin C. Mckie

Theses and Dissertations

The traditional linear production system where products are created, used, and then disposed of is no longer a viable business model for many firms. A combination of growing populations, increases in consumerism, and urbanization are placing unprecedented pressures on our world’s natural resources. In addition to these motivations, strong demands from consumers and governments are requiring companies to reevaluate and prioritize their environmental strategies. Fortunately, there are several opportunities for firms to engage in more sustainable business practices throughout their entire supply chain, particularly at the end of their products’ useful lives. However, moving from a linear model to a …

Exploring Determinants And Consequences Of International Diversification: A Multi-Level Perspective, Ettore Spadafora

Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation explores determinants and consequences of international diversification and consists of two essays. Essay I focuses on the relationship between international diversification and firm performance (ID-P). Drawing on the global strategy literature and the institution-based view of strategy, we propose that the mixed findings of extant research on the ID-P relationship can be explained by the contextual conditions in which this relationship exists, including home-country formal and informal institutions. The model is tested in a meta-analysis (HOMA, MARA, and HiLLMA analyses) of firm-, industry-, and home country-level factors driving the ID-P relationship. The sample consists of 359 primary studies …

When Auditors’ Skeptical Judgments Do Not Lead To Skeptical Actions, Erin Michelle Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations

Auditors are required to maintain professional skepticism through the course of an audit engagement. Professional skepticism is maintained through both skeptical judgment and observable skeptical behavior (skeptical action). However, auditors who exhibit professional skepticism in judgment do not always exhibit professional skepticism in action. The present study examines whether social presence alters the likelihood of auditors acting on skeptical judgments by utilizing an experimental setting where participants interact with a hypothetical client using four different communication mediums varying in social presence. Results suggest that auditor-client interactions high in perceived social presence inhibit auditors from acting on skeptical judgments compared to …