Business Commons^™

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, …

Pedagogical Approaches For Marketing Ethics And Legal Issues, Ellen Raineri, Erin Brennan

AMTP Proceedings 2025

Lapses and violations in marketing ethics and law can result in employee turnover, revenue losses, decreased customer loyalty, criminal prosecution, and civil liability. Although these topics are addressed in some marketing classes, students noted insufficient coverage. Also, inadequate discussion of legal topics can stem from new regulations and faculty lacking legal acumen and experience. To supplement teaching of marketing ethics and law, eight learning activities were developed: marketing ethics audit to identify organizations’ ethical lapses, vulnerabilities, and illegal activities; deceptive marketing campaigns; podcast analysis of marketing and branding legal issues; analysis of photography privacy and property issues within a …

Transforming The Feminist Movement – How Female Celebrities Influence The Economic Power And Consumer Behaviors Of Women, Erin Lewantowicz

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the evolving relationship between feminism, economic power, and celebrity culture in the 21^st century. Through an examination of three key industries—entertainment, athletics, and influencers—this study highlights how female celebrities like Taylor Swift, Caitlin Clark, and Alix Earle act as catalysts for significant shifts in women’s economic and consumer power. Taylor Swift’s impact on the entertainment industry, Caitlin Clark’s role in redefining women’s sports, and Alix Earle’s influence on the social media marketing landscape illustrate the growing authority of women as consumers and change-makers. Utilizing social media, brand partnerships, and unprecedented fan engagement, these women transcend traditional …

Life In Greece After The Financial Crisis: A Quality-Of-Life Perspective, Kylee Nicole Hynes

Senior Theses

After World War II, Greece faced economic struggles which led to its EU accession in 1981. In the following years, the use of credit increased and so did consumer debt. The global financial crisis of 2008 exposed Greece’s weak economy and caused the debt crisis. This led to multiple EU-IMF (International Monetary Fund) bailouts. This study examines how the crisis affected Greek citizens’ quality of life. This study specifically focuses on mental, physical, and socioeconomic health. Overall, mental and socioeconomic health worsened while physical health remained unchanged. All mental health indicators deteriorated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic …

Combating Forced Labor In Global Supply Chains Through Modern Technology: A Case Study Of Uyghurs In Xinjiang, Samuel Donohue

Senior Theses

This thesis examines how modern traceability technologies can help combat forced labor in global supply chains, focusing on the case of Uyghur workers in Xinjiang, China. The research addresses the pressing challenge of verifying ethical labor practices in complex, multi-tiered supply networks, using the case study alongside an extensive literature review. It evaluates advanced technological solutions, including blockchain ledgers, isotope analysis, radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagging, and microbiome tracing as tools to improve supply chain transparency. Through qualitative case analysis and analysis of current research, the thesis assesses each technology’s capability to trace product origins and authenticate labor conditions. The findings …

Woven By Culture: A Comparative Study Of Traditional Dress Across Regions And The Societal Forces Behind Fashion, James T. Granger

Senior Theses

This study attempts to examine how societal influences that different countries have obtained from years past affect their traditional fashion. By sketching 200 traditional female dresses from every sovereign country in the world, I have taken the time to analyze and create depictions of their sociological and stylistic choices. I have chosen to examine the countries of Cambodia, Republic of Congo, Croatia, Cuba, Finland, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Panama, and Tonga as they all represent different regions of the globe. Breaking down each of their dresses into their specific garments and accessories is essential to better understand the culture and the …

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 …

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 …

“Do I Stand On My Own” Or “Are We All In This Together”? The Effect Of Collectivist Marketing Messages During Challenging Times Like Pandemic, Milad Hour, Golshad Parsimoghadam

AMTP Proceedings 2025

During the pandemic, as people dealt with fatalities, lockdowns, and the psychological impact of reduced social interactions, some marketing messages still captured significant public attention. What was the key element contributing to the success of these communications during such challenging times? This study focuses on the role of collectivism as a stress-coping mechanism included within marketing communications. Analyzing approximately 56,000 brand-generated posts on Platform X, the research examines how the use of collectivist language (e.g., we, us, etc.) relates to message likability, particularly as the pandemic nears its peak. The findings reveal that collectivist terms are positively associated with the …

Exploring The Drivers Of Customers’ Willingness To Accept Chatbot Intervention In Service Recovery, Wen-Hai Chih, Kai-Yu Wang, Hope W. Banda

AMTP Proceedings 2025

This study investigates the factors influencing customers' acceptance of chatbot intervention in service recovery. Drawing on the realism maximization theory (RMT) and the service robot acceptance model (SRAM), we examine the effects of chatbot message warmth and relevance on service recovery outcomes. Our findings, based on data from 319 participants, reveal that message warmth and message relevance reduce uniqueness neglect, which in turn increases perceived chatbot artificiality and reduces perceived chatbot rapport and perceived chatbot intelligence. Perceived chatbot rapport and perceived chatbot intelligence, in turn, positively impact customers' willingness to accept chatbot intervention. The mediating roles of uniqueness neglect, perceived …

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.

Tournament Theory – A Marketing-Oriented Examination, Ada V. Campbell

AMTP Proceedings 2025

This paper delves into tournament theory from a marketing perspective, particularly its application in sales contests and other marketing phenomena. The aim is to unravel how tournament theory elucidates wage inequality and drives individuals based on relative performance. Key insights include the pivotal role of prize structures in sales contests and the advantages of multiple-winner formats, which bolster performance. The paper also underscores the limitations and assumptions of tournament theory that necessitate attention and advocates for its integration with other theories to enhance its practical applicability.

Examining Net Promoter Score (Nps) For Recommending Products In Export Markets: A Case Of Turkish Products And Brands In The United States, Aycan Duran Tekoglu, Musa Pinar, Faruk Guder

AMTP Proceedings 2025

This study examines the Net Promoter Score (NPS) for recommending products in the export market by exploring the impact of various factors on NPS for Turkish products and brands in the United States. Specifically, the research considers factors that include industry or product categories, the information sources used to learn about the products, the years of purchasing, and consumer demographics. As a first study applying NPS in an international marketing context, the findings based on 427 surveys provided insights into the most purchased product categories, sources of information consumers use, NPS, and the impact of consumer demographics on NPS. Overall …

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 …

Systematic Analysis Of Time Use Among Older Consumers, Jack A. Lesser, Minjung Park

AMTP Proceedings 2025

The study of aging consumers is increasingly critical as global demographic shifts underscore their growing economic and societal significance. In the United States, those aged 65 and older constitute a substantial and influential segment of the population, contributing significantly to consumer spending. Despite their impact, the academic exploration of aging consumers is fragmented, with significant gaps in defining their characteristics and understanding their evolving behaviors. This research attempts to bridge these gaps through the analysis of data from the American Time Use Survey (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023), offering insights into the real-world activities and behaviors of different ages …

Unveiling Belonging: Women Entrepreneurs’ Belonging Strategies To Navigate The Embedding Process, Saskia Stoker, Ana Cruz-Garcia, Ingrid Wakkee

Dept. of Marketing & International Business Publications

Purpose

Opportunity-driven women entrepreneurs encounter gendered challenges in leveraging social networks essential for business development. This research builds on Stead (2017), exploring how women navigate these challenges and foster belonging within these networks. Utilising a post-structural feminist lens, we aim to understand the strategies employed by women entrepreneurs to maintain embeddedness in social networks. Our findings contribute to an understanding of the complex interplay between gender, belonging strategies and embeddedness in entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

This study draws on in-depth interviews (31) with opportunity-driven women entrepreneurs. Thematic analyses were conducted to capture the women’s understandings of belonging and embedding in social networks …

The Effects Of Marketing On Societal Health, Carissa G. Holdridge

Selected Honors Theses

In this thesis the significant health impacts which may be caused by the food additives which are allowed in our food are observed. Looking at the links between health issues such as Early Onset Colorectal Cancer and the correlation with the food additive Red 40. As well, looking at the adverse effect of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) and monosodium glutamate (MSG). The regulations on the food additives in the United States and other countries is concerning as it highlights the lack of importance placed on the health of Americans in relation to those of other countries. This thesis argues the …

The Use (And Misuse) Of Tariffs In North America: A New Trade War?, Maroula Khraiche, Armando R. Lopez-Velasco, Jean-Baptiste Tondji

School of Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

Trade wars may have started. At the time this report was published, the Trump administration had threatened, then paused, a 25 percent tariff on Canadian and Mexican goods. Before the pause, Mexico and Canada were preparing retaliatory tariffs. After the pause, Trump ordered a 25 percent import tax on all steel and aluminum entering the United States to start in March 2025 and announced a plan for tariffs on US trading partners. In this brief, we document the different perspectives and economic consequences of North American trade wars and beyond.

2025 April, Morehead State University. Office Of Communications & Marketing.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for April of 2025.

Institutional Cross-Ownership Of Peer Firms And Revelatory Price Efficiency, Young Jun Cho, Holly I. Yang, Yue Zhao

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We argue that cross-ownership increases the amount of private information in stock price, enhancing the ability of stock price to provide feedback to managers. Consistent with this argument, we find greater cross-ownership heightens a firm’s investment-q sensitivity. This effect is stronger for firms with a lower propensity for voluntary disclosure and for firms whose managers hold less private information. Furthermore, we find that cross-ownership is negatively associated with the sensitivity of a firm’s investment to its peers’ stock prices. Additionally, cross-ownership has a stronger impact on the investment-q sensitivity when measured among investors who trade more actively the …

Network Analysis Of Sociotechnical Systems, Siva Kadiresan

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Sociotechnical networks have become integral frameworks in the accomplishment of organizational objectives by increasingly diverse, cross-functional, and technology-enabled modern teams. In cross-disciplinary teamwork, multiple mediating and moderating factors appear to lend context to the effects of team diversity faultlines on team outcomes. In the several decades of research into teamwork from a network perspective, there has been a paucity of empirical studies that examine how team transition processes and cross-disciplinary connections influence the impact of faultlines on team performance. This study investigates the association among perceived teamwork effectiveness, transition processes, cross-functional team connections, and faultlines in the context of sociotechnical …

Exploring The Relationships Between G2g, G2e And G2c E-Government Interactions And Organizational Readiness For Citizen Centricity In The Uae Government: Organizational Culture As A Moderator, Esam Al Sayed Ahmed

Dissertations

The UAE has topped the e-Gov development rankings globally over the last two decades. But during the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, certain problems befell the model of e-Gov, like no coherent strategy, inconsistencies in digital practice, inadequate collaboration, the lack of mechanisms for innovation, poor digital talent, and concerns with public trust. After the pandemic, the government released its digital strategy (2021-2025) as part of the rapid recovery plan to stimulate the economy and society. The strategy aimed at increasing sustainability and innovation and putting citizens first. Yet, the strategy can be improved in regard to how prepared government …

Breaking The Silence: Encouraging Engagement With Written Responses Via Whiteboard, Burak Öçlü

Case studies: Digital Education

I explored the integration of Microsoft Whiteboard into my lectures to enhance classroom interaction. Traditionally, class discussions have been limited by several factors: some students tend to remain quiet due to shyness, language barriers, or simply preferring not to speak in front of peers, while others may hesitate to share ideas in large groups. Recognising these challenges, I sought a digital solution that could democratise participation and capture diverse perspectives in real time. Microsoft Whiteboard, with its collaborative and flexible interface, emerged as an ideal tool to facilitate this shift. Its simple design let students post responses when they were …

Fostering Student Engagement And Initiating Class Discussions Using Vevox, Amanda Dixon

Case studies: Digital Education

Student participation and interaction in class, with lecturers and peers, is paramount to student success (Dahmani et. al., 2024). Academia is experiencing the development of a pattern of behaviour where students do not feel comfortable speaking in in front of peers and academics (Archbell & Coplan, 2022). This pattern of behaviour has a negative impact on the student experience. Legal modules in universities are focused on the theory of law and are delivered in traditional lecture format. The Business Law module in question, is delivered in two business programmes in the Faculty of Business and focuses on the theory of …

Assess As You Progress, Alice Luby

Case studies: Brightspace

Many of our programmes have incorporated a high level of continuous assessment. This can be useful for encouraging more diverse assessment methods and group work, it can be a challenge for those delivering modules that are numeric, and skills based. Brightspace Quizzes delivered at the end of each topic as a continuous assessment tool help prevent students from falling behind in their studies and provide them with early and timely feedback on their performance. Once the questions are delivered randomly, navigation backwords prevented, arithmetic questions use randomly generated figures, and a time limit set, the quiz can be made available …

The Charm Of Chaos: How Disordered Displays Of Cute Objects Enhance Perceived Cuteness And Boost Purchase Intention, Ting He

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This study investigated how the order of display influences consumer perceptions of cuteness and their purchase intention in the growing "Cute Economy" era. Contrary to conventional visual merchandising principles, we propose that disordered displays enhance the perceived cuteness of products compared to ordered displays. Through three experimental studies, we confirmed that objects in disordered displays are perceived significantly cuter than objects in ordered ones. We further identified that perceived realness as the underlying psychological mechanism plays a mediating effect; disordered display creates an impression of realness and life-like characteristics that amplify perceptions of cuteness. In addition, our field study findings …

Research On The Impact Investment Evaluation System For Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects, Shumeng Tong

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This study aims to put forward a more comprehensive and scientific impact of photovoltaic power generation project investment evaluation system, in order to make up for the inadequacy of existing research, for photovoltaic power generation project investment decision-making to provide a more powerful support. The conclusions and contributions of this study are as follows.

（1）Build impact of photovoltaic power generation project investment evaluation system, can comprehensively reflect more interests related subject of value, makes up for the traditional investment evaluation tend to focus on economic benefit analysis of the defects.

（2）The impact investment evaluation system of this study highlights the …

Exploring The Impact Of Entrepreneurship Coaching And Mentoring Models On Founder Capabilities And Business Performance, Zhixiang Wu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

China's current economic development faces multiple pressures, including contracting demand, supply shocks, and weakening expectations. Coupled with changes in the market environment and structural employment mismatches, entrepreneurship has become a key driver for economic growth, job creation, and the enhancement of social resilience. Against this backdrop, the impact of entrepreneurship coaching on founder development and business performance has drawn increasing attention. This study systematically explores how external coaches, through various coaching methods, frequencies, and competencies, influence entrepreneurs' growth and further improve business performance.

Based on literature review and theoretical analysis, a mediation effect model is constructed to empirically examine the …

Essays On Empirical Asset Pricing, Qi Fan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

My dissertation consists of three studies on how investor behavior affects the outcomes in financial markets. The first study focuses on the investors’ limited capacity on processing the complicated information transmitted through interconnected firms. The other two studies explore the investor heterogeneity on preferred time of trading, due to their personal traits or irrational judgements on the market conditions.

In Chapter 2, I focus on the return predictability across economically linked firms, due to investor limited attention. I document significant outperformance of stocks whose industry peers currently experience salient (attention-grabbing) gains, especially for those with strong social ties. The long-short …

Research On Dual Performance Of Industrial Parks Driven By Big Data: Fsqca Analysis Using Resource-Based View, Xionghong Jiang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Digital economic industrial parks serve as significant vehicles for the development of the digital economy, as highlighted in the national 14th FiveYear Plan for Digital Economy Development (hereinafter referred to as "the Plan"). The Plan identifies the digital transformation of industrial parks and clusters as a key task in the broader industrial digital transformation. Intelligent parks represent the future trend of park development. Current data reveals that there are over 80,000 industrial parks across China, with revenues of the top 100 parks in 2023 reaching RMB 37.9 trillion. In 2022 alone, investment in intelligent parks exceeded RMB 300 billion, a …