Business Commons^™

Intellectual Property Rights: Examining Outdated Laws, Monopolies, Manipulation, And The Need For Modernization, Maggie Moles

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis critically examines the shortcomings of current intellectual property (IP) laws in the face of rapid technological advancement and evolving digital landscapes. It argues that while IP laws were intended to incentivize innovation, protect creators' rights, and foster fair competition, they often fall short of these goals in practice. Through an analysis of various case studies and real-world examples, the thesis demonstrates how outdated IP laws can hinder progress, stifle creativity, and impede access to knowledge and resources, particularly in industries heavily reliant on patents and copyrights.

Furthermore, the thesis explores alternative models and proposals for reform, including open …

Hogs For A Cause: Art As A Medium For Community Engagement, Jaden Hendrix

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

With the power to influence various sectors of society, art is a dynamic medium for instituting change. To explore the power of art and its impact on communities, I am organizing an event in Fayetteville, Arkansas called “Hogs for a Cause.” Hogs for a Cause would double as an art competition and a community fundraising event for local charities, ultimately taking a multifaceted approach to enhancing our community through public art. This project will serve several purposes: showcase the work of local artists, support local charities, and foster community engagement and development. I will be collaborating with the …

Unveiling The Influence: Corporate Lobbying And The American Diet, Annaleigh Mattingly

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

The United States has an ongoing health problem. At 41.9%, our obesity rate is one of the highest in the worldi . While there are several factors that contribute to obesity, food is a crucial one. Food plays a key role in our short- and long-term health. This impact spills over into other aspects of life, such as productivity and mental well-being. This begs the question why the United States, as a very wealthy nation, has relatively lower food quality when compared with other high-income nations. This is a multi-faceted problem that is rooted in American culture, government regulation, and …

Artificial Intelligence In Finance: Transforming Decision-Making And Risk Management For Enhanced Financial Outcomes, Bryce Layn

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

The impact of artificial intelligence on the financial sector is evaluated in this study, focusing on its management of financial risk capabilities and its role in creating tailored banking experiences. AI's rapid evolution has brought unprecedented capabilities, raising questions about human adaptability to these developments in finance. The thesis will conduct further research on how AI manages financial risks and navigates regulatory frameworks and potential mismanagement. Multiple companies will be investigated to showcase their diverse capabilities, with each one highlighting unique characteristics and contributions to the AI finance landscape. This Thesis presents a comprehensive summary of the evolving financial industry, …

Analyzing The Supply-Side Dynamics Of Affordable Housing In The United States, Evan Lee Bartlett

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis delves into the multifaceted realm of housing affordability in the United States, focusing on the supply-side dynamics shaping its availability and accessibility. Through a comprehensive analysis, this study investigates various factors influencing the supply of affordable housing, including governmental policies, market forces, and socio-economic trends. By synthesizing existing literature, statistical data, and case studies, it sets out to reveal the interconnectedness of regulatory frameworks, existing housing policies, existing programs, and initiatives in the affordable housing sector. Moreover, this research examines strategies to combat the housing affordability crisis. The findings highlight the importance of taking a regional approach to …

The Importance Of Text Representation For Neural Networks Through Natural Language Processing Techniques, William Parsley

Data Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Text representation is a fundamental aspect of natural language processing (NLP) when it comes to the performance of neural networks. Free-form text fields are being utilized in more and more industries. Anything from a description of an item on a web store to tracking service events to military-grade aircraft is being collected in free-form text. The goal of the thesis is to highlight best practices and discuss trends in data to prepare text for a neural network. It will demonstrate various techniques for representing free-form text in the context of neural networks, focusing on data preparation decisions, embedding techniques, and …

Examining The Impact Of Customer Rfp Characteristics On Award Compliance, Laasya Ravipati

Data Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the context of intermodal transportation, understanding the dynamics of award compliance holds significant importance for operational efficiency and strategic decision-making. Award compliance refers to the percentage of awarded freight volume that is realized, indicating the extent to which contractual agreements are fulfilled. This analysis delves into the intricate relationship between customer characteristics and award compliance, aiming to provide valuable insights into the variability and predictability of compliance rates. By analyzing Request for Pricing (RFP) data and primary awarded freight volumes, the study seeks to address the need for more accurate volume estimations, crucial for sales planning, revenue projections, and …

Examining Award Compliance To Inform Resource Allocation, Jacob Haarala

Data Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project focuses on JB Hunt Transport Inc's intermodal business unit (JBI) by focusing on the challenges associated with Published Pricing and Contractual Pricing. The primary issue revolves around the variance between the awarded freight volumes in Requests for Pricing (RFPs) and the actual volumes realized when the freight is shipped. This discrepancy poses challenges for effective sales planning, revenue goals, and optimal freight network management within JBI. Reporting tools, such as PowerBI, are currently used by JBI to provide insights into award compliance on a weekly basis. However, our goal with this project was to provide a deeper understanding …

Instagram And Influencer Marketing: An Empirical Study Of The Parasocial Interaction Theory And Its Effects On Purchase Intention, Caroline Marie Chumley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Scholars have studied different factors that contribute to a parasocial interaction theory, and how this relates to purchase intention in the marketing industry. Previous research concentrates on parasocial interactions between television personalities and consumers, rather than influencers on social media. It is important to determine exactly what factors lead consumers to create a parasocial interaction with influencers in the media and determine how that parasocial interaction mediates purchase intention. Influencer marketing on Instagram is included in this study, as it contains brand-sponsored posts and allows users to interact with each other. This study utilizes the parasocial interaction model to determine …

Systemic Effect Of Organizational Capitals On Parent Commitment In Youth Soccer, Paul Kimbrough

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluates how soccer parents perceive the offerings of the soccer team on which their child plays. The study uses the systems perspective of Flora & Flora’s Community Capitals Framework to analyze family commitment to the team. The study subjects were parents of soccer players ages 12 and older who play for teams and participate in competitive travel soccer teams. Parents are classified based on their geographic location and team level. Questionnaires were administered at a series of travel soccer tournaments in March 2024. Data were analyzed using binary logistic regression analysis. Parents were found to value the total …

Assessing Undergraduate Nonprofit Management Education Programs: Combining Industry And Student Perspectives, Benjamin Walworth

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Given the role of the nonprofit sector in the U.S. economy, as well as the growth of nonprofit management education (NME) programs, there is a need to specifically assess undergraduate NME programs. This study addresses the current research gap by examining the undergraduate nonprofit studies minor at the University of Arkansas. An assessment of the minor was conducted by surveying three groups: nonprofit professionals, current students pursuing the nonprofit studies minor, and alumni of the minor. These groups were surveyed to understand why students pursue the minor, what students want or gain from the experience, as well as what skills …

The Rise And Fall Of A Video Game Dynasty And Its Road Back To Glory, Kade Rogerson

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

For years the EA Sports NCAA Football series had been a long-standing success story in the world of sports video games. Combining the unique feel of collegiate athletics with the realistic nature of the game that its technology provides led the series to be a major source of revenue for Electronic Arts, Inc. in the extremely competitive and profitable industries of video games and sports merchandising.

However, the series came to an abrupt halt in 2013. Spearheaded by the O’Bannon v. NCAA lawsuit, EA was forced to discontinue the series after legal action was taken regarding the game’s unauthorized use …

Gym Sexual Harassment And Bystander Intervention: An Application Of The Reasoned Action Approach, Eric Schisler

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Objective. The purpose of this study was to modify and validate an instrument to examine factors associated with being an active bystander when witnessing sexual harassment at a gym or fitness center. Using Fishbein and Ajzen’s Reasoned Action Approach (RAA), this study aimed to better understand the influence of a person’s attitude, social norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) on their intention to be an active bystander when witness to someone being sexually harassed at the gym in the next 30 days. Methodology. This study utilized an exploratory sequential mixed methods design, with phase one taking place between June and …

Evaluating The Effects Of A Noninvasive, Commercial-Grade Neurofeedback Technology And Mindfulness On Sleep Quality In Elite Athletes, Sydney Anne Hammit

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Proper sleep is a vital element in the lives of elite athletes due to its effects on recovery, performance, and mental and emotional health. However, despite the importance of sleep quality, elite athletes are experiencing notable difficulties with both sleep quantity and quality. While sleep is necessary for all individuals, it is specifically essential for elite athletes. Sleep quality issues can be accompanied by both physical and psychological struggles, which is concerning for the population of elite athletes who are struggling with sleep quality at higher rates than the general population. Despite the increasing awareness of sleep quality struggles …

Understanding Young Adult Consumers’ Attitudes And Intentions Towards Showrooming Behavior, Juliana Marconi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the rapid advancement in information technologies, retailers integrate omnichannel marketing strategies to provide consumers with low prices, good products, and unique shopping experiences. Omnichannel retailing brings changes to consumer decision-making processes. Consumers use all channels (online and offline) simultaneously at the same time during the product search, purchase, and aftersales stages. Some consumers prefer to check out a product in a brick-and-mortar store, but purchase it online. This is referred to as showrooming. Since the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the use of mobile devices and smartphones in shopping, consumers search e-commerce sites using mobile devices while they shop in …

Cultivating Atmosphere In Independent Coffee Shops: Reflections On How Atmospheres Are Created Through Sensory Experiences, Brooke Bierhaus Sutton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Affective atmosphere is a fundamental component to the allure of coffee shops that is cultivated through sensory experience. In this thesis I examine how the sensory experience of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch, create atmospheres in coffee shops. I ask, “how do coffee shops cultivate an affective atmosphere?” Through an exploration of material culture, design, affect, and the intentional production of third places, I illustrate the ways in which independent coffee shops have their own unique identities and atmospheres. By using memoir and reflexive analysis of my decade in global coffee culture, as well as an extensive literary review, …

Co-Creating A Process Of Tacit Knowledge Seeking Using Appreciative Inquiry: An Exploratory Case Study, Kristina Lewis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In today’s dynamic workplaces, knowledge exchange among employees is vital for organizational innovation and competitive advantage. However, existing literature on knowledge management has primarily focused on knowledge sharing, neglecting the proactive process of knowledge seeking, particularly regarding tacit knowledge. This study aims to bridge this gap by exploring the social process of tacit knowledge seeking in the workplace. Using appreciative inquiry as a method for collecting data, this qualitative exploratory single case study examines how employees seek tacit knowledge in an international consumer products organization. Guided by a social constructionist framework and appreciative perspective, the study seeks to understand the …

Enhancing Audit Quality Through Artificial Intelligence: An External Auditing Perspective, Jonah Mitan

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

The evolving landscape of the audit profession has been significantly influenced by the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, marking a pivotal shift in audit methodologies, the auditors' roles, and the overarching quality of audits. This thesis delves into the breadth of AI's impact on the industry through a comprehensive review of academic literature, professional publications, and industry insights, highlighting the transformative effects of AI on audit processes. AI-driven tools, including machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing can expedite laborious audit tasks, enhancing data analytics capabilities, and enabling more accurate risk assessment and fraud detection. AI technologies …

Faculty-Led International Business Seminar In Dublin, Ireland: An Account Of Personal Experiences And Reflection Of The Difference In Work-Life Balance Between Ireland And The United States Of America, Megan Hanigan

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

The study abroad program consisted of four weeks of learning through cultural immersion, tours, classes, travel, and personal experiences. I was granted the opportunity to travel abroad to a foreign country with fellow University of Arkansas students. While abroad, I learned about international business affairs and participated in local Irish activities. The purpose of the study abroad trip was to provide the students in attendance with the chance to immerse in another culture while learning about the differences between office structures in America and Ireland.

Mental Health In College Journalists: Recognizing Causes Of Trauma And Recommendations For Training In College Programs, Sydney R. Mulvenon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

News reporting serves as an important vehicle for sharing breaking news across diverse communities, yet it often entails significant stressors. Some news reporters may experience trauma while covering challenging stories or navigating negative experiences within the newsroom. Many professionals in journalism have expressed concerns about the lack of awareness of mental health in the field. Addressing this need, this research using a documentary format, explores the need for integrating trauma training and awareness initiative into college-level journalism programs. Drawing on stories from former journalists and other professionals connected to journalism, this documentary highlights the pressing need for trauma-focused coursework to …

Potential Consumer Response To The Healthy Symbol Proposed By The Us Food And Drug Administration, Jillian Hyink, Brandon R. Mcfadden, Brenna Ellison

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed updates to the definition of “healthy,” including distinctions between types of sugar and fats and limits on added sugar, saturated fat, and sodium. To communicate the updated standards, the FDA is developing a Healthy symbol to display on food packages, which could reduce knowledge gaps by assisting U.S. consumers in meeting recommended nutritional guidelines. This study aimed to explore the potential for the label to increase consumers' ability to correctly identify a food product that met the FDA's criteria for a healthy symbol. To complete the study objective, 1018 adults were …

Market-Based Oil Spill(Overs): Market Reactions To The Energy Windfall Tax Announcements And Disclosures In The United Kingdom, Kristian D. Allee, Raffael Speitmann, Arthur Stenzel, Yuchen Wu

Accounting Faculty Publications and Presentations

We investigate the market reaction to a windfall tax regulation announcement for oil and gas firms in the UK. We find that firms subject to the windfall tax experience a significant abnormal price effect of 6.0 to 7.3 %. The effect is concentrated among large and more profitable firms. The results also show that firms voluntarily disclose more precise information after the regulation to offset the negative abnormal price reaction at the windfall tax announcement date. Evidence suggests that these disclosures are largely effective at allaying the price effects associated with increased investor disagreement. Moreover, our analyses show that firms …

Assessing The Asymmetric Cost Behavior In China, Yuxin Shan, Vernon J. Richardson, Peng Cheng

Accounting Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose

A country’s institutional environment influences every facet of its business. This paper aims to identify institutional factors (state ownership, government attention on employment and employees’ educational background) that affect the asymmetric cost behavior in China. Design/methodology/approach

Using 2,570 listed firms’ data between 2002 and 2015, we use empirical models to explore the effects of state ownership, government attention on employment and employees’ educational background on the asymmetric cost behavior in China. Findings

This study found that the asymmetric cost behavior of central state-owned enterprises (CSOEs) is greater than local state-owned enterprises (LSOEs). Meanwhile, the empirical results show that government …

Setting The Record Straight: Why The Nba Needs To Officially Adopt Aba Statistics, Roy E. Brownell Ii

Arkansas Law Review

In the case of the legal settlement between the (merger of the NBA and ABA, one of those legacies is that the NBA chooses not to officially recognize the ABA’s statistics. By arguing in favor of the NBA officially adopting ABA statistics, this Article addresses a question that lies at the intersection of law, race, sports, history, and corporate policy. Part II discusses the 1976 legal settlement between the two leagues. Part III, in turn, analyzes concerns over morality and why they weigh heavily in support of the NBA acknowledging ABA records. Part IV offers an evaluation of historical factors …

Understanding Demand For Broken Rice And Its Potential Food Security Implications In Colombia, Juliann Phillips, Alvaro Durand-Morat, Lawton L. Nalley, Eduardo Graterol, Michelle Bonatti, Katerine Loaiza De La Pava, Sergio Urioste, Wei Yang

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rice is a crucial contributor to global food security and is an important staple for over half the world's population. Irrigated paddy rice is a water-intensive crop, and an important contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, improving the efficiency of using rice as food rather than non-food uses is paramount to sustainably feeding a growing global population. One source of inefficiency in the rice market is using broken rice for non-food purposes. This study focuses on consumer preferences for rice with different broken percentages in Colombia. We used a mixed-method approach to ascertain the stated (experimental setting) and revealed (using …

Knowledge Gaps About Micronutrient Deficiencies In Tanzania And The Effect Of Information Interventions, Pius Kilasy, Brandon R. Mcfadden, Kelly A. Davidson, Leah H. Palm-Forster

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reducing micronutrient malnutrition (“hidden hunger”) in low-income countries is a global challenge, particularly among women, children, and high-poverty households. Countries like Tanzania have developed diverse strategies to combat malnutrition, including the biofortification of staple foods. However, broad awareness and knowledge of micronutrient deficiencies and beneficial foods are needed for these strategies to be effective. The objectives of this study were to (i) examine Tanzanian consumers' initial awareness and knowledge of deficiencies for four micronutrients and associated biofortified foods, and (ii) to examine the effectiveness of targeted communication approaches (i.e., information and branding) to improve knowledge. Data were collected from 1029 …

The Role Of The Social Network In Adopting New Turfgrass Varieties: An Analysis Of Twitter Data, Joohun Han, Chanjin Chung, Yanqi Wu

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examines the effect of social learning on new turfgrass variety adoption decisions using data from 231 turfgrass professionals’ Twitter accounts between 1 Jun 2018 and 31 Dec 2019. To determine the social learning effect, we decompose networking effects into social learning, individual-level and group-level similarities, herd behavior, and clustering effects. Our study estimates a spatial autoregressive probit model that directly incorporates the social network structure to account for unobservable networking effects and potential reflection problem. A Bayesian estimation procedure is used to alleviate the convergence problem caused by the complexity of model specification. Empirical results show that the …

Interrelationships Among The Rice Export Prices Of Major Exporting Countries: In Search Of The Leader And Followers, Khondoker Abdul Mottaleb, Alvaro Durand-Morat

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

By examining the econometric interrelationships of rice export prices of India, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, this study examines the most influential rice-exporting countries in the international rice export market. The sampled countries are the source of more than 80% of the global rice exports. In the process, this study relies on online data portals of the United Nations and country-level sources for aromatic and non-aromatic rice export price information from India, Pakistan, and Thailand. This study employed the Prais-Winsten and Autoregressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) estimation processes with the error correction procedure. Combining the findings from …

Food Labeling: Ingredient Exemptions And Product Claims, Elena Krasovkaia, Bradley J. Rickard, Brenna Ellison, Brandon R. Mcfadden, Norbert Wilson

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

New breeding methods have provided scientists with opportunities to improve traits in a wide range of crops, however, there remains resistance to foods that are produced from these crops, and mandates on labels used to describe such processes continue to be a source of policy debate. Here we focus on gene editing and examine (i) whether consumer acceptance varies when the technology is applied to different ingredients (unrefined versus highly refined ingredients) and (ii) the impact of two different claims related to gene editing (health-focused claim versus an environment-focused claim). Our results show that consumers are less likely to purchase …

Letter From The Faculty Editor, Beth Kegley

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.