Business Commons^™

An Evaluation Of The Nebraska Ffa Launch! Program, Miranda M. Hornung

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this program evaluation was to discover the experiences of entrepreneurial education received in the Nebraska FFA Launch! Program in relation to future decisions for high school students about entrepreneurship. The Launch! Program aims to provide an educational experience for youth to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and view entrepreneurship as a possible career pathway. This focus addresses the opportunity to potentially help solve the issue of brain drain in rural Nebraska communities. A program evaluation was conducted by story harvesting from past participants through Zoom interviews to understand personal experiences and takeaways from their time in the Launch! …

Antecedents And Consequences Of Consumer Behavior In Circular Fashion: Cognitive, Normative, And Behavioral Pathways Shaping Purchase And Participation Intentions, Mahmudul Hasan Sabuj

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The increasing environmental impact of the fashion industry has intensified the need for a systemic transition from linear to circular production and consumption models. Despite growing interest in circular fashion, there remains a limited understanding of the underlying behavioral dimensions that drive consumer engagement in sustainable practices. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Norm Activation Theory (NAT), this study examines consumer behavior through an integrated framework capturing cognitive, social, and normative influences.

Using data collected from a structured online survey (N = 575), the study employs Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), reliability analysis, and multiple regression techniques to …

A Place To Perform: Designing Spaces For Student Artists Through Event Planning, Ava R. Jacobsen

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This thesis examines the creation of accessible performance spaces for student artists not enrolled in formal music programs. To address this gap, two First Friday events were hosted at The Gathering Grove in Lincoln, Nebraska, providing platforms for local student performers and engaging the community in live art experiences. The first event, an open mic night, highlighted the challenges of spontaneous performances, while the second, featuring designated performers, tested more structured event planning strategies.

Both events emphasized the importance of marketing, venue layout, audience engagement, and operational organization. Key lessons included the need for contingency planning, multi-channel promotion, and clearly …

Understanding Agtech Adoption: Evidence From The Farm Tech Adoption Challenge 2025, Ankit Chandra, Mark Stone

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

The Farm Tech Adoption Challenge (FTAC) examined how farmers evaluate emerging agricultural technologies through structured interactions with startups. Farmers assessed solutions based on their on-farm challenges and indicated adoption decisions. Results showed that adoption was driven by how well technologies addressed economic pressure, risk reduction, and operational simplicity. Startups aligned with these priorities were more likely to gain traction, with five out of nine receiving farmer commitments for adoption. However, adoption also depended on clear economic value, field validation, and system integration. Overall, the findings suggest that the primary bottleneck in agtech is not the lack of relevant technologies, but …

Economic Impacts Of Abolishing Vertical Integration In The Us Pork Industry, Konstantinos Giannakas

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

This paper develops a multi-market framework of analysis of vertical relationships in pork production and game theoretic models of heterogeneous firms to examine the economic, market and welfare impacts of abolishing vertical integration in the US pork sector. Different scenarios on the causes of vertical integration and the potential states of nature that can emerge after the removal of this vertical market arrangement are considered within this framework. Analytical results are consistent across the different scenarios and forms of strategic interactions between pork producers and indicate that the abolishment of vertical integration in the US pork sector will hurt pork …

Why Agtech Startups Fail? Evidence From Global Shutdown Patterns In 2025 And The Cost-Adoption Mismatch Effect, Ankit Chandra, Ishani Lal

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Agricultural technologies are widely seen as a driver for sustainability, resilience, and food-system transformation. Yet in 2025, agtech startup across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa experienced multiple shutdowns. Although each company closed for its own reasons, the failures highlight consistent underlying patterns. We analyze 18 publicly reported shutdowns across controlled-environment agriculture (CEA), robotics, insect protein, digital platforms, sensors, and ag-biotechnology. We find that most ventures struggled not with scientific feasibility but with economic and adoption dynamics at the farm level. We identify a Cost-Adoption Mismatch Effect, in which the capital and operational burden of a technology exceeds farmers’ capacity …

Lied Center For Performing Arts Strategic Analysis, Daniel Cutler

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This video essay develops a strategic analysis of the Lied Center for Performing Arts through an interview with an associate director at the Center, personal experiences working for the Center, and other external research. It starts with an introduction to the Lied Center, including its mission, vision, and activities. Using strategic frameworks, namely PESTEL analysis and Porter’s Five Framework, a general analysis of the Center’s industry is conducted. These frameworks demonstrate the difficult landscape the Center finds itself in, with some of the more notable struggles stemming from economic factors and competition from other entertainment venues. From there, suggestions and …

First Portfolio – Mngt 475: Business Strategies, Lisa Tschauner

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

MNGT 475: Business Strategies serves as the undergraduate strategic management capstone course in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business. The course integrates knowledge from accounting, finance, economics, marketing, management, supply chain management, analytics, and entrepreneurship while providing students with opportunities to apply strategic frameworks to authentic business challenges. This portfolio documents the design, implementation, assessment, and continuous improvement of the course, with particular attention given to experiential learning and the comparison of two instructional models: a traditional case-study project and a real-world industry-partner consulting project. Drawing upon Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, self-reflection, self-efficacy, and teamwork constructs, the portfolio examines …

Stonex Commodity Solutions Strategic Analysis Podcast, Zachary J. Johnson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This project comprises two separate podcast episodes that analyze the environment in which StoneX Commodity Solutions, a physical commodity trading firm, operates and provide strategic recommendations for the company. These episodes are informed via interviews with multiple StoneX Commodity Solutions employees. The first episode provides an evaluation of the company by examining its external and internal environments using tools such as PESTEL analysis and Porter’s Five Forces. Building on this, the episode discusses several of the company's strategic objectives and the current competitive advantages it has gained as a result of these objectives.

Expanding upon the information discussed in the …

Fragmentation In The U. S. Fed Cattle Market: Implications For Price Transparency And Discovery, Taralee M. Hudson

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The U.S. fed cattle market is one plagued by recurring stakeholder concern. Market participants frequently raise questions about the transparency of fundamental information under existing reporting frameworks, and the extent to which Private Negotiation, the dominant trading institution, effectively facilitates price discovery. Although extensive research has sought to address these issues, much of it has failed to account for the market’s increasingly fragmented structure. This thesis is comprised of three chapters that collectively examine price transparency and discovery through the lens of market fragmentation. Each chapter presents research related to the fed cattle market and is intended to stand …

Public Perceptions Of Leadership Effectiveness In Ethiopia Over The Last Decade, Fikadu Reta Alemayehu

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Ethiopia is one of the largest countries in Africa, with a fast-growing economy, rich history, diverse agroecology, more than 70 languages, and a population exceeding 130 million. However, the country continues to face serious internal conflict, high malnutrition, and economic hardship, while the study of leadership effectiveness remains limited and lacks consistent longitudinal research. To help fill this gap, this study examined how public perceptions of leadership effectiveness and development outcomes changed in Ethiopia between 2013 and 2023, using Afrobarometer survey data. The analysis explored how citizens’ views about governance, wellbeing, and access to services evolved during a decade of …

Brands & Virtual Personas: How Virtual Influencer Types Impact Brand Awareness, Carol Calderon Ambelis

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As social media continues to shape how consumers interact with brands, virtual influencers (VIs) have emerged as a new type of digital celebrity. While previous research has explored how VIs contribute to brand image and awareness, there has been limited attention on how different types of VIs, both anime-like and human-like, affect consumer perceptions across different markets. This study examines how these two types of VIs impact relatability, aspiration, and brand awareness, with a focus on the differences between luxury and mass market. Using a within-subjects experimental design, this study recruited 574 participants with social media experience using MTurk. The …

A Strategic Audit Of Live Nation Entertainment: Industry Position, Competitive Dynamics, And Long-Term Growth Outlook, William H. Wooden Iv, Owen B. Crone, Reece L. Flores, Grace A. Schaefer, Eric M. Jacob, Sydney A. Beck

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Live Nation Entertainment is the dominant global leader in the concert and live events industry, supported by a vertically integrated model that spans artist management, concert promotion, venue operations, ticketing, and sponsorship. This strategic audit evaluates Live Nation’s internal strengths, external threats, competitive position, corporate governance, and long-term strategic prospects based on comprehensive analysis of company reports, industry dynamics, and market trends. Live Nation benefits from unmatched scale, global venue ownership, exclusive artist relationships, and the substantial network effects generated by Ticketmaster, which collectively create high barriers to entry and sustained competitive advantage. The audit also examines significant challenges such …

Keurig Dr Pepper Strategic Audit, Huy Le, Ethan Zen, Sierra Perkins, Jack Hudson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

We analyze Keurig Dr Pepper's current strategic position following its acquisition of JDE Peat's. We determine its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within its market share and make recommendations for future business ventures and strategic positioning.

Apple Inc.: Strategic Audit, Huy Le

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

An audit and analysis of Apple Inc.'s strategy and positioning within its industry. Recommendations were made based on Porter's Five Forces Analysis for Apple to maintain and grow its market share.

Trump Administration Trade Policy: A Historical Perspective And Key Questions & Takeaways, Matthew P. Schaefer

Yeutter Institute International Trade Policy Review

Offers a historical perspective with key questions and takeaways about the Trump Administration's trade policy. Covers the periods of the first Trump Presidency (2017-2021), the Biden Administration (2021-2025), and the second Trump Administration (2025-).

Parliamentary Procedure Interactive Notebook: Newly Revised, P. Troy White, Amie Carter

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

An interactive notebook for teaching fundamentals of parliamentary procedure. Over 120 pages of content to help teach correct principles of this critical organizational management skill. P. Troy White is a Professional Registered Parliamentarian and a Certified Parliamentarian, ensuring that the content included follows the 12th Edition of Robert's Rules of Order.