Business Commons^™

The Effect Of Remote Work On Career Success In The Accounting Profession, Erin Bynum

Honors Theses

This study analyzed the results of career success assessments of hypothetical public accountants working remotely and in a traditional office setting to determine if remote work affects assessments by partners, managers, and staff accountants. Subjects were randomly assigned resumes that included indications of either remote work or traditional in-office work. Resumes were otherwise identical. After an initial assessment of an assigned hypothetical accountant, subjects were asked to recommend activities that would increase the likelihood of future career success. Subjects were then told that the hypothetical accountant engaged in the recommended activity and were provided a description of a high or …

The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act And The Increase Of Stock Buybacks, Ruben Colon

Honors Theses

In 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) decreased the corporate tax rate from thirty-five (35) percent to twenty-one (21) percent. In addition, the TCJA imposed a one-time tax on liquid and fixed assets held off-shore at fifteen-point five (15.5) percent and eight (8) percent, respectively, paid over eight (8) years, by awarding essentially an interest-free loan, creating an incentive for corporations in the United States to repatriate their offshore cash. This research investigates how the TCJA impacted corporate government tax revenue (CGTR), how corporations used the cash gained from the corporate tax rate decrease, whether the decrease in …

Green Solutions: A Smart Strategy For Recycling Electronics In Ghana, Yodit Fitsum

Honors Theses

Electronic waste (e-waste) presents a significant environmental challenge, particularly in developing nations like Ghana. This study examines the opportunities and challenges associated with e-waste recycling in Ghana, focusing on the Agbogbloshie dumpsite. In Ghana, the informal e-waste sector plays a crucial role, providing employment to marginalized individuals who dismantle and process e-waste using basic methods. However, these practices raise concerns due to hazardous working conditions and environmental pollution. Conversely, certified recycling companies adhere to strict safety and environmental standards. Key challenges include recycling contaminated e-plastics and declining precious metal content in modern electronics, highlighting the need for improved recycling infrastructure. …

Personal Insights: Navigating Informal Networks, Catherine Jordan

Honors Theses

As a non-traditional student, my journey through college has been anything but conventional. Unlike the typical high school-to-college transition, I embarked on my educational adventure later in life, balancing coursework with familial responsibilities and career aspirations. Within this paper, I will share my insights, my triumphs, my challenges, and the interactions that have shaped my experience. Join me as I unravel the unseen and intricate ties that link us together through learning and growth.

Women In Business Marketing: An Analysis Of The Glass Ceiling, Hailey Hornberger

Honors Theses

The glass ceiling phenomenon continues to be a widespread barrier affecting women in various professional fields, including business marketing. While female representation in business marketing is witnessing a significant increase, persistent barriers prevent successful women from advancing any further in their careers. The purpose of this research study was to understand the perspectives and experiences of women in business marketing professions. The key issues highlighted throughout this study include microaggressions in group settings, sexual harassment, balance of work and life, leadership dynamics, confidence and self-doubt, lack of support, and the gender pay gap. Secondary research was used as an initial …

Sipping Success: A Complete Digital Marketing And Customer Journey Makeover For Local Business Mi Boba Using Principles Of Change Management, In-Store Experience Enhancements, And Website Redesign., Joanna Holecko

Honors Theses

Sipping Success captures the journey of customer experience and marketing strategies for a small, woman-owned business in Kalamazoo, Michigan: Mi Boba. Beginning with an in-depth analysis of existing in-store experience using reviews and interviews, this thesis uses insights to guide the creation of a customer service blueprint catered to creating the perfect Mi Boba interaction. From that blueprint, new signage and menus were created to improve the customer experience. Next, the website was completely redesigned to address issues of navigation, visual representation of products, and search engine optimization (SEO). These enhancements improved user experience, resulting in significant increases in website …

Happy Horn Business Plan, Joseph Schwarz

Honors Theses

As a current Starting Gate member and entrepreneurship major at WMU, I am always surrounded by business ideas and the thought of building and growing my own business. This is the main reason I have made a business plan for my business idea, the Happy Horn.

The Happy Horn is an add on horn attachment for every type of bike, E-bike, and E-scooter. This horn quickly and easily attaches to the handle bars and features 4 buttons. The first button being a normal horn sound. However, the other three buttons are linked to different tones. These tones are selected and …

A Comparative Study Of Monolingual And Multilingual Employees, Megan Baldry

Honors Theses

This study examined the relationship between linguistic status and work outcomes including organizational citizenship behaviors and affective commitment, as mediated by communication competence, leader-member exchange, and psychological safety. The study examines nine hypotheses about these relationships, attempting to find differences in relationships between the mediators and outcomes among linguistic groups (monolingual, bilingual, and multilingual).

The study does not find support for the hypotheses, finding no difference between linguistic groups in either of the workplace outcomes, nor does it find strong support that communication competence, leader-member exchange, or psychological safety mediate the relationship between linguistic status and either of the workplace …

College Football Success And Its Impact On The Surrounding Community, Local Economy, And Institution Enrollment, Jacob Reynolds

Honors Theses

In the ever-changing field of college football, creating success has always been a top priority for institutions, and if not achieved, it can be detrimental to an athletic department. Success is important to those directly involved in college football, however, not often is it considered how others may be affected by the success or failure of a college football program. The purpose of this research is to determine what impact successful college football programs have on society and those not directly involved in athletics. In determining the purpose, it was important to find what components of society are impacted by …

An Examination Of Income Elasticity Of Demand For American Professional Sports, Michael Hansen

Honors Theses

This study examines the economic factors of demand that affect Americans’ desire to purchase tickets for professional sporting events. Most notably, it illustrates how changing household disposable income affects demand for the quality and quantity of attendance to NBA, NFL, and MLB games. Utilizing the total annual attendance of every U.S.-based professional team in these three leagues over a nine-year period, as well as the cost of tickets and other attendance-related expenses (e.g., concession prices), we obtain the total income elasticity of demand. This study then breaks down income elasticity of demand into both its quantity and quality components through …

Navigating Social Commerce: Analyzing The Economic Impact And Practical Strategies For Small E-Commerce Ventures Utilizing Social Networks For Sales And Brand Loyalty, Zachary Redmon

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Green Bonds, Green Returns: The Impact Of Green Bond Issuances On Financial Performance In The U.S. Energy Sector, Adora Lei

Honors Theses

This paper investigates the impact of green bond issuances on the financial performance of U.S. energy firms, the largest greenhouse gas-emitting sector. To explore the incentives for adopting green projects among firms with the most significant margin for improvement, I focus on Gross Profit Margin (GPM) and the Tobin’s Q Ratio as key indicators of profitability and valuation. Using a dataset of 462 companies, I analyze green and conventional corporate bond issuances from 2010 onwards in the context of their financial reports. The findings reveal that green bonds positively influence long-term valuation, with Tobin’s Q showing significant increases from the …

The Fourth Industrial Paradigm: The Emergence Of Artificial Intelligence As A Business Tool For Startups And Technology Companies, Evan Barr

Honors Theses

Society is currently living in an era known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0), which is primarily defined by technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, which provide prediction capabilities for businesses across all industries. But how are small technology companies and startup businesses navigating the influx of future possibilities of AI? This thesis examines how governments and consulting firms portray the future possibilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Using Sheila Jasanoff’s concept of sociotechnical imaginaries, the research explores how these imaginaries shape AI narratives through primary documents like the Biden Administration's "Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights" and McKinsey & …

The Impact Of Signing Bonuses, Age, And Country On Mlb Success: Evaluating Investment Returns In The Mlb International Amateur Free Agent Market, Elliot Wolf

Honors Theses

MLB’s International Amateur Free Agent Market provides teenagers across the world opportunities to sign, develop, and potentially fulfill their dreams of playing in the MLB. It also allows teams to sign players at young ages, increasing the amount of time players can develop within a team’s minor league system. While signing bonus decision-making is backed up by a team’s scouts and data, the signing bonus a player receives is rarely a reflection of their future value. I argue that teams are not spending this money optimally. However, in an environment where players have low acquisition costs and volatile performance outcomes, …

Sustainable Frameworks & The Circular Economy Within Digital Marketing & Advertising Agency Groups, Angelique Bautista

Honors Theses

Digital marketing significantly contributes to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of marketing and advertising agencies. Despite efforts towards corporate sustainability, discrepancies in carbon accounting and sustainability practices persist across the industry. An increasingly relevant topic for many industries is the circular economy (CE). It is concerned with creating a structured and cyclical sustainable practice and/or operation. This research paper examines the intersection of the CE and environmental sustainability initiatives in global digital marketing, analyzing sustainability efforts and ordinances up to April 2024, alongside theories from Science and Technology Studies (STS). Then, CE principles are explored more in-depth and the sociotechnological …

The Effect Of Factors And Constraints On Sporting Attendance, Joshua D. Whitlow

Honors Theses

21,625 fans packed the confines of Brooks stadium on September 3, 2022, for a clash between the Army Black Knights football team and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team. This was a new record at Brooks stadium, and was followed with just 12,261 the next week vs. Gardner Webb. Meanwhile, a 2022 Coastal Carolina Women’s Soccer game draws in less than 200 spectators. On the surface level, the disparity of these numbers appears confusing and unconnected to one another, however there are a multitude of factors that go into the number of people who show up to a particular sporting …

Clearing The Hurdles: Examining The Development Of High-Speed Rail Systems In The United States Of America, Shanice Tan

Honors Theses

In today’s world where globalization is rapidly growing, the role of an effective transportation system is crucial for societal and economic advancement. Among the various modes of travel, high-speed rail has emerged as a transformative force, reshaping the landscape of intercity connectivity, economic progress, and environmental sustainability. You would expect that the United States, as one of the most developed countries in the world, would have huge advancements in their high-speed rail systems for better travel choices and improved mobility for their citizens. However, it is found that the United States only has two high-speed rails currently operating and two …

College Student Attitudes Toward Student-Athlete's Ability To Profit From Name, Image, And Likeness (Nil), Daniel G. Panzano

Honors Theses

Since the recent passing of legislation allowing student-athletes to profit from their own personal brands and sponsorships (Name, Image, and Likeness; NIL), there has been very little research. The purpose of this study was to measure the attitudes and support students have towards the financial compensation of their student-athlete counterparts. The researchers surveyed 67 Coastal Carolina University students. Using a quantitative study, data was gathered pertaining to the opinions toward NIL, feelings of team affiliation, and demographic information. Statistically significant differences were found toward some elements of NIL and gender, major, and academic year. A statistically significant correlation was also …

Developing A Positive Self-Talk Toolbox, Megan Wagner

Honors Theses

The following thesis demonstrates how individuals can overcome high-pressure situations in both the business and athletic environments. Individuals are asked to perform in many different aspects of their lives. Oftentimes, individuals feel pressure when asked to perform at their optimal level. While there are many tactical skills to help individuals improve their skillset for a particular performance area, this thesis argues that a positive mindset can increase individual’s performance levels during the act of performing. Primary research has been conducted between two different research groups (business professionals and athletes) to determine that pressure exists in each respective environment based on …

Net Present Value And Payback Period: An Analysis, Ezekiel Cotter

Honors Theses

Capital budgeting is essential for the long-term success of a business. A firm must make the correct decisions when investing capital in projects. If firms do not make the correct decision, it will lead to investing in projects that do not add value to the firm, and it may also decrease the firm’s value. Multiple capital budgeting techniques exist to varying degrees of use. These techniques include Accounting Rate of Return, Internal Rate of Return, Modified Rate of Return, Payback Period, Discounted Payback Period, and Net Present Value. There is widespread research that spans decades of literature on which capital …

Diver Perceived Value And Satisfaction On The Mississippi Gulf Coast, Ka'lon Duncanson

Honors Theses

The Mississippi Gulf Coast is known for its coastal beauty and the tourism that comes from the recreational activities associated with the water. However, there appears to be an underserved segment of the tourism industry. The coast provides opportunities for local scuba divers to take part in a range of diving activities, but there is minimal support for this tourism activity in Mississippi. There is a need for greater understanding about what local divers value in their diving experiences and how this might lead to greater satisfaction with this activity. Along with overall perceived value, the argument is made that …

The Effect Of Cloud-Based Platforms On Auditing Standards Set By The Pcaob, Quinn Bourland

Honors Theses

As accounting software has evolved over time, so have the procedures and expectations associated with those programs. Similarly, cloud-based platforms have become more and more prevalent, and theoretically, there ought to be more procedures and expectations associated with these platforms. While there are many sources of regulation for the accounting industry, audits are given careful consideration due to the influence they have on the decision of external users of financial statements. One such place where the procedures and expectations are explicitly defined is for audits of public companies through the Auditing Standards created by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board …

The Interaction Of Loyalty Status And Need For Status On Rewards Donations Through Perceived Social Exclusion, Clancy Slay

Honors Theses

Rewards programs are commonplace with companies seeking a competitive advantage and creating consumer loyalty. A newer development in rewards programs allows consumers to donate points rather than personally receiving these benefits. With more than $48 billion moving through these programs annually, understanding how to encourage consumers to donate rewards points has tremendous implications for reallocating funds to support worthy causes (Dorotic et al., 2017). Research on consumer donations within rewards programs is virtually absent, and many unique factors to these programs suggest prior findings on charitable giving may not generalize. One of these factors is the prevalence of hierarchical or …

An Examination Of Financial Accounting Through Case Studies And Discussion, Andrew Meyer

Honors Theses

This thesis is a collection of eleven case studies completed over the course of the 2021-2022 academic year in the Patterson School of Accountancy in the ACCY 420 course, under the direction of Dr. Victoria Dickinson. The cases cover a broad array of concepts within the field of accounting. A few examples of topics include the impact of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on business in America, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the financials of Pfizer Inc., and an interview with a successful entrepreneur. From Case 6 on, the thesis is comprised of an analysis of the …

Brand On The Run: The Effects Of Internal And External Stakeholder Communication Of Corporate Rebranding Efforts, Abby Vandiver

Honors Theses

A company’s most valuable asset is its brand. Not just limited to its name and logo, a brand is loosely defined as the identity of an organization. A strong brand identity can create strong customer loyalty. Changing even a part of this identity can cause confusion and ultimately revenue loss. This study examined how business owners and marketers communicate with their stakeholders when they decide a rebrand is necessary. After researching current literature on this topic, businesses in Oxford, Mississippi which have undergone a rebrand in the last decade were recruited to answer questions. Ten organizations participated either through interview …

An Examination Of Accounting Through Case Studies, Jacob Maschhoff

Honors Theses

This thesis consists of ten case studies that are focused on the principles and standards of financial accounting. The case studies were assigned by Dr. Victoria Dickinson and completed under her guidance throughout the course of Honors Accountancy 420. During the first semester of the class, Dr. Dickinson provided five unique prompts that explored current events and relevant topics within the professional world of accounting. We were able to sharpen our accounting and research skills as well as gain knowledge about potential career paths and opportunities within accounting. Throughout the second semester, we completed five more case studies pertaining to …

Financial Accounting Case Studies, John A. Batson Jr

Honors Theses

This thesis was completed in the 2021-2022 academic year and is comprised of eleven accounting case studies. The topics from these cases vary widely and are not strictly focused on accounting. Examples of this includes cases done on the twenty-year anniversary of 9/11, the ramifications of COVID-19 on Pfizer, and having to interview a local business owner. We also completed cases concerning the city we wanted to intern in as well as an excel certification course. Following the conclusion of case 5, me and several other honors students worked together to complete the next six cases which involved analyzing International …

2021-2022 Accounting Practicum: A Sequence Of Financial Accounting Case Studies, Virginia Barksdale

Honors Theses

The following set of financial accounting case studies represents two semesters of work under Dr. Victoria Dickinson at the University of Mississippi’s Patterson School of Accountancy. As is customary for the Honors Accounting Practicum, subjects covered included current events – e.g., the anniversary of 9-11 and the COVID-19 pandemic – as well as the conceptual frameworks of different financial accounting disciplines. Some cases were more research focused while others involved specific deliverables relevant to the topic of the week. All case studies required the integration of knowledge from past coursework with the knowledge gained through the cases themselves. The work …

An Analysis Of Accounting Concepts Through Case Studies, Molly Medling

Honors Theses

This thesis aims to provide a holistic picture of the accounting profession through various topics in the field. Divided into case studies, each case examines a particular accounting issue or concept through research and analysis. These cases range from an examination of the events of 9/11 through the lens of the accounting profession to a multiple-case analysis of International Paper Company’s financial position and future actions. Several online articles, financial reports, and accounting courses were used to inform the information included in this thesis. These sources were not only used to provide an analysis of accounting concepts, but also to …

Financial Accounting Case Studies, Turner Willson

Honors Theses

This thesis is a compilation of eleven accounting case studies which covers a wide variety of topics that were discussed throughout the ACCY 420 course taught by Dr. Victoria Dickinson during the 2021-2022 academic school year. The cases vary in subject which started with the reflection of the 9/11 terrorist attacks had on the country and ended with choosing Tyson Inc. as an audit client. Some of the other cases included becoming excel certified, interviewing someone in the field that we wished to join upon graduation, and researching a future city in which we would like to live in the …