Business Commons^™

Framework For Building A Social Media Marketing Strategy For Micro-Small Businesses, Joanna Byrne

Theses

Existing social media marketing literature consistently fails micro-small businesses with five or fewer staff. These sources default to models built for brands with dedicated marketing teams and large budgets. This project addresses that gap using a mixed-methods, practitioner-based action research design. It combines quantitative platform analytics with qualitative process documentation. The research covers four businesses at distinct stages of digital development: Torched Motorsport Supply, a new automotive parts retailer built from zero digital infrastructure; Byrne Diesel Performance, an established diesel shop with an unoptimized presence; Texas Best Compost, a startup developing its brand identity and digital launch disrupted by supply …

Abigail Sarai: A Neuroaesthetic Approach To Fashion Brand Development, Abby Martos

Theses

This thesis project presents a comprehensive direct-to-consumer business plan for an independent women’s fashion brand, Abigail Sarai, strategically positioned around the commercial value of aesthetic design. The project is grounded in an interdisciplinary theoretical framework integrating neuroaesthetics and consumer behavior research. Existing literature demonstrates that visual principles such as symmetry, harmony, and proportion activate neural reward systems associated with pleasure, while consumer research identifies happiness and emotional well-being as central drivers of purchasing behavior. Building upon these findings, this project proposes that aesthetic beauty can function as a deliberate and measurable value proposition within fashion entrepreneurship. By aligning brand design …

Unveiled Voices: An Ode To Black Brides A Digital Resource Guide For Black Brides And Inclusive Bridal Design, Jaslyn A. Banks

Theses

This project examines the lack of inclusivity within the bridal industry, with a specific focus on the absence of skin-tone appropriate illusion mesh and diverse representation for Black brides. Through a combination of scholarly research and visual analysis, this study identifies how Eurocentric design standards continue to influence fabric development, marketing practices, and overall bridal aesthetics.

In response to these findings, this project introduces a digital lookbook titled Unveiled Voices: An Ode to Black Brides A Digital Resource Guide for Black Brides and Inclusive Bridal Design, which serves as a curated resource highlighting Black bridal designers who prioritize inclusivity, cultural …

Artificial Intelligence In Video Production, Jonathan Ringor

Theses

This project examines the role of artificial intelligence in video advertisement production and explores whether AI can help bridge the gap between everyday users and professional advertising. The project combined both creative production and audience research. To do this, three original AI-generated advertisements were created in distinct commercial formats: a pharmaceutical advertisement, a petcentered narrative commercial, and a lifestyle montage advertisement. After the advertisements were completed, audience response was measured through a survey of U.S.-based participants. Participants evaluated each advertisement on realism, emotional engagement, trustworthiness, polish, and authenticity. The results showed that the advertisements were not perceived equally. The pet …

The Invisible Fuel: How Corporate Affinity For Technology Drives Resilience, Rachel Gandy

Theses

This paper examines how Corporate Affinity to Technology (CAT) affects organizational resilience among U.S. managers. Based on survey data from 364 managers in the retail, finance, and healthcare industries, this research indicates that the degree of technology use in a firm does not relate to the firm’s level of broadband availability or technology intensity, but rather to the extent to which technology is woven into the fabric of skills development, organizational culture, and the decision-making process. High-CAT firms are resilient under stress; low-CAT firms are fragile, irrespective of the level of technology they have invested in. Recommendations for managers who …

The Gospel Of Glamour: A Christian Woman's Style Blueprint, Osaromwenyeke Osemwota

Theses

The Gospel of Glamour: The Christian Woman’s Style Blueprint was a luxury-branded, sustainability-focused, faith-based style guide that addressed a gap in fashion, theology, and sustainability scholarship. Existing literature had either systematized fashion, explored the spiritual significance of dress, or examined sustainable and luxury practices—but none had integrated these dimensions into a prescriptive, actionable guide for Christian women. Drawing on Scripture as the foundational authority, including passages from Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, and Proverbs, the guide framed clothing as both practical provision and visible expression of covenantal identity. The style guide synthesized secular fashion methodology, modest-fashion scholarship, and sustainable luxury principles to …

The Disney Adult: A Consumer That Creates Free Marketing, Emily Elizabeth Kempf

Theses

This research looks at the evolving complex relationship between the Walt Disney Company, The Disney Adult content creators and the fan base. It focuses on how user-generated content (UGC) and social media can play a large role in contemporary marketing strategies. As the target audience has expanded to include Disney Adult, this new audience has become a central part in the company’s marketing strategy encouraging fan engagement across all social media platforms. This research is a qualitative case study on the Disney Adult and how social media content can be used as a core marketing strategy. The Disney Adult influencer …

A Study Of Perceptions, Readiness, Benefits, And Barriers Related To Exoskeleton Adoption In New Jersey’S Warehousing Sector, Terry Asante

Theses

The warehousing industry in New Jersey remains a vital component of the region's logistics network, employing more than 200,000 workers who routinely engage in lifting, bending, overhead reaching, and other physically demanding activities. These exposures contribute to musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) rates that exceed national averages, particularly affecting the low back and shoulders. Nationally, MSDs account for an estimated $420 billion in combined direct and indirect costs each year, underscoring the need for interventions that can effectively reduce biomechanical strain. Industrial exoskeletons have emerged as a potential solution, with prior research demonstrating reductions in muscle activation, perceived exertion, and fatigue during …

A Comprehensive Digital Marketing Strategy Guide For Independent Musicians, William Elree Hilburn

Theses

Creating and implementing a sound digital marketing strategy is a crucial element to consider as an independent musician. In this thesis report and the strategy guide that follows, a number of current digital marketing strategies are discussed at length. The strategies that are discussed in this report and within the strategy guide have been gleaned through semi-structured qualitative interviews with two separate up-and-coming music artists. The information shared by these case studies has been documented and synthesised into this report, as well as, into a comprehensive strategy guide that has been written to aid fledgling music artists in their digital …

The Evolution Of Agriculture Marketing: Harnessing Data Analytics To Understand Generational Shifts And Influencer Trends, Lexi Schweigert

Theses

The findings reveal that data analytics plays a crucial role in shaping marketing strategies in agriculture. Generational shifts, particularly among Gen Z and Alpha, are driving changes in consumer preferences and expectations. Influencers are also playing an increasingly important role in shaping the perception of agriculture and food among these generations.

Customizing Ai Strategies Across Multiple Generations, Matthew Harrer

Theses

This project investigates how artificial intelligence can help brands and marketers connect more effectively with Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. The literature review lays the groundwork that focuses on consumer behaviors and the integration of AI into digital marketing practices for each generation. The second part of the project involves a secondary data analysis of 21 recent marketing surveys and reports that explores topics related to trust, personalization, and social media. By integrating the findings into an insightful guidebook, marketers will be able to maximize these insights into clear actionable strategies.

Mary Kay Reimagined, Allison Terveer

Theses

This project is taking the brand Mary Kay and turning it into a new brand that would be enticing to younger generations and become a staple in everyone and anyone’s routines. Mary Kay was a huge makeup brand in the 1990s and early 2000s, but the cosmetic industry has grown tremendously, and Mary Kay has fallen behind. They mostly target the older generations, the generations that were supporting them in the 1990s and 2000s. They need to expand their target range and get younger consumers to pay attention to them. With updated packaging, new marketing and a new way to …

The Impact Of Tik Tok Marketing On Consumer Behavior In The Fashion Industry: Strategies For Effective Engagement And Sales Conversation, Latoya Burns

Theses

This thesis investigates the impact of TikTok marketing on consumer behavior within the fashion industry, focusing on strategies for effective engagement and sales conversion. As social media platforms, particularly TikTok, reshape the dynamics of fashion marketing, this research explores how short-form video content, influencer partnerships, and user-generated content (UGC) drive brand awareness, loyalty, and purchasing decisions among consumers, especially Gen Z and millennials. The study compares TikTok’s effectiveness to traditional marketing channels, highlighting the platform’s ability to foster interactive, real-time engagement and democratize trendsetting through its algorithm-driven content delivery. The thesis uses quantitative research to examine how TikTok influences consumer …

Knot Alone: A 24/7 Live Chat App For Sewing Enthusiasts, Erica Frankenhoff

Theses

Knot Alone innovates support in the sewing industry by providing a 24/7 chat experience driven by community engagement. Unlike other forums or workshops with time limits, this platform guarantees interactive, personalized, and immediate guidance. Regardless of whether it’s a new beginner sewer learning how to thread a sewing machine, or a sewing enthusiast who is more advanced and is just figuring out issues with fabric tension, Knot Alone users can, at any hour, seek out professional advice. Professional advice will be provided by sewing educators and instructors, post graduate fashion students, and established sewing bloggers and influencers. By joining together …

Understanding And Implementing Fashion Sustainability: An Academic Course, Paige M. Baldwin

Theses

This project outlined a fashion sustainability course meant to be taught at a degree-awarding educational institution. The course explores the environmental, social, and economic impacts of the fashion industry. Students learn about sustainable practices, materials, and design principles. Students also study consumer behavior, supply chain management, and government policies related to sustainable fashion. The literature and research looked at the current fashion industry landscape and the sustainability issues that are being addressed, the current educational landscape of fashion programs in the United States of America, and the current literature regarding building an effective curriculum in the 21st century.

Digital Threads: Fashion Design With Clo3d, Maya Herring

Theses

CLO3D (CLO) has emerged as a prominent software service within the fashion industry, molding the conceptualization and development of 3D fashion designs. By eliminating the constraints of customary manufacturing processes and real-life production costs, CLO equips designers with tools to bring their fashion garments and designs to life. This study aims to explore the capabilities of CLO software by developing five digital bridal dresses while also examining the learning curve, challenges, and benefits associated with its usage. The objective is to identify how CLO can provide aspiring fashion designers with the tools to produce high-quality designs without traditional training.

By …

Concentrated Benefits And Dispersed Costs: The Contributions Of Pareto, Olson, And Ostrom, Nathan John Cuthbertson

Theses

Concentrated benefits and dispersed costs (CBDC) is a central concept in the field of public choice as well as economics more broadly. The phrase concentrated benefits and dispersed costs refers to a situation in which economic benefits are concentrated and the associated costs are borne by a larger group. This thesis argues that the elements of CBDC are common in the literature without the term being used directly. This study is an exercise in the history of economic thought. The study is structured into three case studies, with each dedicated to the work of an influential economist: Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923); …

Leadership In The Digital Economy: An Investigation Into How Digitalisation Is Changing The Role And Practice Of Leadership In The Australian Defence Industry, Rhogan Aitken

Theses

Digitalisation is a phenomenon that is transforming society and is the process that moves an organisation to become digital. Research was conducted on senior leaders in the Australian defence industry with the purpose of investigating how the role and practice of leadership was changing because of digitalisation. A two-phased qualitative methodology was employed. An initial Delphi study on 13 experts in digital transformation was adopted to gain consensus on key issues, with the results informing a second stage of semi-structured interviews with 32 senior leaders in the Australian defence industry. The results identified factors that were influencing leadership, including increased …

The Effects Of Email Advertising On Consumer Response In Australian Online Fashion., Trent Curtis

Theses

Email advertising continues to grow as an essential card in the playbook of current day digital marketers, especially within the hyper competitive world of online fashion. This thesis examines the multifaceted effects of email advertising on consumer response within Australia, drawing new insights from the recent influence of personalised email advertising content.

Employing a mixed methods approach, qualitative analysis first utilises thematic coding to uncover key insights drawn from interviews with current day fashion marketing professionals. These interviews explore the perceptions of email advertising effectiveness, preferences in personalised content, and the behavioural trends of online fashion shoppers.

The quantitative analysis …

Consumer Buying Behaviour Towards Organic Food In Sri Lanka: Imports From Australia, Nalaka Kaushayla Mohotti

Theses

The Australian organic agriculture industry is thriving, with 9.9% of its agricultural land certified organic and production concentrated in fruit, vegetables, meat, and dairy, collectively valued at over AUD 2 billion. At the same time, South Asia, including Sri Lanka, is experiencing significant growth in organic agriculture markets. In 1994, Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) was discovered among Sri Lankan paddy farmers. Research in 2012 linked it to hard water, pesticides, and heavy metals, triggering a pesticide ban and the ‘A Pesticides Free Nation’ program. This study analyses consumer buying behaviour for organic food in Sri Lanka, focusing …

Balancing The Scales In The Fashion Industry, Theresa J. Fennell

Theses

The standards of beauty, particularly in the fashion industry, have long been a source of societal debate and controversy. Although beauty can be seen as “subjective,” over the years, certain standards have become institutionalized, creating exclusionary ideals that have dominated the fashion industry. Historically, these standards have favored slim body types, marginalizing larger, plus-size bodies. This bias is deeply entrenched in the industry, influencing everything from design to representation in advertising. However, the body positivity movement has emerged as a transformative force, advocating for the acceptance of diverse body types and pushing for greater inclusivity in fashion. Despite these advances, …

Optimizing Small Business Success Through An Online Fashion Consulting Infographic Guide, Nicole Campbell

Theses

The project aims to challenge traditional thinking within the fashion industry, paving the way for the creation of a thriving consulting business. In addition, it will underscore the significance of developing a strong online profile for fashion consultants, symbolizing the birth of the Consult the Soul brand. Through this initiative, the project aspires to revolutionize the realm of fashion consulting by fusing unique tactics with ethical standards. By encouraging a fresh perspective and emphasizing the importance of embracing digital platforms, the project sets out to redefine the standards of success within the industry. Ultimately, this venture seeks to establish a …

Writing A Course Guide “Fashion Design: A Guide To The Apparel Industry”, Rosemary P. Durfee

Theses

This project focuses on improving course materials for the author, among others, to use as a teaching resource for undergraduate apparel design students. The primary focus is to compile information from various resources and industry knowledge gained first-hand by the author. This project aims to create a course guide that can easily integrate with current Fashion Design and Merchandising courses taught at the college level.

Unraveling Grief: Historical Mourning Wear And Modern Reinterpretations, Sharon Caitlin Carpenter

Theses

Sharon Carpenter's thesis, "Unraveling Grief: Historical Mourning Wear and Modern Reinterpretations," explores the evolution of mourning fashion from ancient times to modern reinterpretations. Carpenter examines how mourning attire has historically reflected cultural attitudes toward death and grief, serving both personal and societal functions. The thesis traces mourning practices across civilizations, beginning with ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, where clothing symbolized beliefs in purity and the afterlife. It moves through the Middle Ages and the Victorian era, where mourning wear became heavily ritualized, particularly influenced by Queen Victoria’s deep grief for Prince Albert. This formalization of mourning attire impacted social norms and …

Digital Marketing And Consumer Consumption Of Breast-Pumps On Social Media, Leanne Clark

Theses

A breast pump brassiere, designed to provide hands free experience for the mother when collecting mother's milk, and which integrates various operative components in the category of a micro pump, at least one suction cup, and a milk reservoir, preferably within each cup, to provide for hands free collection of expressed milk, as desired and required by the mother for use in the feeding of her infant.

Neural Operator For Accelerating Coronal Magnetic Field Computations In Bifrost Mhd Model, Yutao Du

Theses

The application of the Tensorized Fourier Neural Operator (TFNO) to significantly enhance the computational efficiency of coronal magnetic field calculations within the Bifrost Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model is introduced in this study. Leveraging simulated data from the European Sunrise Science Data Center, the TFNO? an extension of the Fourier Neural Operator (FNO) that incorporates tensor decomposition for improved handling of high-dimensional data?is employed to solve time-varying partial differential equations (PDEs) over a 3D domain. The performance of the TFNO is compared with traditional machine learning methods, including Vision Transformer and CNN-RNN (encoder-decoder) architectures, to demonstrate its accuracy, computational efficiency, and scalability. …

Women's Evening Wear Clothing Line, Monique Greene

Theses

Unavailable.

Mechelle’S Bridal Palace Business Plan, Lakendra Montgomery

Theses

This project aims to develop a comprehensive business plan for a one-of-a-kind bridal store called Mechelle's Bridal Palace, which offers an innovative and unique bridal shopping experience. The plan goes beyond the traditional bridal store concept and includes a café, which will provide customers with additional relaxation and convenience. This business plan focuses on redefining the traditional bridal shopping experience and making it more enjoyable for customers. Moreover, this project aims to address the issue of diversity, representation, and inclusion in bridal fashion. The bridal industry has historically been exclusive, and it aims to address this by creating a more …

The Effects Of Social Media In The Fashion Industry, Kirsten Leigh Whitaker

Theses

This project focuses on how social media is impacting the fashion industry. The primary focus is on the inner workings of social media within the fashion industry, and how it has changed the industry. The project aims to study problems found within fashion marketing, which are causing negative effects in the industry. The negative effects can be defined as environmental and unethical working environments, which are common topics of discussion within the fashion industry as a whole, but never discussed in tandem with the influence of marketing and social media. Furthermore, the project studies how these can be solved by …

‘The Playful Entrepreneur’ Fostering Entrepreneurial Education In Early Childhood Education, Trudie Murray

Theses

This study explores the integration of entrepreneurial education within early childhood settings in Ireland, focusing on embedding entrepreneurial capabilities at the foundational stages of education. Recognising the critical role that early experiences play in lifelong learning, this research advocates for equipping preschool children with essential 21st-century skills, such as independence, creativity and problem-solving. Despite significant investment in early childhood education, the integration of entrepreneurial education remains limited within existing pedagogical frameworks, which prioritise social, emotional, and cognitive skills without explicitly addressing entrepreneurial capabilities. Utilising a Constructivist Grounded Theory approach, the study examines how early childhood educators can foster an entrepreneurial …