Business Commons^™

An Evaluation Of Environmental, Social, And Governance Standards On Fund Performance: Comparison Of Esg Funds In The United States And The European Union, Gracie V. Del Real

Honors Program Projects

The growing importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies in global industries has attracted special attention from investors seeking to evaluate companies beyond traditional financial metrics. Given the evolving social climate, investors are seeking ways to utilize their money not only for financial success but for societal change. ESG offers the opportunity to retain money in the market while being responsible concerning the environmental and societal impact companies are having on the communities in which they operate. Being a responsible investor can go beyond making strong returns. This study aims to determine if there is a statistically significant difference …

Lockheed Martin Strategic Audit, Trevor Deboer, Gunnar Lombard, Sam Nelson, Tj Taylor, Paul Wynegar

Honors Theses

Abstract

This case study explores Lockheed Martin, a global leader in defense contracting. Our team performed a strategic audit using the theories of strategic management. Our research was pulled from various sources, including Lockheed Martin’s website, SEC filings, related news articles, and relevant industry analysis. The goals of this case study revolved around collecting data and performing analysis to evaluate Lockheed Martin’s potential for competitive advantage in the airplane and parts manufacturing industry.

Some of the various analyses performed on Lockheed Martin include firm analysis, industry analysis, internal analysis, external analysis, competitive dynamics, business-level strategy, corporate-level strategy, and exploring their …

Lululemon Strategic Audit, Tessa Mozingo, Olivia Eno, Molly Mitchell, Connor Morrissey, James Eshleman

Honors Theses

This case study focuses on lululemon, a prominent athleisure apparel company. Our team conducted an audit of the company revolving around strategic business management principles. Our research used publicly available information that included the company’s website, SEC filings, news articles, lululemon’s annual reports, financial statements, IBIS industry reports, and online sources. The goal of this strategic audit is to develop an understanding of lululemon’s business activities and strategies, collect and analyze both internal and external data, and evaluate lululemon based on strategic management concepts.

In this strategic audit, we conduct internal, external, performance, and competitive analyses and an examination of …

From Space To Ground Zero: The Application Of Geographic Information Systems And Rocket Cargo Transportation To Disaster Management Operations, Sarah Stout

Senior Honors Theses

This paper provides an overview of the application of space-based technologies, specifically Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology and rocket cargo launches, to disaster management operations. GIS links data from satellites, remote sensing, and other sources to dashboards, allowing relief teams to monitor relevant demographic, environmental, and disaster details. This information supports multiple aspects of planning and decision-making in the preparedness, response, and relief stages of the disaster management cycle. Rocket cargo transportation, an emerging method of shipping supplies, will allow for supplies to be shipped anywhere in the world in under twenty-four hours. This can be used in a future …

Experts-Driven Design: A Framework For Measuring Social Influence In Online Social Networks, Shyamala N. Chalakudi, Dildar Hussain Dr., Gnana Bharathy Dr, Dakshinamurthy Kolluru Dr

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

In our interconnected and ever-changing social landscape, influence is pivotal in molding individuals’ decisions, perspectives, and behaviors. Measuring Social Influence (SI) in Online Social Networks (OSNs) faces significant gaps, notably needing more integration with human behaviors. Our literature review has unveiled twelve psychological theories rooted in human behavior that are fundamental for assessing SI in OSNs. We have further elucidated how human behaviors interact in shaping the influence potential of social media users through exploratory interviews with experts from consulting, industry, and academia. Our study culminated in developing a novel framework designed to encompass the intricacies that not only nurture …

Guinness Is The "Pumpkin Spice Latte" Of St. Patrick's Day, Jin-A Choi, Yi Luo, Bond Benton

School of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works

This study by a team of faculty from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University shows that Guinness was the most-discussed brand on social media leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, and not just in the traditional ways people share how they drink the popular beer brand. The volume of social media conversations related to Guinness beer and St. Patrick’s Day saw a 25% increase. Most social chats exhibited a happy mood as evidenced by a 62% joyful sentiment.

While the Shamrock Shake …

Aligning Performance Metrics With Business Strategy, Ravi Kathuria, Lorenzo Lucianetti

Business Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose

This study examines whether different strategy archetypes deploy specific performance metrics to support their strategic goals and priorities. If so, does alignment of strategy and metrics positively impact organisational performance?

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual framework and hypotheses are couched in Contingency Theory. The role of business strategy as a moderating variable is tested using MANOVA, followed by post hoc pairwise comparisons. The results are based on cross-sectional survey data from 372 manufacturing and service organisations in Italy.

Findings

The overall contingency effect of business strategy in selecting and deploying performance metrics and their effect on organisational performance is supported. …

An Investigation Of Social Media Discussion On Valentine's Day 2024 Trends: Money Can Buy Love And Chocolates, Jin-A Choi, Bond Benton, Yi Luo

School of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works

Valentine’s Day, typically defined by expression of love and affection, has been celebrated as a symbolic day to exchange gifts among lovers. The expression of love has been firmly tied with the act of giving material things, such as gifts. However, over the years, discomfort and even anger has grown around the over-commercialization of Valentine’s Day, creating a deep divide between those who gift and those who criticize and denounce the holiday as nothing but a “Hallmark card holiday” to push consumerism. Our center’s study from the previous year indicated that over-commercialization of Valentine’s Day found that love is not …

Taylor-Made Super Bowl: Taylor Swiftmania On Social Media Regarding The Big Game, Yi Luo, Jin-A Choi, Bond Benton

School of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works

Celebrity couples occupy a unique space in popular culture. Similar to the royal unions of history and the present, the combination of notoriety and the voyeuristic appeal of watching a relationship play out in public spaces, celebrity couples energize popular discourse and invite public commentary and interest. The opportunity to become a spectator in ongoing celebrity coupling invites a level of perceived intimacy in what feels like a relationship with famous people.

Data collected for this study suggests Taylor Swift’s connection to Super Bowl LVIII has elevated the meaning of the game beyond the stratospheric levels of cultural significance the …

Henderson Named One Of The Most Influential People In Legal Education, James Owsley Boyd

Keep Up With the Latest News from the Law School (blog)

Indiana University Maurer School of Law Professor Bill Henderson has once again been recognized as one of the most influential people in legal education, but he’s not the only one with ties to the Law School on this year’s list.

The National Jurist ranked Henderson #18 on its list. Kellye Testy, a 1991 alumna of the Law School and president and CEO of the Law School Admission Council, is ranked second.

Is The Declining Birthrate Really An Issue For The Economy?, Harsh Ramesh Pednekar, Theodore Lee, Darrion Chin

Introduction to Research Methods RSCH 202

This study aims to explore the complex implications of declining birth rates on the economy, focusing on GDP per capita as a crucial metric, and aims to uncover both potential opportunities and challenges stemming from this demographic transformation using regression analysis. Using a quantitative methodology and secondary data from OECD.stat, World Population Review, and World Bank, the study explores the relationship between declining birth rates and economic impacts. GDP per capita serves as an essential dependent variable, and it accounts for control variables such as labour force participation, literacy, and education levels, child dependence ratio, and physical capital. Past studies …

Halloween 2023: It’S A Barbie World!, Jin-A Choi, Yi Luo, Bond Benton

School of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works

Encapsulated in pink, Barbie epitomizes a dreamland that stimulates feelings of nostalgia, joy, and imagination, fulfilling individuals’ desire to escape. Mattel, the parent company of Barbie, and Warner Bros. through 100 or more brand collaborations (del Barco, 2023), has relentlessly swept the world with a blitz of Barbie-themed merchandises, such as Barbie dreamhouse rentals, Barbie gaming consoles, Barbie pasta, Barbie pink suitcases, Barbie apparels, bright fuchsia Xbox, Barbie boat cruise, pink burger, etc. Staggering surge for online sales of Barbie-themed products affirms the impressive upswing of online consumers’ interest in Barbie.

With the significance of Halloween, the popularity of Barbie, …

Comment Letter On Sec’S Proposed Rule On Conflicts Of Interest Associated With The Use Of Predictive Data Analytics By Broker-Dealers And Investment Advisers, File Number S7-12-23, Sergio Alberto Gramitto Ricci, Christina M. Sautter

Faculty Works

This comment letter responds to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed rule Release Nos. 34-97990; IA-6353; File Number S7-12-23 - Conflicts of Interest Associated with the Use of Predictive Data Analytics by Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisers. Our comments draw on our scholarship relating to laypersons’ participation in securities markets and the corporate sector as well as on the role of technology in corporate governance.

We express concerns that the SEC’s proposed regulation undermines individuals’ ability to access capital markets in an efficient and cost-effective manner. In the era of excessive concentration of equities ownership and power, often with negative societal …

Smart Growth Strategies: Mountain West Metros, Issac Hernandez-Alcaraz, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet examines data on smart growth strategies provided by the Brookings Institution’s Smart Growth Tool and includes data on the economic and industry overview of Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in five Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah). The Smart Growth Tool identifies high-impact economic and workforce development strategies that may help states and MSAs achieve inclusive and sustainable growth.

An Illustration Of Using Adaptive Data Mining To Develop Strategic Knowledge Bases For Student Retention, Pi-Sheng Deng, Abhijit Chaudhury

Information Systems and Analytics Department Faculty Journal Articles

Technological development has engaged educational institutions in fierce global competition. To be competitive in meeting the changing needs of today’s student population, educational institutions find it imperative to prioritize student retention efforts and to develop strategies that interact with students to effectively provide additional value and service. In this study we developed a two-module system: a decision tree for predicting a student’s decision to stay until graduation and an affinity analysis algorithm for identifying the relationship between student attributes and student decisions. We followed a three-phase-six-stage adaptive data mining cycle in developing a knowledge base for student retention strategies. The …

Low-Cost Pm2.5 Sensors Can Help Identify Driving Factors Of Poor Air Quality And Benefit Communities, Tim Keyes, Rea Domingo, Samantha Dynowski, Royal Graves, Martha Klein, Melissa Leonard, John Pilgrim, Alison Sanchirico, Kate Trinkaus

WCBT Faculty Publications

Air quality is critical for public health. Residents rely chiefly on government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States to establish standards for the measurement of harmful contaminants including ozone, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), and fine particulate matter at or below 2.5 μm. According to the California Air Resources Board [1], “short-term PM2.5 exposure (up to 24-h duration) has been associated with premature mortality, increased hospital admissions for heart or lung causes, acute and chronic bronchitis, asthma attacks, emergency room visits, respiratory symptoms, and restricted activity days”. While public agency resources …

Generating Variance Analysis Models Based On Responsibility Centers, Craig M. Sorochuk

Department of Computing and Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Revitalizing The Healthcare Market: An Analysis Of Hospital Pricing Transparency Compliance, Ellie Bruggeman

Business and Economics Summer Fellows

The healthcare industry is one of the most praised industries in the US due to its lifesaving capabilities and immersive care. Consumers regularly report that are satisfied with the care they receive from their physicians. Conversely, they also report frustrations and confusions associated with the costs of such care. In extreme cases, this frustration can turn to financial ruin as medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the US. The healthcare industry does not operate in congruence with other markets, largely due to the presence of insurance and other third-party payers. The undisclosed interactions between third party payers …

Evidence-Based Managerial Decision-Making With Machine Learning: The Case Of Bayesian Inference In Aviation Incidents, Aaron Glassman, Burak Cankaya, Kazim Topuz, Dursun Delen

Publications

Understanding the factors behind aviation incidents is essential, not only because of the lethality of the accidents but also the incidents’ direct and indirect economic impact. Even minor incidents trigger significant economic damage and create disruptions to aviation operations. It is crucial to investigate these incidents to understand the underlying reasons and hence, reduce the risk associated with physical and financial safety in a precarious industry like aviation. The findings may provide decision-makers with a causally accurate means of investigating the topic while untangling the difficulties concerning the statistical associations and causal effects. This research aims to identify the significant …

Marriott International: A Managerial Strategic Audit, Brooke Eschenbrenner, Alex Zlatic, Madison Bechtel, Brandon Collins, Charlotte Straley, Grant Gubbels

Honors Theses

A strategic management audit of the public firm, Marriott International, was conducted to identify various factors and managerial strategies that affect Marriott and the global hotels and tourism industry. At the industry level, we conducted a PESTEL and Five Forces analysis, researched the competitive landscape, and assessed the total value potential. We found that the industry experienced a major decline during the COVID-19 pandemic but saw recovery as international travel opened up again. On the company level, we conducted an internal analysis, identified Marriott’s management structure, and identified the firm’s structure and strategies through a SWOT analysis and other relevant …

Estimating The Economic And Health Benefits Of Bicycling In Northwest Arkansas, Mervin Jebaraj

Publications and Presentations

Over the past year, the Center for Business and Economic Research in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas conducted an analysis of the economic and health benefits of bicycling in Northwest Arkansas. The study was commissioned by the Walton Family Foundation and built on a previous study completed in 2018. The data and analysis presented in this study will inform regional and state policymakers, funders, and other community stakeholders about the overall return-on-investment from the significant investments in the bicycling ecosystem in Northwest Arkansas.

Kate Spade Strategic Analysis, Cydne Munson

Honors Theses

Kate Spade is an American luxury handbag and accessory company. The company is best known for its fun yet timeless and functional designs and has been a highly regarded and recognized brand since its inception nearly thirty years ago. This report explores the history of the Kate Spade brand and its resources that contribute to competitive advantages in the industry. A Porter’s Five Forces analysis and a PESTEL analysis are used to examine Kate Spade’s external environment and the luxury handbag industry as a whole. Finally, potential future threats and strategies to counteract them are examined.

Tesla Energy Division Strategic Audit, Kaleb Strawhecker

Honors Theses

Tesla’s electric vehicle manufacturing operation is the major revenue source for the company. Tesla has established itself as a significant player amongst other automotive manufacturers, specifically in the electric vehicle sector. Many trends are favoring Tesla’s expansion. This audit takes a look at trends and changes through a PESTEL analysis along with Porter’s Five Forces. Both provide an in-depth look into what the environment around Tesla is like. Then, these are used to evaluate Tesla’s major strategies, competitive advantages, and resources it has at its disposal. Finally, the audit will address how the factors allow Tesla to take advantage of …

Just Following Up: My Experience As A Summer Student Administrator For Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt Llp, Bridget Leslie

SASAH 4th Year Capstone and Other Projects: Publications

In this paper, I reflect on my experience as a Summer Student Administrator for Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP where I acquired skills such as proficiency in various software and data analysis as well as professional communication, confidence, and organization. I applied these skills daily to produce quality work, and I am still applying these skills to my academic and personal life almost a year later. The culminating experience of the summer was presenting my own data analysis to a group of executives, which helped me improve my presentation skills and foster confidence in my own abilities. In addition to …

Times Are Changing: The Case Of Movado Group, Phuong Anh Nguyen, Wenting Pan

School of Economics and Business Administration Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Student Satisfaction With Learning Experience And Its Impact On Likelihood Recommending University: Net Promoter Score Approach, Musa Pinar, Coleen Wilder, Matthew Luth, Tulay Girard

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2023

Universities, just like any business, realized the importance and relevance of student satisfaction as well as getting recommended by their students for their long-term success, survival, and growth. This study intends to examine university students’ satisfaction with various aspects of their college learning experience, recommending a university as measured by Net Promoter Score (NPS), and the influence of factors related to student satisfaction on the likelihood of recommending the university. The results of the survey based on 220 responses from current students identify students’ satisfaction with the factors included in the study, where students had the highest satisfaction with feeling …

How Observed Customer Mistreatment Of Supervisors Affects Employees’ Service Sabotage: A Cross-Cultural Examination From The Deontic Justice Theory, Wen Jiang, Cass Shum, Hyounae (Kelly) Min, Ye Ding

Hospitality Faculty Research

Research on customer mistreatment has focused on victims’ perspectives with scant research on third-party observers’ reactions, especially their reactions to customer mistreatment of supervisors. Drawing on the deontic justice theory, this research investigates how and when customer mistreatment of supervisors impacts frontline employees. Using a mixed-method of three studies (experiment, time-lagged survey, field survey) from two countries (the U.S. and China), this research demonstrates the spillover effects of customer mistreatment of supervisors on employee’s service sabotage via moral anger. Study 1 showed that hospitality employees’ moral anger mediated the relationship between customer mistreatment of their supervisors on employees’ service sabotage. …

Technology Within Cultures: Segmenting The Wired Consumers In Canada, France, And The Usa, Maria Petrescu, Aidin Namin, Marie-Odile Richard

Publications

This paper uses a state-of-the-art quantitative modeling approach to latent class analysis to analyze American, Canadian, and French consumers’ perception of technology-based products and their cultural values. It identifies hidden segments of consumers based on technology adoption propensity, cosmopolitan characteristics, and identification with the global consumer culture. The study emphasizes the diversity and variability between and among countries regarding localism, globalism, cosmopolitanism, and the global consumer culture. The framework provides a new way to evaluate modern consumers and reflects the combination of national/regional cultural characteristics and global culture elements while highlighting the relevance of modern technologies and communication methods in …

Learning-By-Doing In Non-Homogeneous Tasks: An Empirical Study Of Content Creator Performance On A Music Streaming Platform, Yang Li, Yanni Ping, Yuyun Zhong, Ram Misra

Department of Information Management and Business Analytics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

With the development of high-speed internet and better mobile connections, online streaming platforms with user-generated videos are becoming popular. The success of these platforms relies on content creators who can effectively enhance user engagement (e.g., subscribing to a content creator’s channel). As opposed to homogeneous production scenarios (e.g., assembling automobiles in a factory), creating user-generated videos is a more complex task in which learning might happen. In this study, we empirically test the effect of prior experience on content creators’ performance. Furthermore, we examine the role of specialization in learning. We use a dataset from NetEase Cloud Music, one of …

Business Inferences And Risk Modeling With Machine Learning; The Case Of Aviation Incidents, Burak Cankaya, Kazim Topuz, Aaron M. Glassman

Publications

Machine learning becomes truly valuable only when decision-makers begin to depend on it to optimize decisions. Instilling trust in machine learning is critical for businesses in their efforts to interpret and get insights into data, and to make their analytical choices accessible and subject to accountability. In the field of aviation, the innovative application of machine learning and analytics can facilitate an understanding of the risk of accidents and other incidents. These occur infrequently, generally in an irregular, unpredictable manner, and cause significant disruptions, and hence, they are classified as "high-impact, low-probability" (HILP) events. Aviation incident reports are inspected by …