Business Commons^™

Determinants Of Hotel Guests’ Pro-Environmental Behaviour: Past Behaviour As Moderator, Behzad Foroughi, Nanthini Arjuna, Mohammad Iranmanesh, Kavigtha Mohan Kumar, Ming Lang Tseng, Nelson Leung

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study aims to explore the determinants of hotel guests’ pro-environmental behaviour using past behaviour as a moderator. The study used the partial least square technique to analyse data from 322 hotel guests in Malaysia. The findings showed that environmental knowledge, awareness, and concern influenced environmental emotional value. Environmental knowledge and environmental concern influenced environmental social value, whereas environmental awareness did not. Besides, environmental social value was the main factor that encouraged hotel guests’ pro-environmental behaviour and mediates the influences of environmental knowledge and environmental concern on pro-environmental behaviour. Additionally, past behaviour negatively moderated the relationship between environmental social value …

Galaxy Next Generation, Inc., Order On Defendant/Counterclaim Plaintiff's Motion To Compel And Order Granting The Galaxy Parties/ Motion For Entry Of A Protective Order And Order Setting Hearing, Kelly L. Ellerbe

Superior Court of Fulton County: Metro Atlanta Business Case Division Opinions

No abstract provided.

A Case For Improved Financial Literacy Education In The United States, Nicholas Kinsella

Honors Scholar Theses

The purpose of this paper was to analyze what financial literacy is and explain in detail the shortfalls that the United States is currently facing in their financial literacy education. This paper will lay out the movement of states and colleges including more personal finance curriculum in their graduation requirements, why a financial literate population is important to topics such as managing student loan debt, retirement planning, professional development, and mental health among others. It will then conclude covering ways to improve current financial literacy education strategies with technology, experiential learning, and transparency.

2022-April-28-Enjoy Retirement, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

Congratulations to the following members of the East Tennessee State University family who retired in April.  Thank you for your service!

Connie Clyburn – Coordinator, Family Medicine, 22 years of service

Mary Lou Jean Mellons – Technical Clerk, Professional Development, 29 years of service

Randall L. Sanders – Head Football Coach, Intercollegiate Athletics, 18 years of service (four at ETSU)

Published April 28, 2022, as part of the Accent email newsletter for faculty and staff.

2022-April-28-Meet Tracy Laughlin, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

(April 28, 2022) When Tracy Laughlin of Greeneville walks across the stage to receive his diploma at East Tennessee State University on Saturday, May 7, he will share the moment with his wife and his four children, ages 16, 13, 7, and 5.  

“Having my wife and children come to my graduation is a real joy for me because I have preached to them that even though life has its setbacks, as long as you’re willing to put in the work, you can accomplish anything,” Tracy said. 

Just a few years ago, Tracy was at a professional crossroads, feeling unfulfilled …

2022-April-28-Welcome To Etsu, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

East Tennessee State University welcomes the following faculty and staff members who recently joined the university:

Dr. Melody Blevins is Access ETSU project manager in the Department of Educational Foundations and Special Education. She comes to ETSU from the Washington County School System, where she was a special education interventionist. She holds a doctor of education degree from Milligan University.

Kate Emmerich is a mental health counselor in the Quillen College of Medicine, Office of Student Affairs. Before attaining her current position, she was a therapist at The Journey Center for Healing Arts. She holds a Master of Social Work …

The Effect Of Social Media On Providence College Students, Kathryn Ernst, Margaret Grasberger, Allie Mcguire, Mairead Ryan

School of Business Student Scholarship

Kathryn Ernst ’24, Major: Marketing

Margaret Grasberger ’24, Major: Marketing

Allie McGuire ’24, Major: Marketing

Mairead Ryan ’24, Major: Marketing

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kevin Newman, Marketing

Recent research indicates that social media usage is addictive both physically and psychologically. Due to the prevalence of social media, our group specifically wanted to study how its usage impacted Providence College students’ mental health, physical health, and communication skills (both in-person and online communication skills). We found that social media usage negatively affects students’ mental and physical health, with females being more impacted than males. However, we did not find evidence to support …

Healthy Eating At Providence College, Katelyn Breen, Alexis Carabetta, Lilah Milton, Katharine Shaughnessy

School of Business Student Scholarship

Katelyn Breen ’24, Major: Marketing

Alexis Carabetta ’24, Major: Marketing

Lilah Milton ’24, Major: Marketing

Katharine Shaughnessy ’24, Major: Marketing

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kevin Newman, Marketing

Our marketing group surveyed 100 Providence College students about their healthy eating choices and level of satisfaction of Ray Dining Hall’s healthy eating options. From the data collected, we discovered most students are unsatisfied with Ray Dining Hall and they suggested the need for a greater variety of healthy eating options. Based on this information, our group put together three recommendations that Providence College Dining should implement: 1) provide students with healthy eating instructions; …

Effects Of Perceived Scarcity On Covid-19 Consumer Stimulus Spending: The Roles Of Ontological Insecurity And Mutability In Predicting Prosocial Outcomes, R. Bret Leary, Rhiannon Macdonnell Mesler, Bonnie Simpson, Matthew D. Meng, William Montford

Management and Organizational Studies Publications

In 2021, the United States government provided a third Economic Impact Payment (EIP) for those designated as experiencing greater need due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a particular focus on scarcity and ontological insecurity, we collected time-separated data prior to, and following, the third EIP to examine how these variables shape consumer allocation of stimulus funds. We find that scarcity is positively associated with feelings of ontological insecurity, which, interestingly, correlates to a greater allocation of stimulus funds towards charitable giving. We further find evidence that mutability moderates the relationship between ontological insecurity and allocations to charitable giving. In other …

The Effect Of Crude Oil Prices On Personal Consumption Expenditure, Eileen Cooney

Economics Student Scholarship

Eileen Cooney ’23
Majors: Quantitative Economics and Political Science
Minor: Finance
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Fang Dong, Economics

The author used the time series models to analyze how growth of personal consumption expenditure is influenced by financial and economic determinants. Results show that both oil price and consumer sentiment play important roles in influencing consumption growth.

2022-April-27-Make Sure Financial Aid Is Ready For Fall Etsu Officials Urge, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 27, 2022) – As the spring semester winds down, East Tennessee State University officials urge current and potential students to make sure their financial aid is ready for the fall semester.  

“Perhaps you have fun summer plans or want to avoid the stress of having unanswered financial questions at the start of a new semester,” said Catherine Morgan, director of Financial Aid and Scholarships at ETSU. “Whatever the case, now is the time to make sure your financial aid is in order before fall 2022.” 

Filing the 2022-2023 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known …

The Worker Bee’S Dilemma: Move Out To Move Up?, Tyechia Paul

College of Business and Economics

Theoretical basis

This case is underpinned by multiple motivational theories, including Maslow’s Hierarchy, Alderfer’s existence relatedness growth, equity theory, expectancy theory and Herzberg’s two-factor theory.

Research methodology

This data was gleaned from the protagonist and corporate documents. Names have been changed to conceal the identity of the firm and its employees.

Case overview/synopsis

Vivienne consistently earned high-performance ratings at her firm. She designed the internal firm university, a permanent learning program. She then noticed other employees being promoted based on her work. She was not offered a promotion, so she conducted a job analysis. Based on those findings, Vivienne decided …

Starbucks Strategic Analysis, Jillian Jacoba

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Starbucks is a multinational chain of coffee shops and roasteries that was founded in 1971. Starbucks has continued to grow for the past 51 years and continues to dominate the coffee industry. This strategic analysis evaluates the general environment using a PESTEL analysis, the industry using Porter’s Five Forces, and the company’s overall strategy and competitive advantages. This paper will evaluate Starbucks’ position in the industry and the strategic choices that have led the company to its extraordinary success.

Nelnet Consulting Project, Ellie Hellman, Kennedy Johnston, Abe Stutzman, Emily Kist, Sam Stott, Tom Hermanek

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The purpose of this capstone engagement was to do a market analysis of two potential investment opportunities for Nelnet. Our group went through an extensive research process of current players in the market, regulations that exist, financial considerations, and risk analysis. Through the capstone course we were introduced to design thinking and the 10 types of innovation to use as methods of evaluation for the Nelnet consultation. Our team went through processes such as stakeholder analysis, PESTEL analysis, Porter’s Five Forces, and internal resources and capabilities. Our final project consisted of a formal presentation to Nelnet executives and final report …

The Artist's Artist, Katherine Cacopardo

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

My senior project is the creation of a brand identity that explores how sounds, words, and imagery work together to create a complete experience by illustrating the recorded music and lyrics of fellow honors student McCall Chapin. My project includes album/single artwork, one music video, one lyric video and lyric video concepts for each of the other songs, streaming strategy, social strategy, and supplementary photos and graphics for promoting the work on social media. The idea is to create a complete brand that not only fits who McCall Chapin is as an artist but also visually tells the story of …

2022 Private Capital Markets Report, Craig R. Everett

Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Report

The Pepperdine private cost of capital survey was originally launched in 2007 and is the first comprehensive and simultaneous investigation of the major private capital market segments. This year’s survey specifically examined the behavior of senior lenders, asset‐based lenders, mezzanine funds, private equity groups, venture capital firms, angel investors, privately‐held businesses, investment bankers, business brokers, limited partners, and business appraisers. The Pepperdine survey investigated, for each private capital market segment, the important benchmarks that must be met in order to qualify for capital, how much capital is typically accessible, what the required returns are for extending capital in today’s economic …

Covid‑19 Vaccine Distribution: Exploring Strategic Alternatives For The Greater Good, Arben Asllani, Silvana Trimi

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty Publications

The dire state of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis symbolized the urgency for efficient distribution and administration of vaccines to combat the virus as the most urgent public health service. This paper presents a prototype multi-criteria decision support model based on goal programming that can effectively support vaccination plans for the greater good of society. The optimization goals of the model include minimizing the number of fatalities and risk of spreading the disease, while complying with government health agency’s priority guidelines for vaccination. This study applied the model to a real-world dataset to demonstrate how it can be effectively applied as …

Alumni Reunion Weekend, Lindenwood University

Archived Lindenwood Press Releases

No abstract provided.

2022-April-25-Eyeing Language Program Expansion Etsu Adding French Instructors, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 25, 2022) – With an eye toward expanding global opportunities for students and building French into a concentration within the foreign language major, East Tennessee State University’s Department of Literature and Language is adding two full-time instructors this fall.  

Joining ETSU will be Amy Laws and Mallory Nischan.

Amy Laws

“I’m thrilled that Amy and Mallory have joined the Literature and Language family,” said Dr. Daniel Westover, professor and chair of the department. “French is one of the truly global languages, spoken on five continents by over 300 million people. It’s invaluable to anyone pursuing a …

Asilomar: A Historical Study Of The Role Of The Ywca In Women's Leadership Development As An Absent Narrative In The History Of Hrd, Kenneth R. Bartlett, Susan R. Madsen, Michael Valesano, Ying Feng

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

The dominant narrative on the history of training and development, especially in the United States, reflects entrenched gender bias with little acknowledgment of human resource development (HRD) designed for and delivered by women. The role of women’s organizations as forces for social change, advocates for gender equality, and providers of leadership development are significant areas of HRD history largely ignored in the literature. This historical study considers archival records on the former YWCA Asilomar Conference Grounds, near Monterey, California which was the first conference training facility owned by a women’s organization in the US. The study is focused on the …

The Effect Founder’S Business And Technical Background On Access To External Equity Funding In Fintech Industry, Alexandria Iacoviello

Honors Projects in Business

This paper explores which founder backgrounds – business, technology, or both – are the most significant when achieving funding for a Financial Technology (Fintech) start-up. The research examines a sample of 289 Fintech start-ups from the cities of Bangalore, Beijing, Berlin, and Boston. The primary source of information was from a data set on the platform GrowthEnabler (GE). Our measure of success was the amount of external equity funding the companies received. The controlled variables for the founders were gender, immigrant status, education level, and prior start-up experience. The firm controls were business type and firm age. The independent variable …

2017 Tax Cuts And Jobs Act And Its Effect On Vertical Equity For Homeowners, Melanie Auclair

Honors Projects in Accounting

Data from the Internal Revenue Service's Statistics of Income (SOI) was analyzed to compare the tax subsidy for homeowners from filing year 2018 (for calendar year 2017) and filing year 2019 (for calendar year 2018). Homeowner tax benefits were calculated with an extensive analysis to understand how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act changes affected homeowner tax benefits on a vertical equity basis. Prior research has shown homeowner tax benefits are regressive in nature. The primary research question in this study is whether TCJA increased or decreased regressivity of homeowner tax benefits. The results of this study have shown that …

Deception Perception: The Marketing Of Student Loans, Lauren Roth

Honors Projects in Marketing

Marketing from student loan servicing companies tend to omit important information, thus deceiving borrowers. These companies may be taking advantage of students' position as vulnerable consumers with limited information to maximize their own profits. This study explores the relationship between deceptive advertising from student loan servicers and its effects on consumer perceived deception, student trust in the loan servicer, and student satisfaction in their borrowing decisions. Consumer perceived deception (CPD) is the extent to which a consumer believes the ad they were exposed to tends to mislead them. To test the hypotheses, an experiment was conducted, and a questionnaire was …

The Monster Of Management, Alexandra Meise

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

This thesis aims to cross examine the philosophy, history, and psychology of power dynamics as seen in literature, teamwork case studies, and parenting styles. Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein defines what it means to be in an unequal power dynamic. This thesis develops Shelley’s story into one of interpersonal relationship philosophy. It is both counter argument and continuation of the cited works. Management case studies support the philosophical claims through comparison of fictional, hypothetical, and real-life scenarios. Over the course of research, an unexpected discovery placed trust-based conflict at the core of innovative team success. This thesis shows the long …

A Correlative Analysis Between Msci Sustainability Scores And Company Revenue, Sofia Oakes

Honors Projects in Management

The goal of this thesis is to analyze the relationship between a company’s sustainable practices and the revenue earned in an annual reporting period. The research methodology is based on a correlation model and data was gathered from the MSCI ESG Ratings & Climate Search Tool and Calcbench to perform the analyses. A model was built to allow data input for the correlation to be ran. The results showed that many companies had highly significant relationships between their MSCI Scores and revenue for the same reporting periods. There were some companies that had negative correlations because as the score increased, …

Environmental, Social, And Governance Factors Within Investing: Impact On The Financial Performance Of The Energy Sector, Ryan Donahue

Honors Projects in Finance

An emerging social pressure of being environmentally and socially responsible has been an increasingly popular concept through the past decades. Socially responsible investing (SRI), or environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing is an investment strategy which aims to flood publicly trading companies with capital who operate according to specific morals and standards. Studies has proven investors who factor ESG into their portfolio strategies often see greater return, as firms are able to create more long-term value. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of ESG activity and ratings on the financial performance of firms in the energy …

Rise Of Passive Investing: Impacts On Equity Market Functionality, Ryan Donovan

Honors Projects in Finance

Most investments into equity markets can be categorized into two general strategies: active investments and passive investments. These strategies impact equity markets in different ways. Over the past few decades, market participants have witnessed a radical shift from active management to passive management. This paper reviews how this shift impacts market dynamics generally, and liquidity and comovement effects, in particular. Robust statistical analysis of total passive domestic equity assets under management (AUM), individual security, and market index data demonstrates that dramatic increases in passive investment flows correlates with decreased broad market liquidity and increased security-index comovement for securities in the …

Effective Management In The Post-Pandemic Hybrid Workplace, Logan Michael Sarkisian

Honors Projects in Management

In 2020, the COVID 19 pandemic struck the world and called for a change in the way business is conducted. Companies are being forced to redesign their business models to accommodate the widespread push to digital platforms, also known as the digital transformation era. As a result, more companies are shifting their environments to utilize a blend of the increasingly popular remote work approach with the traditional in-office practice. This sudden rise in remote work and the numerous affects it has on employees has caused a need for change in the way managers conduct their business. A qualitative research study …

What About Them? The Health And Well-Being Of Those Who Care For Others, Catherine Papayannopoulos

Honors Projects in Management

Employee Health and Wellness Programs are increasingly more prevalent in different work environments and industries. Studies have shown that these programs can potentially increase employee productivity and reduce absenteeism, in addition to emphasizing a priority on mental and physical wellness. Healthcare workers already have a stressful job, but since the breakout of COVID-19, they have been overwhelmed with this pandemic to an even higher degree. It is important that healthcare workers take care of their own health and wellness and that it is prioritized at their place of work. Through surveying various healthcare workers, this study investigates if healthcare professionals …

The Impact Of Emerging Big Data And Analytical Approaches, Kennedy Akpeneye

Honors Projects in Accounting

Although accounting has gone through many significant changes over the years due to big data and data analytics, the profession remains at the core of business. Big data has not only impacted the accounting profession but has also completely transformed the business world. As accounting associates are continuously introduced to new technology software, their ability to analyze and interpret data is enhanced. The research in this paper seeks to understand how big data and analytics are currently impacting the work of beginning accounting associates. More specifically, this thesis analyzes certain trends in big data within the accounting industry. This involves …