Business Commons^™

Enhancing Quality Of Life Through Foreign Direct Investment In Northern Mozambique, Sarah-Beth Delay

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has the potential to increase economic activity and improve GDP growth in low-income countries, but can hinder economic development (quality of life improvements) if not sustainable and holistic in manner. Africa serves as a host to many cases of FDI focused on economic growth, but not necessarily improving the quality of life for its citizens. FDI has spread throughout the African continent, where many countries are well endowed with natural resources, like minerals and coal. These economies have experienced rapid GDP growth with few benefits reaching citizens of the host country. Mozambique is a low-income country …

Importance Of Portfolio Building For University Students, Zoë Lauer

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

This creative project provided portfolio work samples from a project-based upper level Apparel Merchandising and Product Development course. Photographs were taken during the Futuristic Floral Fashion Show in April 2017; photos were edited and distributed to students for portfolio use. It is recommended that final garment photography become an annual part of the AMPD programs annual fashion show. Also, early emphasis on portfolio building paired with formal portfolio building through course work is essential for creative majors.

Development And Marketing Of A Repurposed Textile Product For Homeless Individuals In Northwest Arkansas, Mckenna Whitaker, Beau Broyles, Lindsey Stone

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

Growing concerns over waste disposal methods have led to a greater focus on recycling efforts in the textile industry. Second only to the oil industry, the textile industry continues to be one of the most wasteful among leading businesses around the world and determining ways to repurpose fashion materials could be a reasonable solution to this growing problem (Dobilaite, V., Mileriene, G., Juciene, M., & Sacevičienė, 2017). In addition to alleviating disposal issues, repurposed materials could serve the humanitarian needs of local communities, and even more importantly, could specifically benefit homeless populations. The purpose of this project was to design, …

Micron: Changes For Continued Success, Rachel Rice

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Strategy is important for every industry, and to succeed in such a competitive industry as the technology industry, it becomes imperative. Micron Technology, Inc. (“Micron”) is one of the companies in the technology industry that must have a strategic plan such as this. The best strategy for Micron was analyzed through a detailed background on the history of the company, the main problem that is currently found in the industry, the current internal position of the company in relation to the strengths and weaknesses of the company, an external analysis of the operating industry, and finally a recommendation and implementation …

Individual Case Study: An In Depth Look Into La Fitness, Jennifer Grisso

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

LA Fitness is a health and fitness club chain that has locations throughout the United States and Canada. LA Fitness is a health and fitness club that has locations throughout the United States and Canada. This company has been seen as a strong competitor in the industry since its introduction, especially because of its differentiation strategy. While LA Fitness has done well for themselves during their last thirty years in business, there are some changes that could be made in order to develop a sustainable competitive advantage. The recommendations I have for LA Fitness are: 1) have longer hours of …

The Economic Impact Of A Us Tech Talent Shortage On Midwest Companies, Raul Aguilera Ramirez

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This thesis examines the economic impact that a pervasive shortage of tech talent nationwide is having on various companies in the Midwest. Per the Mid-America Regional Council, four computer-related job openings existed for every unemployed person in the Midwest in 2015. In Nebraska alone, there were 2,318 open computing jobs, with only 438 computer science graduates in the state that year. By examining this contemporary issue, I explore both the extent to which companies in the Midwest are affected by the shortage and the common practices currently in place by Midwest companies to deal with the shortage. For the scope …

An Investigation Measuring The Impact Of Financial Literacy Programs On University Student Debt, Morgan O'Sullivan

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Student loan debt is the most common form of debt in the United States today outside of mortgage debt. The research for this study sought to (1) investigate whether financial literacy programs in the State of Florida have an impact on student debt levels, as well as (2) determine how the responsibility for the provision of financial literacy education was distributed throughout a university community. The research provided for a survey that was sent to 70 institutions in the State of Florida analyzing whether or not these institutions had financial literacy programs in place. A survey was also sent out …

Do Emotionally Intelligent People Express Their Faith At Work? An Empirical Investigation, Catherine G. Shearer

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The question posed is: “Do Emotionally Intelligent People Express Their Faith at Work?” This study will use self-reported measures of emotional intelligence (EQ), Faith at Work, and Religious Commitment to determine the degrees to which individuals who are members of the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce express a level of EQ as well as faith in the workplace. The current study will test each hypothesis to determine if there is a significant relationship between the four factors of EQ and faith in the Workplace. The four factors of EQ are: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Relationship Management.

A Financial Epidemic: How Financial Literacy Affects College Students’ Financial Management Practices And The Debt Crisis In America, Mikala Styles

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Debt levels are rising significantly in America. More and more people are accumulating debt in the forms of mortgages, student loans, credit cards, and car loans. Basic financial principles such as saving, budgeting, investing, and paying bills are not being utilized consistently by the average individual. This is because of financial illiteracy. The vast majority of Americans do not have the basic knowledge and understanding of these financial concepts to adequately put them into practice in their daily lives. This study focuses on the levels of college students’ financial literacy, how that pertains to the rising debt crisis, and explores …

High Returns And Low Volatility: The Case For Mid-Cap Stocks, Ryan Lynch

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study examines excess risk-adjusted returns generated by mid-cap firms with an average market equity between $2.4 billion and $5.5 billion in 2017. Researchers have heavily studied the small-firm effect since its identification in the early 1980s, leading investors to overweight small-cap securities. Additional investments in the small-cap segment caused the small-cap anomaly to weaken. This study finds that excess returns of small-cap firms compared to mid-cap firms are not statistically significant in the periods 1946 – 2017 and 1982 -2017. However, mid-cap firms generate significantly higher 3-year average returns relative to small and large-cap firms after the initial identification …

A Study Of The Potential Implementation Obstacles Of The Expected Loss Model In East Tennessee, Baylee Mann

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has recently introduced a new Accounting Standards Update (ASU) that will require financial institutions to measure their loan losses using a new Expected Loss Model (ELM) that emphasizes forward looking financial decisions. Numerous financial journals hypothesize that large financial institutions will face difficulties when implementing the new ASU. This research explores the potential implementation issues that small, local financial institutions, specifically Eastman Credit Union (ECU), will encounter as they begin the implementation process.

创新的历史 (The History Of Innovation): An Analysis Of The Transformation Of China’S Entrepreneurial Orientation, Ilona Toth

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

As entrepreneurship continues to play an increasingly significant role in the growth and success of businesses, nations, and the global economy, it is of the utmost importance to understand the factors that support or hinder entrepreneurial activity. China’s historically tumultuous past provides an ideal platform on which entrepreneurship can be examined over a period of time and through a multitude of analytical lenses. With the establishment of a clear definition of Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) and its application to China’s past and present, it becomes clear that it is a combination of formal and informal institutions, as well as a multiplicity …

Pages Through The Ages, Marisa Joachim

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

30 Rock’s Kenneth the Page is a legendary character that embodies NBCUniversal’s Page Program. Kenneth possesses qualities with which many after him identify: a passion for the NBC brand and a deep-rooted love for entertainment. NBCUniversal is a peacock in entertainment, fanning out its feathers across various platforms in the industry and mastering each. In 1933, the NBC Page Program was established. In the 85 years since its inception, the Page Program has not only evolved but thrived through that evolution. For 85 years, the Page Program has transformed independent, intelligent individuals into gifted professionals ready to fly on their …

Income Inequality And Its Effect On Work-Related Fatalities, Luke Chadwick

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

While many papers have examined the effect of income inequality on a range of health outcomes, few have examined data on workplace fatalities. This study compiles data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Gini coefficient estimates for each of the U.S. states from 2008-2015 to estimate the effect of income inequality on workplace fatality rates using multiple regression models. The resulting estimates are partially significant; however, they do not conclusively demonstrate a causal relationship between income inequality and workplace fatalities due to biases and other factors.

The Role Of Forensic Accounting In U.S. Counterterrorism Efforts, Madison Gaither

Honors Theses

The September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center directed international attention to the financial component of terrorist operations. The demand for forensic accounting specialists is increasing rapidly because of a growing intolerance for fraud and terrorist activity. This research paper argues that forensic accountants have and will continue to have a vital role in United States’ counterterrorism efforts in the post-9/11 era by detecting acts of fraud and money laundering. Comprehensive review of relevant literature including books, peer-reviewed articles, government databases, court records and news media reveals that forensic accountants are equipped with special skills and analytical tools that …

Rhetoric In Financial Reporting: Evaluation Of Isa 720, Qingyuan Guo

Honors Theses

Prior research show that many investors rely on other information appearing alongside the audited financial statements in companies’ annual reports to make their economic decisions and falsely assume that the unaudited other information is also audited. Additionally, company management utilizes rhetorical strategies in other information to offer explanations and opinions conveying positive messages about the company value which audited financial data may not indicate. The expectation gap of investors on audit over other information and the concern of management manipulation incentivized the proposal of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) to establish a standard to extend auditors’ responsibility over …

An Analysis Of Prosocial Behavior In Customers, Erik Swanson

Honors Theses

Despite all that is known about the good entrepreneurship can do for communities, there is still a gap in the research on how entrepreneurship can directly better communities and the people that live in them through passing on prosocial benefits. This paper proposes “prosocial entrepreneurship” as a means to address this gap. It will address the gap through examining how prosocial entrepreneurship builds communities to pass on a positive impact on these communities. Businesses have both encouraged prosocial behaviors in employees and promoted cooperation and community building for some time. Research was also completed on prosocial behaviors to build a …

Location, Location, Location: Analyzing The Impact Of Pitch Command On At-Bat Outcomes In Major League Baseball, Noah Hilton

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In baseball, runs are considered the currency of the game. As a result, the foremost value of pitchers to their respective teams comes in the form of run prevention and keeping the opposing offense off the scoreboard as much as possible. While Major League Baseball has taken steps to better evaluate the run prevention skills of pitchers independent of their defensive teammates, new radar technology has made possible the research of specific skills related to a pitcher’s repertoire of offerings. In this article, the author first examines the relationship between various pitch characteristics — velocity, movement, and location — and …

Exploring The Role Of Irish Local Authorities In Tourism Development: A Senior Management Perspective On Tourism Development In Cork County Council, Monica Moisuc

Masters

In an Irish context, the government's engagement in tourism and its role in developing the sector is acknowledged across most Irish government publications. However, despite efforts made to highlight the major role of the government in tourism, the number of studies that seek to understand how Irish local governments are engaging in tourism is limited. In an attempt to fill this knowledge gap, this study brings a new contribution to the current relevant literature by exploring the role of the government in developing tourism within a local Irish context.

Using a qualitative case-study approach, the particular entity under investigation is …

Good Taste: Expanding Profits And Geographic Horizons Through Social Responsibility, Carly Cassidy

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

Ilusión+, otherwise known as Ilusión Más, is a socially-responsible wine enterprise founded by Pau and Gina Torres, a couple from Tarragona, Spain. In 2013, Pau was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a motor neuron disease which causes muscles to weaken over time and eventually atrophy (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke). In Spanish, Ilusión signifies hope and wishful thinking, serving as an optimistic name which embodies the resilient attitude of its owners (Word Reference). Ilusión+ selects wine from Spanish vineyards and distributes them in restaurants throughout the country under their brand and story. The company donates a portion …

Strategic Alignment Of Future Goals - Mutual Of Omaha, Sara Pinkelman

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Mutual of Omaha is a health insurance company that has potential to reach economies of scale within its industry. It can cover more market share if it makes a few changes to its corporate strategy. Conclusions were drawn from news articles in addition to financial postings from the company. Mutual needs to move forward in their industry if they want to stay competitive, and by implementing a differentiated strategy, they can become more competitive. With these findings, Mutual of Omaha has the potential to grow and develop and gain a better standing within their industry. This can help them better …

From Digital Traces To Marketing Insights: Recovering Consumer Preferences For Digital Entertainment Services And Online Shopping, Ai Phuong Hoang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

IT innovations disrupt traditional business models and challenge conventional thinking. Thus, industry incumbents face fierce competition from start-ups with new business models and new ways of engaging customers. Digital entertainment goods and personalized services have become a lucrative market, which has undergone a transformation enabled by seamless Internet connections. Meanwhile, social networks and other online platforms have brought people and business even closer.

Improvisation And Leadership Development: Understanding Improvisational Theater Arts As Leadership Skills, Jack Skalican

Doctoral Dissertations

Leadership development is immersed in a philosophical struggle. Past efforts at developing leaders have missed a set of skills important to the role of today’s leaders. Since Frederick Taylor invented the practice of scientific management, the study of management and leadership has largely focused on traits, practices, and behaviors that conform to this model such as planning, analysis, control, and monitoring. Missing in this focus, however, are less transactional leadership skills like intuition, improvisation, and creativity. As a result, organizations have begun drawing on improvisational theater skills as one answer to fill this leadership development gap.

This case study focuses …

The Effects Of Players’ Salary Level And A Salary Cap On The Revenue Of Professional Soccer Teams In The United States And England, Tyler Watson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis serves as an examination of the relationship between players’ salaries and teams’ revenues for the American Major League Soccer and English Premier League. Historically, the salary cap imposed on teams playing in Major League Soccer has been heavily criticized of holding the league back. Comparisons have been made to leagues such as the English Premier League which assert that the limitation keeping Major League Soccer from attaining similar success is the presence of the salary cap. Data was gathered from the twenty teams in Major League Soccer and the twenty teams in the English Premier League for each …

Building Data Visualization Applications To Facilitate Vehicular Networking Research, Noah Carter

Undergraduate Honors Theses

A web app was developed which allows any internet-connected device to remotely monitor a roadway intersection’s state over HTTP. A mapping simulation was enhanced to allow researchers to retroactively track the location and the ad-hoc connectivity of vehicle clusters. A performance analysis was conducted on the utilized network partitioning algorithm. This work was completed under and for the utility of ETSU’s Vehicular Networking Lab. It can serve as a basis for further development in the field of wireless automobile connectivity.

The Relationship Between A Firm’S Ownership Structure, Governance, And Innovation, Erica J. Wagner

College of Business Theses and Dissertations

Firm innovation is key for many companies to continuously thrive in the marketplace. Unfortunately, there are drawbacks to making innovative investments because of the upfront costs and riskiness of future returns. This creates conflicts because managers are under pressure to meet short-term earnings forecasts. A managers’ short-term focus on a firm’s business strategy may not be in the best interests of the shareholders’ long-term vision of a firm. For this reason, a strong corporate governance system can trigger an increased level of monitoring of the decision-making of managers so that it’s aligned with shareholders’ goals. Often, a firm’s long-term strategy …

A Confident Culture For Creativity? Creative Self-Efficacy And Innovation Behavior Moderated By Perception Of Culture: Millennials Versus Generation Xers, Karen Bartuch

College of Business Theses and Dissertations

Innovation is a strategic priority for many companies today and some are more successful at it than others. This study aims to understand what factors affect the innovation behavior of employees. Specifically, this study examined the perceptions of creative self-efficacy (CSE) in individuals and their innovation behavior. In addition, individual perceptions of culture for innovation within their organization were measured to determine how culture affects the relationship between CSE and innovation behavior. According to social cognitive theory (SCT), an individual’s behavior, cognitions and the environment influence each other in a dynamic fashion.

Given the prevalence of millennials in the workforce …

The Influence Of Cognitive Moral Development And Leader Regulatory Focus On Employee Ethical Decision Making And Behavior, Brandon Hendrix

College of Business Theses and Dissertations

Recent events in business, private, and public settings suggests that people continue to struggle with ethical issues. This study drew on theories of cognitive moral development and leader regulatory focus to increase our understanding of the forces that shape ethical perceptions, decision making, and behavior. I hypothesized that employee cognitive moral development is negatively related to the approval of questionable/unethical behavior. Results indicate employees exhibiting lower levels of cognitive moral development were more accepting of unethical or questionable moral behavior. I also hypothesized that leader regulatory focus would moderate the negative relationship between employee cognitive moral behavior and tolerance for …

A Swot Analysis Of The Lodging And Tourism Industry In New Orleans, Kristyn Williams

Senior Honors Theses

The objective of this paper is to analyze the resiliency of the New Orleans lodging and tourism industry by conducting a SWOT analysis. A SWOT analysis is composed of four key parts: the internal influences that are the strengths (S) and weaknesses (W) and the external influences that are the opportunities (O) and threats (T). New Orleans is characterized by the ability to use its internal strengths to drive growth in its lodging and tourism market. The main internal strengths I identified were the city’s strong cultural identity, and destination attractiveness in both the convention and leisure markets.

However, New …

In-Store V. Online: Examination Of Assortments Between Storefronts, William King

Supply Chain Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of research conducted to determine if an online storefront has the potential to reduce the amount of dependency on larger suppliers in the supply chain. This research was conducted by measuring the number of SKU’s and unique brands present at the locations of three categories of shopping goods across two home center retailers. The results of this research indicate that an online store shows the capacity to increase the variety of brands that a retailer can display and therefore reduce their dependency on suppliers who provide a greater number …