Business Commons^™

Putting The Honey On The Table: A Business Plan To Create A Successful Part-Time Beekeeping Operation, Samuel L. Goll

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this thesis was to use a survey targeted at different niche markets to gain insights about different honey bee products and thereby to provide information for their economic feasibility when produced on a small, local scale for retailers that support such producers and cater to such consumer demand. Since cost of production information about operating an apiary is widely available, the focus of this work was on gaining marketing knowledge. One of the aspects of the survey was to develop a better sense of what potential resellers of honey bee products considered locally-produced. Another objective was to …

An Assessment Of Economic Considerations For Industrial Hemp Production, Luke T. Lane

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Farm Bill now allows for the legal production and research of industrial hemp as long as it meets the standards outlined in the Farm Bill. The bill passed by the House of Representatives states, “To amend the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marihuana, and for other purposes” (House of Representatives, Bill 525). Prior to the passing of this bill, farmers were not allowed to produce industrial hemp. Industrial hemp is defined as, “the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of such plant, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of …

Cost Benefit Analysis Of Genetic Markers In Cattle, Josh Crystal

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Genetic sequencing in beef cattle (L. Bos Taurus) is expected to aid producers select cattle with traits that enhance profitability. Using data from experimental trials conducted with Angus, Brahman, and their reciprocal cross, this project analyzes the profitability of grazing endophyte infected tall Fescue (L. Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) vs. Bermuda grass (L. Cynodon dactylon) pasture. The study is unique in the sense that actual cow-calf breeding failure rates (open cows were not culled) were tracked from 1991 to 1997 on herds that were bred to calf in spring and either exposed to fungal endophyte (L.Acremonium coenophialum Morgan-Jones …

Understanding Youtube Culture And How It Affects Today's Media, Jessica A. Zanatta

Senior Theses

The rise and growth of YouTube has created some of the biggest social media and marketing entrepreneurs and has enabled its audience to navigate the platform to their liking. Because of the business franchise YouTube has become a catalyst for famous YouTube creators, regular people with a dream to make it in the “Hollywood Industry.” YouTube provided the resources to these stars, so they would could share their content and be given the opportunity to partner with other Public Relations and Marketing teams for other businesses.

Demographic Characteristics And The Bounds Of Occupational Choice, Cheryl K. Mcintosh

Business Administration Dissertations - Archive

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationships between race, gender, generation, perceptions of discrimination, and socioeconomic status (SES) of origin and the prestige level of occupational choice. This study finds that the prestige level of occupational choice is significantly related to background factors that are outside of the control of the individual. This suggests that the interaction between race, gender, generation, perceptions of discrimination, and SES of origin may shape the choices that people make, potentially calling into question the extent of control that people have over their occupational choices. This is an important addition to the …

Institutional Investors And Cross-Border Mergers And Acquisitions: The 2000-2012 Period, Jinsuk Yang

Finance and Real Estate Dissertations - Archive

Using mergers and acquisitions (M&As) from 26 countries between 2000 and 2012, I examine the role of foreign and domestic institutional investors in cross-border M&As. I have several findings. First, both foreign and domestic institutional ownerships increase significantly during the period 2000-2012.Meanwhile, the volume of the cross-border M&As does not increase during the same time period. Second, domestic institutional investors facilitate both domestic and cross-border M&As. However, this seems to be inconsistent with the negative impact of domestic institutional ownership on the intensity of cross-border M&A activity, as reported in Ferreira et al. (2010). I discover that domestic institutional investors …

Essays On Product Market Dynamics And Corporate Cash Holdings Across Countries, Trang Thuy Thai

Finance and Real Estate Dissertations - Archive

My dissertation is composed of two essays that investigate two related yet distinct dynamics of product market and their influence on corporate cash holdings, and both are concerned with these dynamics being determinants of cash policy for international samples over the period of 1999-2015. The samples for the first and second essays respectively cover fourteen and ten countries that span not only developed countries but also emerging economies. The first essay focuses on the impact of product market competition risk on corporate cash level. I construct a composite score of competition that captures three horizontal dimensions of product pricing competition …

Cognitive Biases, Style Investing, And Stock Return Predictability, Samar Mohamed M. Ashour

Finance and Real Estate Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation consists of three distinct essays. In the first essay, “Does Credit risk explain market’s participants ‘cognitive biases - Evidence from Anchoring Bias in Analysts’ Earnings Forecasts”, using anchoring bias in analysts’ earnings forecasts, I examine the relation between credit risk and market participants’ cognitive biases. Recent findings indicate that analysts suffer from anchoring bias as they anchor their earnings per share (EPS) forecasts on the industry median without making sufficient adjustment. I show that the profitability of anchoring bias based trading strategies concentrates in the worst-rated stocks, especially around credit rating downgrades, suggesting that analysts exhibit stronger cognitive …

Three Essays On The Role Of Sales Strategy In Salesperson Performance, Eddie Inyang

Marketing Dissertations - Archive

The importance of the sales force to implementing organizational strategy has been widely acknowledged in both the academic and practitioner literature. With organizations spending over $800 billion a year on their sales forces, when the activities of the sales force become uncoupled from organizational strategy, it results in direct and indirect costs to the firm. Despite the importance of the sales force to implementing organizational strategy, there have been scant empirical studies in the academic literature on the role of salespeople in implementing strategy. In this dissertation, three essays examine the performance outcomes of salesperson implementation of sales strategy, along …

Stellar Observations: Star Employee Productivity, Compensation, And Reputation, Ryan Patrick Terry

Management Dissertations - Archive

This three-essay dissertation focuses on star employees – most commonly defined as those individuals who are both disproportionately productive and externally visible relative to their colleagues (Kehoe, Lepak, & Bentley, 2016) – and their influence on organizations in terms of performance contributions, the compensation they command, and their ability to enhance firm reputation. The star employee is not a new phenomenon as one of the first and still influential studies within the literature was published over three decades ago (i.e., Rosen, 1981). The influence of star employees is evident across a diverse range of fields including business, academics, the arts, …

Ceo Narcissism, Prior Experience, Board Prior Experience, And Corporate Social Responsibility (Csr): An Integrated Framework Using Upper Echelons Theory, Stakeholders’ Theory, And A Decomposed Measure Of Csr, Marwan Ahmad Ibrahim Al-Shammari

Management Dissertations - Archive

This study examines the relationship between chief executive officer (CEO) narcissism and the firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy, the relationship between CEO prior CSR experiences and the focal firm’s CSR, the relationship between board prior CSR experiences and the focal firm’s CSR, and the relationship between CEO narcissism and corporate social responsibility decomposed into two main categories: internal CSR and external CSR. The study uses a sample of 295 fortune firm-CEO to test the hypothesized relationships. The study finds that CEO prior CSR and board prior CSR experiences are positively and significantly related to the focal firm’s CSR. The …

Demographic Characteristics And The Bounds Of Occupational Choice, Cheryl K. M. Mcintosh

Management Dissertations - Archive

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationships between race, gender, generation, perceptions of discrimination, and socioeconomic status (SES) of origin and the prestige level of occupational choice. This study finds that the prestige level of occupational choice is significantly related to background factors that are outside of the control of the individual. This suggests that the interaction between race, gender, generation, perceptions of discrimination, and SES of origin may shape the choices that people make, potentially calling into question the extent of control that people have over their occupational choices. This is an important addition to the …

Preserving The Past: The Future Of Museums, Stephanie Cox

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This project explores the future of the museum industry and seeks to examine the ways in which the industry has changed to adapt to the current competitive environment. It explores the increasing competitiveness inside the industry and the growing concentration of funding that has resulted in an extremely high percentage of unfunded museums.

The strategies that can be effectively employed to ‘modernize’ a museum are examined and several living history museums that have employed these strategies are used as examples of their relative effectiveness/ineffectiveness. An analysis of how the museum industry has morphed over time to create these mega-museums which …

Three Essays On Leverage, Informative Trading, And Option Implied Information, Adam C. Harper

Finance and Real Estate Dissertations - Archive

This study will take a three-prong approach to examine the role high-leveraged option trades have in determining the informational content of options market trading. First, I closely observe the structure of the volatility spread ahead of firm-level corporate earnings events to strengthen the well documented lead-lag relationship between the option and stock markets. I find that volatility spreads driven by deep, out-of-the-money options exceed the predictability of equivalent volatility spreads that are more uniform in distribution. I then explore the differential behavioral responses of leveraged trades and earnings, such the role of the disposition effect and overconfidence. I find that …

Social Media Use At Work, Kriti Chauhan

Business Administration Dissertations - Archive

Social media use permeates everyday life, including work lives of employees. Banning social media use at work may is not entirely possible, therefore it is pertinent to question whether all social media use is detrimental for employees and their employing organization. Social media research to date has found conflicting results. This research provides unique insight into within-person social media use and its outcomes, and opens an avenue for investigating social media using a new technology-independent measure. The study is anchored in the concepts of role theory from social psychology. The theory of role accumulation suggests that social media can be …

Executive Compensation, Corporate Tax Aggressiveness And Financial Reporting Aggressiveness: Evidence From Sfas 123r, Bonnie R. Quillin

Accounting Dissertations - Archive

Using a variety of research methods, prior empirical research finds that executive compensation influences the behavior of managers, particularly with decisions involving risk. These studies show that, when executive compensation is more sensitive to stock price volatility, firms implement riskier investment and financial policies and take more aggressive positions in financial and tax reporting. The sensitivity of executive compensation to stock price volatility is largely due to stock option compensation. Prior studies provide evidence that companies reduced the stock option grants to executives following the introduction of the Statement of Financial Accounting Standard 123R – Share-Based Payment (SFAS 123R). The …

A Different Perspective On The Debate Between Nonprofit And For-Profit Microfinance Organizations, Hane E. De Oliveira Crevelari

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Microfinance for-profit organizations flooded the market in the early 2000's when microcredit demonstrated profitability. Ever since, an intense debate arose contesting the morality of profiting from the poor. Many for-profit microfinance institutions were accused of predatory lending through high interest rates and aggressive marketing and payment collection. In this paper, I examine the validity of the arguments for and against for-profits by extensively comparing the different target audiences of the charity sector and the private sector and the main arguments of each side. I conclude that, although the ability to serve the poor is compromised by profit motives, for-profit microfinance …

Cia Or Ceo: Who Will Be Responsible For Helping Protect National Security?, Jamie Elizabeth Crandal

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

As technology advances businesses are being called upon to take an active role in helping protect national security. A variety of different companies and industries within the private sector, which are at the forefront of encryption and hacking technologies, have the option to aid or subvert the intelligence community by sharing breakthrough technology in the interest of helping ensure domestic tranquility.

Many industries and companies within the private sector argue that while they are not actively trying to subvert efforts to protect national security it is not in their best interest, or the best interest of their customers, to hand …

The Evolution Of Giving: An Exploration Of Time Banking As A Community Development Instrument, Sara Singh

Senior Theses

Time banking is a way for communities to capture value with minimal monetary cost through the recognition of individuals’ talents and the coordination of services according to their needs. Active engagement in time banking partnerships can enable members of a community to grow their personal networks, make lasting friendships, gain the knowledge and skills they need, pay for products/services with their time, grow in selfconfidence, and support those at risk of “falling through the cracks.” It can build trust and goodwill in schools, offices, neighborhoods and cities. Over time, time banking can generate profound social change and economic gains by …

Perceived Entitlement Among Amillenials Versus Baby Boomers: A Cross-Generational Examination, Eliza Comer

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

As the Millennial workforce grows, understanding how Millennials are viewed- specifically in terms of entitlement-is an issue that merits attention, since perceived entitlement could negatively impact the extent to which an individual's contributions are valued in the workplace. While prior research suggests that Millennials are entitled (Allen 2015; Fisk 2010; Myers 2010), it neglects how perceptions of entitlement may differ across generations. We aim to address this gap by examining whether Baby Boomers and Millennials differ in their perceptions of what constitutes entitled behavior. Specifically, we test whether an individual's age, together with situational factors, may influence the extent to …

Sustainable Tourism Study Through Solimar International, S Silongwengjia

Capstone Collection

This inquiry explores a pragmatic approach of sustainable tourism and its application as a transformative development instrument. It seeks a general understanding of the global tourism sector, looks specifically at an individual tourism enterprise, Solimar International, and examines rural tourism, and its proposed standards. It discusses the opportunities and threats to the culture, ecology, and livelihoods of the residents of destination tourism and the unique experience to geotravelers. It analyzes the theoretical development history of tourism and the integrated approach of Solimar International as a leading agency in the tourism industry sector. And it seeks to understand a new type …

Construction Ergonomic Risk And Productivity Assessment Using Mobile Technology And Machine Learning, Nipun Deb Nath

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The construction industry has one of the lowest productivity rates of all industries. To remedy this problem, project managers tend to increase personnel's workload (growing output), or assign more (often insufficiently trained) workers to certain tasks (reducing time). This, however, can expose personnel to work-related musculoskeletal disorders which if sustained over time, lead to health problems and financial loss. This Thesis presents a scientific methodology for collecting time-motion data via smartphone sensors, and analyzing the data for rigorous health and productivity assessment, thus creating new opportunities in research and development within the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) domain. In particular, …

Is Populism Against Trade? Argentina's Trade Policy In The Context Of Latin American Populism, Natalie M. Pita

Senior Theses

The question at hand is if understanding trade and populism helps inform an understanding of concerns about populist governments in terms of trade. Countries in Latin America have been plagued by ISI policies, while East Asian countries saw success with export-led growth. Export expansion and import substitution are not contradictory policies; in fact, they complement each other. ISI is one stage of development policy, and export-led growth is a second stage (Amsden 172). Unfortunately, most Latin American countries never made it to the export expansion and trade openness stage of policy. The region came closest when many of its countries …

Image And Perception Of The Top Five American Tourist Cities As Represented By Snow Globes, Caitlin Malloy

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the connection between popular culture’s perception of place and the physical augmentation of reality. Focusing on the top five tourist cities in America, this disparateness is observed through the lens of a souvenir: the snow globe.

The presentation of the work is broken into two parts: the written portion and the book of diagrams. A total of 45 snow globes (9 for each of the 5 cities) were selected for the study, each carefully analyzed for content to include monuments, colors, text, dimensions, realism, and layout. This resulted in a series of diagrams which graphically express the …

Roli I Zhvillimit Të Skenareve Në Strategjinë E Biznesit, Shqipdona Haklaj

Theses and Dissertations

Synimi i këtij punimi është që të shqyrtojë rëndësinë e zhvillimit të skenarëve në strategjinë e biznesit. Ky studim i referohet përvojës së gjatë në hulumtimet në ndërmarrësi të ndërlidhura me strategjinë e biznesit, veçanërisht në hartimin dhe zhvillimin e skenarëve të kësaj disipline. Tema është bazuar në literaturën e gjerë dhe praktikat e bizneseve në zhvillimin e skenarëve për qëllime strategjike zhvillimore. Është e sigurtë se bizneset janë të detyruara që të zhvillojnë skenarë të ndryshëm strategjik duke marrë parasysh se kanë të bëjnë me një dinamikë të lartë të tregjeve dhe të konkurrencës. Kjo ju nevojitet pothuajse shumicës …

Dallimi Midis Bankave Islame Dhe Bankave Konvencionale, Shpëtim Kryeziu

Theses and Dissertations

Ka një mungesë të studimeve në lidhje me sistemin bankar Islam dhe performoncën e tyre në ekonominë aktuale. Ky punim bën përpjekje për të mbushur atë zbrastinë në një masë të arsyeshme dhe të dobishme. Duke përdorur të dhënat për periudhën e kaluar, kryesisht periudhën e viteve 2014 - 2016,janë nxjerrë hipoteza në lidhje me praktikën dhe performancën e bankave Islame, të cilat janë testuar dhe vlerësuar. Performanca dhe funksionaliteti i bankave Islame eshtë vlerësuar duke përdorur analizat e detajuara.Për me tepër, unë u përpoqa të shpalos menaxhimin e bankave me anë të tabelave dhe grafikëve. Si të gjeturat kryesore …

Teoritë Dhe Qasjet E Reja Në Fushën E Marketingut, Rineta Zeka

Theses and Dissertations

Marketingu, diciplinë e hershme kuptimi i së cilës ka ndryshuar vazhdimisht me kalimin e kohës. Që nga qasjet më të hershme e deri sot në epokën tonë digjitale janë dhënë shumë kuptime mbi nocionin e marketingut. Ndryshimet janë evidentuar me kalimin kohës duke dhënë njëkohësisht definime për qasje të reja. Deri më tani, akoma nuk mund të hasim në përkufizim të specifikuar të termit të marketingut që është i pranuar gjithanshëm, mirëpo të gjithë po thuaj se e kanë të qartë rolin dhe rëndësinë e tij.

Në varësi nga zhvillimi dhe përsosja e marketingut, edhe përkufizimet për marketingun janë të …

Fazat E Menaxhimit Të Ri Publik, Bujar Kajtazi

Theses and Dissertations

Në këtë studim është punuar rreth fazave të menaxhimit të ri publik si dhe rolin e tyre në zhvillimin e kapaciteteve njerëzore në Shërbimet Elektronike Ndryshimet në Administratën Publike është qëllim global.Sot nuk ka shoqëri që nuk mundohet të reformoj sistemin e vet administrativ në mënyrë që të jetë më efikas,më produktiv, më transparente dhe më e përgjegjshme ndaj nevojave të qytetarëve.

Përmirsimi i përformancës dhe kapacitetit të cdo institucioni publik është problem për cdo administrim publik,i cili përpiqet të zmadhojë performancën e qeverisë në tërësi .Egziston gjithnjë një debat nëse konceptet që aplokohen në sektorin privat mund të transferohen …

Rëndësia E Auditimit Të Brendshëm Për Përfitim Të Bizneseve, Eda Gorda

Theses and Dissertations

Auditimi luan rol të rëndësishëm për çdo biznes i cili dëshiron të rris transparencën, besueshmërinë dhe rregullsinë, prandaj kjo është njëra nga arsyet e përzgjedhjes së temës së diplomës. Edhe pse Kosova është shtet i ri dhe në tranzicion me kushtet të cilat ishin të vështira në fillim, shteti ynë në bashkëpunim me vendet mike, ka filluar të bëj hapa të sigurt në aspektin e raportimit dhe kontrollit financiar.

Zhvillimet e vazhdueshme dhe komplekse ekonomike të ditëve të sotme janë shoqëruar me procese e sisteme "të sofistikuara" financiare, që krahas rritjes së shpejtësisë të veprimeve financiare, në shumë raste janë …

Vizioni I Ndërmarrjes Dhe Aktivitetet E Marketingut, Lendita Kadriu

Theses and Dissertations

Ky punim i përmban 3 pjesë ku secila përshkruan në detaje pjesë të rëndësishme të marketingut. Në pjesën e parë fokusimi është në nocionin e marketingut dhe njohuritë themelore, pjesa e dytë përmban format e organizimit të marketingut, dhe pjesa e tretë përfshin vizionin dhe aktivitetet e marketingut.

Nocioni i marketingut tregon prejardhjen e fjalës marketing dhe atë se çka përmban ai si nocion në përmbajtjen e tij. Këtu përshkruhen edhe elementet të cilat e bëjnë marketingun të suksesshëm, si dhe arsyet se pse duhet bërë marketingu i një produkti. Një pikë e rëndësishme e cila tregon se suksesi i …