Business Commons^™

Beauty Brand Versus New Media: How Have Communications Tactics Changed Within A Large Cosmetic Brand & How Have They Incorporated New Media Pr Tactics, Ruth Walsh

Theses

This research study aims to investigate and analyse what is working in the cosmetic PR industry for beauty brands; bloggers; and beauty consumers. There has been limited research conducted into this important topic and less so into the PR tactics used by large cosmetic brands. This thesis first examines that said limited scope of literature that relates to the cosmetic PR industry but not well and it further examines the viewpoints of well-known PR professionals. From this research, a triangulation approach to data collecting was outlined and conducted that included two interviews with beauty industry experts; a PR professional, a …

The Internal Organizational Factors And External Environmental Factors Affecting The Implementation And Management Of The Hr Department: A Case Study Of Kearys, Eva Spitere

Theses

Globalisation and an increased demand for competitive advantage have caused the contemporary HR department to face additional pressure to provide strategic value to the organization. To do so, the HR department must integrate with overall business strategy and continually monitor both the internal and external environments in which the organization operates. This thesis focuses on identifying these internal organizational factors and external environmental factors, and exploring how these factors can affect the implementation and management of a new HR department within an already established organization.

Given the unique position of the researcher, who is currently solely responsible for the establishment …

An Examination Of The Awareness And Practices Of Human Resource Professionals In How They Are Measuring The Effectiveness Of Employee Reward Practices, Eva Bermingham

Theses

Human Resource (HR) Analytics and the benefits that can be gained Irom the utilization of such has become a contemporary topic of interest in recent years. To clarify, HR Analytics is simply an evidence based approach to management. The prevalence of globalization and increased market competitiveness has commanded that organizations work more efficiently. The power of the use of HR Analytics in creating these unique business specific efficiencies can no more be ignored, and it has become ob\ious that Human Resources in its continuous evokitba has placed a greater focus on the business results that existing data can bring them …

The Role Of Psychological Capital And The Areas Of Worklife Model In Predicting Job Burnout, Sylwia K. Oles

Online Theses and Dissertations

Job burnout is a widely spread global phenomenon that has been linked to negative work outcomes. Various factors can either contribute to or hinder job burnout development. Previous research established the role of the six areas of worklife model as well as psychological capital on job burnout. However, the relationship among these variables has not been clearly defined. The purpose of the present study was to attempt to understand predictors of job burnout in order to reduce its occurrence. Data was collected with a sample of college students. Four areas of worklife (workload, control, reward, and values) as well as …

Product Packaging, Pester Power, & Preschoolers, Casie Prible

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to lay the groundwork that could lead to future research by exploring the pester power of preschoolers in reference to product packaging and grocery shopping and with regard to gender, age, and birth order. Preschoolers can act as powerful persuaders on parental spending, specifically through the use of nagging, pestering, or aggressive behaviors. Marketers often employ techniques such as using child-oriented packaging to attract a child to certain products in order to motivate a desire for purchase and thus affecting the buying decisions of parents. This study analyzes preschoolers (2 to 5 years-of-age) in …

Waterparks' Impact On Rural Communities In Eastern Kentucky, Stephen M. Sims

Online Theses and Dissertations

As many rural communities are searching for ways to increase their local economy, several of these communities have begun to turn their attention to the tourism industry. By turning their attention to the tourism industry, they are searching for ways to increase tourism in hopes of bringing in additional revenue that is needed for revitalizing many of these communities. These rural communities are "focused on maximizing individual spending, and providing products and experiences as an incentive to tourists to stay longer and return on repeat visits" (Briedenhann & Wickens, 2004, p. 72). Also, waterparks, as well as amusement parks and …

Behaviors, Knowledge, And Education Of Leave No Trace Principles In The Red River Gorge Rock Climbing Community, Brian Gregory Clark

Online Theses and Dissertations

Rock climbing is becoming a very popular and mainstream outdoor activity. With the growth in rock climbing comes an increase in the number of visitors this sport attracts. The increase in visitor usage undoubtedly leads to an impact on the natural environment surrounding these rock climbing areas. Rock climbers acknowledge the impacts that are being made and are taking initiative to lessen their impact while visiting rock climbing areas such as the Red River Gorge (RRG) in rural southeast Kentucky. We know that rock climbers make a substantial economic impact while visiting and this dissertation looks at the environmental knowledge …

Analysis Of Union Safety: Determining Relationships Between Union Membership And Injury And Fatality Rates, Madelyn K. Street

Online Theses and Dissertations

In under two centuries the labor union transformed the American workplace, improving wages, benefits, employee engagement, and safety. In more recent years, the government and other organizations have caught up in focusing on safety. Countless studies have been conducted and determined that unions have a significant positive impact on safety compared to work environments absent of a union. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data for 2006-2015, an investigation into the trends of union membership and injuries and fatalities reported in the United States was conducted. It was determined that there was not significant correlation between increased union membership and improved …

Beer Tourism: Identifying Kentucky Brewery Visitors And Motivations, Kenneth Joseph Berend, Jr.

Online Theses and Dissertations

Craft beer has gained popularity and evolved into an immense industry in recent years. The number of breweries in the United States has increased from 1,460 in 2006 to over 5,300 in 2016 ("Number of breweries and brewpubs in U.S.," n.d.). There are more breweries now than at any other time in U.S. history. The influx of breweries has contributed to increased participation in craft beer consumption and beer tourism. Plummer, Telfer, Hashimoto, and Summers (2005) define beer tourism as "visitation to breweries, beer festivals and beer shows for which beer tasting and experiencing the attributes of a beer region …

Locked Up: Parallel Correctional Officer, Deputy, And Inmate Decision-Making Experiences In County Jails, Mariko Catherine Peshon

Dissertations

Recidivism is a complex phenomenon. Greater than 65 percent of incarcerated adults return to jail within three years. While numerous empirical studies focus on factors that contribute to recidivism, there is limited existing research that examines decision-making as one of these factors. The purpose of this study is to address this gap in the literature and develop an understanding of the influence of decision-making processes on inmates and correctional officers and deputies in the California criminal justice system. An exploratory 2014 pilot study at three California county jails found correctional officers and inmates faced similar challenges related to decision-making as …

Strategies For Retaining Employees For Call Centers, Kimberly M. Combs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Voluntary employee turnover has several adverse consequences for call center managers, including lowered productivity and decreased profitability. The purpose of this descriptive multiple case study was to explore strategies used to reduced voluntary employee turnover among 2 call center managers in the southern United States. These managers had been recommended by the human resource directors of the organizations because of their implementation of strategies to reduce voluntary employee turnover. The conceptual framework for this study was Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. Data were collected from semistructured face-to-face interviews and employee handbooks. The data analysis consisted of compiling the data, disassembling the data …

Three Essays On Capital Structure And Product Market Interactions, Ying Zheng

Theses and Dissertations

Capital structure can have important consequences for firm value. High leverage increases firms’ probability of bankruptcy, and is shown to be the primary cause of financial distress. As suggested by a strand of literature on capital structure and product market interactions, high leverage is costly because financial weakness could induce unfavorable actions by product market participants such as customers and competitors. While the costs of high leverage are well documented in the extant literature, little is known on the factors that influence the costs of high leverage. This dissertation addresses this gap in the literature by examining how the costs …

Toward A Theory Of Full Life Cycle Recruiters, Michael C. Campion

Theses and Dissertations

Despite their operational and strategic importance to their firms, recruiters remain virtually invisible within management scholarship today. In this dissertation, I draw on research from a variety of theoretical perspectives and use role theory as a foundation for developing a theory intended to generate insight into the major individual, social, and contextual factors that underpin their behavior and performance. I define full life cycle recruiters as quasi-agentic brokers of resources among parties internal and external to a firm who operate at the intersection of social systems, are involved in recruiting, assessment, and onboarding processes, and adopt multiple micro roles with …

The Effect Of Social Exclusion On Shoplifting, Christopher Ling

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the effect of social exclusion on shoplifting. Shoplifting is a serious problem for marketers, yet surprisingly little attention in the literature has been paid to its underlying social factors. The current research therefore seeks to document conditions under which, and the process through which, consumers may engage in aggressive behavior in the form of shoplifting. Supporting the proposition that shoplifting is an antisocial response to social exclusion that depends on prior shoplifting experience, four studies provide evidence that prior shoplifters (vs. nonshoplifters) are more likely to shoplift again when they are socially excluded because they expect that …

Two Essays On The Impact Of Memory On Consumer Well-Being And Self-Definition, Kara Bentley

Theses and Dissertations

Consumer memory is an important variable for marketers to study because it is well documented that memories influence consumer attitudes, preferences, and behavioral intentions (Chattopadhyay and Alba 1988). In my dissertation, I focus on two specific types of consumer memories that are important for consumer well-being and self-definition – memories of shared (social) experiences and memories of special experiences. In my first essay, I contend that shared experiences are remembered better than individual experiences because of their positive impact on consumer well-being, while in my second essay, I investigate the manner in which memories of special experiences, which are inherently …

An Investigation Of Buyers’ Forecast Sharing And Ordering Behavior In A Two-Stage Supply Chain, Minseok Park

Theses and Dissertations

Profitably balancing demand and supply is a continuous challenge for companies under changing market conditions, and the potential benefit of collaboration between supply chain partners cannot be overlooked by any firm who strives to succeed. One of the key elements to successful collaboration is sharing of forecast information between supply chain partners. However, when supply shortage is expected, buyers may inflate order quantities and/or order forecasts to secure sufficient supply. An important question that arises is how the supplier should allocate inventory to customers when shortage exists. Literature shows that certain allocation policies can reduce buyers’ order inflation behavior. However, …

Sustainable, Operations-Enabled Solutions For Reducing Product Waste, Erin C. Mckie

Theses and Dissertations

The traditional linear production system where products are created, used, and then disposed of is no longer a viable business model for many firms. A combination of growing populations, increases in consumerism, and urbanization are placing unprecedented pressures on our world’s natural resources. In addition to these motivations, strong demands from consumers and governments are requiring companies to reevaluate and prioritize their environmental strategies. Fortunately, there are several opportunities for firms to engage in more sustainable business practices throughout their entire supply chain, particularly at the end of their products’ useful lives. However, moving from a linear model to a …

Innovative Revenue Management Practices With Probabilistic Elements, Övünç Yılmaz

Theses and Dissertations

Sale of products with a probabilistic nature, where customers do not know which product they will receive at the time of service, has become popular over the recent years. In the revenue management literature, there has been a growing interest in understanding these modern approaches using analytical techniques. On the other hand, customer-centric revenue management has been replacing the long-standing inventory-centric approach because of the availability of rich data sets by focusing on understanding and predicting customer behavior and then optimizing price and/or quantity related decisions. In this dissertation, we take a customer-centric approach and do not only provide analytical …

Three Essays On Relationships Among Financial Institutions, Chia-Chun Chiang

Theses and Dissertations

dissertation investigates relationships among financial institutions. I examine relationships from three different perspectives: relationships among affiliated banks and life insurers, correlated trading among life insurers, and relationships between insurers and bond dealers in the over-the-counter markets. The primary purpose of my research is to examine the benefits and drawbacks of relationships among financial institutions. The main findings are as follows. First, life insurers with bank affiliates had higher growth rates relative to other life insurers during the 2008 financial crisis. However, these Bank-Life Financial Holding Companies performed worse than Non-Bank-Life Financial Holding Companies during the same period. It indicates that …

Exploring Determinants And Consequences Of International Diversification: A Multi-Level Perspective, Ettore Spadafora

Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation explores determinants and consequences of international diversification and consists of two essays. Essay I focuses on the relationship between international diversification and firm performance (ID-P). Drawing on the global strategy literature and the institution-based view of strategy, we propose that the mixed findings of extant research on the ID-P relationship can be explained by the contextual conditions in which this relationship exists, including home-country formal and informal institutions. The model is tested in a meta-analysis (HOMA, MARA, and HiLLMA analyses) of firm-, industry-, and home country-level factors driving the ID-P relationship. The sample consists of 359 primary studies …

Two Essays On Social Sharing Effects On Consumer Memories, Li Huang

Theses and Dissertations

Social sharing is universal in everyday life. Every day consumers share news, opinions, and personal experiences using different media, including face-to-face communications, cellphones, texting, email, and other social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter). Word-of-Mouth, a common type of social sharing has been found to be fundamental to marketing and has been shown to significantly impact firms’ sales and revenues. However little is known about the effects of WOM on consumer memories. Since consumer memory is an important variable in marketing due to its significant impact on consumer judgments and decisions, my dissertation addresses this gap and examines the effects of …

When Auditors’ Skeptical Judgments Do Not Lead To Skeptical Actions, Erin Michelle Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations

Auditors are required to maintain professional skepticism through the course of an audit engagement. Professional skepticism is maintained through both skeptical judgment and observable skeptical behavior (skeptical action). However, auditors who exhibit professional skepticism in judgment do not always exhibit professional skepticism in action. The present study examines whether social presence alters the likelihood of auditors acting on skeptical judgments by utilizing an experimental setting where participants interact with a hypothetical client using four different communication mediums varying in social presence. Results suggest that auditor-client interactions high in perceived social presence inhibit auditors from acting on skeptical judgments compared to …

A Systems View Of Is Governance And It Governance: A Case Study Of The Virginia Department Of Transportation, Bernard Farkas

Theses and Dissertations

A review of the research related to Information Technology (IT) governance reveals that researchers have yet to use systems theory directly as a basis for understanding IT governance; however, analysis of these researchers’ various definitions of IT governance shows a concurrence between these definitions and the characteristics of a system. This case study research adopts a systems imagination to observe IS and IT governance in the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), which has a budget of over $5 billion and over 7,500 employees and has recently conducted a strategic assessment of its IT organization - including IS and IT governance. …

The Role Of The Quality Of A Website In Consumer Perception, Hibah Khalil

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The wide spread of the Internet has allowed businesses to present information, sell products, and provide relevant services through websites. Many researchers argue that websites are an imperative channel for communication and online shopping. However, businesses struggle to retain customers due to low switching cost and lack of face-to-face communication. Customers who do not appreciate the user interface and information presented in the website may choose a competitor’s site to achieve their goals. Therefore, e-loyalty, which is about attracting and retaining customers in an online environment, is crucial to remaining a successful business.

In the context of e-loyalty, the website …

Essays On Bank Loans, Deposit Insurance, And Deregulation, Herman Saheruddin

Theses and Dissertations

In my first essay, using a novel dataset that merges the Dealscan database and 8-Ks between 1994-2014, I find that on average, only about 31% of bank loans are announced by firms. Among those loans announced, about 60% are cleanly announced and 40% are announced together with other events. The three-day Cumulative Abnormal Stock Return (CAR) following a loan announcement is positive and both statistically and economically significant, which on average about +39 b.p., in line with the theory of bank loan specialness. This finding is mainly driven by bank-dependent firms. Next, I find significant evidence of sample selection bias …

Consumer Decision Making For Accommodations In The Shared Economy, Jeffery C. Kreeger

Theses and Dissertations

Although many components of the shared economy have existed over time, it has recently blossomed into a thriving business that facilitates sharing of assets and services with strangers by using applications on the Internet. Recently, a convergence of many factors favorable to the development of the shared economy occurred and has become a new way of doing business for many and has introduced a new business model. Many people are shifting their goals from owning assets to borrowing them. This is not only economically favorable, but it is also environmentally favorable for the planet. The Lodging Shared Economy (LSE) is …

Institutional Brokerage And The Governance Of Global Value Chains: The Case Of The Us Apparel Industry., Alessandro Perri

Theses and Dissertations

In this qualitative study of the apparel industry, I analyze the governance of buyersupplier interfaces in outsourced global value chains through an institutional theory lens. I set forth that transactional and relational cross-national barriers, linked to institutional distance between home and host country in outsourced production networks, and supplier capabilities are key determinants of variations in the governance mode chosen by lead buyers for their outsourced value chain. I further posit that lead buyers respond to the additional costs imposed by home–host country institutional distance and by structural supplier capability constraints, by means of governance modes that provide institutional brokerage, …

Branded For Success: A Longitudinal Examination Of Brand Associations As Drivers Of Team Identification For A New Sport Brand, Henry Wear

Theses and Dissertations

The competition for the sport consumer has intensified over the last decade, and many teams are now seeking to establish a foothold in the marketplace (Baker, McDonald, & Funk, 2016). To form a competitive advantage in the sport industry, many sport organizations are beginning to think of their organizations as brands to be managed (Ross, 2006). From a sport marketer’s perspective, it is difficult to rely on brand characteristics based on success or team composition to promote a sport brand and develop fans due to the unpredictable nature of the sport product. Conversely, brand characteristics regarding the logo, color scheme, …

Theme Park Demand, Theme Park Attractiveness, And Visitors’ Theme Park Choices, Yingsha Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the relationship among theme park demand, theme park attractiveness, and visitors’ theme park choices. It consists of three studies reported through five chapters. Key data were obtained from the website of an online travel agency, TripAdvisor, using web scraping techniques. The first study developed a new approach to measure tourist source markets’ theme park demand and theme park attractiveness by solving a reverse gravity model via particle swarm optimization. Findings from this study should help theme parks to evaluate more accurately the demand market and their own competitiveness compared to other theme parks. The second study explored …

Multinational Foreign Affiliates In The Least Developed Countries: A Multilevel Approach, R. Scott Hibbs

Theses and Dissertations

Several studies have examined the country-level effects on multinational enterprises that go into the developing countries, including the least developed countries. Few studies have considered the firm-level effects. This study uses the multilevel modeling method as outlined by Klein and Kozlowski (2000), Raudenbush and Bryk (2002), and Bliese and Hanges (2004) to examine whether there are any systemic patterns of multinational enterprises across the least developed countries. This paper uses information on foreign affiliates in the least developed countries to examine the overall trends of multinational firms in the least developed countries. Using data from the United Nations’ most recent …