Business Commons^™

Marketing Orientation: A Longitudinal Study Of Community Banks, Stephen C. Carlson, Gerald Sullivan, Susanna Warnock, Margaret Ryder

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Marketing orientation has long been touted as a means of improved business performance and a key to success in marketing management (Kotler, Keller & Chernev, 2021). This is a longitudinal study of community banks examining marketing orientation and business performance using a survey instrument based on the work of Narver and Slater (1990) and Kohli and Jaworski (1990).

Four survey datasets cover the period preceding the Great Recession (2003-2005), the Great Recession and its fallout (2008-2010), a Post–Great Recession period (2014-2016), and the COVID-19 period (2020). Survey responses were gathered from a selected set of community bank CEOs in the …

Analyzing The Market Cap Responsiveness To Capital Discipline Policies For Us Oil And Gas Producers, Sampath Srungarum

Financial Analyst

In this paper, the effect of specific capital discipline policies, capital structure and capital expenditures, is measured. Financial data from 2014 to 2022 are used to measure the impact of capital discipline policies on market cap. Capital structure measured through the debt-to-equity ratio and capital expenditures were both regressed against market cap to determine correlation. The regressions were sorted according to correlation strength and then grouped based off certain firm characteristics: Market cap, Resource produced, Geographical diversity, and level of integration. The results show little to no relationship between the studied characteristics and the level of market responsiveness to the …

Innovation In The Economy: An Examination Of The Role Of Innovation On Economic Growth, Samuel Macchiarolo

Honors Projects

This paper will be examining factors that may have contributed to past economic recessions, particularly in the US, by looking at levels of both financial innovation and physical innovation, as well as research and development. The paper will take a deeper look into how previous economic recessions happened, how the changes in the level of innovation played a part in those recessions, why innovation levels change so much, and what can be done to eliminate the variation of innovation to help stabilize economic output.

Healthcare Disparities Among Incarcerated Populations: A Quality Improvement Project, Mariam Bradley, Morgan Callihan, Sandra Frederick, Riley Hall, Marty Helms, Aaliyah Manson, Katelyn Martha, Madison Mason, Suzi White

2023 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

A population that has been consistently subject to unequal treatment when receiving medical attention is the population of prisoners or jail inmates. It is essential to explore the discrepancies prisoners face and the effects it has on their health. The objective of this research was to bring to light the disparities incarcerated patients experience, and how to eliminate these. In order to develop a better understanding of the prejudiced actions incarcerated patients face in the healthcare spectrum, numerous studies have been analyzed.

Are Gender And Social Disparities Associated With Stem Persistence In Kentucky Colleges?, Riley E. Hicks, Wilson Gonzalez-Espada

2023 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Children have the right to receive a quality education, but concerns about county disparities in school funding, facilities, and resources exist. This is known as the "zip code effect". Because high school STEM classes require lab space, materials, equipment, and specialized teachers, disparities in school funding can impact students who want STEM careers.

Visual Pollution Classification Using Convolutional Neural Networks, Jacob Vogelpohl, Heba Elgazzar

2023 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Visual pollution is an impairment on an individual's ability to enjoy their surroundings. It usually takes the form of a messy and chaotic environment that can cause overstimulation of the visual senses. This includes trash, advertisements, construction, electric cables, and similar objects. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are a form of artificial intelligence that use supervised learning to process and classify images. In this research, a CNN processed images of city streets and classified them as polluted or not polluted based on the visual characteristics that it learned from during its training period. The CNN achieved a training accuracy of 98% …

Predicting The Mechanism And Products Of Cs2 Capture By Nh3 - An Exemplar Benchmark Study, Shelbie A. Black, David A. Dixon, Zachary R. Lee

2023 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Carbon disulfide is a toxic gas emitted from industrial plants and a common greenhouse gas. Acute poisonings from carbon disulfide are rare, but recurring exposure to low doses can have long term health effects. Currently, there are two approaches being considered for the removal of acid gas pollutants: (1) sequester these gases from the atmosphere or (2) remove these gases directly upon combustion (post-combustion). Potential energy surfaces (PES) for a series of CS2 capture reactions by NH3 in the presence H2O were calculated at the MP2/a(D+d) evel in the gas phase. G3(MP2) and FPD calculations are in progress. Extensive thermodynamic …

Images In Service Marketing: Does Presentation Style Matter?, Can Trinh

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This research presents a pioneering attempt to examine whether the use of abstract images would be more effective than the use of concrete images in the case of service marketing. Based on construal level theory, we hypothesize that relative to the use of concrete images, the use of abstract images in service marketing will better match the intangible nature of services and will thus increase communication effectiveness. Two studies in this research provide evidence to support these propositions by showing that relative to the use of concrete images, the use of abstract images can enhance ad visuals, which in turn …

Happy Campers Or Unhappy Prisoners: How Materialism Punishes Us In Lockdown Times, Banwari Mittal

Atlantic Marketing Journal

COVID-19 and the resulting lockdowns created an unprecedented upheaval in consumers’ daily lives and lifestyles. The purpose of this research was to understand the psychological experience of life under lockdowns and the role of individual difference variables in that experience. Using survey data from U.S. consumers, the research identified two opposite feelings, coexisting: happy camper feeling or unhappy prisoner feeling. Younger, lower income, and less educated consumers felt more like prisoners than campers. Ability to maintain life as usual, and positive pre-pandemic life conditions (health, social network, and job satisfaction) led to happy camper feelings. In contrast, pre-pandemic materialism led …

Covid's Positive Implications On Business-To-Business Salesperson Communication And Customer Interaction, Lucy Matthews, Diane R. Edmondson, Ryan Matthews, Frances Ann Stott, Tammy Bahmanziari

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This article aims to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on industrial salesperson communication with buyers, specifically focusing on the positive outcomes. The authors use a qualitative data collection approach based on grounded theory. Thirteen executives, primarily from the transportation industry, were interviewed. Based on the executive interviews, this study develops the pandemic-induced customer interaction model for the industrial market, drawing from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and innovation diffusion theory. This study is the first to examine the positive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on business-to-business sales organization communication. This study contributes to the literature through the creation …

Consumer Decision-Making On Golf Equipment: Impact Of Emerging Strategic Organizational Goals And Supply Chain Intricacies, Faith A. Hopkins, Ismet Anitsal, Melek Meral Anitsal

AMTP Proceedings 2023

The game of golf is incredibly historic and enjoyed by many people from numerous different age groups across many parts of the world. The research involving the game of golf is often limited to the topics of golf club engineering and injury prevention within the game. The consumer decision-making process for golf equipment has been primarily under-researched. This study explores the consumer decision-making process involving golf equipment and provides propositions to achieve strategic organizational goals. Propositions are made concerning supply chain intricacies containing the inclusion of personalization and customization and including women's equipment displayed in marketing activities. There is room …

Effects Of Online Consumer Ratings On Persuasion, Magdoleen Ierlan

AMTP Proceedings 2023

Online product review websites have become very important in the purchase decisions of consumers. Word-of-mouth communication was once limited to the passing of information using verbal means, however, it now extends into text messages and web dialogue, such as online profile pages, blog posts, message board threads, instant messages and emails. The type of review will influence the consumer differently. Also, the need for cognition will impact the way the type of review the consumer requires to decide.

Social Media Influencer Perceived Source Credibility Scale Validation And Consumer Attitudes Toward The Brand: An Exploratory Study In Urban India, James E. Stoddard, Lubna Nafees, Christy M. Cook

AMTP Proceedings 2023

This study explores the relationship between social media influencers (SMIs) perceived source credibility and the formation of brand attitudes of their followers from an urban Indian sample. SMIs have become a channel in shaping consumers’ brand perceptions for products and services across multiple industries worldwide. Using survey data from India, this research delves into the dimensions of SMI perceived source credibility and attitudes towards the brand. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) validated the concept that SMI perceived source credibility is a second order construct that is comprised of SMI perceived expertise, goodwill and trustworthiness. Also, that partial least squares structural …

The Digital Engine Model: Lead Generation Through Applied Dcm Strategies, Kyle A. Huggins, John D. Hansen

AMTP Proceedings 2023

Digital Content Marketing (DCM) has become a primary tool for marketers in driving lead generation in today’s digital marketing world. Leading brands are creating and curating content in order to develop brand equity, connecting content to brand story and narrative. And while strong theoretical models of content marketing have been discussed in the marketing literature, like Hollebeek and Macky (2019), there is a dearth of understanding about the application and direct impact of organic digital content strategies on marketing directives. This paper investigates an applied model, called The Digital Engine, which provides instruction on proper digital content marketing instruction and …

How “Tweet” Tones Can Explain Consumer Beliefs In Csr, Kristina M. Harrison, Lei Huang

AMTP Proceedings 2023

This research examines what can be learned about consumers’ opinions tweeted out about them over social media. The valence and tweet character with the type of CSR/CSR related fraud is specifically examined in order to understand consumers’ beliefs about firm CSR use as well as firm confidence. This was conducted via an experimental design manipulating the type of CSR used and related fraud, and then participants responded to the events via simulated tweets and responded to questions about their beliefs in firms engaging in CSR as well as their overall confidence in a firm. Through applying how individuals assess moral …

How Political Ideology Impacts Political Brand Image: Analysis Of The 2016, 2018, And 2020 Elections, Kristina M. Harrison, Shawn Thelen, Boonghee Yoo

AMTP Proceedings 2023

The U.S. presidential elections of 2016 and 2020 have both been characterized as “An Election like No Other” (Goodman 2020; Smith 2016) unparalleled to previous ones. The 2016 election saw an outsider, not an established politician, win the support of a major political party and eventually the presidency. The 2020 election was influenced by a once in a century pandemic that diminished all traditional election issues and greatly affected the nature of campaigning. This research examines whether political ideology played an invariant and stable role in shaping the brand image of the presidential election candidates. Analysis of 2016, 2018, and …

A Guide To Controlling Supply Chain Last Mile And Reverse Last-Mile Logistics: A Study Of U.S. And China Small Business Enterprises, Emmanuel Finnih

AMTP Proceedings 2023

In the United States, the last-mile logistics infrastructure is less developed, with fewer delivery services and less efficient delivery methods. China has adopted more advanced technologies such as drones and robots for last-mile delivery, while the United States has lagged behind in this area (Zhang and Zhang, 2020). Finally, in terms of delivery methods, China has adopted more efficient methods such as same-day delivery and express delivery, while the United States has been relatively slow to adopt these methods, with many retailers still relying on traditional delivery methods like ground shipping. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of …

Confronting New Realities: Factors Impacting Adoption And Success Of Online Marketing Education In The Caribbean, Neleen S. Leslie-Piper, Celia Mckoy, Petula Senior

AMTP Proceedings 2023

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 was a watershed event in higher education as institutions at all levels were affected. Schools, colleges, and universities were forced to transition to remote or online instruction with varying levels of preparation. While most colleges and universities in the developed world were taken by surprise, they were not completely unprepared, as most institutions already had the infrastructure to facilitate online learning. In fact, some institutions were already offering online or hybrid courses of study. The developing world, and the Caribbean in particular, faced a different challenge. While institutions utilized learning management systems to deliver face-to-face classes, the facilitation …

From Academia To Industry: The Educators’ Role In Preparing Marketing Practitioners For America’S Multicultural Reality, Neleen S. Leslie-Piper, Tanzeah Sharpe

AMTP Proceedings 2023

This study examines the state of multicultural marketing education. It looks at current Marketing and IMC programs offered in the United States to ascertain the extent to which their curricula include components aimed at building multicultural competence in future practitioners. Finally, the paper proposes recommendations for making marketing education more responsive to current market needs.

The Relative Importance Of Appearance And Language In Consumers’ Evaluations Of Multicultural Models In Television Commercials, Neleen S. Leslie-Piper

AMTP Proceedings 2023

ABSTRACT

This study aims to expand the literature on source effects by examining the relative importance of appearance and language in consumers’ evaluations of multicultural models in televisions commercials. Specifically, using accommodation theory as a framework, the study explores how multicultural models affect customers’ perceptions of the source’s credibility, attractiveness as well as overall attitudes toward the commercial, the brand and intent to purchase.

Do You Dare To Study Abroad? Examining Cross-Cultural Differences In The Role Of Covid-19 Post-Pandemic Stress On Study Abroad Intentions And Country Image Formation, Helena Allman, Hilmi A. Atadil, Harriette Bettis-Outland

AMTP Proceedings 2023

The purpose of this study is to explore the underlying dimensions of Covid-19 stress to determine the extent to which Covid-19 stress has an effect on students’ intentions to participate in future study abroad programs. The underlying stress factors that this work examines include traumatic stress, contamination fears, fears about economic consequences and past Covid illness experience. The paper addresses the cross-cultural differences in these factors’ effects on studying abroad intentions among young individualistic versus collectivistic consumers. The goal of this study is to develop a deeper understanding of Covid related stress phenomena among global young consumer cohorts. The results …

Combating Luxury Brand Counterfeiting: Recommended Action Strategies, Md Shahidul Islam

AMTP Proceedings 2023

In the past few decades, luxury brand counterfeiting has grown significantly worldwide, and this growth caused considerable damage to the knowledge-based globalized economy and the brands. The rapid development of e-commerce business, primarily during the pandemic, has facilitated the counterfeiting trades through small shipments by different modes of transportation. Counterfeit products can be found in many industries, such as common consumer goods, IT goods, agriculture goods, pharmaceutical items, and luxury items (fashion apparel). The measures adopted to combat luxury brand counterfeiting are minimal to what should have been done. This study proposes that social media activism against counterfeiting is critical …

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

AMTP Proceedings 2023

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

Analysis Of Collegiate Athlete Social Media Engagement On Instagram, Noelle Magann

AMTP Proceedings 2023

Since its founding in 2010, Instagram has developed into one of the world's largest social media platforms. In 2022, $33.3 billion was spent on instagram advertising by companies, firms, etc. Additionally, almost $5 billion was spent on Influencer marketing in 2022, a 27.8% increase from 2021 and a 34.7% increase from 2019. These statistics show the vast importance influencers have on marketing in today's business world and society as a whole. For this project, I looked into the engagement rates of SunBelt Football athletes. I used at least 2 athletes from each university that had over 1,000 followers on instagram, …

Csr Communication Strategy: Avoiding Consumer Skepticism Considering Product Type And Firm Size, Maisy Dauphinais, Setare Mohammadi, Lin Guo

AMTP Proceedings 2023

According to prior study, applying a promotional tone may diminish the credibility of the CSR message. To the best of our knowledge, prior studies did not distinguish between luxury and everyday products when determining the most effective technique for highlighting their CSR initiatives and accomplishments. Furthermore, these tactics may need some adjustments for organizations of various sizes, which hasn't been researched before. Results show that three variables—company size (small/large), product type (luxury/fairly priced), and communication style (factual/promotional)—influence customer CSR skepticism. According to our findings, if a firm is big and sells luxury goods, it's ideal to use a factual tone …

Fail Fast, Learn Fast: Understanding The Process Of Learning From Failure In Smes, Nikolina Koporcic, David Sjödin, Marko Kohtamäki, Vinit Parida

AMTP Proceedings 2023

‘Fail fast and learn fast’ is a common principle advanced to quickly grow and scale startups and SMEs. However, the literature is lacking detailed insights into how such learning processes are organized. The paper aims to investigate how knowledge-intensive SMEs learn from failures through organizational learning processes. Case studies of three high-tech SMEs that operate in a highly dynamic context are presented. The findings are summarized in the learning from failure process, which includes three phases, each with underlying sub-activities and principles: 1) failure recognition, 2) interactive sensemaking, and 3) organizational adaptation. We summarize our insights into a framework disentangling …

The Impact Of Covid 19 And Geopolitical Tensions On Small To Midsized Enterprises, Nader H. Shooshtari, Tim A. Manuel, Shawn F. Clouse

AMTP Proceedings 2023

The combined effects of COVID 19 pandemic and rising geopolitical tensions are discouraging to SMEs operating in international markets but they can be overcome or in the least mitigated. Some of the obstacles facing SMEs are structural and may be difficult to overcome. Others are psychological and can be addressed with appropriate and targeted assistance measures, both public and private, which combined with SME agility and entrepreneurial ability could pave the way for greater international success.

Choose Your Channels Strategically: How Gender Plays A Role In The Receiving Of Online Brand Activism Ad Campaigns, Jana Stupavsky

AMTP Proceedings 2023

The successful launch of a new online brand activism ad campaign focused on gender-sensitive issues can be distorted if the content is delivered through poorly thought-out channels. Companies with access to their customer data should learn more about their existing customer base to strategically select the campaign communication channels. When engaging in activism, brands should consider framing their campaign messaging positively and appear authentic. Otherwise, they risk loss in brand equity and corporate reputation. The following analyses present results from a secondary consumer demographic and behavioral characteristics database anchored in source credibility theory. Its goal is to explore differences in …

Impact Of The Digitized Sales Work Environment On Customer Orientation, Julia Rötzmeier-Keuper, Nancy Viola Wünderlich

AMTP Proceedings 2023

Informed by appraisal theory, which highlights personal characteristics and resources as critical to the emergence of stress appraisal and adaptation (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), our study poses the following questions:

• What characterizes the DSWE?
• What is the role of the DSWE in creating salesperson distress and eustress?
• How is a salesperson’s customer orientation/ value-based selling affected by the DSWE?

In our attempt to explore the potential up- and downsides of work environment digitalization and the appraisal of the pervasive use of Information Technology in everyday work, we adopted a qualitative approach. We combined information from qualitative interviews with B2B customer …

Differences In Consumers’ Green Consumption Mindsets And Behavior Across South Africa, South Korea And The United States Based Upon Measures Of Hofstede’S Cultural Dimensions Theory, Sam Fullerton, Estelle Van Tonder, Jungki Lee

AMTP Proceedings 2023

Samples of 513 South African consumers, 292 South Korean consumers, and 938 consumers in the United States were drawn using identical, but appropriately translated, questionnaires. The data collection instrument addressed a number of psychographic considerations germane to consumption – and anti-consumption – decisions. Using the index scores from Hofstede’s Theory of Cultural Dimensions as bases for differentiating among the three countries, meaningful differences related to issues germane to sustainability were identified. The three cultural dimensions used for comparative purposes were individualism (versus collectivism), indulgence (versus restraint) and long-term (versus short-term) orientation. Differences were documented for all eight of the sustainability-related …