Business Commons^™

The Importance Of Twitter To Destination Marketing Organizations, Tatiana Allgeyer

Theses and Dissertations

Social media has experienced quick and expansive growth since its beginnings. While the initial users were individuals, social media has become a melting pot of businesses, brands, and celebrities all vying for engagement from followers in the hopes of increasing likes, engagement levels and sales.

Destination marketing organizations (DMO’s) have been slow to adopt social media platforms and integrate them into their marketing strategies. The goal of this study is to analyze what kinds of social media content produces the highest levels of engagement in order to make specific social media strategy recommendations to the Columbia DMO, Experience Columbia. An …

Navigating Chinese Culture And Politics: The Destinies Of Companies In China, Vicki Chen

Master's Projects and Capstones

It is generally accepted that the colossal Chinese market offers great opportunities for dynamic entrepreneurial businesses, as well as individuals, but it also means that there are more potential obstacles to be aware of and to overcome than in smaller countries. This study will show how successful businesses in the Chinese market are directly influenced by China’s unique culture, religious beliefs, codes of behavior and political policies. It will also show ignorance or unawareness of these influences can lead to a loss of business or even total failure.

Indeed, a lack of understanding of these influences has been the downfall …

Moosejaw Market Expansion Into France, Rachel Renou

Honors Projects

This research project examines the Moosejaw brand, the outdoor apparel industry, and an overview of France’s political, economic, and cultural environment. The research goal is to analyze key aspects of France that would influence a business’s decision to expand into the country. The information regarding France’s fit for new businesses would then be tailored to Moosejaw to implement. Data found throughout the research process that characterize France as a good fit or not for new foreign business include the current political state of rioting by the Yellow Vests, Macron’s future pro-business plans, the French high quality of life standard, shifting …

Antwerp-Opedia: A Microsoft Sharepoint Site, Catherine Susco

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

As my Honors Capstone project, I implemented a Microsoft SharePoint site where JMU study abroad alumni from the College of Business Semester in Antwerp program can share their experiences and travel tips with other JMU students preparing to go to Antwerp. The goal of this project was to develop an online portal to host a collaborative, centralized site where students can find information regarding the Semester in Antwerp program. Resources on the site include information about the Antwerp program, tourist information and general international travel information. The Microsoft SharePoint site developed throughout this project includes a Wiki general information page, …

Athletic Advantage: Employers’ Views On Applicant’S Involvement In Student Athletics, Jonathan Wenning

Honors Projects

I have always been told that because of my involvement in athletics, recruiters will be more interested to hire me over other candidates because of the skills I have learned as a student athlete. By completing this honors project, I had the ability to survey hiring managers and recruiters targeting Bowling Green Business Students to see if and why they have a preference of hiring a student athlete.

Where Reality Meets Fantasy, Kendall Rankin

Senior Honors Projects

“Fantasy and reality often overlap,” was once said by Walt Disney. In my story, Where Reality Meets Fantasy, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Gelatoni, from DisneySea, dive into the world of employment law and how it affects the Walt Disney Company.

Walt Disney loved storytelling and it is demonstrated in his movies and parks. With his company’s emphasis on safety, courtesy, show and efficiency, Disney wanted not only his guests but also his cast members to enjoy being at the Happiest Place on Earth. With laws like the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and the Civil Rights …

Revitalizing The Street Of Dreams: A North 24th Street Case Study, Tiffany Hunter

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The purpose of this study is to analyze the North 24^th Street corridor in Omaha, Nebraska, to highlight the benefits of investing in commercial real estate development, propose tools for financing new development or redevelopment projects, and to suggest methods of building a coherent development plan to avoid gentrification. Commercial development provides the following: quality business space, accessible jobs for an underemployed populace, additional tax revenue, and a reduction in community detriments such as crime, empty lots, and low property values. The North 24^th Street corridor has economic potential, as it is less than one mile from downtown …

A Strategic Audit Of Tesla, Inc., Cody Mccain

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

After Tesla completed its first every back to back profitable quarters at the end of 2018, sales started to decline in the first quarter of 2019 and many question if the company would every be profitable. Through a strategic audit of Tesla and the electric vehicle industry several key factors have been identified to help improve Tesla’s profitability. Analysis tools used to analyze the company and the industry include Porter’s Five Forces, SWOT Analysis, and PEST Analysis. At the conclusion of the audit there are three recommendations given to help improve Tesla’s strategy. First it is recommended that Tesla focuses …

Strategic Audit Of Facebook Through The Lens Of International Reputation, Ryan M. Mcmanaman

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This report investigates the history and current situation of Facebook, an international social media firm based in Menlo Park, CA. Facebook faces a number of international controversies and growing resentment from its userbase. In an industry where people are synonymous with capital, a strategic recommendation will be made to help Facebook regain some of its users’ lost faith and hopefully recapture old markets.

This report will analyze Facebook’s internal situation using the framework of SWOT analysis, and the external environment Facebook exists in through PEST analysis. These tools will provide a helpful foundation to understand Facebook’s competitive advantages, and render …

Retention, Matthew Molinaro

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

Employee retention in the 21th century reflects how companies keep their employees motivated and well prepared for the challenges in the workplace. In this paper, I apply the concepts of motivation and how employers keep their employees. I also emphasize the costly effects of a employee leaving the organization, both as a dollar and emotional standpoint.

A Strategic Audit Of Runza Restaurants, Chase Caverzagie

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Runza is a well-known, Nebraskan restaurant. As Runza begins to expand, and a new generation of buyers approaches, it is important for Runza to examine the horizon and think critically about their future strategy. Runza will need to decide what their next steps will be to maintain a competitive advantage, and be successful for many more years to come. This strategic audit will look at the company’s background, business model, the internal and external environment, and company strengths and weaknesses. Then, several strategy alternatives are proposed, with the selection and implementation plan of the best strategic alternative.

Google Ads: A Strategic Audit, Jessee Zhang

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Google began as an internet search product, allowing users to find relevant sites based on a search query. Over the past several decades, Google has become an extremely large and profitable business though online digital advertisements. While Google has a diverse product mix, the overwhelming majority of its revenue is generated through ads. This strategic audit first looks at the current external environment, looking at the political, economic, social, and technological changes and opportunities relevant to the industry. Then, it looks at the current competitive environment and shows the profitability of the business because of the large barrier to entry. …

Book Review: Seeds Of Greatness By Denis Waitley, Jennifer Maynard

Marriott Student Review

Book review of Seeds of Greatness by Denis Waitley, personal anecdotes and summaries of research on the secrets to success in life and in the business world.

Collaboration: How Leaders Avoid The Traps, Create Unity, And Reap Big Results, Ryan Stenquist

Marriott Student Review

From the federal government to long-standing investment banks to small startups, every organization needs sensible and effective collaboration. Morten Hansen’s book, published by the Harvard Business Review Press, offers great frameworks for understanding what disciplined collaboration looks like and how our organizations are performing now.

Book Review: The Innovator's Method, Jennifer Ann Goldsberry

Marriott Student Review

No abstract provided.

The Futurist, Ryan Stenquist

Marriott Student Review

Ubiquitous self-driving cars, robot workers, and massive political shifts may seem far away and irrelevant to our day to day lifestyles. However, Mr. Schenker proves that these changes are fast-approaching and come as timely responses to the problems and opportunities of today.

Cultural Intelligence In Business Settings, Tanner Wegrowski

Marriott Student Review

No abstract provided.

The Cfa Research Challenge, Kevin Grube

Honors Student Research

This paper explores the CFA Research Challenge, a financial analysis competition, and what it entails. The paper expands on a wide range of topics regarding the challenge, motivations of its competitors, class influences towards the challenge, and tips and tricks for future competitors. The paper includes my team's finalized research paper and includes our graded rubrics. It also discusses my opinions on the CFA as an organization, detailing my distaste with the professionalism I observed over the challenge.

A Strategic Audit Of Garmin Ltd, Jared Frenzel

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Garmin is a consumer electronics company that has been designing, manufacturing, and selling GPS products since 1989. Recently, however, Garmin has experienced growth well below the market average. This report examines Garmin past and present business situation using analysis techniques such as SWOT, PEST, and Porter’s Five Forces. The information obtained from these analyses will then be used to propose a business strategy that would bring Garmin’s growth back into line with the market average.

A Strategic Audit Of Nintendo Co., Ltd., Emily Wagner

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The astounding success of the Nintendo Switch since its launch in March 2017 has brought Nintendo back into the spotlight of the gaming industry. However, what strategies led to the Switch’s success, enabling Nintendo to come back from the complete and utter failure of the Wii U? Also, what does Nintendo need to do to maintain its success over the lifetime of the Switch and beyond? This paper offers a strategic analysis of Nintendo, examining the company’s history, recent products, competitive advantages, and reasons for the success of the Switch. It also provides an analysis of Nintendo’s internal and external …

A Guide To Leadership Development At A Company, Bridget Nobiletti

Senior Honors Projects

Leadership development is essential for companies because it drives a company’s effectiveness in reaching its goal and promotes growth among employees, causing them to want to stay with the company. Knowing how to develop employee leadership is complex because it is largely dependent on the individual and their role within the organization. I interviewed leadership professionals and human resource professionals who have experience in leadership development to guide my research. I broke up management into three categories and found that the different segments of management need different skills in order to be effective at their jobs. The first step to …

Strategic Audit: Spreetail, Jake Rehwoldt

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This report is an in-depth look at the history and trajectory of Spreetail, an ecommerce company based in Lincoln, Nebraska. As the ecommerce market itself grows rapidly, Spreetail is facing challenges and obstacles to success in the industry, especially since it is competing with Amazon. This report breaks down the factors affecting Spreetail both internally and externally (using SWOT and PEST analyses) and outlines several strategic possibilities for moving forward. The final strategy recommendation for Spreetail is to increase their catalog size and focus on exclusives.

Strategic Audit Of Moody's Analytics, Matthew Dottavio

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This thesis compiles research and analytics on Moody’s Corporation with a focus on Moody’s Analytics in order to provide a strategic recommendation for Moody’s Analytics. Analyses are preformed, including a SWOT and a PEST analysis, to determine the current state of Moody’s Analytics and Moody’s Corporation. A strategic recommendation is made to strengthen Moody’s Analytics’ growth, along with a possible implementation plan.

Strategic Audit Of Allianz Life Insurance Of North America, Jacob Rosebaugh

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This report investigates the history and current situation of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, an annuity provider located in Minneapolis, MN. The company faces several challenges going forward, including determining how to best compete with large companies in the same market such as Amazon. This report looks at Allianz Life’s current standing using tools such as SWOT and PEST analyses and examines the company’s competitive analysis. Allianz Life is recommended to continue with their current strategy because while it doesn’t make them the best in the industry, Allianz Life adherence to its vision statement makes up for the …

A Strategic Audit Of Oriental Trading Company, Isaac Coleman

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Oriental Trading Company is a direct marketer and seller of toys, novelties, wedding favors, custom apparel, and other event supplies. Its products are sold by five brands, each of which participates in a different market. Though its flagship brand, Oriental Trading, is a powerful market leader in novelties and is doing extremely well, the four most recent brands each face distinct challenges and have low name recognition. To increase name recognition and direct sales of these brands, this audit proposes that OTC revitalize its social media presence, add a blog to all of its websites, and resume public participation in …

The Management Of Knowledge-Sharing In College Business Departments: A Study Of The Perceptions Of Business Department Faculty Regarding Knowledge-Sharing Practices, David Conrad, George Dierberger, Marc Isaacson

Faculty Authored Articles

Despite the importance of faculty knowledge-sharing, as revealed in the review of literature, no study was found that explored the knowledge-sharing practices and beliefs among university business department faculty. For this study, university business professors were surveyed to elicit their perceptions about whether or not they believe knowledge-sharing practices are thriving within their departments. Professors rated their department knowledge-sharing practices decidedly low in three vital areas: teaching, scholarship, and culture awareness and understanding. Recommendations are made to enhance business department knowledge sharing.

Fight, Flight, And Freeze: Human Responses In A Business Strategy Environment, Michael Nixon

Student Works

Fight, flight, and freeze responses are a natural part of how we operate as humans. These responses permeate our lives and affect our decisions in major ways. This thesis first employs a case study to help the reader understand natural reaction processes, then analyzes case studies where businesses applied strategies that closely resembled these reaction processes. I then propose a framework to mimic physiological reaction processes to help companies arrive at the optimal solution.

Leading With Trust: A Phenomenological Study Of The Strategies Leaders In Certified B Corporations Use To Build Trust With Their Employees, Victoria Wodarczyk

Dissertations

Purpose:The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how senior management leaders of certified B Corporations (B Corps) build trust with employees, using the 5 domains of connection, concern, candor, competence, and consistency.

Methodology:Aqualitative phenomenological approach was used in this study to explore how senior leaders of certified B Corps build trust with their employees using The Values Institute (TVI; Weisman, 2016) trust framework and the accompanying domains of connection, concern, candor, competence, and consistency. Participants were purposely chosen based on study criteria of a senior management leader in a certified B Corp including leadership for at …

Small Business And Private Entrepreneurship Development Tendencies In The Republic Of Kazakhstan, G. F. Atadjanova

Central Asian Problems of Modern Science and Education

This article outlines the features of supporting the development of small business and private entrepreneurship in the Republic of Kazakhstan

Taking Flight – February 2019, Georgia Southern University

College of Business: News & Publications

• Message From the Dean
• Alumni Spotlight: Matt Donaldson
• Retail Students Make Annual Trek to NYC
• Meybohms Host First Eagles After Hours Event
• Georgia Southern Economics Students Take Fourth Place in National Trading Competition
• Eagles Economics Society Attends Premier Economics Conference
• Economics Students Conducting Original Research
• Business Confidence Is Strong, but Headwinds Are Present
• Finance Association Brings Industry Guests to College
• Faculty/Staff News