Business Commons^™

Strategic Audit Of Amazon.Com, Inc, Sarah E. Kenny

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Amazon has recently grown as a company, surpassing many other online retailing websites. However this success is threatened by Amazon's reputation as an evil company. Amazon faces numerous lawsuits for unlawful termination and inhumane warehouse conditions. This current generation of consumers dislikes supporting companies that they view as evil, meaning that if a company entered the market that had better business practices, consumers would quickly leave Amazon. The audit suggests that Amazon combats these views by improving warehouse conditions, increasing minimum wage at their workplaces, and increasing benefits for workers. This audit also suggests that Amazon improves one of their …

Empirical Investigation Of Public Policy On Automotive Sales In The American, Canadian, And German Markets, Hannah Eliades

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

Automotive scrappage programs aim to stimulate the economy, while benefiting the environment, by replacing older fuel inefficient cars with new fuel-efficient vehicles. Public policies, such as rebates, are discussed as indirect influencers of competition. Using the Resource-Advantage Theory as a framework, this indirect influence is empirically examined using three programs: one from the United States, Germany, and Canada. This paper found that the duration of the program, as well as the size of the rebate, matter to consumers and the overall success of the program. The United States had a large enough rebate but failed to last long enough to …

Tribal Gaming Leader Strategies Toward A Sustainable Future, Janie A. Hall, Patricia I. Fusch, Janet M. Booker

The Qualitative Report

One aspect of leadership strategy is the need to account for the core values of the organization.The purpose of this case study was to explore the tribal gaming leader strategies used toward sustainability, an action that leads to tribal economic development and stability. The conceptual framework of situational leadership theory was used to guide the scope and analysis of this study. Six tribal gaming leaders from Oklahoma participated in a focus group session; 7 additional tribal gaming leaders from the same gaming organization participated in individual interview sessions. Member checking was used to strengthen the credibility and trustworthiness of the …

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 …

Adaptive Workflow Design Based On Blockchain, Daniel Narh Treku, Jun Sun

Information Systems Faculty Publications

Increasingly, organizational processes have become more complex. There is a need for the design of workflows to focus on how organizations adapt to emergent processes while balancing the need for decentralization and centralization goal. The advancement in new technologies especially blockchain provides organizations with the opportunity to achieve the goal. Using blockchain technology (i.e. smart contract and blocks of specified consensus for deferred action), we leverage the theory of deferred action and a coordination framework to conceptually design a workflow management system that addresses organizational emergence (e-WfMS). Our artifact helps managers to predict and store the impact of deferred actions. …

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.

Parental Influence In Youth Sport, Justine Tam

Sport Management Undergraduate

Youth sport has become one of the most popular outlets for children in today’s society. Youth sport programs and organizations play an important role in the lives of the children that are participating. Many aspects go into, what would be considered, a successful delivery of sports (Barcelona & Young, 2010). Moreover, this includes coaches and parent’s influences and when it contributes to a positive experience (Barcelona & Young, 2010). However, one of the biggest contributions to a positive or negative sport experience, is the role of parental influence.

The culture around youth sports has changed in multiple ways throughout the …

Evaluation Of Aau Experiences, Erika Wittmeyer

Sport Management Undergraduate

The purpose of this research was to gain a deeper understanding about what former Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball players took away from their experience during participation. The reason this study was conducted was because AAU often requires a large time and financial commitment. There is a lot that goes into AAU between practices, tournaments, traveling, plus other expenses that show up throughout AAU. This research study is important to people who are thinking about joining the organization but also those who are interested in exploring if it is still beneficial to participate. It is known that a lot of …

An Examination Of How Much Product Extensions Play A Role In Fandom, Skylar Swatt

Sport Management Undergraduate

Executive Summary

The purpose of this study was to determine if product extensions played a role in fandom so sport organizations could see what extensions they could use to gain more fans, generate revenue, and enhance their relationships with their fans. This research was important because sport organizations could use the product extensions that play a role in fandom to enhance their relationships with their fans. It was known that the development of fandom, product extensions, and the growth of sport programing along with the plethora of options for fans to use have been examined and researched individually. The method …

Player Safety In The National Football League, Cody Dubiel

Sport Management Undergraduate

This research was conducted to determine to what extent National Football League fans want player safety rules in the game of football. The NFL received backlash from not only a tremendous amount of fans but players as well. It was essential for the NFL to determine what a happy medium was in order to keep the players safe while they played the game of football, but also the physicality was a large part of the game that the fans loved. The NFL player safety rules reduced the amount of injuries that occurred, but fans and players believed that the rules …

Global Perspective Or Local Knowledge: The Macro-Information In The Sovereign Cds Market, Yaqing Xiao, Hongjun Yan, Jinfan Zhang

College of Business Faculty and Staff Works

This paper shows that sovereign CDS spreads can predict future stock index returns, sovereign bond yields, as well as real macroeconomic variables such as GDP and PMI. The predictive power comes almost entirely from the global, rather than country-specific, component of sovereign CDS spreads. This is consistent with the interpretation that the information advantage of sovereign CDS investors is derived from their global perspective rather than their local knowledge about individual countries. Stock and sovereign bond market indices gradually “catch up” with sovereign CDS spreads, mostly during the days surrounding credit rating or outlook changes, and especially for downgrades.

2019-04-26 Message From The President, Morehead State University. Office Of The President.

Staff Congress Records

A message sent to the faculty and staff by the Office of the President on April 26, 2019.

The Santa Clara, 2019-04-25, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: April 25, 2019, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) rose by 1.21% during March of 2019. The increase in the LEI-N, which is designed to predict economic activity six months into the future, implies moderate economic growth in Nebraska through the fall of 2019. Strong business expectations were again the primary reason for the increase in the leading indicator. Respondents to the March Survey of Nebraska Business reported plans to increase both sales and employment at their businesses over the next six months. There also was growth in manufacturing hours-worked and a drop in initial claims for unemployment insurance during March 2019.

A Critique Of Advertisements For Female Hygiene Products: A Silent Crisis In America, Laura Schulte

Senior Honors Theses

Female hygiene advertisements can be ambiguous due to the intimate nature of menstruation. This can result in a lack of information and invoke the need to hide signals of menstruation. Further, understanding the target audience’s desires and needs is crucial. Just like any other advertisement campaign, the women buying female hygiene products desire to know the benefits of one type over another. Adding an emotive appeal or a creative method to the advertisement is not wrong. This thesis does not suggest for a dull advertisement; however, there is a balance—a campaign designed to care for and inform women while meeting …

Sexualized Labour In Digital Culture: Instagram Influencers, Porn Chic And The Monetization Of Attention, Jenna M. Drenten, Lauren Gurrieri, Meagan Tyler

School of Business: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The rise of digital technologies and social media platforms has been linked to changing forms of work, as well as the mainstreaming of pornography and a ‘porn chic’ aesthetic. This article examines some of the ways in which these themes coalesce, and interrogates the conceptual boundaries of sexualized labour, extending beyond traditional organizational settings and into Web 2.0. The study explores performances of sexualized labour on social media by analysing visual and textual content from 172 female influencers on Instagram. This article contributes to the literature on sexualized labour in three ways. First, by demonstrating how sexualized labour is enacted …

Strategic Audit Of Spotify, Lauren Maciejewski

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Spotify is a music streaming platform that originated in Sweden. Since inception, it has found immense success in the music streaming industry. It has the largest market share compared to other major competitors, Apple and Amazon. In 2018, Spotify was able to turn a profit for the first time. Royalties on music content has prevented the company from reducing their cost of goods sold. In order to make a sustainable business model, Spotify has to adjust their business model to attract consumers to more profitable products.

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.

The Bride, Millennial Identity, And Instagram: A Case Study Of Hillsong Australia’S Instagram Account, Jessica Delp

Senior Honors Theses

Identity has become an incessant focus for millennials. They ascribe ever-growing significance to identity anchored in an accepting community that elevates their perception. Subsequently, identity is increasingly significant for brand and consumer relationships. Successful brands understand this and incorporate a pervasive sense of their unique identity into their brand, visually and otherwise. This case study of Hillsong Church hopes to help churches understand the importance of visuals in communicating identity. Hillsong Australia’s Instagram is examined using the Saussure model of visual semiotic theory to understand how they present their church identity in relation to millennial identity. The two most dominant …

Measuring Greatness In The Nba, Evan Whitmoyer

Senior Honors Theses

The “greatest player ever” debate stems from the controversy of how to measure a player’s effectiveness and contributions. Some analysts focus their arguments on a player’s statistics and advanced analytics. Another analyst may argue that awards play the largest role in a player’s worth to a team. Even though the tendency is to focus on one category of comparison, a player’s career is too complex to use only one category to rank players. In basketball, there are also so many exceptions in these points of comparison due to the team aspect of the sport. These factors all play a role …

Using Communications To Promote Training Within The Non-Profit Sector, Hannah Chick

Senior Honors Theses

The influence of a non-profit organization is often subdued by the lack of skills, knowledge, and capability of the workers and volunteers that flood their sector. This is due to a lack of training and development of both potential and current employees (Riddoch, 2009). Untrained workers often feel undervalued and unengaged, which leads to dissatisfaction in the workplace. In addition, employees who are incompetent cause a decrease in efficiency and productivity, which necessitates the hiring of extra workers, costing additional time and money for the organization. Untrained employees can also reflect poorly on the overall organization, causing a lack of …

Financial Literacy: The Argument For Required Coursework Regarding Personal Finance In Schools, Maclain Canfield

Honors Theses

Financial literacy is one of the most important skills for adults to possess, and therefore personal finance should be required education. Being financially literate provides individuals with the knowledge needed to make financially prudent decisions that substantially impact their lives (Kenton, 2019; Lusardi, 2008; Zucchi, 2018). However, only fifty-seven percent of adults in the United States are financially literate (Klapper, Lusardi, & Oudheusden, 2015).

Although financial literacy provides lifelong benefits, basic personal finance is seldom taught in schools (Council for Economic Education, 2018; NPR, 2019). Research shows that students are more financially literate where financial education in high school is …

Time Changes Everything: Examining Socioemotional Selectivity’S Effects On Entrepreneurial Intentions And Attitudes, Zane N. Sudan

Honors College Theses

Entrepreneurship is still regarded as a popular career choice across generations, however, the Millennial generation has seen the lowest rates of entrepreneurship among past generations. The purpose of this study is to identify psychological mechanisms that could explain this drop in entrepreneurship, discerning whether or not time perspective has a significant effect on an individual’s entrepreneurial intentions and attitudes. Two studies were conducted: (1) a 2x2 experiment that manipulated time perspective (open time vs limited time) and perceived certainty (perceived certainty vs. perceived uncertainty) to see what effects these variables had on entrepreneurial intentions and emotion regulation regarding entrepreneurial goals. …

The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act Hurts Single Parents With Children Pursuing A College Education, Michelle S. Freeman, Alyssa Reed

ETSU Faculty Works

This article highlights some instances where the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) increased taxes for single parents at the moment their children are pursuing a college education. The article further recaps education credits that were saved (but not increased) by the TCJA and a deduction that was lost. The authors also discuss an implication of the TCJA that could cause the burden on families sending children to college to increase further. Finally, the article captures items that legislators could enact to relieve the additional burden on families with students pursuing a college education.

Leading By Example: Coaches’ Perspectives Of The Nonverbal Leaders On Sport Teams, Alicia Finnigan

Senior Honors Theses

Within the last century, scholars in sociology and psychology have begun to research roles in society. In recent decades, industrial/organizational psychology research sparked an interest in informal roles, and now sport psychology is beginning to adopt that investigation of informal roles as they appear on sport teams. Current research is sparse, but some early work has determined several informal roles, and one of these has been individually investigated. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the expansion of knowledge concerning individual informal roles by investigating collegiate coaches’ perspectives of a second role: the nonverbal leader. Analysis revealed ideas …

The Casual Dress Of The 1950s Woman And The Casual Dress Of Today's Woman, Joanna Woolsey

Senior Honors Theses

The casual dress of American women has changed dramatically from the 1950s to the present. In the 1950s, the style was undeniably feminine, with fitted waists and full skirts ending below the knee. The style of young women today has become significantly more casual and androgynous, with pants and leggings taking prevalence in casual wear. The style of dresses has also changed significantly, as has the standard of modesty. This work will discuss and evaluate the changes in casual dress from the 1950s to the present, including the influences on style in both time periods. The change from only wearing …

Evaluating The Undergraduate Marketing Curriculum: Utilizing A Swot-Based Approach To Identify And Incorporate Meaningful Digital Skills, Concepts, & Competencies, Kayla Noel Sapkota

Theses and Dissertations

Marketing professionals commonly use technology for communications, advertising, and data collection and analysis. Entry-level marketers who can harness the power of digital tools will be favorably situated to meet the challenges of today’s digitally-based world of work. This qualitative study investigated the undergraduate marketing curriculum with a focus on preparing students for careers in digital marketing. The two, main research questions are as follows: (1) how well are colleges and universities preparing students for technology-based marketing jobs upon graduation, and (2) what knowledge/skills do employers seek when hiring employees for technology based marketing jobs? Data were collected from four sources, …

The Relationship Between Capital Structure And Profitability Of United States Manufacturing Companies: An Empirical Analysis, Cuibing Wu

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Elmer R. Smith College of Business and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Master of Science by Cuibing Wu on April 22, 2019.

Psychological Ownership Of Simple Jobs: The Effect Of Job Crafting, John S. Furrh Iii

PhD in Business Administration Dissertations

Previous research on the relationship of job characteristics and psychological ownership has primarily focused on the specific dimensions of work and possessive behaviors and their impact on employees in complex jobs. This study takes a new path by examining how psychological ownership can be increased for a previously unexamined group, employees in simple (i.e., routine and repetitive) jobs. Based on 2016 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, almost 60% of jobs in the U.S. workforce could be considered to be simple or low in complexity. This study intends to investigate the answer to the following key research question: Can psychological …

Certification Value To Consumers In The Coffee Industry, Alexandra Aubron

Honors Projects in Global Supply Chain Management

The coffee industry is a growing industry characterized by a complex system of interrelated economic, environmental and social issues. While having appeared initially as a response to environmental and social movements, certifications are now used by coffee retailers as a business tool to satisfy consumer demand for greater transparency. They are used as indicators that the coffee retailer is investing in traceability of its supply chain. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of coffee certifications in practice by answering the following research question: are certifications successful in communicating the various traceability efforts made by retailers? To …