E-Commerce Commons^™

Navigating Study Abroad: Improving Western Michigan University Students' Understanding Of University-Approved Provider Programs Through A Website Redesign, Gillian Gold

Honors Theses

Study abroad is a valuable opportunity for students' personal and professional development and is offered in various study abroad models and frameworks, including university-run or externally-run. Western Michigan University offers various options, including Faculty-Led Programs, WMU Exchange Programs, Partner Study Abroad Programs, University-Approved Provider Programs, International Internships, and Independent Study Abroad Opportunities. The University-Approved Provider Programs option at WMU allows students to study abroad through a provider that could more directly meet their interests and goals due to the personalized options available. Despite the benefits of the University-Approved Provider Programs, participation in these programs is low. The information about this …

Analyzing Social Media Content Strategies That Drive Engagement For Independent Hairstylists, Aurora Batts

Honors Theses

This study explores how social media, has changed the way independent hairstylists market themselves and connect with clients. Social media has become a huge tool in the beauty industry, allowing stylists to showcase their work, build their brand, and attract new clients. Because platforms like Instagram act as a digital portfolio, clients are making decisions based on what they see online rather than just location or recommendations.

Due to this shift, it is important to understand which types of content perform well and generate engagement. This study focuses on identifying the specific content characteristics that lead to higher engagement for …

Impact Of Humor Vs. Seriousness In Advertising: The Role Of Product Type In Consumer Recall And Purchase Behavior, Cian Ortega

Honors Theses

This study examines the effectiveness of humorous versus serious advertising tones across three different product categories, which are beverage, hygiene, and health/medicine. This is done by measuring their impact on a consumer’s brand/product recall, enjoyment, and purchase intent. Historically, humor has been related to positive emotional responses while seriousness has been associated with building trust and credibility. By using a within-subjects experimental-survey design, data were collected from seventy survey respondents who viewed humorous and serious advertisements across the three product categories (hygiene, beverage, and health/medicine and then evaluated each ad based on their agreement to statements relating to brand/product recall, …

Sipping Success: A Complete Digital Marketing And Customer Journey Makeover For Local Business Mi Boba Using Principles Of Change Management, In-Store Experience Enhancements, And Website Redesign., Joanna Holecko

Honors Theses

Sipping Success captures the journey of customer experience and marketing strategies for a small, woman-owned business in Kalamazoo, Michigan: Mi Boba. Beginning with an in-depth analysis of existing in-store experience using reviews and interviews, this thesis uses insights to guide the creation of a customer service blueprint catered to creating the perfect Mi Boba interaction. From that blueprint, new signage and menus were created to improve the customer experience. Next, the website was completely redesigned to address issues of navigation, visual representation of products, and search engine optimization (SEO). These enhancements improved user experience, resulting in significant increases in website …

An Analysis Of The Extent To Which Responsible Technology Is Taught In R1 And R2 Research Universities In Michigan., Maisie Blaukamp

Honors Theses

Responsible technology development, use, and communication is crucial as technological innovations scale. An increasing topic of conversation in the technology and education industries is how to educate individuals to interact with technology in an ethical way, as harmful technologies and use of technologies are creating negative impacts on individuals, businesses, and society. This research examines the extent to which responsible technology is taught in major Michigan universities.

An analysis of courses and course descriptions at 8 R1 and R2 universities shows that there is a lack of responsible technology education in business colleges, courses teaching technology development, and courses teaching …

Exploring The Perception Of Sponsored Posts On Instagram, Mahek Verma

Honors Theses

Influencer marketing has grown immensely, and consumers are now frequently interacting with and making decisions based on content published by influencers on social media. This thesis explores how different types of endorsed influencer posts are perceived along with how the type of endorsed post can impact a consumer’s perception of the product and brand being endorsed. Using self-administered questionnaires, semi-structured interviews a simulated influencer content browsing experience, this research examines differences between influencer endorsements officially sponsored by a company, endorsements of products merely gifted by the company, and endorsements of products with no company involvement. Research findings identified a lack …

Permissions Between Creators And Users: An Investigation Of Particulars In Privacy Policies For Mobile Apps, Abbigail Griffith

Honors Theses

Mobile apps create a space for users to share information with other users and, in doing so, the creators of the applications. Generally, the greater amount of sharing information that occurs between users and creators enhances the experience of the apps for both parties. However, the extent to which mobile apps use this information can cause concerns with users about privacy due to the unknown practices of mobile apps relevant to data collection, data sharing, and data storage.

Documents, such as privacy policies, exist in attempts to moderate these concerns. Additionally, mobile apps offer in-app features for the same reasons. …

Women Leaders In Marketing: Breaking Through The Glass Ceiling, Hallie Green

Honors Theses

Introduction: During my internships I was able to work with and meet women leaders in marketing. Through our discussions I learned that gender roles are still prevalent in large companies today. Many of the women I worked with talked about struggles women face in their career that men do not. There were strong emotions that women did not get equal treatment for their contributions to the company. I was surprised by these statements, especially from seemingly successful women. This thesis will be an exploration of the difficulties professional female marketers face, and the ways women that are starting their career …

Crowd Sourced Product Reviews: A Study Of Evaluation Standards Used, Alexander W. Manga

Dissertations

People are using online product reviews and evaluations more and more (Chandler et al., 2013). As the usage of online reviews persists and more smart phone applications are created, the demand for online product review continues to increase; yet, there is no indication of the quality of these reviews. In fact, some online reviews have been found to be fraudulent and misleading. Many online product reviews come from Internet-based crowdsource organizations. Few studies have explored evaluation practices among these organizations, and as a result, it is unclear what, if any, evaluation standards are used by crowdsource reviewers, particularly those found …

Does Social Media Help Create Brand Loyalty?, Ali Russo

Honors Theses

Throughout my time at Haworth College of Business, Social Media has been a big topic of discussion. The issue has not been if companies should use it as a tool to reach consumers but how do companies effectively utilize Social Media sites. Companies have two important ways to utilize these sites: the first is to collect data from users, and the second is to create a platform where they can interact and influence purchasing decisions. I wanted to create a thesis that focused on the interaction side of Social Media. Initially, I wanted to see if Social Media would create …

Consumer Opinions And Rfid Implementation, Anna K. Brown

Honors Theses

Radio frequency identification (RFID) has been in use for a number of decades tracking various products and materials in a wide range of industries. The objective of this study was to find simple factors and relationships explaining the usage of Internet shopping and online banking, and the attitudes toward RFID in hospitals. The question being addressed is whether the general population is accepting of the technology application in the tracking of patients and their medical histories in a hospital environment. A randomly selected survey of the population in the Midwest was taken to examine relationships between privacy attitudes and behaviors …

A Comparison Of Print Advertisements To Corresponding Web Sites: Are Marketers On Target, Sarah Jo Sautter

Honors Theses

Technological advances constantly make lives easier and information more accessible. Marketers seek the best ways to communicate with their prospects. This means keeping pace with technology, and being a pioneer in the industry. The Internet is one communication medium growing in popularity among marketers. As a new advertising medium, companies rush to beat their competitors, and many others follow. As a result, Web addresses are found in traditional media like television, radio and especially print.