International Business Commons^™

America’S Hidden Heroine: The Revolutionary Experience Of Deborah Sampson, Rebecca A. Dawson

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

This thesis explores the life of Deborah Sampson, a female soldier in the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment during the American Revolution. The author discusses how and why Sampson joined the military, the challenges she had to overcome, and her experience as the first American woman to lead a public lecture tour. Sampson continues to serve as an embodiment of resilience, courage, and the Spirit of ‘76.

“Tw-Ironic": The Ironic Consumption Of Media Examined Through Twilight, Sydney J. Rooney

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

“It’s so bad it’s good” is a phrase often uttered in order to justify watching, reading, or listening to a piece of media with a poor reputation. In the 20 years since the first novel’s debut, the Twilight saga has become renowned for its massive level of popularity and influence. However, it has also faced a great deal of backlash and criticism for a variety of reasons, which affected the nature of the fan base. Through analysis of short-form content, the ironic consumption of Twilight media is observed in contemporary times.

A New Frontier In Political Communications: Analyzing The Electoral Influence Of The 1960 Televised Presidential Debates, Leah Spengler

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

Although Kennedy’s success in the 1960 election is often attributed to his performance in the first televised presidential debates, I contend that the party affiliation of voters and proposed policies by Kennedy, specifically those targeting civil rights, held more weight in securing his victory. The Kennedy image had been carefully curated for over a decade prior to the election, and Kennedy’s performance in the first televised debates reinforced the calm and collected impression he wanted to make to the American people. While his debate performance held significance as it was the first to be televised and led to a discrepancy …

The Militarization Of Space: The Cold War And The Space Race, Malin Wahl

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

The weaponization of space during the Cold War would have posed a significant threat to global security if left unchecked. The Cold War showcased the ideological rivalry between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and their development of a nuclear arsenal. Space was an unexplored domain that actors thought could be weaponized and even become a strategic advantage if a war between these superpowers broke out. The decision to not militarize space, not place orbital weapons in space, and not utilize weapons of mass destruction came from a standoff in which both parties could …

Instruments Implementation Audits And Development Strategies For Taiwan As A Non-Member State Of The Imo, Hui-Huang Tai, Tun-Hao Hsu

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has formulated numerous maritime-related conventions. The promotion of mandatory audits is required to ensure that the implementation of maritime management systems in various countries complies with the IMO Instruments Implementation Code (III Code) and that both member states and non-member states implement these conventions. This is not only an obligation but also a responsibility for all countries to promote the development of the maritime industry. This study investigates how Taiwan, one of the non-member state of the IMO, implements the audit process and develops future implementation strategies for various maritime conventions. This issue is of …

Mcdonald’S Corporation Case Analysis Fall 2025, Madalynn Janousek

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

McDonald’s Corporation has experienced rapid growth and expansion across the United States and globally, entering diverse markets despite evolving regulations, dietary trends, and consumer preferences. The company’s marketing strategies and ability to adapt have been strongly influenced by the leadership of its CEOs over time. Most recently, CEO Chris Kempczinski has been tasked with guiding the company through a post–COVID-19 market marked by staffing shortages, economic pressures, declining customer service, and rising consumer expectations. While McDonald’s continues to hold a significant share of the market, it must invest in improved customer service, innovative marketing, and healthier menu options to remain …

On Blockchain As A Tool Against Corporate Corruption, Yannis Normand

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Over the last decades domestic and international legal frameworks have successfully coalesced to limit corrupt behavior worldwide. However, despite their success, current regulatory tools are not sufficiently well-equipped to address corruption in modern economic settings. These mechanisms can often be too costly to implement, too cumbersome to induce compliance, politically manipulatable, and may disincentivize foreign investment and internal corporate monitoring efforts. To address such drawbacks, policymakers should consider the introduction of blockchain-based tools in developing future anti-corruption efforts.

Blockchain can serve as a foundation for structures that can make it more attractive, easier and cost-efficient to monitor economic transactions, to …

“There Is No Fashion On A Dead Planet:”1 How A Mandatory Reporting Directive Shared By The Us And The Eu And Centered On Transparency Could Be The First Step To Increased Sustainability In The Fashion Industry, Adrienne Redman

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

The fashion industry hangs on self-expression and individualism, yet our methods of consumption and their resulting environmental impacts are far from an individualistic concern. This paper examines the global fashion industry’s substantial contribution to pollution, resource-depletion, and waste as evidence that the self-regulation model is insufficient to curb the environmental footprint of the industry. Self-regulation presumes that consumer awareness and the desire to purchase sustainably will be enough to limit the industry’s environmental impact. However, this presumption is undermined by a lack of standardized and enforceable regulations necessary for consumer-decision making. Instead, greenwashing and deceptive environmental claims have pervaded the …

The Failings Of Post-War Japanese Antitrust Reforms, Gregory Hayes

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

This paper discusses the antitrust reform measures taken during the occupation of Japan following the end of World War II. These antitrust reforms included the dissolution of the zaibatsu business groups and the adoption of the Antimonopoly Act. However, the trust-busting and antitrust measures taken by Japan failed to prevent the eventual rise of keiretsu business groups and lower the concentration of corporate ownership in Japan. The primary reasons behind this failure were the inability of the reformers to fully dismantle the zaibatsu business groups and the changing priorities of the reformers due to the growing threat of the spread …

The Rise Of Global Fcpa Settlements, Rachel Brewster

Faculty Scholarship

For the last two decades, the United States has been the dominant enforcer of anti-bribery norms worldwide. Using the broad extraterritorial jurisdiction granted by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have prosecuted domestic and foreign corporations for bribing foreign government officials. This transnational enforcement system has been described as a negative comity regime: foreign governments defer to American prosecutions even if the case involves their nationals. This system has created a robust enforcement environment but often faces foreign resistance to the perceived “American dominance” of the regime. This …

Pan-Caribbean Airlines: Unlocking Regional Aviation Potential, Dimitrios V. Siskos, Alexander Maravas, Jordan Karatzas

Publications

The Caribbean's air transport system is facing significant challenges, including operational fragmentation, excessive costs, and inadequate inter-island connectivity. These challenges limit its ability to support the region’s heavily tourism-dependent economies. This research evaluates whether consolidating small Caribbean airlines into a single or virtual Pan-Caribbean carrier could transform regional air travel. Based on financial analysis, historical traffic data, and case comparisons with airline mergers in South America and the US, the paper simulates the anticipated efficiencies resulting from route consolidation, fleet standardization, and common operational services. The research concludes that consolidation may create a regional GDP impact of up to $3.3 …

Australia’S Rare Earths Lie Between Economic Security And Liberal Markets, Naoise Mcdonagh

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

China’s dominance over the global supply of processed critical minerals and rare earth elements is well documented, as is its willingness to use such dominance for geopolitical leverage. Beijing has applied export controls to restrict supply on numerous occasions. Recent examples include new restrictions applied to gallium and germanium in 2023, antimony in 2024, and seven rare earths in 2025. This has constrained global supply and elevated spot prices of these metals that serve as critical inputs to advanced industry. The frequency of restrictions is growing, as geoeconomic competition heats up and Beijing turns its mineral dominance into a key …

Brexit And The Spillover Phenomenon: Scotland, Northern Ireland, And Gibraltar, Timea Varga

Journal of Global Awareness

In my research, I examined the consequences of Brexit and the spillover phenomenon. Even though the United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 December 2020 with a deal, the resulting challenges are not solved at all in 2024 either – Brexit has brought to the surface such conflicts that London considered dealt with a long time ago. However, questions of autonomy and independence are not so easy to resolve; they have their roots in history, and in this uncertain situation, they came to the fore again.

Northern Ireland, Gibraltar, and Scotland have always meant sources of conflict for the …

Notes From The Editor, Jay Nathan

Journal of Global Awareness

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Editor, Jay Nathan

Journal of Global Awareness

No abstract provided.

Protection Of Trade Secrets In Global Markets And International Business: Implications For Labor Relations, Oleg M. Yaroshenko, Oleksii Tykhonovych, Yaroslav Kostohryz, Yuliia Ivchuk, Dmytro Sirokha

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

Against the background of globalization and the constant evolution of economic relations, the protection of trade secrets in labor relations becomes a necessity to ensure the sustainable competitiveness of enterprises in the international market. This article analyzes the multifaceted dimensions of trade secret protection, covering global business strategies, intercultural labor practices, international economic relations, and public policy fundamentals. Through the analysis of international agreements such as the TRIPS Agreement and the European Union Directive on Non-Competition Provisions, the article explores how various legal systems address trade secrets in labor relations, emphasizing the need for global harmonization. It also considers cultural …

Institutions Matter: How So?, Alper Duman

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

This paper examines the influential theory of Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James Robinson (AJR) on the role of institutions in economic development, highlighting its strengths, limitations, and areas for further research. A central contribution of their work is the emphasis on power and conflict in institutional formation and change.

The theory's focus on the interplay between inequality, political power, and institutional change provides a valuable framework for understanding development trajectories. This paper also considers critiques of AJR's work, including the lack of robustness of the positive correlation between inclusive institutions and economic performance in lower-income countries and the significant …

An Integrative Framework For Coopetition-Based Scenarios, Marko Budler

Economic and Business Review

The interplay of cooperation and competition (“coopetition”) in supply chains is well studied. However, little is known about the established and evolving scenarios that exist among supply-chain actors in the presence of coopetition. The paper draws on the resource-based view and game-theoretic reasoning to develop an integrative framework with two aims. First, to classify coopetition-based scenarios with varying levels of complementarity and lastingness and to enhance the analysis of the scenarios. Second, as theoretically argued and demonstrated with a focus group discussion, the framework is developed to assist supply chain actors in strategically managing coopetition—by identifying a particular scenario and …

Engaging With Geopolitical Uncertainty: Discursive Riskwork And Western Mnes’ Divestment Announcements At The Onset Of The Ukraine War, Ana Mavretić, Anastas Vangeli

Economic and Business Review

This paper studies the geopolitical riskwork practices employed by Western multinational enterprises (MNEs) in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, focusing specifically on divestment announcements. Using a discursive riskwork framework, the study analyses how Western MNEs articulate and legitimize their divestment decisions in a novel geopolitical context. The findings reveal that Western MNEs align their corporate actions with emerging liberal geopolitical norms and values, thereby rhetorically establishing their role as responsible geopolitical actors. The paper advances the discourse-oriented study of international business phenomena, the study of geopolitical risk management beyond adherence to sanctions and reputation management, the concept of …

Risk Management In Mnes During Global Crises: Subsidiary Control Or Autonomy?, Andreja Jaklič, Iris Koleša, Gaja Mavri, Anže Burger

Economic and Business Review

Tensions between control and autonomy in multinational enterprises (MNEs) have attracted considerable academic interest, which has been additionally fuelled by multiple crises following the 2008 global recession. These have intensified the exploration of interentity relationships within MNEs and their implications for risk and crisis management and resilience. Our study examines how the autonomy of subsidiaries in a risky Central and Eastern European market (Slovenia) influences risk and crisis management strategies as well as resilience of subsidiaries in the midst of global crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine. We analyse the performance of foreign subsidiaries during these …

Change Is In The Minds Of The Beholders: A Sociocognitive Comparison Of Crisis Perceptions And Change Predictions: Insights From China, New Zealand, And Slovenia, Zhonghui Ding, Matevž Rašković

Economic and Business Review

Inspired by research on the "geography of thought" within social psychology, we present a cross-cultural comparative study of sociocognitive patterns between China, New Zealand, and Slovenia. We study COVID-19 risk perceptions and also explore predictions of economic trends under four specific economic scenarios. Our results show that the East-versus-West demarcation in terms of cultural boundaries is useful but insufficient to understand culturally driven predictions of economic trends. In times of economic downturn, such as the one caused by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, there seem to be universal tendencies towards pessimism. However, significant differences emerge in times of economic growth. Hence, …

Risk Management Practices Of European Companies In Times Of High Global Uncertainty, Katja Zajc Kejžar, Darja Peljhan, Peter Trkman, Anastas Vangeli, Danijela Miloš Sprčić

Economic and Business Review

No abstract provided.

Assessing Pakistan’S Textile Exports Under Trade Agreements, Amjad Masood, Junaid Ahmed, Khuda Bakhsh

CBER Conference

Textiles serve as the export engine of Pakistan’s economy, constituting 60 percent of its total exports. Despite this prominence, Pakistan's global share in textile exports has consistently declined. Considering this, this study explores the potential impact of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) on fostering textile exports. The study applied a structural gravity model with the Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood (PPML) estimator to analyze annual exports for the period 2002–2021. Findings exhibit a positive and statistically significant effect of FTAs on textile exports, with varied impacts compared to major competitors. Moreover, we categorized textile products at the HS 4-digit level based on their …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of Soft Power On The Risk Of Foreign Direct Investment Projects, Kelly Montemayor

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

As the world has become more interconnected due to the rapid expansion of trade and communication technologies, countries have been able to create a reputation based on their image instead of their military power. This attraction or soft power, has become a topic of discussion as many scholars have tried to define soft power and the effects it has on the world. This research study focuses on how a country’s soft power affects the foreign direct investment projects it participates in based on the level of soft power its home country has over the host country. This study examines criteria …

Vale Strategic Audit, Nikolas Mancio

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The Chinese government is critical in shaping the global mining and metals industry, specifically for companies like Vale S.A., the world’s largest iron ore and nickel producer. China’s dominance as the largest importer of iron ore significantly impacts commodity prices and demand, with its government exerting substantial influence through production quotas, infrastructure spending, and environmental regulations. Vale’s strategic position in the Chinese market is a cornerstone of its operations. It is supported by investments in distribution centers, blending facilities, and high-grade iron ore that align with China’s environmental goals. However, this reliance also makes Vale vulnerable to shifts in Chinese …

Striking A Balance: Market Shock & Responses In Automotive Components Manufacturing, Emma Lane Mcgahey

All Theses

This thesis examines the effects of extreme market shocks on supply chain dynamics within the automotive industry. Through an analysis of demand data from an automotive manufacturer to its component suppliers (January 2018 to May 2024), the study investigates the relationship between market shocks and supply chain responses, providing insights into how auto components inventory management handles downstream responses to market shocks. With supporting public data—from FRED, BLS, and the U.S. Census Bureau resources—we explore two primary relationships: the impact of market shocks on the Average Standard Deviation of Demand (SDO) and the effect of demand variability on expedited pricing …

Empowering Community Leaders To Drive Sustainable Tourism And Small Business Development In Dangriga, Belize, Philip Nunez

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper discusses the complexities of tourism development in Dangriga, Belize and how simple efforts can greatly impact small businesses in Central America.

Social Capital, Post-Industrial Society, And Faulty Industry Experience: Higher Education’S Engagement Opportunity In Applied Disciplines, Asa B. Wilson, Steven A. Stovall, Edward Crowley

Journal of the North American Management Society

Higher education faces two currents - declining social capital support and the post-industrial transition. Both impact the academy and its students. The associated challenges are discussed as engagement opportunities for the academy in applied disciplines. Also, the instructional value of faculty industry experience (IE) is defined as an attribute of social capital. It fosters student engagement while building an experiential learning bridge from the classroom to the workplace. A composite case based on faculty social capital backgrounds illustrates how faculty IE augments program development, academic rigor, student readiness, research creativity, industry linkages, and community impact. Follow-up research opportunities are identified.

Journal Management, Administration, And Promotion: The Power And Impact Of The Jnams Relaunch, Michael Dobbs, Heather S. Mcmillan

Journal of the North American Management Society

No abstract provided.

Predictors Of Audit Quality: A Confirmatory Study, Joseph Philip Kambey, Williams Kwasi Peprah [email protected], Lenny Leorina Evinta, Cecilia Lelly Kewo

Faculty Publications

This study investigated the predictors of audit quality according to registered external auditors in Indonesia. Even though there are improvements in audit reports and practices, there is still some fraud and audit risk that affects the credibility of financial reports. This research is based on a random sample technique where 304 registered external auditors in Indonesia answered self-constructed research instruments and their validity was ascertained with exploratory factor analysis, where they resulted as good. The first-party distributed data were analyzed with multiple regression to determine the predictors of audit quality. The study revealed that internal controls, governance, and audit culture …