Marketing Commons^™

Fragmentation In The U. S. Fed Cattle Market: Implications For Price Transparency And Discovery, Taralee M. Hudson

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The U.S. fed cattle market is one plagued by recurring stakeholder concern. Market participants frequently raise questions about the transparency of fundamental information under existing reporting frameworks, and the extent to which Private Negotiation, the dominant trading institution, effectively facilitates price discovery. Although extensive research has sought to address these issues, much of it has failed to account for the market’s increasingly fragmented structure. This thesis is comprised of three chapters that collectively examine price transparency and discovery through the lens of market fragmentation. Each chapter presents research related to the fed cattle market and is intended to stand …

Brands & Virtual Personas: How Virtual Influencer Types Impact Brand Awareness, Carol Calderon Ambelis

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As social media continues to shape how consumers interact with brands, virtual influencers (VIs) have emerged as a new type of digital celebrity. While previous research has explored how VIs contribute to brand image and awareness, there has been limited attention on how different types of VIs, both anime-like and human-like, affect consumer perceptions across different markets. This study examines how these two types of VIs impact relatability, aspiration, and brand awareness, with a focus on the differences between luxury and mass market. Using a within-subjects experimental design, this study recruited 574 participants with social media experience using MTurk. The …

Why Real Impact Stories Of Forest-Dependent Communities Are Essential In Carbon Marketing, Andrew Mwape

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

As the global carbon market matures, the pressure on companies and project developers to prove the integrity and social value of their carbon offset initiatives has never been greater. At the heart of this growing scrutiny lies a key opportunity: to move beyond metrics and tell authentic, human-centered stories that reflect the real impact of carbon projects; especially those rooted in forest landscapes.

Nebraska National Agri-Marketing Association (Nama), Marissa Davis, Rosalee A. Swartz

Cornhusker Economics

NAMA PALOOZA, the 2025 Agri-Marketing Conference, was held April 9-11 in Kansas City, Missouri. The conference is an annual event that brings together National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) professional and student members. There are 27 professional chapters and 32 student chapters from across the United States and Canada. The conference is a great opportunity to foster connections between students and professionals in marketing, advertising, communications, promotion, sales, and public relations.

Evaluating Risk And Return Of Corn And Soybean Marketing Strategies Using Monte Carlo Simulation Methods, Johanna Ilves

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study evaluates the performance of pre-harvest marketing strategies for corn and soybeans, using Monte Carlo simulation techniques. Given the increasing volatility in commodity prices and the evolving landscape of agricultural markets, producers face growing challenges in developing effective marketing plans that manage risk and enhance profitability. This thesis examines thirteen marketing strategies from 2008 to 2024, including benchmark harvest-only sales and various pre-harvest futures contract approaches. Historical futures price data for December corn and November soybean contracts were used to simulate 1,000 marketing outcomes per strategy per year, capturing a broad range of market conditions. Key performance indicators such …

Gap, Inc. : A Strategic Audit Of Gap, Inc. Company, Amber Hanson, Ike Mcley, Sophie Thomas, Avery Plessel, Kira Pavlik

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The following paper is a comprehensive overview of the company Gap, Inc., a leading global retailer with a diverse brand portfolio that includes Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta. They compete in the Family Clothing Industry through their operation of over 3,352 brick-and-mortar stores along with offering their digital shopping platform to align with changing consumer preferences. Gap, Inc. plans to maintain financial rigor, reinvigorating its brands, and strengthening its platform. Their strengths are found in their expanding e-commerce segment and their strong commitment to sustainability. Through a broad differentiation strategy, Gap, Inc. targets a diverse consumer demographic across …

Understanding Pre-Harvest Hedging Behavior And Basis Forecasting: The Role Of Information In Grain Marketing, Iyore Eronmwon

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation examines decision-making under risk in grain marketing, focusing on how information influences behavior, attitudes toward accessible information, and methods for forecasting commodity basis. Through three essays, it explores the impact of information on hedging decisions, the determinants of information-seeking behavior, the extent to which students can serve as proxies for farmers in risk experiments, and the effectiveness of different forecasting approaches for commodity basis.

The first essay examines the impact of information on pre-harvest grain marketing hedging decisions and grain marketing information-seeking behavior. Specifically, it evaluates two types of information hypothesized to influence decision-making: expected cost of production …

Understanding Market Outlooks, Elliott James Dennis

Cornhusker Economics

As 2024 has concluded, many industry analysts will reflect on the market trends and forces that shaped 2024 to make improved decision making in 2025. This is a pivotal time to evaluate the factors influencing commodity markets and plan for the future. Market outlooks play a vital role in this process, offering agricultural producers and industry stakeholders valuable insights into price trends, production forecasts, and market dynamics. By analyzing data from government agencies, universities, and private firms, these outlooks help users anticipate and navigate market fluctuations, whether through short-term forecasts or long-term projections spanning decades. With advances in technology and …

Climate Smart Agriculture, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

There are several programs encouraging producers to reduce their carbon intensity, including United States Department of Agriculture climate-smart agriculture programs, the 2024 Nebraska Climate Action Plan, and the 2024 Nitrogen Reduction Incentive Act. The hope is that producers with lower carbon intensity (CI) scores will receive a premium for their products. Producers would be well advised to learn more about these programs, as reducing carbon intensity in agriculture seems to be an emerging agricultural policy trend that will be with us for some time to come.

Willingness To Pay And Market Potential For Biowrap: An Economic Study Of A New Biodegradable Mulch Product In Home Gardening, Gengchen Cai

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study explores the market potential of BioWRAP, a biodegradable sprayable weed suppression product, by assessing the willingness to pay (WTP) among American home gardeners. Traditional plastic mulch offers significant agronomic benefits but poses considerable environmental challenges, making BioWRAP a promising alternative due to its similar benefits and reduced environmental impact. Using a double-bounded contingent valuation method, we analyze the WTP for BioWRAP among different demographic groups and gardening practices. Our findings indicate that the highest WTP for BioWRAP is among home gardeners who currently use chemical sprays for weed suppression, followed by those using physical barriers, with the lowest …

Exploring Gen Z’S Identity Formation And Its Influence On Consumption Of Pop Culture And Entertainment Merchandise, Melisa Annette Spilinek

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Fandoms have grown in size and influence, becoming a complex and dynamic cultural phenomenon that richly impacts the consumption of media and consumer behavior. The capitalistic United States with its diverse and media-savvy population, is a prime destination to study fan studies, particularly among young adults who are a crucial component of fandom influence.

The internet has grown to be a major component of the fan experience, an integral part of fandom culture. Online communities provide avenues for Generation Z to connect with others who share similar struggles, challenges, and interests, highlighting the importance of digital platofrms on the evolution …

Value Of Gain In The Lamb Feeding Industry, Jay Parsons

Cornhusker Economics

Value of gain (VOG) is a term in the livestock feeding industry that refers to the average value of a pound of gain. It is the most appropriate revenue value to use in comparison to the cost of gain to determine profit margin.

‘Within The Reach Of Everyone’: Tracing The Global Strands Of Herrman, Sternbach & Co.’S 1880s Imitation Furs, Laura Johnson

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Long before faux furs became trendy, vegan-friendly materials, weavers and textile designers in eighteenth and nineteenth century Europe developed a range of woven goods that offered the haptic qualities of animal pelts. Surprisingly, given their popularity, little research has focused on imitation fur production and consumption at the turn of the twentieth century and its earlier roots. This paper traces the strands linking a group of textile samples donated by New York merchant H. Herrman, Sternbach & Co. in 1884 to (what is today) the Smithsonian National Museum of American History through connecting threads of global production, innovation, and consumption. …

Vanmoof Strategic Audit, Chi-Chun Chang

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

VanMoof is an e-bike brand originated in Amsterdam that has expanded to Western Europe, Eastern Asia, and North America. This paper will analyze the e-bike industry using PESTEL analysis. It will also analyze the industry’s competitive environment using the framework of Porter’s Five Forces, followed by an analysis of the strategy VanMoof’s currently employing. Based on the results, the paper will end with a recommendation for future strategies.

Producer Long-Term Marketing Opportunities With Ethanol Plants, Austin Harthoorn, Logan Lloyd, Cory Walters, Kate Brooks

Cornhusker Economics

Commodity marketing operates in a complex decision environment with constant information flow, which can conceal long-run financially profitable marketing opportunities for producers. In the corn marketing space, the competitive role of ethanol plants throughout the state may provide producers with long-run financial gains by strategically approaching marketing decisions. In this article, we characterize whether producers can gain financially from strategically marketing corn to ethanol plants. For example, do ethanol plants provide a better long-run return from pre-harvest hedging, spring sale, or harvest sale?

We investigate three important contracting times--forward contract for harvest delivery (called pre-harvest hereafter), harvest delivery, and spring …

Realizing The Good Despite Customer Mistreatment, Carissa Kim

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Unruly and rude customer behavior is on the rise. Estimates indicate that frontline employees experience ten episodes of customer mistreatment daily. Not only is customer mistreatment detrimental for the frontline employee (e.g., higher turnover, lower job satisfaction, lower well-being, and more), but also for customers that witness (e.g., emotional contagion) or engage (e.g., loss of morals) in these deviant interpersonal behaviors. Extending the body of research on customer mistreatment, my dissertation seeks to investigate silver linings or possible functional consequences of customer mistreatment. My dissertation draws from Emotions as Social Information (EASI) theory to investigate the outcomes of mistreatment in …

Corn Grain Marketing Strategy Unbiasing For 2023, Matthew Stockton, Shannon Sand

Cornhusker Economics

Discusses cognitive biasing errors that may be employed--in the context of corn market strategizing--such as the Dunning-Krueger effect, availability or distancing bias, gambler's fallacy, and anchoring bias.

Predicting Mobility Using Limited Data During Early Stages Of A Pandemic, Michael T. Lash, S. Sajeesh, Özgür M. Araz

Department of Marketing: Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed consumer behavior substantially. In this study, we explore the drivers of consumer mobility in several metropolitan areas in the United States under the perceived risks of COVID-19. We capture multiple dimensions of perceived risk using local and national cases and death counts of COVID-19, along with real-time Google Trends data for personal protective equipment (PPE). While Google Trends data are popular inputs in many studies, the risk of multicollinearity escalates with the addition of more relevant terms. Therefore, multicollinearity-alleviating methods are needed to appropriately leverage information provided by Google Trends data. We develop and utilize …

Typology Of Tweets And User Engagement Generated By U.S. Companies Involved In Developing Covid-19 Vaccines, Priyanka Khandelwal, Leslie Ramos Salazar, Soni Khandelwal

Department of Marketing: Faculty Publications

This study analyzes 295 tweets by four U.S. companies engaged in discovering a vaccine for COVID-19. Tweets were analyzed to understand how their Twitter feeds balanced corporate and product branding (vaccine, medicines, etc.) and disseminated scientific information relating to COVID-19. The results suggest that these companies were actively embedding technical information about COVID-19 in their corporate and product branding. Tweets providing technical and scientific information about the progress made toward developing a COVID-19 vaccine garnered high levels of user engagement from their target audience. Findings from this study indicate the growing importance of technical communication in corporate settings during a …

Launching An Online Boutique And Analyzing Digital Marketing Strategies Used, Kayla Weyers

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Digital marketing is becoming more relevant and widely used in the marketing industry. In order to use the marketing skills that I have learned through my marketing major in a real-world scenario, I launched an online women’s clothing store called Ash + Grae. This paper examines the start-up process and legal obstacles of opening a small business. It also analyzes the different marketing techniques by comparing digital marketing strategies such as social media, influencer, email, and SEO marketing.

Starbucks Strategic Analysis, Jillian Jacoba

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Starbucks is a multinational chain of coffee shops and roasteries that was founded in 1971. Starbucks has continued to grow for the past 51 years and continues to dominate the coffee industry. This strategic analysis evaluates the general environment using a PESTEL analysis, the industry using Porter’s Five Forces, and the company’s overall strategy and competitive advantages. This paper will evaluate Starbucks’ position in the industry and the strategic choices that have led the company to its extraordinary success.

The Effects Of Received Grandmothers’ Affection On Adult Grandchildren’S Health Behaviors Using Affection Exchange Theory, Leslie Ramos Salzar, Priyanka Khandelwal, Yvette Castillo

Department of Marketing: Faculty Publications

Background: Affection exchange theory (AET) explains the value of received affection for overall wellbeing in family relationships. However, this study extends prior work by investigating AET in grandmother-grandchild relationships and grandchildren’s individual well-being. This study seeks to understand the relationships between adult grandchildren’s received grandmother affection and health-related behaviors such as diet, exercise, substance abuse, and sleep.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 229 university student participants. Multiple regression analyses were performed to analyze received grandmother affection and grandchildren’s health behaviors.

Results: Using cross-sectional survey methods, it was found that grandchildren’s reports of received memories and humor, and celebratory affection influenced …

Beauty And Lifestyle Subscription Services: A Modern Retailing Format For The Vigilante Collaborative Consumption Consumer, Melisa Spilinek

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Advancements in technology and ease of use of online shopping via phone applications (apps) and subscription services have fundamentally changed how consumers shop. Now more than ever, consumers are turning to time-saving technological tools that are subscription services. Subscription services provide a multitude of benefits to consumers and contribute to collaborative consumption in nearly every product and service category from coffee to apparel. To investigate beauty and lifestyle subscription services and collaborative consumption this study will utilize a mixed methods convergent design to analyze user experience including price sensitivity, subscription service apps and ease of use. Anticipated contributions to the …

Nebraska Cow–Calf Operations: Use Of Pricing Tools And Market Diversification Strategies To Manage Market Risk, Logan Kalkowski

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis is divided into three chapters. The first chapter of this thesis investigates years of research and data collection from multiple agencies to find connections to reasoning for producers to choose marketing and diversification tools used in their operation.

The second chapter examines cow-calf marketing and risk management practices in Nebraska. Marketing and risk management behavior are examined by using the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cow-calf survey data collected in 2016. The survey captures characteristics of operations and their use of marketing and risk management practices. While it is important to understand what operations are doing currently, it is also …

Illusional Marketing: The Use Of Storytelling, User Experience And Gamification In Business, Adnan Veysel Ertemel

Zea E-Books Collection

“This book is a must-have for marketers who need to use a composite set of tools to break through the attention economy. The book is also for the general public who might be concerned about the growing and numbing screen time that takes people away from doing other things.” — Philip Kotler on Illusional Marketing

Digital platforms know how to “hook” consumers and keep them glued to the screen. These products were developed based on psychologists’ research into the way the human brain works. These are new weapons in the marketing toolkit that will become even more effective when combined …

Advertising During The Covid-19 Global Pandemic: The Rise Of Influencer Marketing Strategies In A Recession, Bre Tenhulzen

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States in January of 2020 and has since impacted nearly all industries, including advertising. Consumers, the guiding factors for all advertising strategies, faced drastic lifestyle changes and behavior shifts which sent current strategies askew. The virus has created insurmountable unknowns, thus advertising and marketing experts must rely on historical and recent data to develop strategies for brands forging ahead. COVID-19 is the first global crisis in the age of social media which has both helped and hindered communication during the crisis. Additionally, emerging influencer marketing strategies are proving more effective than ever as brands …

Buy Fresh, Buy Local: Nebraska Working Together For Local Food, Margaret Milligan

Cornhusker Economics

Direct market farms in Nebraska are made up of people passionate about raising good food for their fellow Nebraskans. They grow vegetables, fruits, meat, grains, and value-added products to sell directly to consumers in their communities.

During the pandemic, these small farms have experienced restaurant sales vanishing, farmers’ market attendance de-creasing, and slots filling up at the small meat processors where they take their livestock. At the same time, there has been a renewed interest from consumers seeking reliable, transparent food produced close to home. It’s been a volatile year, and it has required quick pivoting, group coordination and action …

Influence Of Convenience, Time-Savings, Price, And Product Variety On Amazon Prime Members And Non-Prime Shoppers’ Online Apparel Purchase Intention, Md Rashaduzzaman

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The number of internet users and online shoppers in the United States has grown at an incredible rate over the past few decades. Greater convenience and availability of a wide assortment of apparel products at a cheaper price made online shopping very enticing to consumers. Amazon.com (Amazon) gained unprecedented popularity among consumers with its Amazon Prime program. Amazon’s retail revolutions changed consumer’s way of shopping and expectations. Both online and physical store retailers are facing tremendous pressure to fulfill that level of expectation. Thus, it is essential for retailers clearly understand the shopping expectations and preferences of Amazon Prime members …

The Role Of Myopic Loss Aversion In Pre-Harvest Grain Marketing, Iyore Eronmwon

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this study, we investigate the role of myopic loss aversion (MLA) risk preferences on pre-harvest grain marketing decisions using a laboratory experiment. Prospect theory parameters were estimated to measure MLA. We estimated a power function for utility and obtained power estimates indicating linear utility for gains and concave utility for losses. We obtained a loss aversion parameter estimate that suggests the presence of loss aversion. We found evidence of probability weighting for both gains and losses. We classified individuals into three categories based on their MLA status. They are no NMLA, MLA, and high loss aversion (HLA). We observed …

The Challenge Of Consumer Diversity In Servicescapes: An Investigation Of Consumer And Service Provider Experiences, Abigail Nappier Cherup

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

While consumer diversity continues to grow in importance, evidence suggests that firms have yet to align their thoughts and activities with diverse consumers’ needs. This is especially true for consumers who have a hidden stigmatized identity. On the one hand, consumers with such concealable stigmatized identities must make the decision to reveal or conceal their identity in a variety of situations, including service environments. On the other hand, many service providers are working to offer inclusive service environments yet struggle to do so. Therefore, this ethnographic dissertation has two objectives: to 1) conceptualize practices unique to consumers with a concealable …