Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

What's In A Name? Public Perceptions Of Multi-Level Marketing, Robert A. Peterson, Jeffrey A. Peterson

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper presents the results of a nationwide survey of the American public’s general familiarity with, and perceptions of, multi-level marketing, direct selling, and social selling. Survey respondents were most familiar with direct selling; there was no substantive difference in familiarity with multi-level marketing and social selling. Respondents familiar with the three terms possessed perceptions of them that were significantly more positive than were the perceptions of respondents reporting not being familiar with the terms. Across all terms, male respondents reported being more familiar with, and more positively disposed toward, them than did female respondents. Respondents 55 years of age …

Part 1: Inflation, Uncertainty, And Volatility Undermine Virginia's Recovery, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Commonwealth Reports

If the story of 2020 was the pandemic and the tale of 2021 was the recovery, then rising inflation and interest rates dominated the narrative of 2022. The economic recovery remained incomplete, with jobs returning to pre-pandemic levels but some Virginians remaining outside the labor force. Now, with the possibility of a recession in 2023 looming, we ask how Virginia fared over the last 12 months and what are the prospects for future growth?

Nonparent-Friendly Work Climate & Parental Role Value: An Updated Approach To Understanding Nonparent Work Experiences, Andrew Lutz

Wayne State University Dissertations

First, the present study entails a theoretically guided examination of relationships between nonparent-friendly organizational climate (NPFC) and important outcomes among nonparent workers. Second, the present study explores the role of social-identity theory in understanding nonparent work experiences by examining and comparing the function (i.e., moderation effect sizes) of parental role values and parental expectations (i.e., childfree status) on relationships between NPFC and outcomes including affective commitment. Third, the present study compares the relevance of NPFC and singles-friendly culture in the prediction of outcomes among nonparent workers. Lastly, the present study examines the potential role of intersectionality of nonparental role and …

The Economic Obstacles To Electric Vehicle Adoption In Montana, Lily B. Duray

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Beginning in 2008, electric vehicles, otherwise referred to as EVs have increased in popularity. However, most rural areas like Montana still have not adopted these types of vehicles because of three major obstacles. By addressing EV driving range, availability of public EV charging stations, and the charging times of EVs, EVs can become a credible substitute for traditional vehicles in Montana.

Consumer Measures Of Local Food System Performance And Shopping Behavior Across Covid, Azita Varziri

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

This dissertation consists of three essays: In the first essay, we utilize a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to measure the residents’ perceptions of the local food system performance. Local food system (LFS) components are classified into related measures that may help explain the overall performance scores provided. LFS performance measures are explored across 15 different communities in the U.S. South. The second essay explores the awareness and performance differences toward farmers markets, including the markets themselves and the corresponding local food product quality, product diversity, and markets infrastructure across different age-range groups and community sizes in Southern states. Finally, in …

Search, Technology Choice, And Unemployment, Constantine Angyridis, Haiwen Zhou

Economics Faculty Publications

Technology variations among countries account for a significant part of their income differences. In this paper, a firm's technology choice is embedded in a search theoretic framework for unemployment. More advanced technology is assumed to have a higher setup cost, but it is more productive. The model is tractable and the following results are derived analytically. An increase in the unemployment benefit leads to an increase in the equilibrium wage rate, giving an incentive to firms to choose a more advanced technology. Thus, this result regarding unemployment insurance in models with wage posting carries through with Nash bargaining as well. …

Mathematics Of Generalized Versions Of The Melitz, Krugman, And Armington Models With Detailed Derivations, Edward J. Balistreri, David G. Tarr

Department of Economics: Faculty Publications

We provide detailed textbook style mathematical derivations of an extended version of the heterogenous firms model of Melitz (2003), as well as the Armington (1969) and Krugman (1980) models. Our model of heterogeneous firms extends the model of Melitz (2003) by allowing multiple sectors, intermediates, heterogeneous regions based on data, labor-leisure choice, initial heterogeneous tariffs, multiple factors of production, the possibility of sector-specific inputs and trade imbalances based on data, and we incorporate global and unilateral tariff policy shocks. Although the models in this paper are extensions in numerous directions of the Melitz trade model of heterogeneous firms, the pedagogical …

Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans’ Opinions About Water, Climate, And Energy: 2022 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steven A. Schulz, Amanda Tupper

Nebraska Rural Poll

Most rural Nebraskans receive their home tap water from city water or municipal water systems. Just over two-thirds of rural Nebraskans receive their drinking water from a municipal system. One-quarter have private well water and seven percent are on a rural water system.

Many rural Nebraskans have tested their home tap water for nitrates. However, a similar proportion indicated they have not tested their water or are unsure. Persons with higher household incomes are more likely than persons with lower incomes to have tested their home water for each of the items listed. Many persons with the lowest household incomes …

Grassroots Organizations Using Social Media As A Lobbying Technique, Samantha Vo

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Grassroots organizations provide a way for communities to interact and form around topics through grassroots lobbying and direct lobbying. As the 21st Century is referred to as the Digital Age, many grassroots organizations have found it necessary to expand on their lobbying techniques. Rather than utilizing methods like traditional media, email, phone calls, or text messages, methods involving social media are becoming more prominent as society continues to advance. Social media is a distinctive part of the Digital Age, and as the usage of social media increases in popularity, it can be used to reach a large population of people. …

Leadership Adaptability Within The Higher Education Industry, Rebecca Niemeyer Rens

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Dynamism in the higher education industry (HEI) has created unprecedented complexity and uncertainty for leaders at colleges and universities across the globe. The challenges to competitive advantage and sustainability created by dynamic conditions have been exacerbated and accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and health crisis. HEI leaders are struggling to adapt antiquated and traditionally held methods and practices to navigate the rapid changes and survive the resulting chaos. The ability of leaders to adapt to dynamism in contemporary industry conditions is influenced by the external and internal environments; in term, these leaders’ capacity for change impacts the adaptability of the …

Impact Of Islamic Financial Principles On Mitigating The Covid-19 Financial Crisis In Pakistan, Mohammed Monzur Murshid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a global financial crisis. Governments and central banks around the world took unprecedented measures to mitigate the effect of the pandemic-triggered financial crisis and maintain the stability of the financial system. The purpose of this cross-sectional quantitative study was to examine the capability of the Islamic financial system to mitigate the effect of the pandemic-induced financial crisis on the economy of Pakistan in 2020. The International Monetary Fund enhanced dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (IMF-DSGE) model provided the framework for this study. Data collection included conventional financial sector parameters, Islamic financial sector parameters, and country-level macroeconomic data …

Ira Disclosure Framing Effects On Purchase Decisions, Eugene Cautillo, Mary M. Long

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This research examines the use of disclosures included in IRA advertisements to determine their impact on purchase decisions. Disclosures were manipulated through different framing language to examine the investor’s risk perception. The Hayes Process Model was used to test the significance of investor risk perception and risk propensity (investor’s likelihood to act on risk perception) related to framing manipulation and ultimately, the purchase decision. The level of risk propensity was then used to assess the impact on the purchase decision for investors with varying sophistication levels. Additionally, the investor’s sophistication level, determined via a series of investment questions, was also …

In Search Of Unicorns: An Analysis Of Japan's Startup Ecosystem, Kaito Komoriya

CMC Senior Theses

While Japan previously dominated global consumer markets in innovative electronic products, the economy has failed to live up to this performance since the burst of the asset price bubble in 1992 and the subsequent lost decades. In the modern economy, startup companies have become synonymous with innovation. Most of these companies have emerged from Silicon Valley, as well as other startup hubs around the globe. However, critics have criticized Japan for the limited number of notable startup companies from the country.

My thesis seeks to answer the two following questions: First, what is the current state of Japan’s startup ecosystem? …

The Transforming Importance Of Social Skills In The Labor Market In The 2010s, Andrew Bradjan

CMC Senior Theses

The growing importance of social skills has led to an increase in returns to wages and employment for workers specializing in social skill-intensive occupations. Between 2012 and 2019, social skill-intensive occupations grew by 3 percentage points as a share of the U.S. labor force. Math-intensive occupations also grew by a similar amount during this time. To analyze these patterns, I utilize a model of team production where workers trade tasks to exploit their comparative advantage. Social skills reduce coordination costs between workers and allow them to specialize and cooperate with other workers more effectively by trading tasks. This model predicts …

How A Supply Chain Stumble Changes A Company’S Policies And Progress 20 Years Later: A Case Study Of Gap Inc., Alexandra Futterman

CMC Senior Theses

Gap Inc. is the third-largest American retailer. Founded in 1969, Gap Inc. holds four brands, Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Athleta. In the late 1990s and early 2000s Gap Inc. made headlines for child labor abuses along with many other large brands. After this negative attention, Gap Inc. began developing policies and practices to combat ethical supply chain issues. These policies included a Human Rights Policy, a Code of Vendor Conduct, working conditions standards, and even capacity building programs that boarded company reaches into communities they touch. In conjunction with the policies Gap Inc. has published several social responsibility …

Cross-Cultural Examination Of Vacation Policy On Employee Satisfaction And Happiness, Ketan D. Parekh

CMC Senior Theses

With the advent of technological advancement, entrepreneurship, and a higher emphasis on meritocracy, societies across the globe have experienced intense competition to outdo one another. This has pushed companies to place increased importance on worker productivity; large and small companies want to see their employees work harder, longer, and faster. With this increased demand for work, companies today are making sure they have suitable reward systems to ensure worker satisfaction and quality work production. However, what these reward systems look like and how they function contrast significantly across cultures, especially as it pertains to corporate leave policies. This thesis examines …

Corporate Taxes And Union Wages In The United States, Alison R. Felix, James R. Hines Jr.

Articles

This paper evaluates the effect of U.S. state corporate income taxes on union wage premiums. American workers who belong to unions are paid more than their non-union counterparts, and this difference is greater in low-tax locations, possibly reflecting that unions and employers share tax savings associated with low tax rates. In 2000 the difference between average union and non-union hourly wages was $1.88 greater in states with corporate tax rates below four percent than in states with tax rates of nine percent and above. Controlling for observable worker characteristics, a one percent lower state tax rate was associated with a …

The Economics Of A “Portion Size Reduction” Policy, Hanin Hosni, Konstantinos Giannakas

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

This study develops novel models of heterogeneous consumer preferences for different dining options and imperfect competition among food suppliers to analyze the market and welfare effects of portion size reduction (PSR) for food away from home. Different scenarios on the nature of differentiation of the dining options, the information available to consumers, and their response to links between portion size and obesity, food waste, and climate change are considered within this framework. The market and welfare effects of the policy are quantified using a simulation analysis. The analysis shows that the market and welfare effects of the policy are case-specific …

Promoting Regulatory Prediction, Jonathan S. Masur, Jonathan R. Nash

Faculty Articles

It is essential for environmental protection that private actors be able to anticipate government regulation. If, for instance, the Biden Administration is planning to tighten regulations of greenhouse gas emissions, it is imperative that private companies anticipate this regulatory change now, not a few years from now after they have constructed even more coal- and gas-fired power plants. Those additional power plants will mean more irreversible greenhouse gases, and these plants can be politically challenging to shutter once built. The point is general to private actors making decisions in the shadow of potential government regulation. Better information about future government …

The Sec’S Climate Disclosure Rule: Critiquing The Critics, George S. Georgiev

Faculty Articles

Climate change is an existential phenomenon, which entails a wide variety of physical risks as well as sizeable but underappreciated economic risks. In March 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) moved to address some of the information gaps related to the effects of climate change on firms by proposing a rule that requires public companies to report detailed and standardized information about important climate-related matters for the benefit of investors and markets. Though the rule proposal was welcomed by many market participants, it was also met with a level of opposition that was unusual in both its intensity …

Equality Offshore, Martin W. Sybblis

Faculty Articles

Global governance architecture, crafted by wealthy nations, has perpetuated the subordination of developing jurisdictions. The Article offers a novel and surprising analysis of governance tools used by wealthy countries and inter-governmental organizations to constrain offshore financial centers (OFCs) by focusing on the tools’ disparate impacts on tax havens whose populations comprise predominantly Black and Brown people. With tax haven issues garnering increasing attention, this Article provides a pathbreaking conceptual framework for examining the international tax, crime, and business discourse on OFCs. It also illuminates how the actions of powerful international actors, such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development …

Inclusion Of The Mobility Impaired In Our Community: Ask First!, Jeffrey M. Heinz Dds, Msd

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This DEI Series feature article provides a unique perspective on the inclusion of individuals with physical disabilities, focusing on mobility impairment, in the dental profession and community. The author, a paraplegic orthodontist, shares personal experiences and challenges, shedding light on the importance of considering physical disabilities in dental offices. Navigational difficulties in compliant yet wheelchair-unfriendly spaces are discussed, urging practitioners to have contingency plans. The article emphasizes the significance of etiquette in assisting individuals with disabilities, encouraging respectful communication and asking before offering help. Practical insights on dental chair usage and transfer assistance are provided, promoting a more inclusive environment …

Letter From The Dean, Jean-Francois Meullenet

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Consumers' Perception Of Quality For Ladies' Swimwear Based On Price And Brand, Jennifer Avila, Laurie M. Apple, Lance M. Cheramie, Leigh Southward

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Consumers shop at multiple retailers for different needs, and it is understood that many choose a retailer for an experience and others will shop at another retailer for better savings. In a time where E-commerce is at an all-time high, retailers need to consider how they compare against online retailers in the apparel sector. In this study, three retailers were compared against one another since they are all swimwear competitors. As these retailers adjust to store and production shortages, it is important to understand how the quality of clothing will keep sales consistent. Consumers are likely to keep shopping at …

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences- Volume 23 2022, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Featured Faculty Mentor And Student Explore The Dynamics Of This Research Relationship, Matt Bertucci, Gracie Morrison

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions: Summer Activities For Anna!, David Henderson, John Marsh

Business

Anna Swanson will soon be home for the summer. Her parents John and Carol are trying to figure out the best way to keep Anna busy for the summer using a $400 gift from her grandmother. Given their budget, John and Carol must weigh the cost, benefits, and break-even points of options like a YMCA pool pass, amusement park pass, or various summer camps and try to find the best option or options that will keep young Anna busy during the summer.

Attracting Applicants With Corporate Social Responsibility: A Social Dilemma Perspective, Shin Han

CGU Theses & Dissertations

There has been a surging interest in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in society, and business leaders perceive that CSR is essential in business operations. However, CSR can lead to unsatisfactory outcomes when not appropriately understood or practiced. Therefore, I conducted two studies to provide an alternative CSR perspective (Study 1) and empirically test how firms can benefit the most from CSR in applicant attraction (Study 2). In Study 1, I analyzed CSR as an organizational social dilemma (Rockmann & Northcraft, 2018), where the conflicts among stakeholders and between short- and long-term outcomes are inevitable. To minimize these conflicts, firms need …

Generation Of Creative Game Scene Patterns By The Neutrosophic Genetic Cocoso Method, Aurimas Petrovas, Romualdas Bausys, Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

Creative procedural generation requires, by its nature, a nondeterministic result. Each set of outputs has to satisfy the required criteria and, at the same time, has to show unique results to be considered creative. One of the keys to increasing nondeterminism is to use fuzzy neutrosophic sets. A combination of a CoCoSo multi-criteria decision algorithm with a genetic algorithm to generate game scenes was proposed. The algorithm satisfies the required game rules and improves the aesthetics value of the visual game scene. The proposed approach seeks to produce a creative solution which satisfies the replayability principle, when the solution is …

Artists As Assets: Labor And Capital In The Unity Asset Store, D'An Knowles Ball

English Faculty Publications

The Unity Asset Store sells amateur designers and artists a promise of being able to participate in an idealized, rationalized vision of how the game design industry operates. However, the Unity Asset Store depends on marketing the content created by amateur artists in ways that require the artists to essentially package their work as labor and to mask their role as artists. This essay views labor and capital in the Unity Asset Store through a Marxist lens, informed by Kline, Dyer-Witheford, and de Peuter's (2003) model of technological, cultural, and marketing forces as "three circuits of interactivity" in the mediatized …