Internet marketing is critical for meeting changing consumer needs and staying competitive in the business environment. Small business owners need strategies on how to use Internet marketing to promote their products or services. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore how 5 small business owners in Maryland developed and implemented an online marketing strategy. Participants were recruited for their roles as the chief decision maker of their business; additional prerequisites for their participation were that they used Internet marketing, represented different industries, and had fewer than 20 employees. Data came from semi-structured interviews with the small business owners, direct observations of the firms' online marketing processes and technology, and evaluation of companies' use of different Internet marketing channels. The data analysis strategy drew on resource-based view theory propositions, examinations of conflicting explanations discovered during the literature review, and cross-case synthesis. The 5 emergent themes encompassed unstructured planning, limited Internet marketing knowledge and expertise, use of Internet marketing channels and tools, lack of systematic approach to the management of Internet marketing, and inadequate measurement of Internet marketing efforts. By engaging in Internet marketing strategy planning, acquiring specialized Internet marketing knowledge, measuring marketing performance, and extending their Internal marketing resources through outsourcing, small business owners may develop and implement successful online marketing strategies. These findings may influence positive social change by contributing to more effective and efficient marketing practices in small firms that can lead to better financial performance, higher survival rates, and a healthier economic system.

Abstract: Business-to-business (B2B) marketing involves several components including the marketing management decision-making process and the buying behaviors of the B2B clientele and the end users. Disregarding customer knowledge management (CKM) and inaccurate analysis of data cost companies billions of dollars per year. The objective of this exploratory single-case study was to develop an in-depth analysis of the problem that some marketing managers have limited knowledge of how to use CKM strategies to improve B2B customer engagement. The dynamic capabilities and technological opportunism theories comprised the study's conceptual framework. Data collection consisted of participant observations, member checking, and semistructured interviews with 4 Dallas-based, managers at various levels of responsibility within a single B2B company. The data analysis entailed using an adaptation of Giorgi's systematic text condensation and inductive coding techniques of reoccurring themes. The themes that emerged indicated a need to improve marketing strategies. These themes included developing a division wide marketing plan, devising a CKM tool, and initiating organization wide CKM protocols and training. Beneficiaries of this research are marketing managers, marketing practitioners, organizational strategy and policy makers, and students of business administration. Implications for social change include specifying the strategies that business leaders need to improve sustainability.

Greenwashing means the advertisement of goods and services that are alleged to be of benefit to the environment, and is a phenomenon that persists as an advertising tactic in corporate marketing. Research has found that consumers are distrustful of greenwashing, as many claims of eco-friendly products have been shown to be false. This crisis of confidence recalls scandals of the past decade related to insider trading, price fixing, and lack of corporate social responsibility placing the brand equity of major corporations at risk. Given a limited understanding among corporate leaders of consumers' experiences with greenwashing, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the essence of these experiences. Research questions explored the phenomenon of greenwashing, informed by stakeholder theory, social identity theory, consumer culture theory, and the theory of corporate social responsibility. Interview questions were distributed to a purposeful, convenience sample of 20 research participants at a U.S. Military base in Germany. Interview data were collected via e-mail, transcribed, coded using open techniques, and analyzed to identify themes or patterns. Key themes included feelings of distrust in green advertising, indifference (business as usual), betrayal, and concern for the environment. Consumers also expressed a conscious awareness that educating themselves and exercising prudence when purchasing such goods and services is the best defense against greenwashing. The findings underscored the need for theorists of consumer culture and social identity to make trust a central topic when discussing consumers' identification with brands and products. The findings of this study may contribute to positive social change by educating consumers about greenwashing, which could help empower them to demand better environmental conduct from corporations.

Low consumer loyalty threatens the sustainability of the fair trade (FT) coffee market and corporate social responsibility investment. To provide business owners with strategies and decision-making processes to market FT coffee products successfully in the United States, this phenomenological study explored the lived experiences, perceptions, and insights of 20 FT coffee marketing managers. Planned behavior theory served as the conceptual framework. Face-to-face or Skype interviews were conducted with each of the 20 purposefully sampled FT coffee marketing managers. The data from these interviews were analyzed using Moustakas' modified van Kaam method and qualitative analytic software to collect, group, reduce, validate, and organize the interview data into themes. Nine themes emerged from the analyses. The theme analysis revealed the importance of including consumer education as a part of a marketing strategy to improve consumer understanding of the FT label and to catalyze demand. Based upon the topics participants emphasized during the interviews, another principal theme was the importance of establishing a direct relationship with a farm. Furthermore, 2 of the 20 participants provided unique insights on achieving consumer trust and the importance consumers attribute to consistent taste. Educating consumers on the effects and implications of the FT label is instrumental in increasing profits from FT coffee. The findings could catalyze beneficial social change by enabling business owners to educate consumers through marketing communications, which increase their market share of FT coffee and thereby enhance the lives of third-world farmers.

Map compiled by the East Tennessee State University Research Advisory Council showing population centers at different radiuses from the East Tennessee State University Campus. Population statistics were drawn from the population projections of the 1970 census. The legend includes overall population totals in 50 mile intervals. Majid Ejlali is listed as a primary author. In his capacity as Director of University Marketing and Promotion, Dr. Ejlali created a series of series of census maps as part of a university proposal to establish a medical school at ETSU. This is one such map. Physical copy resides in the Government Information, Law and Maps Department of East Tennessee State University’s Sherrod Library. / https://dc.etsu.edu/rare-maps/1004/thumbnail.jpg

The following thesis acts as a critical cultural progression report surrounding the current technological disruption in the entertainment industry and its impact on consumers. This begins with a study of the history starting in 1910 and covers the urbanization of America during the Industrial Revolution, the developing fan experience, a history of consumer demands in relation to oligopolistic principles and the blockbuster method, the invention and influence of the television, and the current effect of technological advancement in the entertainment industry. Following this historical overview, four chapters will study different methods of analysis covering the intricacies of the current technological disruption using four theories: population ecology, media systems dependency, the mainstream cult, and convergence and participatory culture. The culmination of this work will consist of drawing together the history, the theories, and the contemporary examples into a conclusion about the fate of the media oligopoly in which this researcher points to the importance of seamless integration between the media industry and the consumer by way of three possible outcomes.

A proliferation of social movements and a large group of young, politically active individuals have pushed corporate firms to pay more attention to increase resource allocation to corporate social responsibility. As of now, corporate social responsibility refers to a wide definition of general efforts made by firms to support society through social impacts. A review of current literature on corporate social responsibility reveals a gap in the way the quality is calculated as well as does not take into account the influence of social movements in the past couple of years. This paper assesses the specific social and political justice positions that firms have taken and whether these positions have had an effect on financial performance given the more actively conscious consumer base. Tobin’s Q is used to quantify these effects and show that positive corporate social responsibility increases financial performance, supporting the hypothesis, while negative corporate social responsibility does not significantly affect financial performance. Future research recommends a closer look at the industry differences in the subject as well as a clearer definition of the variance between the different issues that constitute corporate social responsibility.

Organizational-public relations discourse is changing given the advent of social media, and corporate statements are evaluated under different criteria in the digital age. Grounding Budweiser’s response to controversy over their 2017 Super Bowl advertisement in terms of consumer expectations for corporate social responsibility provides a new perspective for approaching Bostdorff and Vibbert’s (1994) conceptualization of values advocacy. This study recognizes the power of the rhetorical stakeholder, a discursively created public, and demands re-evaluation of the values common to society from a co-creational OPR perspective. Conceptualizing dialectic values advocacy outlines the changing values among contemporary, common stakeholders as well as the means for communicating these values superficially to promote unanimity among publics and organizations. Previously successful universal values like unity and patriotism have since been replaced with sensationalism and discord; formally engendering these values through ambiguous controversy allows an organization to strategically construct audience perceptions of reputation.

Seasonal small business owners (e.g., boating and golf industries), primarily within the upper and Midwestern United States, face challenges for profit and growth because of a brief business potential year and limited time to establish a reliable and committed customer base. The purpose of this case study was to explore strategies that seasonal small business owners in Oakland County, Michigan may use to collaborate with local associations and charitable organizations to increase profits. Stakeholder theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. A purposive sample of 4 successful small seasonal business owners in Oakland County, Michigan participated in face-to-face interviews describing their perspectives. The central research question was aimed to identify strategies successful small seasonal businesses owners apply to improve profits. Data analysis included coding keywords, sentences, and ideas into categories. The following themes emerged: (a) brand awareness, (b) community involvement, (c) customer loyalty, (d) seizing operational opportunities, and (e) recapturing lost revenue. Based on the business owners' narratives, brand awareness and community involvement were the most important strategies to increase profits. The implications for social change include the potential to provide new strategies to support seasonal small business toward sustainability, charity awareness, stronger relationships between small business and communities, and economic prosperity.

In Nigeria, almost every business enterprise relies on petroleum products for power or transportation. Shortages of petroleum products cripple business activities and undermine development of the Nigerian economy. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore supply chain management strategies needed by petroleum business leaders to mitigate shortages and sustain business development in Nigeria. The sample for the study included 10 senior leaders from 2 private-sector Nigerian downstream petroleum supply companies located in the Niger Delta region, who had successfully implemented strategies for petroleum supply. The resource based view theory served as the conceptual framework for the study. Data collection included semistructured face-to-face interviews and review of operational and policy documents from the supply companies. Data were transcribed, analyzed, and validated through member checking and triangulation, resulting in the identification of 6 themes: appropriate allocation of resources to all segments of the supply value chain for efficiency, efficient banking and foreign exchange operations, engaging appropriate human capital for operational efficiency, technology application in both operational and nonoperational segments, maintaining good organization reputation in the industry, and investment in Nigerian crude oil refining and infrastructures. Findings may be used by petroleum business leaders and investors to create effective and efficient supply chain management, leading to product availability, employment opportunities, poverty reduction, and economic development.