The advent of digital cameras, including those in smartphones, has caused an upheaval in the photo industry that led to the bankruptcy of Kodak and the closure of most independent photo stores. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore marketing strategies that specialty photo retailers in the United States have used to grow revenues after the shift to digital imaging technologies. The conceptual framework of this study was Rogers's diffusion of innovations model specifying typical movement of information through communications channels in a social system over time. Data sources included semistructured interviews with 5 photo retailers, photos of facilities and pointof- sales displays, website pages, and social media. Data were analyzed using inductive coding of phrases and words from interviews, followed by identification of common themes. Additional data gleaned from participants' displays, websites, and other documents supported interpretations of themes through methodological triangulation. Strategies that the 5 participating retailers used to grow revenues were manifest in 3 major themes: adoption of new technologies, market segmentation, and marketing communications. Study participants described various strategies to acquire customers including the use of technology (e.g., enterprise-level management systems), defining market segments underserved by competitors, and customizing marketing communications for specific targeted segments. A viable retail channel can produce social change by providing sources of information on new products that can enhance consumers' lives and create economic growth via new jobs.

There has been slow growth among traditional residential real estate organization managers to communicate among the real estate industry successful e-commerce strategies. Grounded in diffusion of innovation theory, the purpose of this descriptive case study was to explore strategies traditional residential real estate managers use to compete with e-commerce real estate managers. The study population comprised traditional real estate office managers in western Nebraska who had at least 5 years' experience in developing successful e-commerce strategies and had sold a home in the past 5 years. I conducted a thematic analysis on the data collected via semistructured interviews and company documents. Four themes emerged from the analysis, including establishing and maintaining multiple e-commerce websites, regularly monitoring websites, establishing a visible presence on multiple e-commerce websites, and preparation to evolve as technology evolves. The study's implications for positive social change include the potential for traditional residential real estate organization managers' to develop and use new and useful strategies for overcoming barriers and effectively competing with e-commerce real estate organizations to remain competitive in the local economy through job creation, innovation, and competitiveness to sustain their businesses.

Despite the need for affordable housing, consumers have failed to recognize manufactured housing as a viable alternative to site-built housing. The decline in market share for manufactured housing and subsequent decrease in sales has threatened the sustainability of manufacturers, retailers, suppliers, and support organizations. The purpose of this correlational study was to determine the extent that respondents' demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, perceptions of manufactured home characteristics, and perceptions of manufactured home occupants and neighborhood characteristics predicted the acceptance of manufactured homes. The model of acceptance of manufactured homes provided the theoretical framework for the study. Data were collected from 2 surveys distributed among adult learners (n = 204) enrolled in a nontraditional degree-seeking program at university campuses in west Tennessee. One survey applied to single-section manufactured homes and another survey instrument applied to double-section homes. Correlation and multiple regression analyses techniques tested the hypotheses. Six of the 12 independent variables emerged as moderate predictors of manufactured home acceptance (R2 = .217), which were respondents' housing value, perceived manufactured home occupant behavior, perceived educational levels of manufactured home occupants, respondents' household size and composition, land-use mix, and respondents' neighborhood population range. The research findings may contribute to social change through providing a foundation for future research on variables that influence consumer perceptions about affordable housing choices.

Small business owners understand the advantages of using social media as a marketing tool; however, some of these owners do not leverage social media marketing strategies to increase sales. Small business owners who fail to implement social media marketing strategies minimizes the potential to gain new customers; thus, negatively impacting sales. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore social media marketing strategies used by five small family-style restaurants in Maryland. Berry's relationship marketing theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Data collection included semistructured interviews, documents pertaining to social media marketing strategies, and social media pages and websites from the participating restaurants. These data were analyzed following Yin's 5-step analysis plan. Key themes that emerged were (a) social media platforms small family-style restaurant owners use to increase sales and were most effective, (b) employees' response to social media marketing strategies small family-style restaurant owners use to increase sales, and (c) relationship marketing. The implications for positive social change include the potential to increase the knowledge of future entrepreneurs and show them how technology can help them launch and grow their businesses faster creating an atmosphere of better customer services. Increasing the demand for employment can have a direct impact on decreasing the unemployment rate within the United States, particularly in the state of Maryland.

Social media has changed the way businesses relate to their customers. Since the beginning of social media, traditional methods of communicating with customers have begun to decline. The purpose of this multicase study was to determine the strategies of 5 owners of small restaurant businesses in Western North Carolina who successfully used social media marketing for 1 year or more. Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Data collection included semistructured interviews, documents pertaining to social media marketing strategies, and social media pages and websites from the participating restaurants. These data were analyzed following Yin's 5-step analysis plan. The themes that emerged were social media platforms, word-of-mouth, and challenges implementing social media. Facebook, Yelp, and Instagram were the most used social media platforms. The participants implied that word-of-mouth has the potential to increase sales and to grow business. Challenges implementing social media included the ability to be consistent and actively engaged on the social media sites to allow business owners to respond quickly to negative posts made by customers. Small restaurant businesses can be successful if they develop and implement a social media presence, encourage customer feedback, and formulate a plan to overcome obstacles and challenges that may arise with implementing social media marketing strategies. These findings contribute to positive social change by increasing the sustainability of small businesses in the community, which may drive economic development and improve community relations.

Social media is a cost-effective marketing tool, and in a 2014 survey, 75% of small business owners reported that they used social media to market. However, many of these businesses merely set up social media profiles and do not use social media to its full potential. Microenterprise owners face barriers such as lack of time, financial resources, and marketing knowledge, preventing them from adopting social media as a marketing tool. This multiple case study explored what strategies microenterprise owners in the artisan economy need to market using social media. Data were collected from 5 custom bicycle framebuilders in a Southwestern U.S. state through semistructured interviews with open-ended questions. Company documents and social media reviews were also used for data collection and triangulation. The diffusion of innovations theory was the conceptual framework of this study to aid understanding of framebuilders' social media adoption process and social media usage. Thematic analysis identified 7 themes that emerged from the data: technological competence, the establishment of social media presence, effective utilization of social media platforms, effective communication skills, the establishment of brand identity, time management, and acquisition of external support. The study findings are expected to help artisan microenterprise owners harness social media and, in turn, improve business practices, increase sales, and promote their crafts, which may lead to positive social outcomes. The results of the study will assist artisan microenterprise owners source materials locally from other small businesses, a process that prevents money from leaving the local economy and helps to build strong communities.

This thesis evaluates the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives implemented by Alcoa, Votorantim, and Vale as a means to aid in poverty alleviation in the Brazilian regions these mining companies operate. Even though Brazil is ranked as the eighth largest economy in the world, 50 million Brazilians are living on less than US$1 per day. The presence of large mining corporations in Brazil’s poorest regions represents an opportunity for corporate social responsibility investments to improve social, economic, and environmental conditions in these locations. This research highlights the importance of designing corporate social responsibility programs according to the specific characteristics of a region such as, stage of development and style of negotiations with the local community. In addition, mining companies should focus on publishing comprehensive information on corporate social responsibility investments as a means to portray transparency to stake holders. Further, companies must design corporate social responsibility programs with clear and quantitative goals in order to implement effective monitoring and evaluating mechanisms. This research illuminates that Alcoa, Votorantim, and Vale appear to allocate minimal or no funds for corporate social responsibility program appraisal and lack strategic responses to improve their programs.

This research proposal provides literature review regarding context motivation and its influence on advertisement effectiveness. I propose two quasi-experiments using motivation as an independent variable while measuring memory for the advertisement in order to predict advertisement effectiveness. The first experiment solely investigates the role of program motivation on advertisement memory. The secondary experiment proposed an investigation looking into the interaction between program motivation and advertisement motivation. Based on previous literature on advertisements, persuasion, and motivation, I hypothesized that high program motivation may impair memory for the advertisements. For Experiment 2, I hypothesized that both independent variables regarding content and context motivation will interact to show different results than Experiment 1, in which only the context motivation is measured. This paper aims to provide an effective marketing strategy in a relatively new yet potent advertising market in OTV (online television).

This paper conducts an analysis of the short-term Firm Value Enhancement that companies experience during large-scale advertising campaigns, such as the Super Bowl. The findings suggest that these firms may experience a positive or negative return during the days after a large event, by signaling to investors and consumers the value of their firm through their advertisements. Some of the highlights include an approximately – 5% return for Super Bowl Advertisers on the Monday after the event, and underperformance during the two weeks surrounding the event.

Developments in advertising are necessarily tied to shifts in media technology – by this very fact, the industry has changed significantly since the 1960s. In the 21st century, ad men have to contend with an increasingly complex and fractured digital landscape. Big, traditional ad agencies – like those depicted in the popular television series Mad Men – no longer dominate; instead, they are forced to compete with a growing class of digital marketing start-ups for a stake in tomorrow’s adscape. Innovative ad serving technologies, instead of creative-driven campaigns, rule the day. Internet technologies have created an environment in which identifying and engaging consumers on an individual level is entirely possible; in effect, the software engineers and data scientists capable of executing these types of campaigns – the “Math Men” – have become the new industry luminaries. And yet, there is still something to be said about the importance of a sentimental bond between the consumer and product. The type of advertising practiced by Don Draper and his real-life counterparts is based in a fundamental truth about human decision-making: emotions are an integral aspect of information-processing. While there is truth to the Math Men’s core principle that, “Advertising should deliver the right information to the right person at the right time,” There is a good reason that brands such as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and GE – all vestiges of the Mad Men era – remain some of the most valuable and celebrated in the world. The paper will argue that the future of powerful ad content is dependent upon an appreciation of the Mad Men's creative philosophy, emboldened by an understanding of the ways in which media – and by extension ad serving technology – has advanced since the 1960s.