Have you ever wondered why you are drawn to certain products over others? The use of our senses is something which cannot be controlled and is often taken for granted, yet sensory stimulation is what shapes both how we perceive the world around us and how we react to it. This thesis studies how visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile appeal can be used in a point-of-purchase retail display to positively influence consumer perception of a product or company and push the consumer to make a purchase. By setting up two mock retail displays with contrasting sensory stimuli, the thesis determines 1. Whether appeal to one sense evokes a stronger response from the consumer than appeal to other senses and 2. Which characteristics, such as a particular color or product arrangement, have the greatest impact on increasing positive perception of the display and ultimately leads to more sales. By determining what consumers best respond to, businesses will be able to adopt more effective sensory practices which may increase their profit while consumers will enjoy a more comfortable shopping experience.

In 2014 thousands of Market Basket employees and customers stood together in what became known as one of the largest labor disputes of the decade. The purpose of this research is to understand why customers and employees stood behind Arthur T. Demoulas during the Market Basket labor dispute of 2014, and briefly explore the conflict that began that dispute. Using articles written during the time of the dispute and other secondary data collected about the company, this study examines the conflict that led to the events that transpired during 2014. Additionally, interviews conducted with both employees and customers will highlight the role stakeholders had in saving the company. Results indicate that conflict within the company began with the shareholders and that the resolution was made possible by the stakeholders.

Professional cuddling is an emerging business that has attracted media attention from major news sources. However there is little research on professional cuddling or its industry. A twenty-seven question survey designed to research potential stigmas, market, and opinions was distributed through social media and email. Based on preliminary results there is a market and interest for professional cuddling. Both the opinions and stigmas regarding professional cuddling are mixed. Through the presentation of the study and subsequent business plan, the business world will gain the knowledge of this burgeoning field and its feasibility. The world of business will also potentially gain a new company and new jobs.

The proposed business model for the Tender Love and Care Yoga Studio (TLC) was developed as a part of an Honors Thesis by the author, Cameryn Tierno. TLC strives to provide its students with accessible yoga classes that are relaxing and rejuvenating. TLC’s staff and environment fosters relaxation and acceptance, while also offering practical stress-relieving techniques that are beneficial to all. The report presents the various methodologies and tools used for developing the business model and states the individual development plan for Cameryn Tierno as a yoga instructor and business woman before embarking on the journey of becoming a business owner. The report is concluded with Cameryn’s personal reflection of her experience completing this project.

Theatre is becoming more inclusive, more diverse, and I am intending on this paper to to shed light on it, so others may see this too. Growing up I didn’t see much Latino representation in Broadway theatre, so naturally the feeling I got when I was first presented with In the Heights by Lin Manuel Miranda at my high school was incredible. Seeing people on stage that looked like me and had stories like mine for the first time in my life was inspiring. It left me wondering, wanting, and curious to see what else was out there. I also want young people, such as the ones I have run theatre workshops for in my hometown in the summer, to know, that should they choose to pursue theatre, they have role models to look up to in the field and plays that tell stories they can really relate to. This was my inspiration for my thesis. I conducted research on Latinos and Latinas in theatre and interviewed people in the field to hear their experiences. I have also collected data to find out if the number of Latinos in theatre is growing or diminishing. During my research I concentrated on how many Latino actors were playing Latino roles, how many Latinos were playing non-Latino roles, how many plays exist that realistically display Latinos, and what the future of Latino theatre will look like. This is information I want others so that they can see Latino theatre in a new light.

Nonprofit status is granted to entities organized for a charitable, educational, religious or scientific purpose. Nonprofits are not liable for income tax on their revenues as long as the revenues are related to their core mission. As colleges and universities struggle in an era of declining resources they often seek alternate streams of revenue; some of these look more like businesses and less like nonprofits. This created the question: are nonprofit colleges and universities complying with the unrelated business income (UBI) laws and regulations? The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audited a sample of thirty-four college and universities and found that 90% of them were underreporting their UBI. UBI is income generated from any activity that is not related to a nonprofit institutionÕs core mission. Some examples of these activities are: selling clothing, receiving revenue from a fitness center, and offering sports camps over the summer. This study evaluated tax returns from a randomized sample of forty private higher education institutions to determine whether they were compliant with IRS regulations. Several data points were examined to assess the validity of the institution's income reported.

There are thousands of colleges in the US, and hundreds that fit into the small, private, non-profit, liberal arts focused market segment. The colleges in this market segment have seen financial struggle in the past decade, (Martin 2009). The following research analyzes this market segment by documenting business statistics and indicators derived from various sources. These sources include the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Moody’s Investors Service, 990 tax forms released by Guidestar’s non-profit database, and news articles from reputable journals. Colleges that struggle tend to: 1) depend on tuition for a majority of their revenues, 2) grant large institutional scholarships to a majority of students, 3) have a low full time instructional staff percentage and 4) have negative core operating margins. Data suggest additional potential risk factors of institutional failure and these will be discussed in the scope of this paper. The following analysis classifies colleges into three categories indicating status: exemplary, at risk, and closed. Colleges that have been coded as at risk status may use the produced list of potential risk factors as a benchmark of how to design a proper, sustainable business model for their college.

The Student Navigation Center at Salem State University is a one stop shop where students can receive help for anything they need. It includes Financial Aid, the Bursar's office, the Registrar and the Clipper Card Office and provides several services to students. A one stop shop is a great way to better services to students, but along with the implementation many problems can arise such as congestion and long wait times. The Student Navigation Center has made several improvements since they first transitioned into a one stop shop in order to better their services to students and make things as easy and quick as possible. However, there have been several complaints in regards to lines being very long and students wanting to know how long they are going to be waiting before they can go inside. Queuing theory is an analysis tool that can predict wait times and improve those times by adjusting the arrival rate, the service rate or the number of servers. This paper analyzes the improvements made along with further improvements that need to be made at the Student Navigation Center and provides a queuing analysis for the Financial Aid and Student Accounts services. These services were chosen due to their high importance to students and the high volume of students that come in for problems or questions relating to them. The paper gives an idea of how the Student Navigation Center functions and what they have done to help their students and the queuing analysis shows what can be done to further serve the needs of students by predicting and improving wait times for Financial Aid and Student Accounts.

This is a study on how student veterans at Salem State University have been able to overcome challenges they have faced in college using the leadership skills they acquired during their service in the military. I conducted a qualitative inquiry by interviewing 4 student veterans who are currently attending Salem State University. These interviews were between 15 and 25 minutes in length and were composed of semi-structured, open ended questions involving military experience, college experience, challenges faced in college, and leadership. After conducting these interviews and analyzing the data, I found that this group of student veterans who attend Salem State University do in fact use leadership skills acquired in the military to cope with challenges. I conducted this study, because it is important that the community be aware of what positive skills student veterans have, as well as the leadership skills they are equipped with to overcome challenges. From this study I was able to find that this group of student veterans who attend Salem State University use several leadership skills to help them succeed in college and overcome challenges: self-discipline, self-confidence, endurance, determination, drive, respect, and positivity. Understanding what leadership skills these students have used to cope with difficulties they faced is significant, because it helps the university and community at large see what positive skills they have. It also can help with improving services for veterans on campus, by supporting them in using these skills in beneficial and productive ways, as in coming up with methods to get more veterans involved in events and to be overall successful. As the group of participants was small, further research should be done in order to have a more conclusive understanding of veterans at Salem State University.