Thu 04/14/2022 – 13:23 | By: Van Arnold
Five presentations won special recognition at the annual Student Research Showcase held April 8 at Scianna Hall on the University of Southern Mississippi’s Hattiesburg campus.
The USM School of Marketing hosted the event, which included 18 research presentations, representing undergraduate and graduate students from the Hattiesburg and Gulf Park campuses. Presentations covered various disciplines within the College of Business & Economic Development, including marketing, interior design, sports management, international business, journalism, hospitality and tourism, economic development, healthcare marketing health and human resource management.
The showcase is an annual event where student-researchers disseminate their knowledge by presenting their research in five minutes, followed by a five-minute question-and-answer period. Students competed for money and prizes. The students all conducted primary research on their subjects, generating new knowledge for their fields.
“Much of this research will eventually be presented at international conferences and published in quality academic journals,” said Katie Howie, assistant professor in the School of Marketing. “Students demonstrated exceptional courage, commitment, and skill in presenting their projects to a diverse audience of USM faculty, staff, and community professionals.”
The main sponsors of the event were Domino’s, Java Moes and Mario’s Italian Restaurant. The awards were provided by Pyro’s and Mark Killingsworth, former Dillard executive and USM executive-in-residence. The Hardy Street Boys will feature a winner on their podcast in the coming weeks.
Top presentations included:
- Best Proposal – Landon McFarland, “Combating Stigma: Consumer Perceptions of Frontline Employees with Disabilities”. Major: Marketing and Applied Economics (double major). Hometown: Diamond head, miss.
- Finalist for the best proposal – Robbie McDonald, “If You Build It, They’ll Learn: An Analysis of How Classroom Environments Affect Students’ Mental Well-Being.” Major: Interior design. Hometown: Metairie, La.
- Best in final – Faiyaz Hussain, “Mississippi Aquarium Impact Analysis.” Major: Master of Science of Economic Development. Hometown: Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Finalist for the best in the final — Abigail Douglas, “Naval Air Station Meridian 2021 Economic and Fiscal Impact Analysis.”
Major: Master of Science of Economic Development. Hometown: Brookhaven, miss. - people’s choice – Ka’lon Duncanson, “What do Mississippi Gulf Coast divers value in their diving experience?” Major: Marketing. Hometown: Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas
Other presentations included:
“The Influence of Social Justice Initiatives on Students’ Sense of Community”, Elizabeth Jones
“Consumer Perceptions of Cause Marketing Tactics: Charities at Checkout,” Shaylee Ferguson
“NIL: Monitoring the effects of a game-changing policy”, Charlie Luttrell
“Understanding Perceptions in the Southeast: A Qualitative Analysis of Popcorners”, Taylor Bonvillion, Shauana Brown and Morgan Kelley
“3D Doritos: A Frito-Lay Partnership”, Mary Wright and Makayla Payne
“All bodies are created equal: the effects of bodily equality on holistic well-being”, Victoria Jones
“I want to treat myself: How opportunity cost visibility inhibits reward point donations,” Clancy Slay
“Ruffles Flamin’ Hot BBQ: A Qualitative Research Study”, Dylan Dominguez and Craig Watson
“Frito-Lay Multipack: A Qualitative Research Study”, Morgan Lomen and Elizabeth Stieffel
“Slidell Waterfront”, Florence Maillot
“Ticket purchase intentions of participants in sports betting and fantasy sports: the moderating role of team identification”, Yongjoon Bae
“The Luxury Mindset: The Implications of Luxury Branding on Luxury Consumer Segments,” Lauren Beverly
“Conceptualizing Perceived Service Innovation: A Mixed Methods Study”, Sophie Unson