USM Honors College Students Present Thesis Research at Marketing Conference

Tue, 03/26/2024 - 09:14am | By: Van Arnold

University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Honors College students Haeden Overby and Patrick Tyson presented their thesis research during the 2024 Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Conference (AMTP) held earlier this month in Hilton Head, S.C.

Overby, a hospitality and tourism management major, and Tyson, an anthropology, sociology, and Spanish major, presented individual research papers, as well as a collaborative project, at the international and interdisciplinary academic marketing conference which brings together academic theory and real-world marketing practices.

This year’s conference saw more than 100 submissions. Of the 33 student paper submissions across undergraduate, Master's, and Ph.D. levels, Overby’s thesis paper – “Service robots’ effect on branding and consumers' intentions through online reviews” - won the James E. Randall Best Student Paper Award. 

“Haeden and Patrick are exceptional students in my class. Their passion for research and dedication to their thesis projects have impressed me,” said Dr. Wei Wang, Associate Professor, Hospitality and Tourism Management Program Coordinator who served as both students’ thesis advisor. “Moreover, their active involvement and leadership roles on campus exemplify their commitment to excellence beyond academics,”

Tyson presented a research paper titled, “Uncertainty avoidance moderation over film-motivated tourists' views on destination image, place attachment, and intentions.”

Collaboratively, they presented a paper titled, “Cookies and calamari: Squid Game’s “Dalgona” and cutting shapes from its impact on Korean product purchase and travel intentions.”

“My advisors, Dr. Wei Wang and Dr. Banu Bas, have been incredibly patient teaching me about the research process, and I would not have been able to succeed without their support,” said Overby. “Dr. Randall is retiring from the AMTP conference this year, and the award was named after him for the first time. I am pleased to be the first recipient of the award under his name and am incredibly thankful I had the chance to meet him when I was presented the award.”

Added Overby, “This accomplishment has become great motivation to continue my research in marketing and to cross the finish line of submitting my thesis. I am glad to bring home a new award for Southern Miss Business!"

More information about the conference can be found here.

To learn more about USM’s College of Business and Economic Development, call 601.266.4659.