Breaking Barriers, Doctorate Achieved

The Bauer College Executive Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) program celebrated a significant milestone recently with the successful completion of Royce Weatherspoon’s dissertation defense. 

Weatherspoon is the first of the inaugural cohort to accomplish this, making him a barrier breaker to the program, said Executive DBA Academic Director Amy Horner.  

His dissertation, “Understanding Online Trolling Exposure’s Impact on Purchase Intent: The Case of the Xbox Tax,” addresses concerns in the gaming industry centered on the way public perception of brands and user feedback can have long-term implication on sales. As Senior Manager at Xbox, he has seen this occur, and in his research, he puts a name to it: Online Trolling Exposure (OTE).  

“Online trolling is not noise,” Weatherspoon said. “It is a measurable, credibility-disrupting market force.” 

His passing marks a celebration not only for the program, but Weatherspoon’s family as well.  

There was not a dry eye in the room when his dissertation chair, Marvin Hurley Professor of Marketing & Entrepreneurship Seshadri Tirunillai, announced that “Doctor Weatherspoon” had successfully passed.  

Weatherspoon’s mother said that she couldn’t be prouder. He had to overcome many social obstacles to get where he is today, and it is especially important to be celebrating this milestone during Black History Month, she added.  

Weatherspoon’s wife and three children were there to support him as well — his youngest son coming up to congratulate him on all his hard work.  

“I think anybody who’s written a dissertation or has done anything that’s taken years knows there are times when you might feel like, ‘I don’t know why I’m doing this,’” Weatherspoon said. “Then you look behind you, you see your family, and you remember what it's all for. I’m happy they were able to witness what all those early mornings and late nights played out to be.”