Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
Of the many retirement savings options available, defined benefit pension plans were once a retirement income staple. Due to the highs and lows of the economic cycle, defined benefit pension plans have become severely underfunded. A series of inadequate contributions, enabled by weak funding and risk management policies, poses uncertainty for the retirement of many. The cost of paying pension benefits rises as defined benefit pension plans become increasingly underfunded, burdening the employers who continue to pay them. However, without increasing these already unaffordable pension benefits alongside inflation, they become less valuable to retirees. As pension benefits lose their value and the costs of retirement, such as healthcare and assisted living, increase, defined benefit pension plans may not provide the retirement security that was once promised.
The United States spends far more on healthcare than other developed countries, and it is increasing at a rapid pace that places intense financial pressure on the American public. The high levels of spending are not attributable to increased quality of care or a healthier general population. Rather, the culprits are a combination of uniquely American social and cultural factors that increase the prevalence of chronic illness coupled with a large and complex healthcare industry that has a multitude of stakeholders, each with their own motivations and expense margins that inflate prices. Additionally, rampant lack of transparency, overutilization and low-quality care contribute to unnecessarily frequent and expensive payments. Public and private institutions have implemented legislation and programs that provide temporary relief, but powerful lobbying efforts by healthcare-related organizations and a general American aversion to high government involvement have prevented the United States from creating effective, long-lasting reform.
This project analyzed the utilization rates of respective factories for Company X compared to the Manufacturing Utilization Policy to identify discrepancies in the policy baseline trigger and when the factories are ramped to full utilization. The current policy bases three different factory types, ATM, DS/DP, and FSM all on the same baseline of FSM. This was originally set in place from a lack of sufficient data for the other factories and now that there is enough data to identify the utilization rates of each factory type, a more suitable baseline for each can be determined. If continuing to use the FSM baseline, Company X will be designating certain factories as underutilized, triggering the manufacturing utilization policy and inefficiently allocating the building expenses, thus increasing the cost per unit of products produced.
This project analyzed the utilization rates of respective factories for Company X compared to the Manufacturing Utilization Policy to identify discrepancies in the policy baseline trigger and when the factories are ramped to full utilization. The current policy bases three different factory types, ATM, DS/DP, and FSM all on the same baseline of FSM. This was originally set in place from a lack of sufficient data for the other factories and now that there is enough data to identify the utilization rates of each factory type, a more suitable baseline for each can be determined. If continuing to use the FSM baseline, Company X will be designating certain factories as underutilized, triggering the manufacturing utilization policy and inefficiently allocating the building expenses, thus increasing the cost per unit of products produced.
For years, patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) were able to only treat the symptoms of the disease, but advancements over the last decade have made it possible to partially correct the genetic mutation which causes the disease. Treatment for this disease has long been complex due to the number of organs affected by the mutation, but these new modulator therapies add another level of complexity due to the large yearly cost of $300,000. While approvals for the drugs are reaching more age groups in many countries, ease of access still varies due to the reimbursement deals or prescription coverage available in each country.
This project analyzed the utilization rates of respective factories for Company X compared to the Manufacturing Utilization Policy to identify discrepancies in the policy baseline trigger and when the factories are ramped to full utilization. The current policy bases three different factory types, ATM, DS/DP, and FSM all on the same baseline of FSM. This was originally set in place from a lack of sufficient data for the other factories and now that there is enough data to identify the utilization rates of each factory type, a more suitable baseline for each can be determined. If continuing to use the FSM baseline, Company X will be designating certain factories as underutilized, triggering the manufacturing utilization policy and inefficiently allocating the building expenses, thus increasing the cost per unit of products produced.
