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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States announced that there has been roughly a 50% increase in the prevalence of food allergies among people between the years of 1997 - 2011. A food allergy can be described as a medical condition where being exposed to a

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States announced that there has been roughly a 50% increase in the prevalence of food allergies among people between the years of 1997 - 2011. A food allergy can be described as a medical condition where being exposed to a certain food triggers a harmful immune response in the body, known as an allergic reaction. These reactions can range from mild to fatal, and they are caused mainly by the top 8 major food allergens: dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish. Food allergies mainly plague children under the age of 3, as some of them will grow out of their allergy sensitivity over time, and most people develop their allergies at a young age, and not when they are older. The rise in prevalence is becoming a frightening problem around the world, and there are emerging theories that are attempting to ascribe a cause. There are three well-known hypotheses that will be discussed: the Hygiene Hypothesis, the Dual-Allergen Exposure Hypothesis, and the Vitamin-D Deficiency Hypothesis. Beyond that, this report proposes that a new hypothesis be studied, the Food Systems Hypothesis. This hypothesis theorizes that the cause of the rise of food allergies is actually caused by changes in the food itself and particularly the pesticides that are used to cultivate it.
ContributorsCromer, Kelly (Author) / Lee, Rebecca (Thesis director) / MacFadyen, Joshua (Committee member) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
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The purpose of this thesis is to examine the current state of the brick-and-mortar bookselling industry, with particular focus on independent bookstores and their strengths and weaknesses, and synthesizing recommendations for these bookstores to reinvent themselves in a rapidly changing market. This examination is highly relevant given recent concerns that,

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the current state of the brick-and-mortar bookselling industry, with particular focus on independent bookstores and their strengths and weaknesses, and synthesizing recommendations for these bookstores to reinvent themselves in a rapidly changing market. This examination is highly relevant given recent concerns that, with the rise of e-retailers like Amazon and the closure of bookstore chain Borders, brick-and-mortar bookstores may be superseded by new digital vendors. Independent bookstores are thought to be at a particular disadvantage to these retailers, given their limited size and resources, as well as the lack of capital or consumer base that a larger chain like Barnes and Noble can draw upon to invest in emerging technology. With these more limited financial opportunities, independent bookstores must find different ways to not only keep abreast of the technology that consumers are coming to expect from modern businesses, but attract customers.
To gain insight into the state of the industry and current position of independent bookstores, I will first examine the past fifty years of the brick-and-mortar bookstore, followed by a Porter’s Five Forces analysis of the industry threats and a SWOT analysis to compare the strengths and weaknesses of independent bookstores. Next, the patrons of independent bookstores will be discussed with a focus on the two largest consumer groups of Millennials and Baby Boomers, their characteristics, and the opportunities they provide to bookstores. After this there will be an exploration of the competitors to brick-and-mortar bookstores, focusing on Amazon and then touching on some of the other rivals to bookstores’ consumer base. The next section will be an in-depth analysis of a variety of bookstores across the United States, with attention to their successful practices, goals, concerns, and failures. First, there will be a comparison of industry success and failure through case studies of Borders and Powell’s bookstores. Next, there will be a comparison of five beloved independent bookstores across the country to share their varied competitive advantages that are the secret to their success. Finally, there are primary source interviews with the employees of three major Phoenix bookstores, which provide insight into the goals, current projects, attitudes, and inner strengths of these businesses. Finally, the thesis will conclude with a section offering solutions and suggestions for independent bookstores to pursue based on the primary and secondary research discussed above. These recommendations are focused on five key areas:
• Community
• Consumers
• Store Design
• Technology
• Diversification
Ultimately, the information provided by this research and these interviews indicates that while vital business changes are being pursued by independent and chain bookstores across the United States, the independent bookstore shows no signs of disappearing in favor of online vendors or e-readers.
ContributorsPorrell, Kelly Maria (Author) / Montoya, Detra (Thesis director) / Schlacter, John (Committee member) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
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Description
Media and technology are integral parts of today’s society. Unlike in the past, most adults in the United States now have access to the internet via their own personal devices. Technology’s popularity does not stop with adults. The children of this generation are extremely knowledgeable when it comes to media

Media and technology are integral parts of today’s society. Unlike in the past, most adults in the United States now have access to the internet via their own personal devices. Technology’s popularity does not stop with adults. The children of this generation are extremely knowledgeable when it comes to media and technology and are exposed to it at a very young age. This paper analyzes the effect that this exposure is having on early childhood development. The research shows that there are several benefits to children using technology at a young age. Some of these benefits include increased learning opportunities, preparation for future careers, and support for children with disabilities. However, there are also several challenges that technology can cause. Some of these challenges include increased violence, exposure to inappropriate content, sleep issues, and an increased chance of obesity. In addition to this paper, a resource website titled Toddlers and Technology was created. The purpose of this website is to give parents insight into the information that is available in regards to technology and child development. The website includes the benefits and challenges of children using technology, recommendations on how parents can combat the challenges, and a list of 10 educational apps for early childhood development.
Keywords: children, technology, media, apps, families
ContributorsCave, Mckenna Ann (Author) / Farrand, Kathleen (Thesis director) / Boozer, April (Committee member) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Our team was tasked with creating a business model for a piece of technology developed by NASA. We then had to launch said business and find a way to measure its traction in a specific niche market.

ContributorsBrinson, Stacy Laree (Co-author) / Shapiro, Dylan (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Patel, Manish (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
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The purpose of this cookbook and ingredient index is to simplify the reasoning behind eating a plant based diet--including how it can be beneficial to your health, and what benefits each ingredient provides. These recipes have been cultivated and modified over time to provide nutritious meals that are also tasty.

The purpose of this cookbook and ingredient index is to simplify the reasoning behind eating a plant based diet--including how it can be beneficial to your health, and what benefits each ingredient provides. These recipes have been cultivated and modified over time to provide nutritious meals that are also tasty. I was introduced to healthy eating at a young age, and have been fascinated by it ever since. The recipes and information conveyed about a plant based diet have come from the many books read and research I have done on the subject. This paper will walk you through how I started this journey, and go on to show a basic overview of what makes up the foods we consume and why we need them. The cookbook portion of my Thesis contains recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, sauces, and dessert. Following the cookbook is an ingredient index that goes through the majority of ingredients used in my recipes, and what health benefits they provide. I hope that by reading this, others will be inspired to use more plant-based whole foods in their diet, and realize the healing that can come from them.

ContributorsMartin, Ashley (Author) / Barth, Christina (Thesis director) / McMullen, Mary (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Art (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description

Could you imagine a world without hot sauce? Unfortunately, hot sauce is a relatively new invention, and some people have had to experience and live without the wonders and flavors it provides. RAJAJE Sauce is a veteran-owned and family-operated start-up. RAJAJE Sauce originated in the heart of Mexico, known as

Could you imagine a world without hot sauce? Unfortunately, hot sauce is a relatively new invention, and some people have had to experience and live without the wonders and flavors it provides. RAJAJE Sauce is a veteran-owned and family-operated start-up. RAJAJE Sauce originated in the heart of Mexico, known as Mexico City, where Javier and his family enjoy it with countless servings of tacos. His mother always dreamed of bringing this hot sauce to the market, but we weren’t sure how to go about it. There were so many questions. Was there a market for this hot sauce? Do other people like the hot sauce? Who would be our audience? How would we go about marketing this product, and how would the logistics of something like this work? Through extensive research, we found that there is plenty of room for the hot sauce industry to grow, giving RAJAJE Sauce plenty of opportunities to make a name for itself and become a household name with each new customer.

ContributorsSchmelzeis, Alexander (Author) / Aguirre Martinez, Javier (Co-author) / Chirravuri, Bhargav (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Thomasson, Anna (Committee member) / Zock, Christopher (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description

Since its introduction, the use of technology has been rapidly expanding and has been integrated into almost every aspect of daily life. Alongside this growth, there has been an increasingly urgent movement for sustainability and to fight climate change. Because technology is so prevalent in society today, it is important

Since its introduction, the use of technology has been rapidly expanding and has been integrated into almost every aspect of daily life. Alongside this growth, there has been an increasingly urgent movement for sustainability and to fight climate change. Because technology is so prevalent in society today, it is important to understand how the use of technology relates to sustainability and climate change. While technology has been beneficial to society, it requires vast amounts of energy to power, which causes significant environmental degradation. On the other hand, technology also has provided useful in reducing carbon emissions and mitigating the effects of climate change. This can be seen in areas such as efficient transportation and logistics systems and smart cities. Thus, technology has the potential to positively impact the environment, but its negative effects must also be reduced. Technology companies also play a large role in the reduction of carbon emissions, as they provide much of the services and technology that we use today. Companies such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have all made commitments to sustainability, and it is important that they are held accountable to these commitments. Additionally, as new technologies emerge, their environmental impact must also be calculated. The findings of this thesis show that the main negative impacts of technology come from its energy use and its life cycle, while the main positive impacts come from its indirect effect on production processes, systems, and industries. In the long-term, these indirect positive effects are expected to increase, but the energy demands of technology will also increase. Therefore, managing the energy demands of technology while also allowing for increased efficiency and reductions in carbon emissions is the main challenge that companies face regarding sustainability.

ContributorsVenkatraman, Leela (Author) / Sopha, Matt (Thesis director) / Sirugudi, Kumar (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2023-05
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Description
Oral health is influenced by many factors, including diet (Alpert, 2017). However, the assumption arises that unique and ever-changing diets have varying effects on oral health. This project aimed to determine the effect of the Punjabi diet on oral health. Specific goals included understanding components of a general Punjabi diet,

Oral health is influenced by many factors, including diet (Alpert, 2017). However, the assumption arises that unique and ever-changing diets have varying effects on oral health. This project aimed to determine the effect of the Punjabi diet on oral health. Specific goals included understanding components of a general Punjabi diet, as well as the current oral health status for individuals of the Punjabi community, to ultimately determine the correlations between the two variables. It was hypothesized that a diet consisting of foods primarily under the Punjabi diet would have fewer oral health concerns because healthier food items would be consumed. By researching relevant background information to create appropriate survey questions, survey questionnaires were sent to members of the Punjabi population (not just limited to the Punjab geographical region) for completion. From this data, analysis depicts that there is no relationship between the oral health of individuals with the diet they consumed, thus rejecting the initial hypothesis. Similarly, a lack of a relationship was found between the oral health of individuals and their respective oral hygiene habits. These results suggest that the current Punjabi diet may not be as healthy as initially assumed and that there are likely other factors that influence an individual’s oral health, such as genetics, environmental factors such as stress (Kapila, 2021), or other unexplored dietary variables, such as diets high in sugar.
ContributorsKaur, Loveleen (Author) / Cipolla, Karen (Thesis director) / Dhanjal, Sabrina (Committee member) / Savalli, Udo (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
Supply chain sustainability has become an increasingly important topic for corporations due to consumer demands, regulatory requirements, and employee retention and productivity. Since more and more stakeholders are beginning to care about sustainability, companies are looking at how they can reduce their carbon footprint without it leading to higher costs. Although sustainable supply chain

Supply chain sustainability has become an increasingly important topic for corporations due to consumer demands, regulatory requirements, and employee retention and productivity. Since more and more stakeholders are beginning to care about sustainability, companies are looking at how they can reduce their carbon footprint without it leading to higher costs. Although sustainable supply chain operations are often associated with higher costs, new technology has surfaced within the last decade that makes this association come into question. This paper serves as an investigation on whether or not implementation of recent technology will not only make for more sustainable supply chains, but also bring cost savings to a company. For the sake of simplicity, this paper analyzes the topic within the context of the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. The three categories of technology that were evaluated are artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and data integration systems. Internship projects and/or published case studies and articles were examined to explore the relationship between the technology, supply chain sustainability, and costs. The findings of this paper indicate that recent technology offers companies innovative sustainability solutions to supply chains without sacrificing cost. This calls for CPG companies to invest in and implement technology that allows for more sustainable supply chains. Shying away from this because of cost concerns is no longer necessary.
ContributorsDixon, Logan (Author) / Printezis, Antonios (Thesis director) / Macias, Jeff (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2024-05
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Description
Breakin Media is a social media consulting agency that targets small business owners (comedians) specifically in the Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Older Millennial category. Comedians, specifically, who are auditioning for shows or going to comedy clubs, may not be seeing the same level of success as another comedian who

Breakin Media is a social media consulting agency that targets small business owners (comedians) specifically in the Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Older Millennial category. Comedians, specifically, who are auditioning for shows or going to comedy clubs, may not be seeing the same level of success as another comedian who has a large social media following. This is true for most industries. Small businesses who do not have social media have lower rates of customer satisfaction and revenue. This business is about educating, analyzing, and building business owners so they too can feel part of the social media revolution.
This business uses research and data from different social media comedians in order to create a guide for comedians who own comedy clubs or are trying to break into show business. This thesis includes the logistics of starting a business. It will outline the financing and pricing of a service like this for individuals and businesses. This also outlines the generational stigma of social media, and the difficulties an older generation is currently facing when wanting to expand their business into social media.

The Breakin Media business model assesses each client on a set of five pillars, which have been found by research to affect follower count. The five pillars are relatability, targeted marketing, consistency, high-quality content, and algorithm alignment. Each pillar is dissected and used to increase the exposure of every comedian. There is a 3 tier system for pricing that outlines the costs of each service, and an infographic to guide each client. This thesis is about bridging a gap in generations, and increasing success for small businesses, specifically in theatre and comedy.
ContributorsVazquez, Margot (Author) / Bruhn, Karen (Thesis director) / Heinzmann, Sandra (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12