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- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
- Status: Published
Description
Catastrophe events occur rather infrequently, but upon their occurrence, can lead to colossal losses for insurance companies. Due to their size and volatility, catastrophe losses are often treated separately from other insurance losses. In fact, many property and casualty insurance companies feature a department or team which focuses solely on modeling catastrophes. Setting reserves for catastrophe losses is difficult due to their unpredictable and often long-tailed nature. Determining loss development factors (LDFs) to estimate the ultimate loss amounts for catastrophe events is one method for setting reserves. In an attempt to aid Company XYZ set more accurate reserves, the research conducted focuses on estimating LDFs for catastrophes which have already occurred and have been settled. Furthermore, the research describes the process used to build a linear model in R to estimate LDFs for Company XYZ's closed catastrophe claims from 2001 \u2014 2016. This linear model was used to predict a catastrophe's LDFs based on the age in weeks of the catastrophe during the first year. Back testing was also performed, as was the comparison between the estimated ultimate losses and actual losses. Future research consideration was proposed.
ContributorsSwoverland, Robert Bo (Author) / Milovanovic, Jelena (Thesis director) / Zicarelli, John (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Throughout modern culture and the political arena religious intolerance and misinformation runs rampant. Recent presidential elections have brought two minority religions (in the U.S.) to the forefront of national media attention and national dialogue-leading to presumptions, misunderstandings, and personal opinions that don't necessarily address the realities of the religions. Brought to the forefront by presidential candidates religions or by candidates targeting individual religions for their "connections" to terrorism, the LDS Church and Islam have become targets of religious bias and attacks. Even further attacked have been the women within these religions-who have often been deemed as objectified and oppressed as a result of their religions. This thesis examines religious text and scholarly work to take an objective examination of the religions and describes the realities of the life for the women-separating actual doctrine in the religion from what is a cultural norm and not a representation of the religion itself. By looking at women's roles and the dress code within Islam and Mormonism, this thesis compares Mormon and Muslim women and shows that they are integral parts of their religion with agency, not objectified victims of a system.
ContributorsWarren, Annie Michelle (Author) / Ali, Souad T. (Thesis director) / Daughtrey, Doe (Committee member) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
The purpose of this thesis is to analyze how the cultural conceptions that American Arizona State University (ASU) students have of Germany change with experience. More specifically, this thesis answers how these cultural conceptions change after students learn the German language or visit the country. In order to accomplish this, three representative groups of people with varying levels of experience were interviewed. Structurally speaking, the thesis first provides background information why the topic was chosen and how a survey was designed to conduct a study on the topic. Next, the data from the study is presented in its raw form as well as in organized charts and graphs. A set of observations that were taken from the data will be explained, supported, and then analyzed. The thesis then concludes with a discussion of how the study could be improved or changed to further analyze the topic.
ContributorsGourley, James (Co-author) / Baskin, Connor (Co-author) / Lee, Sara (Thesis director) / Gray, Jamison (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
This creative project discusses my experience studying abroad in Europe this past fall. It includes nine poems for each of the nine countries I visited, along with corresponding reflections and commentaries. The larger theme shows how I transformed from a tourist to a traveler.
ContributorsCaviness, Anthony (Author) / Fette, Donald (Thesis director) / Hoyt, Heather (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
This thesis explores the power of food to transcend cultural and racial borders and to act as a common ground, bringing people of all different backgrounds together. Through globalization, there is an increased movement of people from their homeland to different regions around the world and with this migration comes the spread of their culture and cuisine to new areas. This spreading of culture often creates friction and tension amongst other cultures, however as this thesis argues, with increased diversity, there is the great potential for greater interaction with other cultures and therefore greater appreciation. The key aspect of this thesis is the ways in which food can be used as a tool to overcome racial barriers and serve as a means of positive expression of a culture. I hope to show that by engaging with a culture through its cuisine, one can arguably build a greater appreciation for that culture and therefore lower their preconceived notions and stereotypes.
ContributorsZayanderoudi, Rana Patricia (Author) / Talebi, Shahla (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
AARP estimates that 90% of seniors wish to remain in their homes during retirement. Seniors need assistance as they age, historically they have received assistance from either family members, nursing homes, or Continuing Care Retirement Communities. For seniors not wanting any of these options, there has been very few alternatives. Now, the emergence of the continuing care at home program is providing hope for a different method of elder care moving forward. CCaH programs offer services such as: skilled nursing care, care coordination, emergency response systems, aid with personal and health care, and transportation. Such services allow seniors to continue to live in their own home with assistance as their health deteriorates over time. Currently, only 30 CCaH programs exist. With the growth of the elderly population in the coming years, this model seems poised for growth.
ContributorsSturm, Brendan (Author) / Milovanovic, Jelena (Thesis director) / Hassett, Matthew (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
The paper outlines the importance of the class and a general selection of the information that will be gone over in the class. I decided to go with Italian soccer in general as opposed to just the league. The league is of utmost importance, but no Italian soccer discussion is complete without mention of Gli Azzurri (the Italian national team). Throughout the paper I talk about soccer’s origin, its history, how it came to Italy, and much more. We focus a lot on Italy’s transition of soccer from the traditional name of football to calcio, because that plays a major role in the sport. Italy essentially had formed its own version of the sport with some even claiming that Italians were the ones who created football and not the English. This is actually quite tough for an Italian to admit, I would know first-hand. Nonetheless, the paper goes on to talk about other important topics, such as the structure of the league, the players, accomplishments, scandals, politics and more. The students will be able to get a much better grasp on the importance of soccer in Italy as they are able to better understand the league, the teams, the fans, and the roles the individuals play. In summation, this class is meant not only to inform the students on the informational part of the league, its teams, etc. it is to help students understand how crucial and central soccer is to the Italian culture. Through the lectures and teachings, the students will learn bit by bit how important soccer is on a day to day basis for Italians. Soccer is an escape for those who never got to live their dreams, for those who are in a tough situation, or for those who want to have something to look up to or hope for. For Italians, soccer is another dimension and I plan on explaining that through this paper and my lectures.
ContributorsScorzo, Piero Angelo (Author) / Minardi, Enrico (Thesis director) / Arena, Paul (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
A factor accounting for the COVID-19 pandemic was added to a generalized linear model to more accurately predict unpaid claims. COVID-19 has affected not just healthcare, but all sectors of the economy. Because of this, whether or not an automobile insurance claim is filed during the pandemic needs to be taken into account while estimating unpaid claims. Reserve-estimating functions such as glmReserve from the “ChainLadder” package in the statistical software R were experimented with to produce their own results. Because of their insufficiency, a manual approach to building the model turned out to be the most proficient method. Utilizing the GLM function, a model was built that emulated linear regression with a factor for COVID-19. The effects of such a model are analyzed based on effectiveness and interpretablility. A model such as this would prove useful for future calculations, especially as society is now returning to a “normal” state.
ContributorsKossler, Patrick (Author) / Zicarelli, John (Thesis director) / Milovanovic, Jelena (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
The movie industry is an uncertain business, and films often fail to make money, so the movie promotions and marketing decisions studios make are vital in determining success. With movie promotions, people from different cultures can perceive films and their advertising efforts differently because of their backgrounds, so movie marketers must recognize these differences to be able to succeed in international markets. This thesis is intended to help provide information for filmmakers and their respective film advertisers on how different cultures may perceive promotional movie poster factors, and how they can be more successful in their pursuit. Specifically, we are focusing on the influence of stars and review sources featured on such posters and how they might play into someone’s response to a film. To do so, we will be comparing viewers relative to their Hofstede cultural dimensions (of individualism and collectivism and power distance) to understand what factors might influence a society more and why. We first dive into our preliminary research, then make predictions and test them through a 2x2 study to determine what movie promotion elements are most influential to different viewers. Next we will conclude with the managerial implications and limitations and future research of our study. Overall, our research and data findings offer insights to filmmakers on how they might enhance and tailor their movie promotions when marketing to different cultures.
ContributorsCheruvu, Niyati (Author) / Gardner, Kyra (Co-author) / Eaton, Kate (Thesis director) / Palmer, James (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
The aim of this thesis is to explore and understand how cultural, socio-economic, and political factors intersect to influence and affect societal happiness. We examine this by exploring the discrepancies that exist between the world’s happiest country, Finland, and the world’s 15th happiest nation, the United States. Through our explanation, we find that the cultural differences in nations is the implicit key to success in happiness. More specifically, the differences between femininity, experienced in the Nordic region, and masculinity, experienced in the United States. Social, economic, and political factors are in large part a result of the underlying culture. We see the nuanced ways in which cultural orientations shape social structures and policies which directly impact a society’s well-being. In analysis of the World Happiness Report, we acknowledge the multifaceted nature of happiness metrics, highlighting the importance of inclusive policy-making and responsive governance. Amidst its growing popularity the topic of societal happiness is growing in attention from both the public and policymakers. A collective pursuit of happiness emerges despite the cultural diversity prevalent throughout the world. By examining these complex relationships, we look to offer insight that helps create a deeper understanding of the complex relationship that exists between culture and societal happiness and well-being.
ContributorsSilva, Matthew (Author) / Echerivel, Emerson (Co-author) / Sturgess, Jessica (Thesis director) / Cloutier, Scott (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2024-05