Matching Items (23)
Filtering by
- All Subjects: Entrepreneurship
- Creators: Department of Finance
- Resource Type: Text
Description
This study explores the best known practices of small businesses from different entrepreneurs' perspectives and attempts to address the question: are there consistencies between different entrepreneurs' approaches to establishing and growing a business? Ten entrepreneurs from a variety of business types (product and service) were interviewed using a consistent question template that asked questions regarding financing, business strategy (and scalability), interpersonal forces, innate qualities, partnerships, and resources. The primary overlaps between these businesses are with regard to the confluence between personal risk and business strategy, the risk of working with friends and family, the capacity to scale relative to special content knowledge or process knowledge, and partnerships
etworking.
etworking.
ContributorsCole, Chandler William (Author) / Kellso, James (Thesis director) / Gilmore, Bruce (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
The Confessions of a College Entrepreneur is an honors project with the goal of revealing the business and marketing strategies that Charles Crawford used to create multiple successful companies. It's a collection of personal stories, book notes, millionaire interviews, and experiences that Charles had over the past 4 years of intense business experience and research across multiple industries. Charles wants college students and business owners to succeed in business ventures and life in general. This creative thesis project is the map for how to do just that.
ContributorsCrawford, Charles Joseph (Author) / Budolfson, Arthur (Thesis director) / Giles, Charles (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
In order to discover if Company X's current system of local trucking is the most efficient and cost-effective way to move freight between sites in the Western U.S., we will compare the current system to varying alternatives to see if there are potential avenues for Company X to create or implement an improved cost saving freight movement system.
ContributorsPicone, David (Co-author) / Krueger, Brandon (Co-author) / Harrison, Sarah (Co-author) / Way, Noah (Co-author) / Simonson, Mark (Thesis director) / Hertzel, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
P.F. Chang's China Bistro is a privately-held purveyor of Asian fare in the United States and internationally, known largely for its vibrant atmosphere and lettuce wraps. With hundreds of locations and dozens of menu items, procurement, logistics, and coordination of ingredient delivery to P.F. Chang's restaurants is no small task. Despite their difficulty, supply chain operations from suppliers to customers' plates must run efficiently if P.F. Chang's is to maintain customer loyalty, a trusted brand, and profitability. As such, supply chain initiatives that allow for faster, better, or lower-cost operation are valuable investments for P.F. Chang's. In this project, two initiatives focused on increasing visibility along the value chain (with the hope of creating immediate value and easier implementation for future strategies). The first initiative involved stakeholder interviews and academic research to determine evaluation methods for P.F. Chang's suppliers in the form of a scorecard. The second project required extensive data collection from suppliers to isolate and remove excess cost in the inbound logistics of P.F. Chang's inventory. Both initiatives led to incremental improvement at P.F. Changs and the latter provided substantial cost savings. Further investigation and work is likely to yield continued benefits for the company. The increased use of data in all supply chains to guide decision-making will be easier for P.F. Chang's as it manages ongoing visibility efforts. Although process explanation and general outcomes will be reported here, the proprietary nature of P.F. Chang's data precludes full disclosure of the project results in public documentation.
ContributorsBarger, Michael Richard (Author) / Taylor, Todd (Thesis director) / Miller, Steve (Committee member) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The "Dutch Dukeout" is a memorial, community engagement venture founded by Scott Fitzgerald and Sam Minton. The event was also supported and facilitated through the help of a third party member, Dylan Bryant. The "Dutch Dukeout" will continue annually, as an opportunity for Brophy College Preparatory alumni and current students to come together and connect. This venture also exists to celebrate and honor the life and legacy of Fr. Harry "Dutch" Olivier, a former, prominent faculty member of Brophy. Additionally, the "Dutch Dukeout" aims to raise money to support the Brophy Scholarship Foundation, a resource for current Brophy students to offset the financial burden it costs to attend the prominent college preparatory. Foremost, the "Dutch Dukeout" flag football tournament provides a powerful way for Brophy Alumni to reconnect with their school. By communicating and participating with graduates from various classes, alumni have an opportunity to provide valuable life lessons and share personal stories with the youth, as well as bond over their shared experience at Brophy. For a school that is able to continually develop community leaders and social activists, the "Dutch Dukeout" provides a platform for collaboration and inspiration for everyone who participates. By raising money to support the Brophy Scholarship Foundation and providing an opportunity for alumni to engage in their community, the "Dutch Dukeout" is an event that truly embodies Fr. Olivier's values and beliefs. This thesis report documents the ideas, work and efforts that were completed to launch and then ensure the success and longevity of the venture. It also serves as an example for future social entrepreneurs who aim to make a difference in communities of their own.
ContributorsFitzgerald, Scott (Co-author) / Samuel, Minton (Co-author) / Mokwa, Michael (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The objective of this paper is to give information that can assist Independent (indie) authors at every stage of the book process: development, promotion and distribution of their books. The book market is changing, and it's changing today. As the market evolves it is essential for authors to evolve as well. Due to the market's evolution, authors must question every stage of the book process, from beginning to end. It is due to these significant changes that my paper will be formatted more as a guide for newer indie authors or authors who are having trouble keeping up with the new market. The guide will assist indie authors at every stage of the book process and will also make clear where the new market stands. In order to create a more credible guide, I collected large amounts of primary data and entered the market myself in order to truly understand the new market from an indie author's position. I found this approach essential due to the near absence of credible secondary data and because of the plethora of nuances at every stage of the book process. For primary data, I created and distributed an in-depth survey with the purpose of revealing book blogger preferences, online habits, and preferred methods of contact. The reason for my focus on book bloggers is because of the greatly increased importance of book reviews. I also believe that book blogger preferences are a good indicator of what the typical reader enjoys, giving me further insight into market preferences as a whole. I became an indie author in order to better understand the market so that I could ask the right questions and be better able to give practical suggestions. I wanted to create a guide that real indie authors could use, so it seemed natural that I should become a real indie author. This guide is structured in the way indie authors would create their book.
ContributorsCollopy, Robert Edward (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
This research project examines the American Craft Distilling Industry. In particular, I provide an overview of the most important aspects of the product market and cost structure in the industry and an assessment of the viability of several modes of entry. Because the industry is relatively new, at least in its modern incarnation, industry knowledge is concentrated among a relatively small group of industry veterans. Thus, the majority of my research has been through interviews with industry experts and through my attendance of the American Distilling Institute (ADI) 2014 Conference in Seattle. My data and analysis indicate that the industry is promising and poised to grow, as demand for craft or differentiated spirits is strong. Nonetheless, significant risks include extensive regulatory hurdles that vary across jurisdictions and significant entrenched competitors. This paper will explore those constraints and business models that may be able to overcome (or profit because of) them. The business models analyzed focus on production, distribution, and retail of craft spirits operating in specific niches identified through the course of my research of the industry at large.
ContributorsReiter, Adrian Lake (Author) / Coles, Jeff (Thesis director) / Trappen, Eric (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
This paper takes a look at developing a technological start up revolving around the world of health and fitness. The entire process is documented, starting from the ideation phase, and continuing on to product testing and market research. The research done focuses on identifying a target market for a 24/7 fitness service that connects clients with personal trainers. It is a good study on the steps needed in creating a business, and serves as a learning tool for how to bring a product to market.
ContributorsHeck, Kyle (Co-author) / Mitchell, Jake (Co-author) / Korczynski, Brian (Co-author) / Peck, Sidnee (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Department of Management (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2014-05
DescriptionThis is a business analysis of a small fashion jewelry importer. The analysis is primarily done from a Supply Chain Management perspective while also analyzing the company's marketing department.
ContributorsAggarwal, Rohit (Co-author) / Larson, Reed (Co-author) / Maltz, Arnold (Thesis director) / Brown, Steven (Committee member) / Easton, Kevin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
My thesis is a creative project in which I designed, developed, marketed, and sold a mobile application on the iOS (iPhone) platform. In addition to developing a mobile application, I also formed a Limited Liability Company, Flem LLC, which I will own, manage, and operate for the duration of this project and beyond the thesis project. Flem LLC allows me to create a unique brand for my company, separate from myself, as well as providing legal protection for my personal assets. My initial application is titled "Derpy Calc". It is a basic calculator for iPhone capable of adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and taking the square root of positive, negative, and decimal numbers. Derpy Calc is unique because before it will output an answer, Derpy, the calculator's personality, will make a remark or ask a question that is factual, random, or silly. This application is targeted at teenagers and young adults and the outputs Derpy gives will be targeted those demographic. The purpose of this application is to provide humor and spontaneity to the process of doing math and is currently the only iOS application with that focus. Derpy debuted on the Apple App store on March 1st 2013. As of March 27th, it is on Version 1.2, has had 457 advertisement views on 328 downloads. It has earned Flem LLC a total of $0.75 in advertising revenues.
ContributorsFleming, William Patrick (Author) / Peck, Sidnee (Thesis director) / Nemanich, Louise (Committee member) / Faucon, Christophe (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor)
Created2013-05