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- All Subjects: Entrepreneurship
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Description
This thesis discusses our path toward creating Cookies 4 Change (C4C), a student organization at Arizona State University. This organization works in tandem with the Community School's Initiative (CSI) at Children's First Leadership Academy (CFLA), a school for housing insecure K-8 students in the valley. This mission of Cookies 4 Change is to mentor 7th and 8th grade students of the CSI program at Children's First Leadership Academy in life, in entrepreneurial endeavors, in academic pursuits, and in fundraising to illuminate future potential in both education and careers beyond. To fulfill this mission, we researched three main fields: volunteer motivation, self-esteem in the classroom, and curriculum. This research helped us to first determine the best way to structure our organization to keep ASU students engaged, second to build the self-esteem of the middle school students, and third to create sustainable curriculum on the topic of entrepreneurship. In addition, to ensure the sustainability of Cookies 4 Change, we are developing strong and committed members to take the reigns of the organization when we graduate. We have created detailed pass along documents to complement this thesis and assist them in running C4C. Lastly, we discuss the potential scalability of Cookies 4 Change as a concept to different underprivileged schools in the valley and other cities with a similar socioeconomic makeup. By delving further into our story, the research, the organization, the curriculum, our future, and the scalability, we hope to detail the work we have done to help these students and how the organization will continue helping after we are gone.
ContributorsMiller, Jenna Marie (Co-author) / Lefever, Ian (Co-author) / Feeney, Mary (Thesis director) / Clausen, Tom (Committee member) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
This thesis project provides a thorough cost-benefit analysis of the golf industry in Arizona. We begin by examining the economic, environmental, and social costs that the industry requires. One of the largest costs of the industry is water consumption. Golf courses in Arizona are currently finding ways to reduce water consumption through various methods, such as turf reduction and increasing the usage of drip irrigation. However, even at current levels of consumption, golf only consumes 1.9% of water in Arizona, compared to the 69% consumed by agriculture. Of the water consumed by the golf industry, 26.3% is wastewater, otherwise known as effluent water. Since the population in Arizona is projected to grow significantly over the next decade, the amount of effluent water produced will also increase. Due to this, we recommend that the golf industry move towards using as much effluent water as possible to conserve clean water sources. Additionally, we examine land allocation and agricultural tradeoffs to the state. Most golf courses are built in urban areas that would not be suitable for agriculture. The same land could be used to build a public park, but this would not provide as many economic benefits to the state. Many courses also act as floodplains which protect the communities surrounding them from flooding. These floodplains have proven to be crucial to protect from occasional flash floods by diverting the excess water away from homes. We also discuss golf's primary social cost in terms of its perception as being a sport played exclusively by privileged and wealthy people. This is proven to be false due to many non-profit organizations centered around the game, as well as municipal courses that provide affordable options for all citizens who want to play. We provide an in-depth analysis of the benefits that the industry provides to the state and its citizens primarily through business and tax revenue, employment, and property values. Including multiplier effects, the golf industry contributed 42,000 full- and part-time jobs, $3.9 billion in sales, $1.5 billion in labor income, and $2.1 billion value added in 2014. An estimated $72 million in state and local taxes were generated from golf facilities alone, without including taxes from indirectly impacted businesses. This tax revenue provides a great benefit to the public sector and increases Arizona's GDP. Also, much of this economic contribution is from the golf tourism industry, which brings new revenue into the state that would otherwise not exist. Golf courses also increase the surrounding real estate prices anywhere from 4.8% to 28%, providing a positive externality to community members in addition to scenic views. Finally, we provide a case study of the Waste Management Phoenix Open (WMO) to illustrate the impact of Arizona's single largest golf event each year. In 2017, the event brought an estimated $389 million into Arizona's economy in one week alone. Also, it regularly hosts massive crowds with a record-breaking 719,179 people attending the event in 2018. The WMO has also taken a "Zero Waste Challenge" to promote eco-friendly and sustainable practices by diverting all of the waste and materials produced by the tournament from landfills. The WMO has been dubbed both the "Greatest Show On Grass" and the "Greenest Show On Grass" due to the entertainment value provided as well as its effort to improve the environment.
ContributorsShershenovich, Andrew (Co-author) / Wilhelm, Spencer (Co-author) / Goegan, Brian (Thesis director) / Van Poucke, Rory (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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
Description
This Creative Project contains a short movie that is comprised of interviews with various business owners and entrepreneurs based in Arizona. The purpose of this project was originally to explore "how businesses finance their initial venture" but quickly evolved into open-ended interviews. Originally, one of the listed goals for the project was to ensure that the movie be entertaining for the viewer. In order to gain the richest experience, it was decided that at least 8-10 entrepreneurs be interviewed for a 25 minute video. Since the creator of the video had no prior videography experience, it was assumed to be feasible \u2014 but in order to maintain the integrity of the interviews, and in order to provide the viewer with a better background, the format was changed to a 44 minute movie with 5 featured businesses, though more than 30 businesses were considered. It became clear that the diversity of available interviewees and the complexity of the businesses and financing methods made it impractical to feature such a technical topic in the movie. Balancing the entertainment value of the film and its functional, educational purpose proved to be one of the challenges for the completion of the project. Each interview stands alone its own right, but it's highly recommended that the viewer watch the entire feature. The businesses are featured in the following order: DryClean U.S., Jeffrey Rivera (sole-proprietor), Arizona Hops and Vines, Rune Wines, and The Duquesne House Inn and Gardens. The viewer will find that the businesses featured include both service-based businesses and product-based businesses. In all, over 300 hours of planning, filming, writing, and video-editing contributed to successful completion of this project.
ContributorsElliott, Spencer William (Author) / Trujillo, Rhett (Thesis director) / Peck, Sidnee (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
A global trend towards cashlessness following the increase in technological advances in financial transactions lends way to a discussion of its various impacts on society. As part of this discussion, it is important to consider how this trend influences crime rates. The purpose of this project is to specifically investigate the relationship between a cashless society and the robbery rate. Using data collected from the World Bank’s Global Financial Inclusions Index and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, we implemented a multilinear regression to observe this relationship across countries (n = 29). We aimed to do this by regressing the robbery rate on cashlessness and controlling for other related variables, such as gross domestic product and corruption. We found that as a country becomes more cashless, the robbery rate decreases (β = -677.8379, p = 0.071), thus providing an incentive for countries to join this global trend. We also conducted tests for heteroscedasticity and multicollinearity. Overall, our results indicate that a reduction in the amount of cash circulating within a country negatively impacts robbery rates.
ContributorsChoksi, Aashini S (Co-author) / Elliott, Keeley (Co-author) / Goegan, Brian (Thesis director) / McDaniel, Cara (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Entrepreneurs represent the engine for economic change in the nation. By interviewing and studying student entrepreneurs, I could explore the inspiration creating the changes seen in the environment around us and characterize the student entrepreneur. Specifically, by studying the similarities and differences among student entrepreneurs at ASU, I could identify traits that made entrepreneurs unique from each other. After in-depth interviews and surveys, I found that entrepreneurs could be categorized into one of four primary motivations and further distinguished by perceptions of money, responsibility and family environment. At the end of this paper, I conclude that student entrepreneurs can be empowered by the insights taken from this research. With further understanding, the survey may have practical applications to existing ventures and entrepreneurial college students.
ContributorsMcclure, Bethany Lee (Author) / DeSerpa, Allan (Thesis director) / Baldwin, Marjorie (Committee member) / Petroff, Chris (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
This thesis will bring together students to engage in entrepreneurship by finding, measuring and sharing strategic market opportunities. From a student’s perspective, it will take a deep dive into the world of startup ecosystems, markets and trends utilizing both qualitative and quantitative market research techniques. The information gathered has been curated into a productive, meaningful manner, through a report titled “The State of Startups: A Student Perspective.” <br/> The first key theme of this thesis is that market intelligence can be a powerful tool. The second key theme is the power of knowledge implementation towards competitive strategies. The first section of the thesis will focus on identifying and understanding the current “startup” landscape as a basis on which to build strategic and impactful business decisions. This will be accomplished as the team conducts a landscape analysis focused on the student perspective of the student-based North American “entrepreneurial” ecosystem. The second section of the thesis will focus specifically on the personal experiences of student startup founders. This will be accomplished through the analysis of interviews with founders of the startups researched from the first section of the thesis. This will provide us with a direct insight into the student perspective of the student-based North American “entrepreneurial” ecosystem.
ContributorsCallahan, Ryan (Co-author) / Forshey, Cecilia (Co-author) / Hybert, Jacob (Co-author) / Minic, Jacob (Co-author) / Rudick, Justin (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Curtiss, Ian (Committee member) / Olsen, Douglas (Committee member) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
This thesis will bring together students to engage in entrepreneurship by finding, measuring and sharing strategic market opportunities. From a student’s perspective, it will take a deep dive into the world of startup ecosystems, markets and trends utilizing both qualitative and quantitative market research techniques. The information gathered has been curated into a productive, meaningful manner, through a report titled “The State of Startups: A Student Perspective.” <br/> The first key theme of this thesis is that market intelligence can be a powerful tool. The second key theme is the power of knowledge implementation towards competitive strategies. The first section of the thesis will focus on identifying and understanding the current “startup” landscape as a basis on which to build strategic and impactful business decisions. This will be accomplished as the team conducts a landscape analysis focused on the student perspective of the student-based North American “entrepreneurial” ecosystem. The second section of the thesis will focus specifically on the personal experiences of student startup founders. This will be accomplished through the analysis of interviews with founders of the startups researched from the first section of the thesis. This will provide us with a direct insight into the student perspective of the student-based North American “entrepreneurial” ecosystem.
ContributorsMinic, Jacob Michael (Co-author) / Callahan, Ryan (Co-author) / Rudick, Justin (Co-author) / Forshey, Cecilia (Co-author) / Hybert, Jacob (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Olsen, Douglas (Committee member) / Curtiss, Ian (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of Singapore’s education fundamentals, policy outlook, and how it relates to the overall economic conditions in Singapore. It begins by providing context to modern Singapore’s economy and how it has become a leading global economic player. It then lays out the founding principles of education – primarily influenced by Lee Kuan Yew– and how it relates to the education system, policy, and Ministry of Education today. In order to better understand the impact of investing in human capital via education, the paper examines the relatively new policy “SkillsFuture” and the impact it has made on education advancement, the economic state within Singapore, and the impact it has made on Singapore’s foreign relations and FDI. I find that while it is not possible to conclude direct causation, SkillsFuture’s course offerings generally align with GDP growth by industry, job availability, and FDI flows by industry. This indicates that SkillsFuture as a lifelong learning initiative may have a positive impact on Singapore’s economy and global presence. SkillsFuture’s effects attest to the necessity of lifelong learning and the positive impact it can have on both the economy and individuals in Singapore.
ContributorsMarquez, Chloe (Author) / Brooks, Wyatt (Thesis director) / Larroucau, Tomas (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor)
Created2022-12
Description
This thesis serves to research and catalog the process of small business formation and many of the important resources and factors that may be involved when an entrepreneur seeks to start a business. The overall goal here is that any individual who desires to form their own business can do so entirely with the information in this thesis, or sources included in this thesis. The paper breaks down this information into chapters of finance, registration, tax, legal, and marketing to best assist the early aspects of the business. Additionally, this paper tracks the costs associated with starting a small business to give the reader the necessary financial information of small business formation. This thesis estimates the required costs to be approximately fourteen hundred dollars, with an expected amount to be higher for all other costs associated with the business.
ContributorsCouture, John (Author) / Williams, Glenn (Thesis director) / Ramirez De La Vina, Patricia (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor)
Created2022-05