This thesis project has been conducted in accordance with The Founder’s Lab initiative which is sponsored by the W. P. Carey School of Business. This program groups three students together and tasks them with creating a business idea, conducting the necessary research to bring the concept to life, and exploring different aspects of business, with the end goal of gaining traction. The product we were given to work through this process with was Hot Head, an engineering capstone project concept. The Hot Head product is a sustainable and innovative solution to the water waste issue we find is very prominent in the United States. In order to bring the Hot Head idea to life, we were tasked with doing research on topics ranging from the Hot Head life cycle to finding plausible personas who may have an interest in the Hot Head product. This paper outlines the journey to gaining traction via a marketing campaign and exposure of our brand on several platforms, with a specific interest in website traffic. Our research scope comes from mainly primary sources like gathering opinions of potential buyers by sending out surveys and hosting focus groups. The paper concludes with some possible future steps that could be taken if this project were to be continued.

This thesis looks at the digitalization process holistically. It recognizes that for a digitalization initiative to be successful, it takes input from multiple departments and experts from diverse backgrounds. This paper will be evaluating the interconnectivity needed between the supply chain and human resources departments to spearhead the creation of a digitalization team. Both sectors must have a firm understanding of the other’s needs, in order to acquire, train, and maintain people who will have the necessary hard and soft skills to develop the digital processes. After conducting extensive research around hiring and training, the researchers identified several best practices that companies can utilize to build a successful digital logistics team. Regarding hiring, companies can improve their current practices by collaborating with universities to create synergy between enterprise needs and college curriculum, as well as utilizing talent acquisition data analytics. They must also employ targeted recruiting strategies to attract high-quality talent and create explicit and attractive job postings. In addition to hiring, companies must also continuously improve their training initiatives to ensure their team’s success. In order to do so, firms should conduct training needs analysis, personalize training using technology, offer non-traditional learning modalities, provide holistic supply chain training, and create a learning culture.

This research explores Amazons growth amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and how it impacted its innovation initiatives. It examines the strategies employed by Amazon to drive innovation, explores the challenges encountered during this period of expansion, and identifies opportunities for innovation in a post-pandemic era. Additionally, this study offers insights and recommendations for organizations navigating similar circumstances.