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- All Subjects: Social Media
- All Subjects: Finance
- Creators: Barrett, The Honors College
- Status: Published
Description
In recent years, marketing has taken a large shift into the digital world. With the growing popularity of social media, many companies have been doing most of their advertising through platforms such as Instagram, and have been heavily using influencers, in order to drive their business. With the popularity of social media, small online businesses have been emerging. According to sources like eMarketer, e-commerce is the only trillion-dollar industry growing at a double-digit percentage each year (Moore). Among these small businesses, is the growing idea of dropshipping. Dropshipping is a system in which products can be chosen from a manufacturer, and sold via a website, with no need for inventory from the selling party. The goal of this research is to harness the power of social media, in order to drive a successful e-commerce business. The research entails creating a Shopify dropship store, and using social media platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to effectively advertise and drive the online business. The first steps were to create social media pages for the business, in order to establish credibility. All the products will be sourced from AliExpress, and then sold via the website created on Shopify. Consumers will order from the website, and process their payment that way as well, but will be receiving the package from AliExpress, which removes the necessity to have inventory, and minimizes shipping costs. The products sold were chosen based on survey results, for what consumers would most likely purchase from an online store. The store's name is “Urban Angel”, and primarily sells accessories, such as phone cases, jewelry, hair accessories, and purses. These are all priced at a neutral pricing strategy, and can compete with other online retailers. This is necessary, because there are so many e-commerce businesses emerging every day, it is important to make sure that it can stand out in some way.
ContributorsMcMillan, Angela Sophia (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Olsen, Doug (Committee member) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Elon Musk is known for making controversial tweets, which often lead to lawsuits. Our thesis focuses on analyzing the effect that these individual tweets have on stock prices. Our hypothesis focuses on the idea that when Elon Musk makes a controversial tweet, the volatility of Tesla stock will increase, while the price of Tesla stock will on average decrease. The thirteen tweets that we are examining are the tweets that we deemed to be most important, which are measured by the amount of press coverage that they have received. We also evaluated the effect that two different lawsuits that stemmed from Musk’s reckless tweets had on Tesla stock. After evaluating the effect that Elon Musk’s tweets had on the stock volume and price, we will then determine whether or not Elon Musk and other CEO’s alike should be able to tweet in a similar manner. In order to analyze stock movement, volume, and significance we imported statistical data from Yahoo Finance and Nasdaq into Excel. From there, We added charts to model the volatility and the direction of price data. Additionally, we created separate indexes to compare stock moves and test for abnormal returns. From these returns we were able to calculate the alpha and beta for Tesla, its peers and competitors. To analyze Musk’s tweets, we collected close to 7,000 tweets and ordered them chronologically in Excel. With the combination of the stock and tweet data, we were in an excellent spot to analyze the data and come to a conclusion.
ContributorsDe Roo, Gilles (Co-author) / Lueck, Elliott (Co-author) / Budolfson, Arthur (Thesis director) / Hertzel, Michael (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Regulations in the financial sector of the United States have had the same purpose of protecting the economy and consumers since their modern establishment. Deregulation in the 1980’s led to an environment that allowed banks to take on high risk choices. This, among other economic circumstances, lead to the 2008 Great Recession that brought down the United States and global economies. The government was forced to act with bailouts to keep many big banks from shutting down. Some were bailed out and others failed to keep the economy stable. In June 2009, the recession was over, but the recovery process was not. To help prevent another crash, the Dodd Frank Act was passed in July 2010. The act is a long and complex legislation with the main purpose of enforcing regulations to keep banks in check to prevent another recession. The Act’s enforcement was felt immediately, forcing businesses to adapt to its regulation standards. Opinions on Dodd-Frank are mixed. Some see it serving its purpose with regulating the financial sector and others see it being a costly burden that has slowed the progress of the economy. As the economy continues to evolve, we can expect changes to the regulations on the financial sector which will continue to cause businesses to adapt, change, and modify their operations.
ContributorsCastro, Jonathan Patrick (Author) / Jordan, Erin (Thesis director) / Sadusky, Brian (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The NBA has shown to have immense popularity on social media, but has struggled recently in traditional TV viewership. Research has shown that NBA fans skew young, as the youngest fan base of the four major North American sports leagues, and that the fandom of NBA teams can be highly volatile. Research has also shown that sports fans are inclined to cheer for and identify with the team who is not favored to win in a game that they are unfamiliar with. This study aims to understand NBA fan loyalty that leads to fans tuning into NBA broadcasts, and the factors that influence both player and team loyalty among fans. By understanding what factors lead to an NBA fan watching a game on TV, there will be an increase in the number of fans who are consistent viewers of games. The question being asked is: Are NBA fans more inclined to watch games because of their favorite team or their favorite players, and what factors influence their loyalty to team and their loyalty to player?
Based on research conducted on social media usage and fan identification, an online survey was created and distributed. Respondents who identified as NBA fans answered questions regarding social media usage, live sports TV viewership, and more questions regarding presumptive factors leading to NBA game TV viewership. Analysis of the responses found that loyalty to team was a bigger factor than loyalty to player in getting NBA fans to watch games on TV. Results also indicated that loyalty to team increased based on an increase in live sports TV viewership per week, loyalty to player increased based on an increase in national TV NBA game viewership, and die-hard fans are more likely to watch NBA games for their favorite team and players than casual fans. Based on these results, it is recommended that the NBA markets their games towards casual fans, with player-focused marketing for their national TV games.
Based on research conducted on social media usage and fan identification, an online survey was created and distributed. Respondents who identified as NBA fans answered questions regarding social media usage, live sports TV viewership, and more questions regarding presumptive factors leading to NBA game TV viewership. Analysis of the responses found that loyalty to team was a bigger factor than loyalty to player in getting NBA fans to watch games on TV. Results also indicated that loyalty to team increased based on an increase in live sports TV viewership per week, loyalty to player increased based on an increase in national TV NBA game viewership, and die-hard fans are more likely to watch NBA games for their favorite team and players than casual fans. Based on these results, it is recommended that the NBA markets their games towards casual fans, with player-focused marketing for their national TV games.
ContributorsBogoshian, Matthew William (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This thesis discusses the case for Company X to improve its vast supply chain by implementing an artificial intelligence solution in the management of its spare parts inventory for manufacturing-related machinery. Currently, the company utilizes an inventory management system, based on previously set minimum and maximum thresholds, that doesn’t use predictive analytics to stock required spares inventory. This results in unnecessary costs and redundancies within the supply chain resulting in the stockout of spare parts required to repair machinery. Our research aimed to quantify the cost of these stockouts, and ultimately propose a solution to mitigate them. Through discussion with Company X, our findings led us to recommend the use of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) within the inventory management system to better predict when stockouts would occur. As a result of data availability, our analysis began on a smaller scale, considering only a single manufacturing site at Company X. Later, our findings were extrapolated across all manufacturing sites. The analysis includes the cost of stockouts, the capital that would be saved with A.I. implementation, costs to implement this new A.I. software, and the final net present value (NPV) that Company X could expect in 10 years and 25 years. The NPV calculations explored two scenarios, an external partnership and the purchase of a small private company, that lead to our final recommendations regarding the implementation of an A.I. software solution in Company X’s spares inventory management system. Following the analysis, a qualitative discussion of the potential risks and market opportunities associated with the explored implementation scenarios further guided the determination of our final recommendations.
ContributorsHolohan, Joseph Michael Houston (Co-author) / Shahriari, Rosie (Co-author) / Aun, Jose (Co-author) / Heineke, Christopher (Co-author) / Gurrola, Macario (Co-author) / Simonson, Mark (Thesis director) / Hertzel, Michael (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Our project examines The Blackstone Group’s $6.1 billion leveraged buyout of TeamHealth in 2016 in detail, as well as the broader implications of the transaction on the healthcare industry. The transaction was preceded by Blackstone’s initial acquisition of the company in 2005, followed by the company’s subsequent IPO in 2009. Our project first covers the history of the target company and profiles key subsidiaries, with an emphasis on the 2015 $1.6B acquisition of IPC by TeamHealth. We then detail the sources and uses of the transaction and explore Blackstone’s stated transaction rationale. We construct a base case financial model that explores Blackstone’s potential projected internal rate of return based on organic growth and potential synergies with IPC alone and without any further tuck-in acquisitions, as well as an acquisition case model that incorporates several future tuck-in acquisitions. Both cases include a detailed buildout of revenue projections, key income statement and balance sheet drivers (including an analysis of changes in healthcare economics and their impact on our revenue build), and forward-looking assumptions on various items including capital expenditures for the target company. Discounted cash flow analysis and leveraged buyout analysis outputs are detailed and discussed for both the base case and acquisition case. We examine the risks and mitigants associated with the transaction and how they may exacerbate issues in a downside case, namely leverage and public markets-related risks that may affect Blackstone’s strategy. Lastly, we investigate the impact the transaction may have on the broader industry from the patient, payor, and physician perspective.
ContributorsBamford, Maxwell Blake (Co-author) / Jha, Neil (Co-author) / Doughty, Alexander (Co-author) / Leibovit-Reiben, Zachary (Co-author) / Mindlin, Jeff (Thesis director) / Stein, Luke (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The purpose of this thesis was to create a valuation of Spotify (Ticker: SPOT) and estimate a share price for the company. Spotify is one of the largest music streaming services in the world, currently operating in 79 markets globally with a subscriber base of over 100 million people. Spotify initially offered April 3, 2018 at $132 per share and sees a huge amount of financial assets on their balance sheet due to continued investment. As a newly established high-growth company, Spotify has enjoyed a 30% average revenue growth year over year from 2014 to 2019. Although Spotify’s reach is quite large, the company is dwarfed by competitors such as Apple, Google, and Amazon in the extremely competitive music streaming industry. Within this paper, we first analyze the competitive landscape that makes up the music streaming industry. Once a baseline understanding of the music streaming industry has been reached, we turn the focus more directly onto Spotify through examining Spotify’s position within the market as well as the company’s current strategic goals and objectives. We then forecasted Spotify’s financial statements forward and created a residual income model (RIM) based on Spotify’s financial statements. As was previously stated, the purpose of this model was to arrive at a share price for Spotify that we believe accurately reflects its value and compare that with its current market trading price. After successfully accomplishing this goal, we conducted a comprehensive final analysis and offered Spotify recommendations based on the model as well and its output.
ContributorsRice, Ian (Co-author) / Nagele, Benjamin (Co-author) / Samuels, Janet (Thesis director) / Orpurt, Steven (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Abstract: Handling the multiple functions of monetary policy that protect the U.S. economy not only on a short term, but also long-term scale is a complicated responsibility assigned to Federal Reserve, in which their actions present a profound impact on consumer confidence towards financial markets and global economies. Specifically, one of the most important goals of the Federal Reserve is to mitigate the risk of the United States to enter a recession, while maintaining a balanced approach when making those policy decisions. In this thesis, we focus on the monetary policy of the Federal Reserve, particularly, their role in controlling interest rates to prevent recessionary sentiment in the current state of the economy. Since 2008, markets have been stronger and previous policies like Dodd-Frank have ensured that market collapses during the Great Recession do not repeat itself. Yet, fluctuations in the yield curve, polarizing investment views, and unsettled consumer confidence has pointed to another recession in the near future. In this case, we will look at the way the Fed has implemented short term policies to lower this risk in order to fight volatile markets, however, fluctuating interest rates has its consequences. The goal of this thesis is to analyze the various ways the Fed has managed interest rates in the past and present, and further, to offer a framework to serve as the most effective policy to combat volatility and recessionary sentiment in the U.S. economy.
ContributorsPatel, Dylan (Author) / Sacks, Jana (Thesis director) / Simonson, Mark (Committee member) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Women’s financial literacy and its translation into financial capability is becoming a pressing issue as women are living longer than men, while experiencing shorter employment periods, and lower incomes and benefits (Weir & Willis, 2000). More alarming is the lack of access to credible and trustworthy educational resources for women. Through a detailed analysis of the players in the women’s financial wellness sphere, many resource gaps were found to be present. Across prominent platforms, these issues were found (1) content was incorrectly conveyed to viewers, (2) presentation of the information was complex and/or confusing, and (3) the content was not visually appealing nor engaging.
In an environment of increasing connectivity due to the advent of 3G and 4G networks, and the increase in the number of users subscribing to social media platforms, it is an opportune time to utilize social media as an educational platform. With that being said, the goal of this project, the Sisterhood of Money (SOM), is to inform and educate women about essential financial topics. Using a variety of social media platforms such as Instagram, SOM intends to educate viewers with the help of aesthetically pleasing content that is engaging, informative, and easily digestible.
In an environment of increasing connectivity due to the advent of 3G and 4G networks, and the increase in the number of users subscribing to social media platforms, it is an opportune time to utilize social media as an educational platform. With that being said, the goal of this project, the Sisterhood of Money (SOM), is to inform and educate women about essential financial topics. Using a variety of social media platforms such as Instagram, SOM intends to educate viewers with the help of aesthetically pleasing content that is engaging, informative, and easily digestible.
ContributorsDeGravina, Gabrielle (Author) / Michael, Mokwa (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The sports industry is unlike any other in that it connects individuals and consumers from destinations around the world with one common interest. That commonality can be as specific as a favorite player, team, league, or sport. All in all, it bands together entire communities with their passion for the game. American sports leagues such as the National Football League, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, and many more, have all revolutionized the way that businesses view marketing though a user friendly, interactive, marketing tool with a universal reach.
ContributorsMarker, Sierra Kamalani Akiko (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Lee, Christopher (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05