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Description
Entrepreneurship is an incredibly difficult endeavor. Along with the potentially high risk-to-return-ratio, starting an entrepreneurial venture, in nearly any capacity, necessitates a significant summation of work, time, creativity, and adaptability.1 In my opinion, many of the token hyper-productive individuals that have produced enormous amounts of value for the world were entrepreneurs who started their own companies and organizations. However, for every successful founder, there are thousands of failed entrepreneurs. In 2015, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that roughly 50% of businesses fail in the first four years.2 Founders, over time, must become professionals in their respective industries in order to succeed. With limited financial capital to hire employees, founders must learn skills in a variety of focus areas which could include finance, strategy, technology, management, marketing, sales, and many more, until they can generate enough capital to hire employees to fulfill these roles. Although the learnings and experiences from starting a company can more effectively be understood through experiencing it first-hand, in this document, I intend to start a startup from scratch, learn a multitude of skills involved with starting a startup and describe my experience. My hope is that potential founders can read this document and get a better understanding of what it’s like to start a startup. This thesis will be less focused on quantitative data capturing and more focused on my first-hand experience.
ContributorsNaluz, Ethan Gabriel (Author) / Sebold, Brent (Thesis director) / Mian, Sami (Committee member) / Ravichandran, Anirudh (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
In the past decade, online shopping mode has been recognized and accepted by more and
more people. Over 200 million people were online shoppers in the United States. Convenient,
options, and better prices compared to traditional shopping mode attract more people to choose
the products online. Consumer’s feedback presented as online reviews on products after the
purchase has become one of the most important factors influencing whether other consumers will
purchase products. For merchants, by studying the behavioral differences of these online
consumers when evaluating products, they can help them to understand product characteristics
and their customers to improve online marketing strategies. This article explores the differences
in the types of utilitarian and hedonic products and behavioral changes in customer opinions,
which involves 22 different categories of products from Amazon.com and customer reviews for
analysis through a variety of technical and research methods.
more people. Over 200 million people were online shoppers in the United States. Convenient,
options, and better prices compared to traditional shopping mode attract more people to choose
the products online. Consumer’s feedback presented as online reviews on products after the
purchase has become one of the most important factors influencing whether other consumers will
purchase products. For merchants, by studying the behavioral differences of these online
consumers when evaluating products, they can help them to understand product characteristics
and their customers to improve online marketing strategies. This article explores the differences
in the types of utilitarian and hedonic products and behavioral changes in customer opinions,
which involves 22 different categories of products from Amazon.com and customer reviews for
analysis through a variety of technical and research methods.
ContributorsXu, Jiawei (Author) / Huang, Ni (Thesis director) / Hong, Yili (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
In 2017, the last full year before the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States, over $4.8 billion was legally gambled on sports in Nevada alone. This number pales in comparison to the estimated $150 billion that is gambled illegally on sports in the United States every year (Liptak, Draper). These numbers have continually grown year-over-year as the interest and demand in sports gambling has steadily increased. This trend will continue s states begin to legalize sports gambling and gambling operators set-up shop, allowing hundreds of thousands of people who had never placed a bet because of its limited access to now be able to do so. As fans begin to place legal bets on sporting events, there will be three types of fans who place bets: those who will never place a bet on a game involving their favorite team, those who will bet on games involving their favorite team but never against their favorite team, and those who will place bets on games involving and against their favorite team. This project explores how the modern sports fan will be impacted by the widespread legalization of sports gambling throughout the United States of America. As fans are able to place legal sports bets through their phones, computers, or at local sportsbooks and casinos, it will be interesting to see if the loyalty they have towards their favorite team remains as strong as ever or becomes divided between their favorite team and sports bets.
ContributorsGoldstein, Matthew (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
News headlines are filled with unequal treatment in the workplace. However, there are also inspirational stories that encourage young women to face the challenges they are presented as they become executives in corporate America.
The purpose of this study was to interview women executives within corporate America to identify similar means of navigating women-specific issues they may have been presented with within their industry. More specifically, the questions sought to identify how these women became successful within their industry and how their female identities may have provided benefits to them, professionally. Interviewees were selected on a multitude of factors, title and status in company, industry, including availability, mutual connections, and demographics. Interviews were conducted both in person, over the phone, via web video conference and via email. All interviewees were asked the same questions, and interviews ranged from 25-45 minutes each. Each one was recorded and transcribed in order to facilitate comparison between stories, experiences, and other mentions.
The initial intention of analyzing the interviews and stories of these executives was to identify common factors that unified their stories. There were nine categories that the interviews sought to investigate: work-life balance, starting off strong, daily routines, mentorship/support, leadership, impact and legacy, advice and motivation, pros of being a woman, biggest challenges/cons. However, the interviews revealed that there were a plethora of unique factors that identified the stories these women had to tell. Overall, 5/8 of the executives believed that their female identity provided an advantage to them in the corporate sector, 2/8 women said their identity was a neutral factor, and only one woman stated she felt it placed her at a disadvantage. Further, this study concludes that the stories of impenetrable glass ceilings and roadblocks are balanced to some degree by stories of success within the corporate sector. There were 3 key themes for their narratives for success, having a support system, putting yourself first, and giving back.
The purpose of this study was to interview women executives within corporate America to identify similar means of navigating women-specific issues they may have been presented with within their industry. More specifically, the questions sought to identify how these women became successful within their industry and how their female identities may have provided benefits to them, professionally. Interviewees were selected on a multitude of factors, title and status in company, industry, including availability, mutual connections, and demographics. Interviews were conducted both in person, over the phone, via web video conference and via email. All interviewees were asked the same questions, and interviews ranged from 25-45 minutes each. Each one was recorded and transcribed in order to facilitate comparison between stories, experiences, and other mentions.
The initial intention of analyzing the interviews and stories of these executives was to identify common factors that unified their stories. There were nine categories that the interviews sought to investigate: work-life balance, starting off strong, daily routines, mentorship/support, leadership, impact and legacy, advice and motivation, pros of being a woman, biggest challenges/cons. However, the interviews revealed that there were a plethora of unique factors that identified the stories these women had to tell. Overall, 5/8 of the executives believed that their female identity provided an advantage to them in the corporate sector, 2/8 women said their identity was a neutral factor, and only one woman stated she felt it placed her at a disadvantage. Further, this study concludes that the stories of impenetrable glass ceilings and roadblocks are balanced to some degree by stories of success within the corporate sector. There were 3 key themes for their narratives for success, having a support system, putting yourself first, and giving back.
ContributorsCrawford, Claudia Laine (Author) / Dietrich, John (Thesis director) / Sacks, Jana (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The creative project titled “Culture and Business: Exploring the Etiquette Behind a Chinese Business Meal” focused on defining what is proper dining etiquette targeted at doing business with China. Through the use of 10 informational interviews with seasoned professionals who have experience working overseas in China, this project explored the key aspects of building relationships over a meal. Furthermore, online research was taken into account in order to provide a more up-to-date and well-rounded view. Trends that were discovered across categories include seating arrangements, gift giving, conversation topics, drinking culture, gender roles, and the actual act of eating. The goal of this project was to create an infographic and short video with the intention of educating American business students who are interested in working in China. It was found through the study that many Chinese professionals find the rules of business dining etiquette to be common sense. With globalization making developing relationships between American and Chinese businesses more accessible, providing established descriptions of how to properly conduct a business meal is essential to rising American professionals in order to ensure success in closing the business deal with their Chinese counterparts.
ContributorsLe, Athena (Co-author) / Ponce-Moreno, Jazmin (Co-author) / Hom, Peter (Thesis director) / Schoenfeld, Robert (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Influencer marketing has exploded into a multi-billion dollar industry, with millions of influencers spanning thousands of different industries. The beauty industry is one of the most popular industries for influencer marketing, with influencers having the ability to collaborate with popular beauty brands like L’Oréal as well as being able to create their own successful beauty companies. With consumers exposed to thousands of brand deals every day, brands are now searching for the keys to creating an authentic brand partnership with influencers. This thesis looks at the factors that go into authentic influencer marketing to help brands understand what they should be looking for when creating a partnership that consumers would deem as authentic, with a specific emphasis on the beauty industry. This thesis includes a multi-method study using a focus group and a survey. Specifically, the focus group focused on finding common themes related to authenticity and the survey uncovered whether follower count influences consumers’ perception of authenticity. The studies revealed that follower count doesn’t impact how consumers’ perceived authenticity, but authenticity and trust do play a role in whether consumers will interact with an influencer’s paid advertisement. To better understand the research presented in this thesis, an analysis of influencers and the psychology of influence are presented, along with a case study of a successful beauty brand partnership and an in depth look at FTC guidelines.
ContributorsPope, Haley Marie (Author) / Montoya, Detra (Thesis director) / Giles, Charles (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Over 5.8 million people are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with the sixth highest mortality rate in the United States. No known cure or substantially life-extending treatment exists. With the growing aging population these numbers are only expected to increase to about 13.8 million by the year 2050. Alzheimer’s is a multifactorial disease, giving rise to two main types: familial AD (FAD) and sporadic AD (SAD). Although there are different factors associated with each type of the disease, both FAD and SAD result in neuronal and synaptic loss and remain difficult to model in-vitro and treat overall.
Current advances in cellular models of neurodegenerative diseases overcome a variety of limitations possessed in animal and post-mortem human models. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) provide a platform with cells that can self-renew and differentiate into mature and functional cell types. HiPSCs are at the forefront of neurodegenerative disease research because of their ability to differentiate into neural cell types. Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is a protein encoded by the APOE gene found on chromosome 19 of the human genome. There are three common polymorphisms in the APOE gene, resulting from a single amino acid change in the protein. The presence of these polymorphisms are studied as associated risk factors of developing AD. Different combinations of these alleles closely relate to the risk a patient has in developing Alzheimer’s disease. The risk associated effects of this gene are primarily investigated, however the protective effects are not examined to the same extent.
This research aims to overcome the existing limitations in cell differentiations and improve cell population purity that limits the variables present in the culture. To do this, this study optimized a differentiation protocol by separating and purifying neuronal cell populations to study the potential protective effects associated with ApoE, a risk factor seen in SAD. This platform aims to use a purified cell population to effectively analyze cell type specific affects of the ApoE risk factor, specifically in neurons.
Current advances in cellular models of neurodegenerative diseases overcome a variety of limitations possessed in animal and post-mortem human models. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) provide a platform with cells that can self-renew and differentiate into mature and functional cell types. HiPSCs are at the forefront of neurodegenerative disease research because of their ability to differentiate into neural cell types. Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is a protein encoded by the APOE gene found on chromosome 19 of the human genome. There are three common polymorphisms in the APOE gene, resulting from a single amino acid change in the protein. The presence of these polymorphisms are studied as associated risk factors of developing AD. Different combinations of these alleles closely relate to the risk a patient has in developing Alzheimer’s disease. The risk associated effects of this gene are primarily investigated, however the protective effects are not examined to the same extent.
This research aims to overcome the existing limitations in cell differentiations and improve cell population purity that limits the variables present in the culture. To do this, this study optimized a differentiation protocol by separating and purifying neuronal cell populations to study the potential protective effects associated with ApoE, a risk factor seen in SAD. This platform aims to use a purified cell population to effectively analyze cell type specific affects of the ApoE risk factor, specifically in neurons.
ContributorsFrisch, Carlye Arin (Author) / Brafman, David (Thesis director) / Tian, Xiaojun (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This paper explores a cluster analysis and data-driven marketing recommendations for Cartel Coffee Lab, a local coffee shop. Building a loyal customer base is the biggest asset to a company’s success. This is crucial when Cartel’s main location has a fast-changing environment, such as a university, located nearby. The reason for this is mainly due to the influx and customer churn that a hub produces. Our team’s focus was on analyzing customer buying patterns to determine the different customer segments within Cartel Coffee Lab. Our methods included creating temporary databases in Microsoft SQL Server and performing a cluster analysis in SAS Enterprise Miner. The cluster analysis results were then used to propose data-driven marketing recommendations for each customer segment in order to provide a well-designed value proposition. Additionally, a loyalty program was recommended in order to increase customer profitability and loyalty, depending on the cluster segment. Through identifying the current situation, business questions, research methodology, analysis results, and plan of action, this creative project will cover multiple key areas of a business analytics project.
ContributorsSummersgill, Sarah Katherine (Co-author) / Fabre, Eve (Co-author) / Zhang, Zhongju (Thesis director) / Giles, Charles (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The adaptive artificial-intelligence (AI) medical device industry is a novel industry in the United States offering innovations to the healthcare field. The rapid expansion of this industry in recent years has drawn attention from multiple stakeholders causing a heated debate about how to introduce these innovations into the market while maintaining patient safety and treatment efficacy. Since early 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been releasing statements in regards to the improvement of regulation for this new technology, but has yet to take further actions. Dilemmas including 1) a difficult regulatory process, 2) a heightening financial burden and 3) looming liability issues, are reasons adaptive AI medical devices have struggled to be advanced. By conducting a thorough analysis of these 3 issues, recognizing the intricacies of them separately and together, this study develops a better understanding of the landscape adaptive AI technology is facing and provides a clearer picture for the future of the industry.
ContributorsOgden, Ravyn Nicole (Author) / Coursen, Jerry (Thesis director) / Pizziconi, Vincent (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The following honors thesis analyzes the history of advertising in the state of Arizona since the late 19th century and its overall impact on economic development. Advertising is defined as the action of calling something to the attention of the public, especially by paid announcements; and economic development is defined as the process whereby simple economies are transformed into modern industrial economies. This paper will analyze the influence of key people, events, locations, and publications on consumer behavior and discuss how they contributed to tourism in the state and, subsequently, economic growth. By speaking to experts on Arizona history, economic development and tourism as well as analyzing a variety of historical multimedia, I will discuss how advertising methods evolved over time and how they contributed to increased interest and growth within the state.
ContributorsTatom, Julia Kathryn (Co-author) / Tatom, Julia (Co-author) / Eaton, Dr. John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Dr. Michael (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05