The National Basketball Association is one of the most popular and most profitable sports leagues in the entire world, and with stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, and Luka Dončić, it continues to expand its international reach. In the past decade this has meant that the salary cap has continued to increase considerably. From 2013 to 2017 the salary cap increased by about $40.5 million from around $58.5 million to $99 million meaning there was an extra $1.2 billion worth of cap space to fill. All this new cap space created a perfect storm for numerous players to be overpaid. Many saw the performance of these overpaid players as a part of the contract year phenomenon where a player performs better before a new contract and then after receiving their new contract, their performance deteriorates. The purpose of this research is twofold. First, it looks at whether the contract year phenomenon has been present in the NBA since 2015. After that it looks to find what statistics are the best predictors for performance based on their positions. This was done through various statistical analysis techniques such as T-tests and piecewise regression. Box score statistics like point, rebounds, and assists as well as advanced metrics like player efficiency rating, usage percentage, and true shooting percentage were utilized in this study. The results indicated that the concept of the contract year phenomenon was present in the players sampled. However, rather than contract year only being for players who increased their performance in the previous year, it is a more general phenomenon. Also, there was major differences in the statistics that predicted performance. The biggest of these was the importance of usage percentage rather than points and that centers had the least predictors, most likely due to the evolution in the play of centers.

In arid environments such as Arizona, agricultural producers are burdened by constraints placed on them by inhospitable weather and limited access to water and fertile soil when attempting to grow produce. Farms in the arid Southwest often have to build greenhouses to overcome such constraints; however, such greenhouses may be relatively space, water, and pesticide intensive and often have demanding maintenance needs and overhead costs. In addition, many current agricultural practices exhaust land resources disparagingly, leading to irreversible environmental degradation. In an effort to improve agricultural production for those limited by weather and resource constraints while simultaneously increasing sustainability in land, resource and pesticide use, we have created Valleyponics, a hydroponic growth services company centered around creating a minimal farming footprint. The company uses a consultative services approach, leveraging NASA Veggie Growth System Technology to provide solutions to large businesses by automating their agricultural production processes and minimizing resource use year-round. Valleyponics aims to cultivate consultative partnerships which will allow our clients, their communities, and the environment to flourish.

The goal of the ACC / CSE thesis project is to create a product that can help simplify and minimize complicated decisions when carrying out financial reporting transactions. Instead of relying on the expertise of external consultants, the product strives to provide users with an educational and practical experience that enables accountants to carry out financial reporting in accordance with IFRS and GAAP standards that are used around the world.

Through findings from interviews, a survey, and personally learning automation software we think automation will continue to grow in the accounting industry in the coming years. Accountants see software as something that makes them more efficient and firms are doing a good job training their employees on how to use these new software tools. Our interviewed accountants say that automation saves them time that can be used to work on other things. By learning Alteryx, an automation tool, we saw these time savings firsthand.

The hit of the global COVID-19 pandemic altered the state of the world in ways that no one had predicted. The challenges that arose were not only limited to health concerns but went further into the political, social, and economic levels. There were countless industries that were impacted including manufacturing, hotels/restaurants, airlines, apparel, etc. With this pandemic there were greater level of setbacks for businesses than could have been expected to happen, which created consequences not only for the government but for the consumers as well. The government was inevitably handed the sudden increased responsibility of healthcare distribution as well as executing decisions for business closures and post-pandemic assistance for reopening. This paper will use data collected by several government sources and independent research bases to investigate the world before, during, and after the pandemic. With the information presented the goal is to give insights into what actually happened and shifted during the pandemic as well as what strategies are being implemented currently to help bounce back from the initial drastic hit. Alongside this it is hoped that a greater understanding of the challenges that are being faced shows where there could be more resources and focus provided in order to help both domestic and international businesses recover to pre-pandemic states.

Many corporations have experienced an increase in fraud since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and expect the level of fraud impacting their organization to continue to increase. As everyday activities moved from physical to online environments, many jobs shifted from being in an office to working from home. This lack of oversight and support system from their peers during these difficult times may have spurred unethical conduct from employees. Since many college students will end up in positions where they will have access to commit and conceal financial crime, I surveyed Arizona State University students who have experienced remote education and asked them questions regarding academic dishonesty and unethical business practices. Based on their responses to statements about online education since the pandemic and their likelihood to cheat in certain academic situations because of it, I found that students feel more comfortable cheating and committing academic dishonesty than before the pandemic. Since past research shows that the consequences of academic dishonesty are not confined to the university environment, educators and employers need to be aware of these implications arising from the pandemic to prevent individuals from developing a cheating mentality and committing unethical workplace behavior. By looking at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on academic dishonesty among Arizona State University students, this study contributes to emerging research on the lasting effects of the pandemic and the consequences of shifting to remote activities in many aspects of life.