Matching Items (347)
Description
Africa has some of the "fastest growing economies," yet there is a lack of a middle class (Economist). Natural resources have attracted foreign investments, however, most of the revenue exit these economies. What remains a consistent, permanent advantage is culture; it has been the most integrated core value before and after colonialism. The concept of culture has become a part of the identity of Africa and it has not been leveraged to its full potential. The 2013 Creative Economy Report states, "Culture is a way to create jobs and improve people's lives. It empowers people. It works for development" (UNESCO/UNDP). Cultural industries create local sustainable jobs that are less susceptible to the fluctuation of the global economy compared to jobs in factories and multinational companies. They are based on "local tacit know how" that is not accessible globally as they are people intensive rather than capital intensive (Scott A.J, 1999). Activ8 seeks to tap into this opportunity by maximizing the economic potential of developing economies by investing in their cultural industries. Activ8 aspires to accomplish this by targeting two sets of customers: creators, who are the activators, and investors. Our activators consist of two target segments: one living and working in these industries in a developing country, and the other being refugee clients who may have been exposed to a cultural industry and may want to pursue developing cultural products in their new country of asylum. Our investors are globally minded individuals who want to be culturally aware, have an appreciation for authentic cultural products, or seek to invest in entrepreneurial pursuits in Africa. During our first phase we will focus on the cultural industries in Ghana, West Africa. This will range from products in the textiles industry to sculptures and traditional instruments. We plan to pilot the first phase in Ghana and in the second phase, form a partnership with the International Rescue Committee, a refugee settlement agency, in Arizona. Our goals are to provide education and mentoring, market accessibility, product development, and financing to encourage and empower activators to be self-sufficient and successful cultural entrepreneurs, whiles improving economic development in their communities. Our online store will feature our activators' authentic products, their stories, and the cultural importance of each product. There will also be a platform for entrepreneurs in other industries in Africa to connect with venture capitalists or angel investors around the world. The educational component will be infused with product development and entrepreneurship training derived from the "From AHA!! to EXIT" strategy coined by Aram Chavez from the College of Technology and Innovation at ASU. In order for Activ8 to successfully execute its mission, Activ8 will need to be able to give our team and our activators access to technology, mentorship, and financial resources to operate an online store and rum Activ8's educational program. We also envision creating partnerships with boutiques and retail corporations to adapt these cultural products. Our long-term goal is formulate the conditions conducive for economic growth and sustainable development to ensure Africans become the main agents of development.
ContributorsAdusei, Esther (Author) / Chavez, Aram (Thesis director) / Schoellman, Todd (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12
Description
Within recent years, the drive for increased sustainability within large corporations has drastically increased. One critical measure within sustainability is the diversion rate, or the amount of waste diverted from landfills to recycling, repurposing, or reselling. There are a variety of different ways in which a company can improve their diversion rate, such as repurposing paper. A conventional method would be to simply have a recycling bin for collecting all paper, but the concern for large companies then becomes a security issue as confidential papers may not be safe in a traditional recycling bin. Salt River Project (SRP) has tackled this issue by hiring a third-party vendor (TPV) and having all paper placed into designated, secure shredding bins whose content is shredded upon collection and ultimately recycled into new material. However, while this effort is improving their diversion, the question has arisen of how to make the program viable in the long term based on the costs required to sustain it. To tackle this issue, this thesis will focus on creating a methodology and sampling plan to determine the appropriate level of a third-party recycling service required and to guide efficient bin-sizing solutions. This will in turn allow for SRP to understand how much paper waste is being produced and how accurately they are being charged for TPV services.
ContributorsHolladay, Amy E. (Author) / Escobedo, Adolfo (Thesis director) / Kucukozyigit, Ali (Committee member) / Industrial, Systems & Operations Engineering Prgm (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
To address the costs of Universal Basic Income (UBI) implementation while promoting new perspectives and broader thinking.
This paper will introduce UBI as a concept and a program to better understand its implementation around the world and the underlying theory of how to afford its sustained use. The paper examines several different implementation and funding mechanisms that are all focused on economic growth as the sole measure of success. It displays how UBI's program costs make it insufficient for further use under those metrics. This paper introduces the need to change the narrative to focus less on GDP-growth and more about the positive benefits of income distribution to raise the poverty line, decrease income inequality, and increase the overall well-being of each citizen in the United States.
This paper will introduce UBI as a concept and a program to better understand its implementation around the world and the underlying theory of how to afford its sustained use. The paper examines several different implementation and funding mechanisms that are all focused on economic growth as the sole measure of success. It displays how UBI's program costs make it insufficient for further use under those metrics. This paper introduces the need to change the narrative to focus less on GDP-growth and more about the positive benefits of income distribution to raise the poverty line, decrease income inequality, and increase the overall well-being of each citizen in the United States.
ContributorsGordon, Chandler Robert (Author) / Hill, Alexander (Thesis director) / Wong, Kelvin (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
A desk provides an interesting forum between two people. The first party sits behind the desk while the second approaches with a question. The desk presents itself as a stage for the drama of that conversation to take place; as all furniture and property do, we naturally make assumptions about the owner based on the things they possess. Just as a Ferrari says one thing while a truck says something different, our furniture conveys a similar sensation. The desk is special because it acts as a stage - it can create a very subtle first impression of the person who owns it. The question then becomes, "what should I try to convey through the desk I sat behind?". If someone walked into my office and looked strictly at my desk, what impression would I want to give them about who I am as an individual? I conjunction with this question about the design of the desk itself comes to another question about the materials used. This thesis goes into the symbolic nature of wood in modern and ancient times across cultures, explores wood in modern construction today and explores the source of the wood used in this specific project through a supplier analysis of Porter Barn Wood. Porter Barn Wood is a local Phoenix company that specializes in reclaimed barn wood delivered from the east coast. Determining the story of how the wood got to Phoenix and to the company that made it possible was just as important to the story of the desk as the wood itself. Overall, this project explored my ability to construct a desk and build a story around that piece of art while maintaining a business mindset throughout. It was eye-opening to me and I would encourage you to read further!
ContributorsDuran, Alejandro Michael (Author) / Vitikas, Stanely (Thesis director) / Fleming, David (Committee member) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
I study some comparative statics implications of disappointment-averse preferences
for optimal portfolios. Specifically, I find that risk-averse disappointment-averse investors
increase investment in a risky asset as a result of a monotone likelihood ratio improvement in
the asset’s distribution, a subset of First Order Stochastic improvements. This gives a testable
implication between the disappointment aversion model, and alternatives, including expected
utility. I also discuss previously noted implications for disappointment aversion in helping
explain the equity premium puzzle.
ContributorsWarrier, Raghav (Author) / Schlee, Edward (Thesis director) / Almacen, Christopher (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
The rapid growth of published research has increased the time and energy researchers invest in
literature review to stay updated in their field. While existing research tools assist with organizing papers, providing basic summaries, and improving search, there is a need for an assistant that copilots researchers to drive innovation. In response, we introduce buff, a research assistant framework employing large language models to summarize papers, identify research gaps and trends, and recommend future directions based on semantic analysis of the literature landscape, Wikipedia, and the broader internet. We demo buff through a user-friendly chat interface, powered by a citation network encompassing over 5600 research papers, amounting to over 133 million tokens of textual information. buff utilizes a network structure to fetch and analyze factual scientific information semantically. By streamlining the literature review and scientific knowledge discovery process, buff empowers researchers to concentrate their efforts on pushing the boundaries of their fields, driving innovation, and optimizing the scientific research landscape.
ContributorsBalamurugan, Neha (Author) / Arani, Punit (Co-author) / LiKamWa, Robert (Thesis director) / Bhattacharjee, Amrita (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor)
Created2024-05
DescriptionThis project tracks the history of fiscal stimulus in the United States as it relates to defense and economic projects. This is done in order to place the Biden administration's fiscal agenda into a historical context of fiscal spending.
ContributorsMiller, Jordan (Author) / Calhoun, Craig (Thesis director) / Kirkpatrick, Jennet (Committee member) / Fong, Benjamin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
MyCollegeCooking.com is a student-driven initiative aimed at revolutionizing the way college students approach nutrition and cooking. Understanding the unique challenges faced by students, such as limited space and time constraints, our platform provides accessible tools and inspiration for preparing nutritious meals. Beyond offering recipes, our website includes detailed nutritional information and encourages interaction from users, fostering a dynamic community. Supported by research and feedback from over 100 college students, our focus on simplicity, accessibility, and balance addresses the common concerns of time and money. Through strategic marketing efforts, particularly leveraging social media, we aim to raise awareness and promote healthy cooking habits among college students nationwide. MyCollegeCooking.com isn't just a recipe website; it's a collaborative platform dedicated to enhancing the well-being and success of students through nutritious eating and community engagement.
ContributorsVandeest, Maren (Author) / Rennie, Isabel (Co-author) / Spreitzer, Nicole (Co-author) / Modic, Jill (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / McElfish, Alex (Committee member) / Mogytyuh, Sarah (Committee member) / Hill, Rose (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainable Engineering & Built Envirnmt (Contributor) / Industrial, Systems & Operations Engineering Prgm (Contributor)
Created2024-05
DescriptionCreation of a biodegradable phone case business, "Green Halo Cases"
ContributorsCurtin, Erika (Author) / Rakolta, Mikayla (Co-author) / Pollard, Oscar (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Lee, Christopher (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Industrial, Systems & Operations Engineering Prgm (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
For decades, society has held an innate fascination with serial murder and serial killers. The fascination lies in the motivations behind the actions and the way in which investigators apprehend them. The psychological field of investigative and behavioral psychology emerged to attempt to answer some of these questions and the investigative tool of behavioral profiling soon followed. Researchers have conducted comparison studies of male and female serial killers many times to understand what differentiates them. This research aims to answer another question: Are female serial killers more homogenous based on their profiles than male serial killers? The media portrays female serial killers in a very specific light, poisoners who kill due to revenge or money, but how well does this portrayal actually hold up when analytically examined? This research compiled case studies of fifteen male and fifteen female serial killers based on twenty-six characteristics and profiled each according to three different typologies to determine how homogenous these groups actually are. This research can help assist investigators and the public to better understand the diversity of these types of offenders and be able to determine who these offenders are.
ContributorsRotenberg, Taylor (Author) / Guyll, Max (Thesis director) / Madon, Stephanie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor)
Created2024-05