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Sagebrush Coffee is a small business in Chandler, Arizona that purchases green beans, roasts them in small batches for quality, and ships fresh, gourmet roasted coffee beans across the nation. Deciding which coffee beans to buy and roast is one of the most crucial business decisions Sagebrush and other gourmet coffee roasters face. Further complicating this decision is the fact that coffee is a crop, and like all crops, has a specific growing season and the exact same product cannot usually be ordered from year to year, even if it proves to be successful. The goal of this research is to use data analytics and visualization to help Sagebrush make better purchasing decisions by identifying consumer purchasing trends and providing a recommendation for their portfolio mix. In the end, I found that Latin American coffees are popular with both returning and first-time customers, but a specific country of origin does not appear to be associated with the top coffee producing countries. Additionally, December is a critical month for Sagebrush and Sagebrush should make sure to target the states with the most sales: California, Pennsylvania, and New York. Arizona has growth potential as it is not one of the top three locations, despite the presence of a physical store. Also included in the following report is a portfolio recommendation suggesting how many of each product based on region, processing type, and roast level to carry in inventory.
ContributorsBlue, Jessica Morgan (Author) / Kellso, James (Thesis director) / Davila, Eddie (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Morrison School of Agribusiness (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This thesis will examine market research relating to consumer food trends and the business environment of Austin, Texas in order to evaluate the initial feasibility of establishing a small hydroponic produce farm. A main concern of this report is to provide a general overview of hydroponics and its potential advantages over traditional farming methods as a technique for producing food products for consumers in a local setting. To explore the potential of establishing such a venture, this report will also include a partial business plan focusing on the marketing strategy of initiating a hydroponic produce farm in Austin.
ContributorsShriver, John Andrew (Author) / Schmitz, Troy (Thesis director) / Manfredo, Mark (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Food deserts and food insecurity can negatively impact the health of communities. Urban farming, specifically with aeroponics systems, could be a possible solution in alleviating food insecurity in food deserts. In order to test and understand what type of system and products work best in such areas, this thesis looks at urban farming from farms' and consumers' perspective using qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data was collected from current businesses that are using urban farming techniques within the Phoenix valley. Based on the quantitative research, the consumers studied seemed willing to eat leafy greens and vegetables given that they are affordable, fresh, and they understand how to cook them. Further research could be a more focused study on residents of specific neighborhoods that are classified as food deserts. Another aspect that could be researched further is the other factors affecting the health of residents located in food deserts other than the availability of food. This could include, but is not limited to, lack of nutritional education, insufficient cooking materials, and personal food preferences.
ContributorsRaymond, Yann Gaby Jean (Co-author) / Curtiss, Mary (Co-author) / Grebitus, Carola (Thesis director) / Schmitz, Troy (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The restaurant opening process for "Muse & Market" was documented and evaluated. For my creative project, I served as the Director of Business Development for "Muse & Market" and assisted in the carrying out of activities including supplier selection, functional retail assembly and other key decision making. I paralleled this experience by researching best practices in the restaurant industry. I performed research by reviewing academic literature and online sources and by interviewing marketing managers and restauranteurs in New York City and Phoenix, AZ. I compiled a list of best practices based off of the commonalities from my research and interviews. I then compared these findings to what I experienced at Muse & Market to determine which of Muse & Market's launch preparation activities aligned with which best practices. I also identified areas of improvement for Muse & Market based on this comparison. Lastly I offered my key takeaways from my experience as an aspiring entrepreneur in the restaurant industry.
ContributorsHyland, Ashley Lauren (Author) / Manfredo, Mark (Thesis director) / Davila, Eddie (Committee member) / Morrison School of Agribusiness (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
As the landscape of the mass channel of retailing has become increasingly competitive, the leading mass retailer in the world, Retailer A*, has identified the Hispanic market as their last organic growth opportunity within the United States. In this pursuit, Retailer A has named Manufacturer A., the largest food and beverage manufacturer in the world, as their sole category advisor for the Hispanic market across their entire store. Developing aligned strategies that leverage the size and power of these partners creates the potential opportunity for both organizations to benefit from increased profits and increased market shares. Manufacturer A has performed extensive research on the Hispanic market in order to gain a deep understanding of who Hispanic consumers are and the unique shopping behaviors they exhibit that make this market the most profitable ethnic group in the US.** Along with this research, an analysis of the top eight Manufacturer A brands’ performances at Walmart reveals that although both organizations already have footholds within the Hispanic market, there still remains large opportunities for growth. Through prioritizing business and marketing strategies aimed at appealing more to Hispanic consumers at Retailer A, Manufacturer A stands to potentially gain over $39M in incremental sales from this partnership.
* All company, brand, and product names have been redacted to protect confidentiality.
**All market demographics and statistical market information mentioned hereafter were originally researched and verified by Retailer A. Information mentioned throughout this paper was sourced from internal company documents.
* All company, brand, and product names have been redacted to protect confidentiality.
**All market demographics and statistical market information mentioned hereafter were originally researched and verified by Retailer A. Information mentioned throughout this paper was sourced from internal company documents.
ContributorsWay, Anneliese (Author) / Dietrich, John T. (Thesis director) / Grebitus, Carola (Committee member) / Morrison School of Agribusiness (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
The intent of this paper is to first demonstrate the consistency of a U.S. based poultry technology incentive program regarding Nigeria, with current United States State Department and related United States Agency for International Development mission, and present day programs. By implementing the proposed incentive strategy, Nigeria in the midst of a devastating famine will become more food secure, and as a result the country as a whole will gain political stability. The correlation between food security and political stability will be discussed in greater detail further in the essay. The basis of an incentive strategy stems from the lack of poultry companies entering the current Nigerian market, due to risk factors and lucrative alternatives, however there are increasing benefits to companies willing to partner with or supply Nigerian domestic producers. The proposed incentive strategy is limited to U.S. poultry technology companies for the efficiencies inherent in poultry production. Limiting the incentives to U.S. poultry technology companies only entering the Nigerian domestic markets as partners or suppliers has its pros and cons, but will have a positive effect on Nigeria. Most importantly, the economic benefits, strengthening of U.S. and Nigerian diplomatic relations and promotion of stable democracies in the region are all compelling reasons for the United States to implement the proposed strategy. Nigeria is in the grips of a devastating famine threatening millions of its citizens with malnutrition and starvation. While there are ongoing humanitarian efforts that stem this tragedy, most focus solely on short term needs. The United States has an established diplomatic relationship with Nigeria, which supports key trade dependencies, both inbound and outbound from the US. The frailty of the present political and human conditions, while presently friendly to the US, presents risks to subversion to this important relationship. This proposal seeks to deploy strategies in the local food production, specifically the poultry segment, which; address frailties in the current environment, can be implemented within intermediate timeframes, are sustainable in the long term, and create synergistic outcomes for both the US and Nigerian interests.
ContributorsMoreno, Nathaniel Arnold (Author) / Iheduru, Okechukwu (Thesis director) / Herrera, Richard (Committee member) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Morrison School of Agribusiness (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Over the course of 2015-2017, the ASU-SCMA/UASGC Outreach program was developed at Arizona State University (ASU) to support both high school students and college students interested in supply chain management careers. In particular, the program targets the high school students of the Urban Assembly School for Global Commerce (UASGC) and the college students of the ASU Supply Chain Management Association (ASU-SCMA). High school students are partnered with college students in a year-long mentoring program that allows both parties to develop professional supply chain skills. The work of the ASU-SCMA/UASGC Outreach Program is particularly important because it provides UASGC with much needed resources to address urban poverty issues in New York using career and technical education. The Urban Assembly describes its student group as "at-risk, under-resourced youth," and of those youth: - 85% are low-income - 83% enter high school below grade level in at least one subject - 20% require Individualized Education Plans (Special Needs) (urbanassembly.org). The Outreach Program addresses the above issues by providing the high school students with collegiate mentors that develop supply chain and college readiness resources in the form of a case study, site tour, supply chain simulation and presentations. In order to be considered successful, the program must first, equip the high school mentees with tools and skills for a professional career, specifically supply chain management, that they would not otherwise be exposed to; and second, motivate the collegiate participants who are about to enter the workforce to continue to participate in mentoring throughout their careers. This program documents the efforts and results of the pilot year for the Outreach Program that took place from September 2016 through March 2017. Through this pilot program, it was determined that the ASU-SCMA/UASGC Outreach Program is effective and valuable. In fact, the program found that: - 75% of the high school students agreed or strongly agreed that the program helped them learn new business skills. - 75% of the high school students agreed that the program taught them new, interesting things about supply chain. - 75% of the high school students became more interested in college. 100% of the college mentors agreed or strongly agreed that they gained new and important supply chain and professional skills. The success of the pilot year has led to plans for the Outreach Program to become an annual project for ASU-SCMA. This is a program that will continue for the foreseeable future.
ContributorsLam, Tiffany Ai (Author) / Davila, Eduardo (Thesis director) / Manfredo, Mark (Committee member) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Attending college brings on new experiences and challenges. In order to survive college, a student must figure out what resources are available to them and what will help them succeed. The purpose of this study is to learn about what students struggle with the most. Students were also asked about what advice they have for future students and what they would change about their own experience. Participants of the study consisted of ASU students 18 or older. Information was collected through interviews, an online survey, and a paper survey. Many students feel that high school has not prepared them for college. Some students continue to struggle with time management. With students coming from many different backgrounds, it is up to the college to provide resources to help students to succeed. However, it is up to the student to make the effort to find, ask, and use these resources. The student ultimately decides to use the resources and tools provided to them in order to survive college.
ContributorsMartinez, Precious (Co-author) / Serrano, Hazel (Co-author) / Van Fleet, David (Thesis director) / Hutt, Roger (Committee member) / School of Art (Contributor) / Morrison School of Agribusiness (Contributor) / College of Letters and Sciences (Contributor) / Human Systems Engineering (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
One of the newest technologies available for agricultural use is the sequencing of the bovine genome and the identification of specific genes that would ensure favorable physical traits in the herd. An easy way for this technology to be utilized is in the milking herds of dairies, the herd has already been bred for specific traits and any change due to a genomic influence would be easily seen. Dairy cattle are commonly bred through artificial insemination, and this would be a perfect place for the genomic programs to prove themselves. In order to determine the attitudes of local dairymen toward genomics, I designed and administered a survey to gauge their opinions. The survey was given to a meeting of the United Dairymen of Arizona at their Tempe offices. The survey covered the current breeding methods used by the dairies, the desired attributes in a milking herd and a breeding program, and a place for the dairymen to give their own opinions on genomics. The results indicated that the dairymen are interested of using genomics, but they are unsure of the cost. Dairymen are often looking for new methods to increase their milk production and herd value, but are reluctant to pay a high amount. One recommendation is for these dairymen to utilize bulls that have had their genome analyzed when they are breeding their cows. This would allow the dairymen to see the effects and benefits of genomics on their herd without the dairymen having to front the large start up cost for their own genomic program.
ContributorsCooley, Haley Rayanne (Author) / Grebitus, Carola (Thesis director) / Schmitz, Troy (Committee member) / Morrison School of Agribusiness (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Waste pickers are the victims of harsh economic and social factors that have hurt many developing countries and billions of people around the world. Due to the rise of industrialization since the 19th century, waste and disposable resources have been discarded around the world to provide more resources, products, and services to wealthy countries. This has put developing countries in a precarious position where people have had very few economic opportunities besides taking on the role of waste pickers, who not only face physical health consequences due to the work they do but also face exclusion from society due to the negative views of waste pickers. Many people view waste pickers as scavengers and people who survive off of doing dirty work, which creates tensions between waste pickers and others in society. This even leads to many countries outlawing waste picking and has led to the brutal treatment of waste pickers throughout the world and has even led to thousands of waste pickers being killed by anti-waste picker groups and law enforcement organizations in many countries. <br/> Waste pickers are often at the bottom of supply-chains as they take resources that have been used and discarded, and provide them to recyclers, waste management organizations, and others who are able to turn these resources into usable materials again. Waste pickers do not have many opportunities to rise above the situation they are in as waste picking has become the only option for many people who need to provide for themselves and their families. They are not compensated very well for the work they do, which also contributes to the situation where waste pickers are forced into a position of severe health risks, backlash from society and governments, not being able to seek better opportunities due to a lack of earning potential, and not being connected with end-users. Now is the time to create new business models that solve these large problems in our global society and create a sustainable way to ensure that waste pickers are treated properly around the world.
ContributorsKidd, Isabella Joy (Co-author) / Kapps, Jack (Co-author) / Urbina-Bernal, Alejandro (Thesis director) / Byrne, Jared (Committee member) / Marseille, Alicia (Committee member) / Jordan, Amanda (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Morrison School of Agribusiness (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05