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ABSTRACT American households are throwing out billions of dollars of valuable food every year, which in turn ends up in landfills, harms the environment, and consumes precious tax dollars. The nation must reduce the waste that is causing a drain on resources. Furthermore, rather than turn excess food to waste, people can redistribute food to feed the millions of food insecure households nationwide. To address this issue, this paper utilizes a supply chain approach to research central links in the food chain and identify the causes for waste at each process. Additionally, an investigation of barriers to change is conducted, explaining the struggles stakeholders face in the food challenge. Taking these barriers into consideration, various solutions are recommended that can help alleviate the food challenge. Waste reduction is possible through proper management of the six supply chain drivers: information, inventory, sourcing, transportation, pricing, and facilities. Through better information sharing, more accurate forecasts can be produced, reducing the bullwhip effect thus minimizing waste. Sourcing, transportation, and pricing can help create secondary food markets. These local, online, or discount venues put imperfect and short shelf life foods back on shelves instead of landfills. Small improvements in facilities such as reengineering display units can reduce the chances of damaged produce as well. To a humanitarian end, gleaning efforts bring nutritious, unharvested crops from farms to food pantries. Centralized donation networks better educate businesses and allocate resources to those in need. Moreover, consumer-driven initiatives at a store or web-based level can move food surpluses to food insecure homes. Combined, these methods will provide a triple bottom line benefit to profits, people, and the planet.
ContributorsChen, Jennifer (Author) / Dooley, Kevin (Thesis director) / Rabinovich, Elliot (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2013-12
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The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the system of 'smart' inter-connected networked devices that contain sensors to communicate information to the Internet. Due to the complex and intricate nature of IoT technologies, in addition to the many applications of IoT, the IoT has the potential to revolutionize how we interact and work every day. The information gathered through IoT is aggregated and can be used to improve business decision making, as well as contribute to a greater society. IoT spans various market sectors including retail, energy, and transportation. IoT can also be used to improve efficiencies within the supply chain. By increasing the transparency of items in-transit, in addition to providing greater visibility about inventory usage and consumer consumption habits, there are many implications of IoT that can be utilized to transform logistical processes. While some literature exists that discusses the impact of the IoT on the supply chain, the findings are limited in size and scope and tend to focus on particular implementations of IoT technologies. Further research is necessary to evaluate the impact of IoT to advance supply chain best practices and to understand the potential implications of the IoT in improving supply chain planning and distribution. This thesis aims to address this gap in the literature. By focusing on supply chain management, the thesis will look at the context in which the IoT operates, the market and implications of IoT devices, current logistics processes, the capabilities of IoT, as well as the potential problems and weaknesses with the implementation of the IoT.
ContributorsBentley, Garrett Burton (Author) / Rabinovich, Elliot (Thesis director) / Kellso, James (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
My thesis project explored Amazon's private label and how third-party sellers can protect their products. My study aimed to find ways that third-party sellers can prevent Amazon’s private labels from entering their product space while also developing strategies that third-party sellers can implement to protect themselves from Amazon's private label brands. Ultimately finding that success on Amazon requires strategic thinking and a commitment to delivering value to customers, and third-party sellers who prioritize these goals will be well-positioned for long-term success.
ContributorsPickren, Ethan (Author) / Rabinovich, Elliot (Thesis director) / Davila, Eddie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2023-05