Digital Commons Network^™

Unlocking The Mysteries Of Weed And Mexico, Eddy Martinez

Capstones

An American biotech firm named Phylos Bioscience is interested in entering the Mexican marijuana market once it legalizes. Before it can do that, it must deal with the Mexican government and a conservative society.

https://eddymartinezcunyedu.atavist.com/figuring-out-the-mysteries-of-weed-and-mexico

Behind The Student Loan Debt Crisis, New Benefits Solutions, Sarah Min

Capstones

Two years ago, when Scott Thompson took over tech startup Tuition.io as chief executive officer in 2016, he felt as though he had to educate his clients about his product — a new benefit, managed by his software company that allows employers to help their employees repay their student loans.

Today, he doesn’t feel that need. When he recently walked into a Fortune 20 company with a stack of documents, his prospective clients said they understood his pitch and hardly required the introductory material. “I don’t evangelize anymore. We very rarely educate any longer,” Thompson said.

When Tuition.io was founded …

Staying Afloat In A Dying Industry, Naomi Yane

Capstones

Staying Afloat in a dying Industry

The storied neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay, which sits on the southern tip of Brooklyn, is named after a fish that once inhabited the waters surrounding the town. Like the Sheepshead fish, the community's once booming fishing industry might soon be wiped out due to increasing regulations. Despite complaints from local fishermen, government agencies have taken their stand.

https://www.naomiyane.com/capstone

Trade Rout: As Trade Tensions Built Between U.S. And Canada, This American Border Town Felt The Freeze, Matt Cutler, Isaac Carey

Capstones

A close business relationship with Canada has allowed Plattsburgh to thrive as a manufacturing town. Over 100 Quebec-based companies operate there, and 15 percent of the workforce in the county gets its paycheck from a Canadian company. Even more impressive, this comes at a time when manufacturing jobs are declining nationwide. While factories are shutting down across the rust belt, in Plattsburgh they are opening up.

There is just one problem.

All of this was made possible by the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. And just this April, the Trump administration abruptly threatened to pull out of the …

The Mental Health Toll Of Amazon Warehouse Work, Max Zahn

Capstones

The emergency call is among at least 207 made for suicide attempts, suicidal thoughts, and other mental health episodes in Amazon warehouses nationwide during the past five years, according to 911 call logs, ambulance and police reports obtained under open records requests. The reports are for 48 Amazon warehouses spanning close to 20 states across the country, roughly half of the sorting and fulfillment centers that comprise Amazon’s network inside the United States. Jurisdictions for other Amazon warehouses either did not have any reports or declined requests for similar logs.

New York's Fight For $15: Who Wins, Who Loses?, Piter Ortega

Capstones

2016-17 State Budget: A $15 minimum wage plan is passed that will increase the earnings of more than 2.1 million low-wage workers in New York.

Link to capstone:http://www.piterortegaprojects.com/minimum-wage/

Is American Retail At A Historic Tipping Point?, Violetta Torres-Baron

Capstones

There’s a transformation happening in the American economy as consumers increasingly buy things online and e-commerce approaches 10% of all US retail sales with Amazon leading the way. Now, nearly everyone knows that Amazon is one of the hottest stocks on Wall Street right now given its impressive gains year after year. With its technological sophistication and ability to know it’s customers in ways never seen before, many retailers fear the “death by Amazon” as the company moves into different sectors and diversifies its product offerings – but is this is a bonafide fear for the retail sector? The big-box …

Adapting To $15: As The Minimum Wage Approaches $15 In Nyc, Business Owners Are Finding Ways To Make It Work, Alexandra Semenova, Sharif Paget

Capstones

This project examines the impact of minimum wage increases across major industries in New York City and State and concludes they have been manageable and even fueled broader economic growth. Since the incremental wage hikes were first signed into law in 2015, data and anecdotal evidence has shown business owners have been able to make it work and many of critics' concerns that the higher labor costs would lead to disemployment have been misplaced. The story provides an in-depth analysis of how restaurant and food establishments, health care and retail employers have adapted to higher labor costs by innovating their …