Digital Commons Network^™

Closing Up Shop, Rachel Green

Capstones

The pandemic has wreaked havoc across the world. One of the hardest hit types of business was restaurants. New York City is a hub for restaurants and bars. Many restaurateurs and bar owners have been struggling to survive throughout the year. This capstone will look at specific examples of struggling business owners and see what happened when COVID-19 hit the city. https://capstone-rachel-green.webflow.io/

Will Unions Get Out The Vote For Mayor In 2021?, Caroline Leddy

Capstones

Labor unions have played an important role in New York City politics for decades--with the 2021 mayoral election approaching, will they be able to motivate their membership to vote for the candidate they endorse, or will their members vote for whomever they want without taking into account who their union recommends? Link here: https://caroline-leddy.medium.com/will-unions-get-out-the-vote-for-mayor-in-2021-a85388813d2d

Profits For Spotify, Pennies For Artists, Joshua R. Rosenberg

Capstones

Major recording labels have always been king-making investment houses. They market the music and manage the careers of artists such as New York singer-songwriter Blake Morgan, who has to fight tooth and nail to escape being mistreated financially. But digital distribution services have now come along and upped the parasitic ante. By dominating global market share and distributing millions of songs for the labels, companies like Spotify are piggybacking on the music industry’s already exploitative system and magnifying it exponentially. The more content you control, the larger the overall profit–even if the overwhelming majority of content creators are essentially starving. …

Bioscience: How One Industry Won The Pandemic And Will Change Us All, Sonya Swink

Capstones

A video and print capstone about the next great generation of biological sciences as a private industry since 2020. It encompasses the pandemic as the boost the industry needed, discussion of science’s bad reputation and the potential benefits, especially for new workspaces and real estate investors. Colorado is a focus as a burgeoning market. The news value of this story as a primer is how this will be both a beneficial industry and one that must be held to account if it becomes too monopolistic. Comparisons are from the viewpoint that bioscience is like the next Silicon Valley, but statements …

As Pandemic Endures, Impact On Households Is Here To Stay, Amanda J. Glodowski

Capstones

Covid-19 has uniquely and disproportionately impacted women. Nearly 60% of those who have lost their jobs are women. Women who stayed working had a higher likelihood of serving on the frontline during the height of the pandemic as essential workers. With most schools not fully back in-person, homeschooling responsibilities have increased and endured longer than expected. These tensions ripple through families. Fathers are finding themselves with front-row seats to the mounting pressure working mothers face, causing household dynamics to shift. As the intricacies of households come to light, fathers are willing to renegotiate their roles with their partners as well …

New York’S Jazz Scene Decimated By Ongoing Shutdown, Alissa L. Mcpherson

Capstones

New York's jazz scene is in shambles. COVID has disrupted virtually all in-person musical performances. Musicians are left with no definite time frame as to when they will be allowed to enter a club again, and club owners are doing all they can to keep the music alive.

The Business Of The Nba Could Be Changed Forever Because Of The Coronavirus, Korey S. Matthews

Capstones

This project explores the possible changes that the NBA could make to help its business thrive after the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has caused the league to lose revenue, and because of this, new business practices could be put in place to help the league recoup some of the revenue that it has lost. These practices could also help the league grow in the future. In this project, you will hear from experts that will give their opinion on new avenues that the NBA could look to gain revenue from. You'll also hear from fans about their view of the …

Retirement Readiness Under The Gig Economy, Laila Hmaidan

Capstones

This piece looks at the implications of retirement savings for Americans under the changing work environment, more specifically, the gig economy. Currently, 34% of Americans engage in some form of gig or short-term work. Those who engage in gig work as their main job, have far fewer savings set aside for retirement. Additionally, these types of jobs don’t give workers access to tax-advantaged retirement accounts.

https://leilahmaidan.github.io/JOBS-CORONA/

Left In Limbo: Willets Point Businesses Face An Uncertain Future, Jacob Kaye

Capstones

Willets Point, a small neighborhood in Queens, has been eyed for development for over a decade. But in that time, the project has sputtered and stalled, with little to be said in the way of progress but a few acres of demolished land, known as Phase 1, and a plan for an environmental review. But as the city renews its promise to develop the area, business owners say they are being ignored and quietly forced out.

https://jacob-kaye.medium.com/left-in-limbo-willets-point-businesses-face-an-uncertain-future-27a899a7cd6b

Fed Up, Desperate And Daring Enough To Unionize, Suzannah C. Cavanaugh

Capstones

This is a long-form story that outlines the hazards of restaurant work that predated the pandemic, among them wage theft, racism and sexual harassment. The story focuses on three restaurant workers pushed to unionize after Covid-19 worsened working conditions by cutting take-home pay and creating new safety hazards for employees. Legislation and employer resistance are stacked against them, but for many workers organization is the only solution.

Link to Capstone: http://fedup.tilda.ws/

The Pandemic Is Ending, But Its Boost To The Online Farmer’S Market Will Last, Min Ji Koo

Capstones

The pandemic has boosted organic and local food sales with attention to healthy lifestyles. Now, the pandemic is close to the end but its boost to the organic and local food movement will be long-lasting, especially in one retail channel: the online farmer’s market. Here is the full story: https://www.mj-koo.com/online-farmers-market