Business Commons^™

Business Plan For Destraal Bakery, Lauren Frazier

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Destraal Bakery is a bakery café that will offer patrons a space to slow down and treat themselves. Offering bread products and coffee, Destraal differentiates itself through product quality, shop atmosphere, delivery, and social responsibility. Destraal will eventually seek B- Corp status.

Located in West Colorado Springs, more specifically, Old Colorado Springs, Destraal will benefit from grants and loans offered to female entrepreneurs, high levels of tourism and foot traffic, and close proximity to the target demographic. In a growing industry, Destraal is forecasted to be profitable within the first year. The bakery café will achieve 14% profit margin in …

Local Label: Why Localism Matters And A Business Plan To Address It., Sydnie Wilson

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The use of technology within business is evolving and increasing in necessity. As large businesses and corporations invest in research and development, innovations, and data analytics, the ability to serve customers more effectively and efficiently increases substantially. Local Label is a solution for this need.

Local Label is a mobile retail app that connects local consumers to all accessories, shoes, and clothes available at local retailers. The app would be a hub for local retailers to promote their apparel and accessories. Local Label leverages its marketing to be in sync with local events, special occasions, and holidays. The app’s front-face …

Life-Tactics Business Plan, Tanvir Mondair

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

High schools often have career programs, however, the demand for career guidance counselors outweighs the supply. Thus Life-Tactics was created and dedicated to teaching students about career readiness post-high school graduation. Life-Tactics teaches students about career guidance, opportunities post-graduation, and provides students with resources to make better-informed decisions after they graduate.

Grassroots Lawn Services Business Plan, Logan Walden

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this thesis is to show how a lawn-care company can be profitable in North-West Arkansas. Grassroots uses a group of service-partners who are trained to provide professional and consistent lawn care services to customers. Grassroots Lawn Services offers different service levels to meet the changing needs of their customers. The goal is to make it easier for customers to access lawn care services without dealing with the high cost and competitive scheduling of traditional single-provider lawn services.

Bridging The Gap: A Comprehensive Guide To Implementing An Internship Program For Businesses, Ben Turner

Supply Chain Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis outlines a comprehensive plan for implementing an internship program, from the perspective of a former intern. The paper emphasizes the importance of internships for businesses and aims to create a program that generates value for both the business and the intern. The plan is divided into three stages: Planning and Designing, Recruiting and Selecting, and Managing and Supervising. Each stage provides detailed steps for successfully implementing an internship program, including identifying needs and objectives, determining a timeline and structure, defining roles and responsibilities, developing a budget, setting performance expectations and goals, providing training and support, evaluating performance, and …

An Analysis Of The Housing Affordability Crisis: Private Equity Or Legislation Issue, Jack Polk

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

The aim of this thesis is to explore the claim that private equity investment is the cause of the modern unaffordability in the single family housing market. Through empirical study and historical research we found that the footprint of institutional investors in this space is insignificant. However, legislative errors which have artificially inflated demand and suppressed supply over the past decade have greatly contributed to the crisis and must be corrected for the long term health of the housing space. These corrections will focus primarily in the alleviation of supply pressures for new development and the continuation of the low …

Turbocharge Tutoring Business Plan, Daniel Rugen Haller

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

College tutoring business plan.

Wakesurf Nwa: A Surfing Entertainment Business Plan, Ethan Carney

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

WakeSurf NWA is a thrilling entertainment facility that will fill a void in this highly affluent market. Our design is to bring surfing where surfing has never been before, in a land-locked location. With high-tech engineering to allow surfing on land, WakeSurf NWA will provide real surfing to the people in and around Northwest Arkansas. Our company will also be built around helping our community, donating a portion of proceeds to a local nonprofit. What sets WakeSurf NWA apart from other companies in the area is how we will bring something completely new to the region that can be enjoyed …

Creative Brief For Bliss Cupcake Cafe, Maggie Moore

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The baking and culinary industry is growing. In fact, in 2020, the market size of the global baking industry was $331.37 billion and is projected to reach $436.91 billion by 2026. Although the recent pandemic made those in the hospitality field struggle due to the canceling of special events such as birthday party gatherings, weddings, and holiday events, the industry is coming back stronger than pre-pandemic times through implementing new practices such as online ordering and delivery practices. With this, in the recent years, supply chain disruptors and inflation have caused materials and labor costs to increase and can be …

Refugee Advocacy Organizations: Factors That Influence Success In The United States And Ireland, Caleb Elkington-Stauss

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis is a comparative study of refugee advocacy organizations in Ireland and in the United States. The goal is to research and study some of the best practices that refugee support organizations utilize and report how these two countries address the ever-growing refugee crisis. This study assesses the applications and operations in both organizations and determines how these practices contribute to the fulfillment of their missions. This better understanding of the strengths and struggles experienced by these organizations will support the development of a model and framework for successful social welfare initiatives. Within this thesis, the social initiatives in …

Assessing The Impact Of Impact Investing: Practices, Challenges, And Opportunities Towards The Standardization Of Impact Assessment Mechanisms, Taylor Poe

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research project focuses on gathering information on which impact measurement mechanisms are currently used in the impact investing industry, and how these mechanisms are standardized across various firms, geographic locations, and fund types. The overarching goal of the study is to provide an assessment of the impact investing industry and the use of standardized impact assessment practices. The specific goal of this research study is to collect and present information on the current state of impact measurement standardization. Research is separated into three large components: interviews with industry leaders, findings from social finance conferences, and research of scholarly sources. …

Informal Education Experiences Of Black Women-Owned Healthcare Small Businesses In Mississippi, Timothy E. Lampkin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Small businesses are critical to the economic success of the United States, and several states, such as Mississippi, have a strong reliance on small business development. Through small, individually owned businesses, the overall economy is enhanced, and the quality of life for many is improved. A growing trend within the small business community is private ownership by Black women. This population segment has dramatically grown in their presence within business ownership, and it is necessary to describe elements of their success. The proposed research focuses on informal education as an enabler of this small business success. Informal education is a …

Societal Sustainability: Projects To Address The Three Dimensions Of A Sustainable Future, Braden K. Bateman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sustainability is an important, commonly discussed societal goal regarding assurance of resources for the world to be able to enjoy a prosperous future. Three primary dimensions of sustainability include environmental, economic, and social sustainability, and objectives for various projects can be aimed at any of the three dimensions to pursue societal sustainability. Solar installations, which can be used to pursue environmental and economic sustainability, convert abundant sunlight to electricity, displacing fossil fuel use that contributes harmful greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. The regulatory environment at the state level has a significant impact on the feasibility of solar projects. At present, …

Closing The Gender Gap In Entrepreneurship Education, Carolyn J. Rodeffer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Entrepreneurship education in higher education has been cited as a key strategy in filling the entrepreneurship talent pool, preparing students with the skills and confidence needed to start new ventures (Westhead & Solesvik, 2016). However, outcomes of entrepreneurship education for female students are less positive than for their male counterparts (Shinnar et al., 2012; Westhead & Solesvik, 2016; Wilson et al., 2007). Working within the frameworks of Bandura’s self-efficacy theory (1977), Azjen’s theory of planned behavior (1991), and Steele and Aronson’s stereotype threat theory (1995), this quantitative study utilized an experimental research design to assess the impact of role model …

Helping Small Businesses In Belize, Laura Hollingsworth

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper will discuss my summer internship project with Peacework in Belize. The study abroad Special Projects in Belize with Peacework was supposed to be the summer of 2019. The trip was going to be two months long and while there we were going to get paired with a community leader or a local development organization to work on a community project in Dangriga, Belize. Because of COVID-19, the trip was cancelled for the summer of 2019 and then for the summer of 2020 it was moved to virtual. The Belize team was still paired with people from the community …

Insomnovation – Natural Sleep Solutions Business Plan, Nikolas Limperis

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

Currently, 70 million Americans suffer from some sort of sleep issues from trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, and daytime drowsiness. However, the sleep solutions on the market today are either highly artificial or only address the symptoms of sleep issues rather than the underlying cause. This is what Insomnovation seeks to address. By providing supplementation to seven key vitamins and minerals, Insomnovation hopes to bring a natural solution to put the issue of sleep disorders to rest.

Conway Properties Llc, Cody Conway

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis shows the business model for Conway Properties, LLC.

Business Plan: Refuge Coffee, Zachary Lewandowski

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

Refuge Coffee will be the premier vendor of high-quality and sustainably sourced specialty coffee in Springdale, Arkansas. Its mission is to improve lives by providing a space that reflects the community—a space in which ideas, beliefs, attitudes, and values can be exchanged, with coffee acting as a common denominator. Refuge Coffee will offer specialty coffee beverages, locally baked goods, and merchandise to consumers. We intend to partner with Canopy NWA, a refugee resettlement organization that aims to welcome and equip refugees with all they need to build new lives, through the means of employment for refugees and the continuous donation …

For The Kingdom, Jack Conway

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

For The Kingdom is a tabletop board game that I have developed for my thesis. In my thesis, I would like to cover three areas that have been crucial to the development of the game- the guidebook created to support and facilitate the board game, the changes made due to player feedback and testing, and the potential paths to getting the game to the market. Before Talking about those three areas, however, I will first describe the games genre and a bit about my approach to developing it.

Arclothmasks: A Pandemic Startup Journey, Adam Jackson

Information Systems Undergraduate Honors Theses

Covid-19 changed the way the world operated when it became a pandemic in 2020. The need for personal protection equipment was unexpected and suppliers were not prepared for the demand. The government mandate of masks furthered the need of PPE across the nation. To help fill this shortage, many companies began to retool their manufacturing processes from clothing to masks. This thesis will dive into one PPE company and its journey from the start of the pandemic. The business plan for the company will follow it along with graphs and charts that help tell the tale of the startup.

Exploration Of Small Fashion Retailers' Green Efforts In Supply Chain Management And Their Coping Strategies During Covid-19, Madison Huskey

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to explore the current business model of small fashion retailers and their green efforts in supply chain management based on the Six-R framework that consists of recycle, reuse, reduce, re-design, recovery, and remanufacture. This study also investigated the impact of COVID-19 on small fashion businesses. Qualitative data were gathered through in-depth interviews of owners/employees of four small fashion retailers that addressed sustainable supply chain management, customer segments, and challenges and barriers in green supply chain management, and the effects of COVID-19. Interview findings revealed that small fashion retailers are more likely to implement green …

2+2=Cake: A Book Of Conversations About Possibilities In Business And Art, Elizabeth Ann Alspach

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

2+2=CAKE is a toolkit for people interested in creating their own economic container to support their livelihood. Calling upon the entrepreneurial experience of artists and creatives who founded or run organizations, the book and accompanying workbook and motivational posters serve as an incubator, buoy, and affirming resource for those looking to build the economic container in which they make their livelihood.

Small Business And Sustainability: How The Back Bone Of America And The Buzz Word Of The 2010s And 2020s Can Be A Powerhouse For Change, Raleigh Woods

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Over the years phrases like “going green” or “reduce, reuse, recycle” have been the war cries of environmentalist conservationists. Now, a new word has begun to heavily circulate among the environments communities and beyond: sustainability. However, the concept of sustainability has been around for centuries. According to the World Energy Foundation sustainability was “coined in German, the original term was Nachhaltigkeit, meaning ‘sustained yield.’ It first appeared in a handbook of forestry published in 1713, and was used to mean never harvesting more than the forest can regenerate.” (The World Energy Foundation, 2014). Since then, the word and concept has …

Covid-19 Impact On Business, Meredith Headlee

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

COVID-19 has not only been a major public health crisis, but it has also caused an economic shock. Small businesses have been at the losing end of the U.S. economy for years, but nothing has hurt them as bad as the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic has devastated thousands of small businesses while larger companies have fared well and, in some cases, thrived. Although there has been an increase in bankruptcy filings among public companies, the numbers are far lower than in the 2008 financial crisis (Lahart). This paper will explore what impact the pandemic has had on small businesses, large …

Are Small Businesses The Framework For A Successful U.S. Economy?, Carson Clevenger

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis will investigate the impact of small businesses on the United States’ economy. I will be assessing several impact areas including gross domestic product, employment, and local economy contribution. This thesis will cover a study from the time periods of 1998-2014 of the gross domestic product and employment levels and will use numbers from the years of 2018- present for other impact areas. Furthermore, I will be analyzing certain sectors of the economy, comparing small businesses contribution to corporate contribution, in order to discuss if small businesses are necessary for our country’s successful economy.

Half Baked: The Hungry Elephant Baking Company Business Plan, Ankush Patel

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hungry Elephant Baking Company seeks to open a locally sourced bakery featuring a variety of sourdough and traditional products alongside a tea-house style drink space. All baked goods will be produced in house, and teas will be sourced both locally as well as from a premier tea vendor. All products and services will be designed with sustainability and fair-trade practices in mind, and a majority of the products will be sourced organically to minimize the company's ecological footprint. By offering drinks alongside different single serving baked goods, the Hungry Elephant Baking Company can appeal to the large college and millennial …

Conscious Couture: Upcycling And Sustainable Style, Sara Wilson

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

The fashion and apparel industry has become synonymously associated with wastefulness and pollution due to the high levels of production, consumption and disposal of the billions of garments produced globally each year. Throughout the industry, brands have continued to set sustainability goals for both efforts to reduce their environmental impacts as well as appeal to the ‘green’ consumer. The power that a consumer holds can be leveraged for driving sustainability related initiatives through an apparel market that is virtually available everywhere. Since the 1990s, the secondhand market has developed from simply an economically friendly place to purchase necessities, to its …

The Effects Of Common Stressors On Poultry Production: A Case Study In Northern Mozambique, Grace Lehfeldt

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

Chicken is one of the main proteins that feeds the world. For centuries, the human race has relied on chickens to eat. Therefore, as food science becomes more relevant, the way that chickens are raised has become a science. However, this is not true in every part of the world. In Mozambique the process for raising chickens for consumption is not the same as it would be in America. This is a study of two specific “stressors” (feed and temperature) and how they impacted chicken growth and development on a live production poultry farm in Northern Mozambique. In addition, it …

Outcomes Of Platform Openness In Complementary Markets, Franck Loic Soh Noume

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mobile platform ecosystems are hyper-competitive environments. They provide important entrepreneurial opportunities for businesses that develop mobile apps. Platform openness is foundational in mobile platform ecosystems as it enables interactions between complements and platform. Although there are several studies on the impact of platform openness, our understanding of the outcomes of platform openness remains limited. In this dissertation, we examine thoroughly underexplored facets of platform openness as well as understudied outcomes. In the first essay, we investigate the impact of platform openness on incumbent complements’ performance outcomes. We unravel important causal mechanisms related to competition dynamics between new entrants and incumbent …

Feasibility Of Custom Aquaponics For Home Use, Jesse Blanchard

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

The primary goal of this research is to access the feasibility of implementing and operating small scale aquaponic systems in a home setting to serve as a means of producing high quality fresh produce and fish protein to supplement similar store-bought products. Factors such as system cost, skill level and management requirements will be addressed alongside customizable, educational and sustainable aspects of aquaponic systems to determine whether home aquaponic systems are a feasible option for the home grower. To elaborate, feasibility in this research will refer to both economic costs relative to costs of the system. Outlined in this short …