Business Commons^™

Becoming A Supplier: Leading Practices For Corporate Buy-In, Elissa Gibbs

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

Large companies understand the value of having a diverse supplier base that aligns with their diverse customer base. This creates opportunities for veteran-owned businesses (VOBs) as many larger companies are looking for VOBs to bring on as suppliers. Surprisingly, the biggest challenge that many of these companies face is identifying VOBs that fit a certain geographic or business need and have the ability to perform the work required. This resource is helpful for a general understanding of the veteran entrepreneurship industry.

Let’S Bring It Home: Discovering Efficiency In Re-Shoring Production In The Beauty Industry, Julie Sarah Gibli

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The beauty industry is an understudied industry that can benefit greatly from reshoring. Product developers in this industry source raw materials from Europe when creating a complex product, and from China when creating a mass-market, basic product. Many companies across the United States have begun to reshore all or parts of their manufacturing process. They have been able to benefit by cutting transportation costs and lead time, and by maximizing quality. This thesis aims to explore the reshoring trend and its viability for mass-market products in the beauty industry.

A case study was compiled to discover whether it is economically …

Off-Price Vs. Department Store Retailing, Denise Aghion

Honors Capstone Projects - All

There are multiple forms of retailing in the United States – two of the most common forms are department store retailing and off-price retailing. Both types of retailers are looking to create profits by negotiating costs with vendors to create suitable gross margins; however, they go about doing so in very different ways. Because I have interned at both types of corporations, my Capstone is to identify which, if either model, is more sustainable in today’s conditions.

Department store retailing is the most well-known form of retailing, and is currently the largest sector of retailing in the United States. They …

Modelling Engineering Change Management In A New Product Development Supply Chain, Krishna R. Reddi, Young B. Moon

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering - All Scholarship

The changes within a new product development (NPD) process are handled differently depending on the stage of the project. The changes during the initial stages of the project are addressed by design iterations, while the changes after the product design is complete are addressed using a formal engineering change management (ECM) process. The ECM process is a complex process, especially under a collaborative environment, where various independent entities work together for a common cause of product development. The interactions between the NPD and ECM processes have rarely been investigated in the research community. In this paper, we attempt to study …

Short Line Railroading In The Northeastern United States: Its Relevance And Future In Connecting Industry To The North American Rail Network, William Jay Hotaling

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Short line railroads are vital links in the North American rail network. To remain profitable and viable they must keep abreast of technological advancement and increase cooperation both amongst themselves and with large railroads. Short line railroads fulfill a need in the market place: efficiently distributing and collecting freight transferred locally, nationally, and abroad. Their health and success are a vital component to the continued economic viability of industry in the American northeast. This paper examines short line railroading in the northeastern United States and its relevance and future in connecting industry to the North American Rail Network.

To determine …

Sustainable Supply Chain Packaging Increasing Density For High Cube Low Weight Textiles, Caryn Espy

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This thesis explores techniques for efficient, sustainable packaging of high cube, low weight products. It is based on a project initiated at Macy’s Merchandising Group, a product development division of Macy’s Inc. The company challenged its interns to create an environmentally conscious business proposal that would also reduce expenses. This thesis is an extension of the original proposal.

As part of the production of soft goods at Macy’s, samples of each item are sent air freight from overseas manufacturers to theNew York Cityheadquarters. Sample shipping amounts to a significant expense because products are sent via air freight.

In the process …