Business Commons^™

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act: The Most Revolutionary Piece Of Tax Legislation Since The Introduction Of The Income Tax, Alexander Szwakob

Honors Scholar Theses

With taxation of income being the most significant source of revenue, most national governments consider tax evasion prevention to be one of the priorities of their tax agencies. In the United States, tax evasion has been a significant concern of the Internal Revenue Service ever since the modern income tax was instituted with the passing of the Sixteenth Amendment in 1913. Over the following century, Congress enacted numerous measures aimed at curbing the illegal practice, but, as often is the case, both individuals and institutions desiring to not abide by the law found new ways to outsmart the tax authorities. …

My Experience With Fundamental Analysis, Nicolas Chapman

Honors Scholar Theses

In finance, there are several overarching schools of thought when viewing equity prices in the stock market, such as technical and fundamental analysis. I find the most enjoyment in quantitative matters, so naturally most of my experience with the stock market includes fundamental analysis. Proponents of this methodology purport that there is a true value of a security based on its financials, and that it will trade around that number eventually. Perhaps the most successful investor who uses fundamental analysis is Warren Buffett. Specifically, he believes in valuing a company’s equity by gauging their cash flows and projecting how they …

Design, Programming, And User-Experience, Kaila G. Manca

Honors Scholar Theses

This thesis is a culmination of my individualized major in Human-Computer Interaction. As such, it showcases my knowledge of design, computer engineering, user-experience research, and puts into practice my background in psychology, com- munications, and neuroscience.

I provided full-service design and development for a web application to be used by the Digital Media and Design Department and their students.This process involved several iterations of user-experience research, testing, concepting, branding and strategy, ideation, and design. It lead to two products.

The first product is full-scale development and optimization of the web appli- cation.The web application adheres to best practices. It was …

Valuation Of Intangible Assets: Should Brand Equity Be Accounted For On The Balance Sheet?, Brooke Wasserman

Honors Scholar Theses

Brand valuation has become a commonplace tool for assessing company performance related to marketing and promotions of businesses. However, current U.S. and international accounting standards inhibit the recording of brands as assets on financial statements due to their intangible nature. This paper discusses the importance of understanding the contribution that brands provide to companies and outlines the potential options for reporting any associated intangible assets on financial statements. I suggest that additional reports should be included alongside currently required financial statements to record brand value separately from the other statements. The intangible brand assets should not be placed as a …

Investment Strategies Amongst Property And Casualty Insurance Companies, Ryan J. Conforti

Honors Scholar Theses

The purpose of this work is to take an in-depth look into the investment side of property and casualty insurance. Many P&C companies have thrived over the past century, and much of this success can be attributed to investment income. This thesis will examine how investment philosophy changes from firm to firm, while also looking at how strategies have changed over time. It will also look into the insurance “float,” and examine how investors such as Warren Buffett have utilized this instrument to their favor. Investing is a huge aspect of property and casualty insurance, and this piece will give …

An Assessment Of Affirmative Action In Business, Jordan A. Kennedy

Honors Scholar Theses

Affirmative action has become an inevitable aspect of the employment hiring process. It has been put into place to assist in eradicating the institutionalized discrimination that inherently exists in such practices. On the surface, affirmative action may appear to be something that is beneficial to both the hiring institution and the individual; it seems to be a win-win situation because the business is creating a more diverse workplace and the individual is getting a job that they desired. However, the way that affirmative action is practiced may prevent its overall effectiveness. For example, there are several fundamental flaws with this …

Corporate Tax Havens: Analysis Of An Aggressive Tax Approach As A Strategic Necessity For Large Multinational Corporations, Julia Galica

Honors Scholar Theses

This study will examine the complexities of corporate tax planning, with a focus on tax deferral strategies employed by United States multinational corporations, providing a financial and ethical analysis of corporate tax entities. The focus will be on multinational corporations, primarily Fortune 500 Companies. It will then evaluate trends across industries and contrast the patterns of unrecognized tax benefits reported by large and small scale public companies. Additionally, the paper will analyze the effective tax rate paid by a sample of corporations of varying size and industry, and how these characteristics of the business correlate with this rate. The study …