Business Commons^™

An Examination Of Financial Accounting Through Case Studies And Discussion, Andrew Meyer

Honors Theses

This thesis is a collection of eleven case studies completed over the course of the 2021-2022 academic year in the Patterson School of Accountancy in the ACCY 420 course, under the direction of Dr. Victoria Dickinson. The cases cover a broad array of concepts within the field of accounting. A few examples of topics include the impact of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on business in America, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the financials of Pfizer Inc., and an interview with a successful entrepreneur. From Case 6 on, the thesis is comprised of an analysis of the …

Combatting Consolidation In The United States Banking Industry: An Analysis Of Performance And Strategy Of First National Bank Of Clarksdale, Lydia Johnsey

Honors Theses

This thesis is based on a submission with group members in the 2023 Case Study Competition for the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. This thesis includes additional background information not included in the original competition paper in order to clarify the competition standards and goal of the paper. This thesis evaluates First National Bank of Clarksdale with respect to two areas: financial analysis, which evaluates earnings performance, loan portfolio composition, asset growth, capital levels, and liquidity of the bank; and strategy, which includes staffing, succession, training, and technology strategies instituted by bank management. Data from the bank’s Uniform Bank Performance …

Case Study Summary: Johnson & Johnson And Macy's Inc., Cameron Richardson

Honors Theses

This thesis, over a one-year period, covers conclusions derived from research on two different companies: Johnson & Johnson and Macy’s Inc. Through a two-semester course taken within the scope of the honors college alongside Dr. Victoria Dickinson, I, alongside my respective group members for each company, were able to compile a thorough analysis of risks and business strategies the two corporations could identify and implement to manage present and future complications. This analysis followed standard conventions of the accounting profession, as our research was focused on identifying risks and strategies affiliated with audit, tax, and advisory services, modeling how professional …

Case Studies In Accountancy, Michael Keene

Honors Theses

Case Studies in Accountancy is a compilation of case studies completed in fulfillment of ACCY 420. My cases are titled as followed: A Tale of Two Cities, Financial Statements, Presidential Debate, Tax Cuts and Job Act and Taxodus, Professional Interview, Financial Crisis, Case Competition Amazon Overview, Case Competition Amazon Audit Analyst, Case Competition Amazon Tax Advisor, Case Competition Amazon Advisory Consultant and Case Competition Amazon’s Equity Position. These cases covered a variety of topics in the world of accountancy as well as touching on our personal lives. In the first semester of the course, cases were typically individual before moving …

Accounting Case Studies, Jack Mcinnis

Honors Theses

Accounting Case Studies is a compilation of independent case studies performed during the Honors Accounting 420 class. The case studies consisted of multiple performed individually, and a case competition with an assigned group. The case studies I performed individually consist of an assessment between the two cities I was interested in beginning my career in, a case study about the presidential debate in 2020, an evaluation of the optimal corporate tax, a mentorship interview, and an analysis of the 2008 housing crisis in the United States. My group for the case study included my fellow classmates; Francena Sekul, Caitlyn Henry, …

Grasping The Intangible: The Perseverance Of Physical Music Media In A Digital World, Sam Youmans

Honors Theses

Music is a unique economic good with several interesting characteristics: as an art form, its value is immensely subjective and changes with the culture; it is most widely consumed via online streaming platforms but still embedded onto physical formats and sold through retailers; and the United States music business had to pivot through substantial economic disruption at the turn of the century with the advent of peer-to-peer file sharing. Given the digital world in which we live, this thesis explains why people still purchase music on physical formats. This is accomplished by discussing revenue data from the past few years, …

The Oakland Athletics Use Of Sabermetrics And The Rise Of Big Data Analytics In Business, Jacob Moorefield

Honors Theses

The Moneyball phenomenon revealed how Billy Beane, the Oakland Athletics general manager utilized advanced data analytics; Sabermetrics, to statistically analyze the data in baseball which aims to quantify baseball players’ performances based on objective statistical measurements. As technology increases and big data becomes more accessible, sports organizations like the Oakland Athletics are illustrating how businesses, small and large, can use advanced analytics to promote growth. This research paper provides a meta-analysis on the results of large businesses using big data analytic techniques similar to Sabermetrics, to show the improvements in marketing, consumer outreach, revenue, and employee retention while questioning whether …

Base Erosion And Profit Shifting In Continental Africa And Beyond, Nathan Olsen

Honors Theses

Base erosion and profit shifting has become the latest burden on countries’ tax revenue collection agencies the world over. Recent studies have found how it occurs in the both the developed and developing world, but these same studies haven’t answered the question of why in the developing world. This thesis tries to answer that question concerning Africa, which is a continent full of developing nations. Using Base Erosion, Profit Shifting, and Developing Countries (Crivelli et. al, 2015) which outlines how the international economy is interconnected through a tax base spillover estimation, this paper turns its attention towards the developing nations …

Fundamental Principles Of Accounting: A Series Of Case Analyses, Bridget Mcmillan

Honors Theses

Over the past four years at the University of Mississippi, I acquired knowledge about the accounting profession and the application of accounting principles that have arisen throughout the evolution of modern professional accounting. For the thesis requirement in accordance with the standards set by the Patterson School of Accountancy and the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, I completed a series of case studies covering a variety of topics related to the study of accounting. Under the direction of Victoria Dickinson, I completed these cases over the 2019-2020 academic year. Each case introduces a unique topic and presents findings about various …

A Comprehensive Evaluation Of Accounting: A Series Of Case Studies, Emma Acheson

Honors Theses

The following thesis is a compilation of the evaluation and solutions derived from a variety of case studies provided regarding a variation of accounting topics related to financial accounting. Each case presented in this thesis is accompanied by an analysis describing the valuable knowledge that was extracted from each unique study. Through these case studies, real-world accounting concepts can be observed in accordance with the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles as set by the Financial Accounting Standards Board. In addition to the analyses of these case studies, the completion of this thesis involved participation in two accounting case competitions. These presentations …

Women In Business: Social Status Recognition, Prejudices, Power Usage, Challenges And Solutions, Xinwen Zhang

Honors Theses

Although there has been a recent surge of business women in the workplace, there are many challenges that business women have every day. Business women are more likely to face unfair treatment than men at work. Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, wrote in her book Lean In (2013) that these problems for women can include gender discrimination, lack of access to mentorship, and imbalance between work and life, to name a few. The primary reasons that business women face those difficulties at work are from social influences of stereotypical group thinking as well as different expectations of each …

Analysis Of Business Capstone Consulting Report: Willamette Valley Vineyards, Inc, Allison C. Beirne

Honors Theses

My capstone course consisted of a group consulting report on conceptualizing a business, analyzing the internal and external factors, and implementing potential strategies for said business. There are four milestones that my team, Palmetto Consultants, completed over the course of the semester, delegating out the tasks and tools needed to conclude our report. Our team performed very much like a high-functioning business, as we utilized a written contract and interchanged specific roles for each milestone. Before starting on each section of the report, we planned and recorded the work each team member was responsible for and adhered to these plans …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of The Accounting Environment And Procedures Through A Series Of Case Studies, Ryan Mccarty

Honors Theses

The following thesis is a culmination of twelve case studies completed throughout the academic year of 2018-2019 under the direction of Dr. Victoria Dickinson, as a requirement of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and completion of the ACCY 420 course. Each case study is independent of the next, and is an in-depth response to questions and theories that are found outside of this document. Each analysis is accomplished by myself alone and through the studies of Financial, Managerial, and Cost accounting courses in my career at the University of Mississippi. The thesis is intended to analyze accounting procedures and …

Applying Lean Manufacturing Principles At Vip Cinema: Standardizing Hardware Assembly Workstations, Cameron Koch

Honors Theses

This paper will explore the benefits of standardization and consistency in a manufacturing setting by demonstrating the value of improved tooling and organization. “Lean Manufacturing” is the broad term used to describe key principles that can be applied to most businesses to reduce waste and increase efficiency. This ideology’s theme is to maximize customer value while minimizing waste. The purpose of its adoption is to transform managers and operators into experts of identifying the deficiencies in many manufacturing and assembly processes and implementing changes that can lead to enormous improvements in takt time, production output, and ultimately, profitability. At VIP …

Case Analyses In Financial Accounting, Jordan Watts

Honors Theses

The following thesis explores topics in the profession of public accounting, a diverse and ever-evolving field. As the global business environment and economy develop, so must accounting standards and ideas in order to protect the interests of the masses who invest and take part in the larger economy. The following cases expound on important concepts in the field of accountancy and provide careful consideration of standards utilized and debated worldwide. Each case is explored within the context of a different company or situation, allowing for a diverse palette of research topics from which to view the business world through an …

Comprehensive Case Studies Of Financial Reporting Principles And Professional Development Topics, Caroline Bailey

Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper was to investigate financial reporting and professional development topics through the analysis of twelve original cases. The following case studies were completed over the course of a nine months in an independent study class in fulfillment of the requirements of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, under the direction of Dr. Victoria Dickinson. Topics looked at included, but were not limited to, data analytic software, the creation of basic financial statements, treatment of various types of debt securities sales, and capitalization v. expensing of costs. Each case study introduced a new topic centered around a …

Strategic Analysis Of Knowledge Management Practices, Mason Gordon

Honors Theses

This paper analyzes the critical success factors for knowledge management and looks at how the current knowledge management strategy of the Warranty department at Eaton. To analyze these success factors, the current platforms for knowledge management were analyzed for their intended use, determined how the platforms were used by the department, and determined flaws of the current platform in relation to the needs of the department. Training content and methods were analyzed to determine effectiveness. The results show that the current knowledge management strategy of the department lacks the ability to capture critical business knowledge, information is siloed between departments, …

Requirement Elicitation, Cameron Myers

Honors Theses

Requirement Elicitation is a flexible and malleable process that can be changed based upon the requirements of the analyst, stakeholders, and/or the application. In recent years analysts have given more distinction to the effectiveness and the types of result yielded based on the unique attributes of each elicitation technique. These distinctions arose because of advancing technology and use cases used when developing an application. Naturally, the elicitation techniques are advancing as well. They are advancing into different categories to better focus on yielding the right information to identify the right requirements. Such as behavioral techniques, cognitive techniques, contrived techniques, etc. …

Stakeholder Theory In Ethical Business Decisions: The Case Of Nestle, Mckayla Marcola

Honors Theses

The traditional view of business is that executives have an obligation to base all decisions around increasing the value of the business. But what happens when those decisions infringe on the surrounding environment? In 2017, Nestlé proposed a water withdrawal increase at their Evart, MI water bottling plant from 250 gallons per minute, to 400 gallons per minute. During April 2018, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality approved the new withdrawal proposal; this caused an up roar in the environmental community. From local citizens, to public interest groups, many have expressed their opposition for this increase stating that this increase …

Market Expansion Challenge: Finnish School International, Shelby Reams

Honors Theses

The Finnish School International already operates in several countries and is ready to expand the Finnish education system to new locations around the world. Accordingly, the company is seeking your help with identifying new promising markets and developing a market entry strategy, including:

t. Identify the most promising new markets, analyze the market, and decide on the best market entry mode;

2. Develop a product promotion and marketing strategy for the proposed new market; 3. Work out the operations management strategy for the proposed new market.

Case Study Of First National Bank Of Phillips County, Michelle Leigh Early

Honors Theses

First National Bank of Phillips County, located in Helena, Arkansas, is a small commercial bank with assets totaling a little over fifty-one million dollars. A small bank in a small town, First National is not the place to go if you need a loan involving millions of dollars, and they may not offer all the in depth financial services found in large metropolitan banks, but it does serve the basic needs of the citizens of Helena, Arkansas. Farmers need crop loans, businesses need financing, and individuals need personal loans as well as the services such as savings, checking, and certain …