Management Information Systems Commons^™

Tesla Energy Division Strategic Audit, Kaleb Strawhecker

Honors Theses

Tesla’s electric vehicle manufacturing operation is the major revenue source for the company. Tesla has established itself as a significant player amongst other automotive manufacturers, specifically in the electric vehicle sector. Many trends are favoring Tesla’s expansion. This audit takes a look at trends and changes through a PESTEL analysis along with Porter’s Five Forces. Both provide an in-depth look into what the environment around Tesla is like. Then, these are used to evaluate Tesla’s major strategies, competitive advantages, and resources it has at its disposal. Finally, the audit will address how the factors allow Tesla to take advantage of …

The Expanding Role Of Analytics In Operations, Lauren E. Luechtefeld

Honors Theses

In the competitive business world today, every company must keep up with technological advances and, therefore, incorporate data analytics into their operations. Data analytics are a vital aspect of every department in every company. When these analytics are operationalized, or the analytics are automated and applied to the operational side, companies can increase productivity, efficiencies, and customer satisfaction. Through my thesis, I establish how utilization of operational analytics can provide a competitive advantage for a company. I walk through the history of analytics, the different platforms involved in making an analytics process operational, as well as the decisions involved. Along …

Analysis Of The Evolutaion Of Scope Management And Needs Identification In Agile Methodologies, Nolan B. Scott

Honors Theses

Identifying stakeholders, identifying metrics, and analyzing specific aspects of agile development. This has led to a variety of questions around scope management such as "How do scope changes impact the velocity throughout the course of a project?", "What factors help determine the overall viability of adopting different scope measures?", and "What are the roles of project owners and managers in facilitating scope changes in project cycles?" This research encompasses a review of previous literature, an analysis of structured project progression, and semi-structured interviews in order to investigate the evolution of scope management and needs identification in agile methodologies.

Creating An Internet Of Things Platform For Storing Smart Sensor Data Using Amazon Web Services, Jin Hyeok Noh

Honors Theses

Water is one of the essential resources that we should be aware of conserving, but lawn sprinkler systems in Mississippi have inefficient resource management systems. During my fundamental research, I read an article about IoT (Internet of Things) and how important it will be in the future. Both of these topics inspired prototype research. In order to create the prototype, a Raspberry Pi, breadboard, keyboard, monitor, and cables were used. Using the Raspberry Pi, monitors, and keyboard, the software was developed in order to create a RESTFUL API gateway to connect to AWS (Amazon Web Service). In the AWS console, …

Gradyear: From Ideation Through Product Delivery, Laura A. Salvador

Honors Theses

This thesis will serve to document the first year of GradYear, from ideation through product delivery. GradYear is a Center for Manufacturing Excellence (CME) Senior Capstone Project; the GradYear team is comprised of five students with academic disciplines ranging across business, accountancy, and engineering. The goal of the team was to design and manufacture a high-quality, classic wooden picture frame for college or university graduates that highlights their graduating class year. Under the direction of Dr. Jack McClurg, Dr. Matthew O’Keefe and factory floor technician Mr. James McPhail, the team designed the GradYear Classic using principles of DFMA and implementing …

A Business Plan For Heroic Catholic, Llc, Catherine Michelle Stewart

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Business Plan: Consulting Firm Focused On Manufacturing Digitalization, Edward Mulford

Honors Theses

The goal of this paper outlines a business framework for the development of a digitization consulting firm focused on the manufacturing sector. The firm’s goal is to help organizations in Michigan leverage technology to keep their business vibrant and workers skilled. The primary services for the firm will be related to the implementation of products and services within Industry 4.0, the cyber-physical smart factory industrial revolution. The beginning of the paper explains the ecosystem surrounding digitalization as well as the nine technologies (ex: big data, simulation, additive manufacturing) driving the innovation. The framework for this business plan uses the business …

Cajun Corndogs Business Plan, Andrew Broussard

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Work Engagement: Antecedents And Effects On Student Employee Academic Engagement, Chase V. Moore

Honors Theses

Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study explores the effect of the resources student employees receive from management and from the nature of their work on their engagement at work and their engagement in academic pursuits. Student workers make up a significant pool of workers in our institutions of higher education and supporting academic achievement of student workers is consistent with our institutions' missions. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to examine the antecedents (supervisory support, supervisory feedback, person-organization fit, and person-job fit) that affect levels of work engagement of students employed in educationally-situated work environments, and …

How Startups Succeed — A Look At How Architectural Innovation Provides A Competitive Advantage, Pontus V. Andersson

Honors Theses

The recent rise of high profile startups in the news and the prolific attention given to the entrepreneurial culture during an economic makes understanding how startups work a point of interest for many. The glamorization of shows like Silicon Valley and the growth of online personalities and their followers makes it even more exciting. But why do so many startups fail so drastically and a few reach unfathomable heights and why are household companies so interested in them? This paper addresses one of the underlying themes that drives business today, specifically, architectural innovation, or how companies organize. By following the …

Modeling Mobile Website Usability, J Matt Hamil

Honors Theses

Smartphones have become a prevalent part of today’s society. Smartphone users have begun using their phones to make purchases on the mobile web. This study focused on usability characteristics of mobile websites of large retail companies. The aim of this study was to conduct quantitative analyses building upon previous usability research both in the e-commerce and m-commerce realm. A sample population was obtained from a convenience sample recruited from a social media and email campaign. Respondents were asked to visit an assigned website and find three products for a friend, family member, or significant other. The data were analyzed quantitatively …

I Got It On Silk Road: An Examination Of Knowledge And Attitudes Towards Tor And The Dark Web, Zachary Mitchell

Honors Theses

As communication technology has grown, so has the potential for crimes to be committed with the new technology. The United States government has attempted to stay current with the times by introducing legislation to increase federal power to detect and stop these crimes, but some feel that some of these new laws and acts reduce personal freedoms and liberties. Enter Tor and the Dark Web, a set of often misunderstood tools and web-based resources designed to make users' data and behavior on the Internet anonymous. This paper describes the aforementioned laws, how Tor and the Dark Web work, and examines …

Western Client: A Business Plan, Connor Makowski

Honors Theses

Western Client was created to simplify electronic communications. We believe that we can challenge standard communication processes and revolutionize how smartphones disseminate media. We can help our users to foster better relationships and communicate more effectively. We are achieving this by streamlining user interfaces, compiling data, and minimizing unproductive intervals on electronic devices.

Western Client will offer an easy to navigate, well designed application that integrates information from many sources. We are currently focusing our efforts on designing an application for iOS and Android devices that provides universal inboxes. Every contact will have a dedicated universal inbox that will place …

Job Design: A Human Approach Through Catholic Social Teaching And Job Design Theories, Thomas Decastra

Honors Theses

“Job Design: A Human Approach through Catholic Social Teaching and Job Design Theories” is a thesis that looks at the stories of job design theories and catholic social teaching in the last 150 years. Both stories are told and analyzed independently. The story of job design theories begins with Fredrick Taylor, moves to applied psychology, and finishes with contemporary practices that include lean production. The story of Catholic Social Teaching starts with Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, includes one document from Second Vatican Council, and three other papal encyclicals ending with Pope Benedict XVI’s Caritas in Veritate. Then …

Multiparty Negotiations And Their Settings: How A Change In Location Can Change Bargaining Strategies, Danielle Borel

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.