Business Commons^™

In Brownsville, A Struggle For Revitalization Without Displacement, Katherine Warren

Capstones

As many parts of Brooklyn buzz with a startling rate of economic resurgence, Brownsville seems like a neighborhood left behind.

Struggling with poverty, poor health statistics, unemployment and high crime rates, and with the highest concentration of public housing in the city, it has not seen the same commercial and real estate revival as Williamsburg, Bushwick, Crown Heights and other areas of Brooklyn.

“In Brownsville, which has had challenges battling negative perceptions of this community, most of the residents are lower income and investors in the past have deemed this community as not being as good as an investment as …

The Impact Of Culture On Hispanic Entrepreneurs As Mediated By Motivation, Challenge, And Success, Valerie V. Ballesteros

Theses & Dissertations

In the modern economic environment, demographic shifts in U.S. population resulting from changing immigration, changing economic policies and environments, and growing socioeconomic disparity, scholarly research examining the business behavior of specific groups and the impact of behavior on the broader marketplace is valuable and necessary. Hispanic entrepreneurs, when compared to both minority and non-minority business-owners, started and flourished in successful business ownership at a greater growth rate than any other group (Davila, Mora, & Zeitlin, 2014). Since the beginning of the 21st century, Hispanic entrepreneurs have become a measurable economic force. The cultural experience of the Hispanic entrepreneur is important …

Business Model: California Agriculture Marketing Agency, Mary M. Alameda, Emma L. Larson

Agricultural Education and Communication

The importance of creating a marketing agency specializing in agriculture is to bridge the gap between producers and consumers. The lack of transparency from the producer has created a torn industry causing the average consumer to be questioning his or her food, or simply not understanding the agricultural way of life. An agricultural marketing firm in California can represent and advocate for local businesses to start closing the producer to consumer gap.

The American farmer excels at many things, but lacks in public communications. Modern day farmers have been able to produce more food than ever despite fewer resources and …

Zeppy Low Calorie Alcoholic Beverages Business Plan, Allison Zeppuhar

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The documentation of a college-level student starting her first company in the alcoholic beverage industry. Allison Zeppuhar created a low calorie alcoholic beverage brand called Zeppy during her junior and senior year of college at James Madison University. This documentation includes an executive summary, a reflection of her findings, her timeline, an entity-relationship diagram, To Be Manufacturing and Customer Order process maps, and a progress journal.

Putting The Honey On The Table: A Business Plan To Create A Successful Part-Time Beekeeping Operation, Samuel L. Goll

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this thesis was to use a survey targeted at different niche markets to gain insights about different honey bee products and thereby to provide information for their economic feasibility when produced on a small, local scale for retailers that support such producers and cater to such consumer demand. Since cost of production information about operating an apiary is widely available, the focus of this work was on gaining marketing knowledge. One of the aspects of the survey was to develop a better sense of what potential resellers of honey bee products considered locally-produced. Another objective was to …

Implementation Of A Supply Chain Management "Intern For A Day" Program, Erin K. Mcconnell

Honors Projects

This program was developed to send students to local corporations to attain a better understanding of a business professional environment and the Supply Chain Management departments at those companies. Students were sent to Therma Tru Doors, in Maumee, Ohio to be "interns for a day". They received the chance to shadow employees in all aspects of the Supply Chain field and learn about what their day to day job responsibilities entail. There are many benefits to this externship program for both the students and Therma Tru. Students gain valuable experience and knowledge while Therma Tru gains access to some of …

The Influence Of Perceptions On Entrepreneurial Success, Josiah P. Peterson

Selected Honors Theses

The purpose of this work is to investigate and identify the influence of perceptions on entrepreneurial success. Entrepreneurs have been identified as instrumental to the economic survival of society and have therefore become the focus of an increasingly large number of studies. This thesis will expound upon those studies by focusing on aspects of the studies that pertain to entrepreneurial perceptions and success. This work will focus on three types of perceptions and how they influence success. It will focus on the perceptions the entrepreneurs have of themselves, the perceptions they have of their environments and the perceptions others have …

Sustainability Strategies For Small Business Restaurant Owners, Alisa Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Half of new businesses in the United States cease to exist after the first 5 years of operations, and the failure rate continues to increase after the first 10 years. The study was grounded on von Bertalanffy's systems theory to explore business strategies that small business restaurant owners use to sustain their business beyond 5 years. Data were collected by engaging 3 small restaurant business owners in the Little Rock, Arkansas metropolis who sustained their business beyond 5 years. Information obtained from face-to-face interviews and data mining organizational document were analyzed with the support of qualitative software to generate themes. …

The Hult Prize: A Guide On How To Be Successful, Kelsey T. Jones

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Hult Prize competition is the worlds largest international case competition. After participating in the Hult Prize for the past 2 years as the team captain, one which the group came out as one of the top 10 teams out of over 25,000 for a business model that aimed to double the income of individuals making less than $2 a day, I have created an overarching guide that will guide future teams to being successful within the competition. The key is to focus on a few on a few key parts: building a team, the general timeline, research, brainstorming, finances, …

Web-Based Training Program For New Custom Decoration Apparel Franchisees, Wesley Parsell

Master of Education in Instructional Design and Technology Plan II Graduate Projects

Effective franchise training is essential in the expansion of a franchised business. With advances in internet connections, web applications and multimedia capabilities, training for new and existing franchisees can now take place online in the form of web-based e-learning. In addition to potentially increasing the overall effectiveness of the franchisee training, web-based training also eliminates some of the challenges of traditional, face-to-face franchise training like travel expenses, time, and the availability of human resources.

The purpose of this project was to develop an asynchronous web-based training program for new or potential franchisees in the custom decorated apparel industry. The ADDIE …

Youtube Money: The Impact Of Brand Management On Online Video Companies, Samantha Perry

Honors Program Theses

Many YouTube channels today operate not only as miniature media outlets, but as fully functional media companies operating independently through advertising revenue. The top creators of content on YouTube bring in millions of dollars of revenue each year. This thesis seeks to answer the question of how content creators can harness the power of brand management strategy in order to maximize revenue and grow their audiences over time. I overview current trends among content creators industry-wide, and then focus on a group of channels to analyze their brand management habits on- and off-line. I then examine data from brands’ videos …

Women's Professional Sports: A Case Study On Practices That Could Increase Their Profitability, Danielle H. Mcardle

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Women’s professional sports leagues have often been considered a risky business endeavor. Critics cite low attendance, lack of sponsorships, lack of media rights deals, and numerous other reasons for why women’s professional sports leagues are not profitable. In analyzing the current landscape of women’s professional sport leagues, this paper uses a case study approach to develop a strategy that will highlight lessons learned from past women’s professional sports leagues, current professional sports leagues, sponsorship agreements, fans, social, digital, and mobile marketing strategies, and management practices to show how the business of women’s sports could be made into a more profitable …

Small Retail Business Owner Strategies Needed To Succeed Beyond 5 Years, Colonel Jaime Solis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses accounted for 99% of the firms in private industry, provided 38% of the goods and services sold in the United States, and hired 55% of the labor force each year between 2012 and 2015. From 1993 to 2013, small firms accounted for 63% of new work generated while more than 50% of U.S. small businesses failed inside of 5 years and at least 20% failed during the first year. The purpose of this multiunit case study was to explore the strategies small retail businesses used to achieve sustainability beyond 5 years in a purposefully selected county in Virginia. …

Advantages And Challenges Of Incorporating Virtual Currency Into Small Businesses, Spencer Sheehan

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This research paper discusses my findings in assisting Lake Missoula Tea Company become one of the first businesses in Missoula, Montana to accept Bitcoin, a virtual currency, as payment. First, I will offer a background of how Bitcoin technology works, and draw on notable historical issues to better understand its evolution, leading up to how it is currently used. I will explore possible economic benefits realized through utilizing Bitcoin in a business environment, such as transaction fee savings through substitution of traditional credit card processors, alleviating security and privacy issues, as well as publicity and marketing benefits. Serious roadblocks of …

Technological Factors For The Sustainability Of The Small Business Entrepreneur, Noghor Pessu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Technical innovation creates challenges for the small business entrepreneur who uses global activities in the marketplace. Information technology and the technological innovations of the World Wide Web are driving competitiveness in the marketplace with a loss of market share for the individual business owner. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences and perceptions of a purposive sample of 20 small business owners in the metropolitan Atlanta area regarding the effect of technology, technological insertion, and application for long-term sustainability. Rogers's diffusion of innovations theory served as the conceptual framework of this study. Data were gathered …

Microbrewing In The Us: An Overview Of The Microbrewery Industry And A Business Plan For Future Success, Kevin Lapoint

Honors Theses and Capstones

This thesis takes a look at the history of craft brewing, the current trends, and where the industry is going. It takes a look at a number of different business models in the market and analyzes their respective advantages and challenges. After viewing these models and trends it takes a look at what would be needed for a successful microbrewery to start in seacoast New Hampshire.

Battle For Control: How Venture Capitalists Affect The Development Of Businesses, Jeffery Neil Wacaster

Honors Theses

In my new podcast series, I interview business leaders to determine the affect of venture capital on the entrepreneur. First, I interview a serial startup entrepreneur to find out the true nature of venture capital, how to go about getting it, and how it affects the creative process. Next, I interview a blogger who thinks that venture capital can be very detrimental to business startups, and get his perspective on related issues.

The interviewees:

1. Michah Baldiwn a) current CEO of Grahic.ly b) He and his team have raised over $350 million dollars of startup money

2. Peter Ireland a) …

Small Business Success: What Works And What Fails, Scott Decker

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Small Business Success: What You Need to Know. The owners of eight successful new businesses (successful defined as at least four years old and owner perceived) were interviewed, as well as the former owners of four unsuccessful businesses. The study showed that while planning can help your business, implementation is the fundamental component of small business success. This study was undergone to help create a link between what students learn in businesses classes, which is primary focused on working for a large company, and what people do in the entrepreneurship field.