Business Commons^™

Requirements Specification For Dsic: Distribution System For Information And Collaboration, Alex Abrahamian

Computer Science and Software Engineering

There seems to exist an invisible barrier between people that should be connected but for whatever reasons (don't hang out in the same circles, don't go to the same meetings, or are geographically separated) haven't met each other yet.

Normally these people will only meet when others bring them together or they are thrown together on a project. DSIC aims to preempt the person discovery process by allowing a way for people to post ideas, events, and other collaborations in a single place that can then be searched by other users.

The system utilizes postings, user profiles, and a tagging …

Local Marketing: The Benefits And Drawbacks For Large Corporations With Respect To National Food Chains, Marisa Erin Bloch

Journalism

A majority of large corporations, with a special focus on national food chains, put all of their marketing on national and international levels. Most corporations tend to forget about the local aspect of business. The newsletter for California Pizza Kitchen San Luis Obispo was created in order to go against the normal ways of these large restaurant chains, in an attempt to reach out to the community. This paper addresses the need for large corporations, with respect to national food chains, to bring things to a local level. The focus of marketing on a local level is constantly overlooked because …

Turning A New Leaf: A Feasibility Study Of Converting To Organic Production Of Lettuce From A Conventional Operation, Christina Wilson

Agribusiness

This study focuses on the possible risks associated with the conversion of a farm from conventional to organic farming practices. The purpose of the study is to test the feasibility of the conversion to organic practices using lettuce as the focus crop and following the changes in a 150 acre farm's net income through a four year conversion time span. Revenues and expenses will be gained from cost and return studies and financial documents will be generated for the base year and the four year conversion period in order to generate five net incomes. The four net income that are …

Marketing Dietary Supplements: Public Relations And The Ability Of Pharmaceutical Companies To Retain And Develop Consumer Relationships, Nicole Schmidt

Journalism

Dietary supplements have grown in popularity in recent years, with multivitamins the most commonly used. As the awareness of dietary supplements continues to increase, there are more chances for consumers to misuse or misunderstand the risks of taking dietary supplements. Public relations, physicians, and pharmaceutical companies should work to educate the consumer about the uses and risks of supplements. This paper addresses the issues associated with dietary supplements, particularly in the area of weight-loss supplements. Adverse side effects are addressed, as well as how public relations can influence the outcome of pharmaceutical companies’ relationships with consumers. Public relations can help …

Hiring And Recruitment As Rhetorical Strategies: An Analysis Of The Way Businesses Approach Graduating University Students And Influence Their Choices, Sean D. Gibson

Communication Studies

To answer the question, which rhetorical strategies are most persuasive to university graduates regarding hiring and recruitment, I surveyed three classrooms with a questionnaire that gauged university graduates attraction to three different types of rhetorical strategies. The rhetoric came from three major businesses that recruit university graduates: College Works Painting, Peace Corps, and Hewlett Packard.

Each one of these businesses uses a different type of strategy to recruit university graduates. College Works Painting uses an Experience Illusion strategy based on the premise that the company will help train university graduates to become managers and leaders in business. Peace Corps’ uses …

Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Implementing Wastewater Treatment Facilities In Beer Breweries, Jaffer (Jeff) Shah-Ganai

Agribusiness

The purpose of this study was to both see the effects of wastewater on profitability as well as determine an efficient way of dealing with that wastewater. In addition to finding the most efficient way of treating wastewater, the cost of implementing such a technology was also discussed. Two technologies were specifically talked about and those were an anaerobic digester and a two stage anaerobic digester. Between the three breweries that were discussed, two of them use one of those pieces of equipment; Sierra Nevada has an anaerobic digester and Red Hook has a two stage anaerobic digester.

To analyze …

Mueller Game Bird Farm Business Plan, Karl Mueller

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the results from the development of a business plan for Mueller Game Bird Farm which specializes in raising bobwhite quail for hunters, falconers, and other hobbyists. The plan uses current research with personal experience to develop a realistic approach to fit the needs of this business.

A business plan is a document that will continually change as the business grows and develops. This plan is for the business at the current stage of producing 500 bobwhite quail per year and discusses plans for growth over the next three years as well as strategies to obtain that …

Produce Sales Comparison During A Shelf Talker Advertising Campaign In San Luis Obispo County Grocery Stores, Maxwell Hess

Agribusiness

This consumer study was conducted to assess how effective shelf talker advertisements with nutrition related health claims are at selling fresh produce. Background research was conducted to determine the appropriate displays and FDA defined label claims. The study posted visually appealing shelf talker advertisements next to their respective produce item and compared the recorded sales a week prior to the advertising campaign to the following week with advertisements. Two separate observation periods were conducted at Spencer’s San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande locations after the first period in June 2011 produced a surprisingly small amount of statistically significant data. The …

Crisis Communication Plan: In Response To The Corporation For Public Broadcasting Loss Of Government Funding, Tavia Meredith

Journalism

This project explores the need for crisis communication planning to be implemented for individual public broadcasting stations. This project will provide insight on what national public broadcasting can do to restore their image during times of crisis. Through literature, research, case studies, it is proven that having an effective crisis communication plan can help provide training, pre-determined best practices, and save time, so an organization can respond as soon as possible. This project will also discuss the publics of public broadcasting, as well as those who are more likely to donate. It will also take into account previous defunding cases …

Consolidation And Label Acquisition In The California Wine Industry, Hilary Lipoff, Gina Scurich

Horticulture and Crop Science

This paper seeks to determine whether there has been a change in consolidation and label acquisitions in the California wine industry in recent years. Reasons for consolidation and acquisition are explored, with an emphasis on the recent economic downturn and how it has effected the wine industry. Implications of these changes are further explored.

Market Research For Kenz Kouture Accessories, Mackenzie Kassis

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

Kenz Kouture is a recently developed business venture specializing in handmade jewelry. This study was conducted to understand the market and the consumer’s wants and needs of the products and prices of this new venture. The purpose of this study was to assess the market, product development, and potential success for the custom jewelry company, Kenz Kouture. Topics for the literature review included consumer buying behavior and entrepreneurship. An online questionnaire was distributed using Facebook and utilized snowball sampling to gather data from 238 subjects. The results indicate Kenz Kouture’s current fan base and product base have the potential to …

Profitability Comparison Study Of An Organic Almond Orchard Versus A Conventionally Farmed Almond Orchard In Stanislaus County, Carl B. Evers Iii

Agribusiness

This study examined the differences in costs and profitability for established conventional and organic almond orchards in Stanislaus County, California. The study used a partial budgeting approach to compare cost and profitability for established orchards for 2010, and thus ignored transition costs. Data was obtained from UC Davis cost studies for organic almonds, and from the Green Valley Ranch in Keyes, CA for conventional almonds. Adjustments were made to the U.C. Davis costs to account for changes in input use, input costs and grape prices Stanislaus County during the 2010 growing season, and to ensure both orchards in the study …

Feasibility Study For Building A Tasting Room In Napa Valley, Trevor Mitchell

Agribusiness

This study was undertaken to determine if it would be financially feasible for Altamura Winery to build and operate a wine tasting room in Napa Valley over the course of a 30 year period.

This report used a feasibility study to examine the investment of the tasting room. The study used the cost approach of valuation to value the construction costs. Then capital budgeting was used as a method to determine if the tasting room should be constructed. The capital budgeting methods of this study include the use of a cash flow budget, break-even analysis, and a net present value …

Millennial Organic Wine Consumers Of San Luis Obispo, Ca, Tadeo Perez

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Juicy Boost: A Business Plan, Scott Silverman

Agribusiness

A start up business plan dealing with the opening of a Juice Bar in Paris, France.

Financial Analysis Of A Value Added Dairy Operation In California, Jason De Groot

Agribusiness

The case study was undertaken to determine whether if it is more financially profitable to become a value-added dairy business in California. This is a frequently discussed issue in agriculture, but there is not a lot of information available of how value-added facilities are doing.

This report uses two highly recognized financial reporting methods including an income statement and balance sheet to determine if the case study was financially profitable. Financial data was gathered from the enterprises, both farm and processing facility, for fiscal year 2010. The information generated made it possible to view financial income and profit for each …

Conventional And Organic Lettuce Production In San Luis Obispo County, Mark Freitas Crusha

Agribusiness

This study was undertaken to evaluate the net returns for conventional head lettuce compared to organic leaf lettuce in San Luis Obispo County. Price, yield, and costs for both lettuce systems were collected to perform a budgeting analysis projected over a twenty-year period.

Organic leaf lettuce was found to be more capable of paying finance charges and fixed commitments to produce in San Luis Obispo County. This conclusion was based on projected price and yield data along with a comparison of the profit and loss statements for the two types of lettuce for the time period of 2011 through 2030. …

Public Relations: The Importance Of Community Relationships Between Small-Businesses And The Community, Jayne Elizabeth Crabtree

Journalism

With the downturn of the economy public relations has been one of the first departments to be discontinued in many businesses as an effort to save more money. This paper addresses the importance of community relationships, particularly in the small town of Cambria, California. The importance of the building relationships will be addressed from the prospective of successful Cambrian businesses currently involved in the community, as well as the perspective of one business not yet getting involved, The Tea Cozy.

Trends In Multisensory And Interactive Magazine Inserts, Jennifer Titcomb

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was to identify trends in multisensory and interactive magazine inserts. The study looked at the different features to see what is used most frequently and identified any major trends with the technologies. These implementations would ensure the presence of printed magazines. Additional knowledge was gained by being more observant of the different ways audio/ video chips and variable data are being used within magazine advertising. Ideas of new applications were formed from gathering of this information.

The study was conducted using historical research, elite and specialized interviews and content analysis to identify trends. Tables were …

The Dimensions Of Source Credibility And Salesperson Persuasion, Eric Jaso

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

Recommendations For Economic Development In Guadalupe, Ca, Larissa Requa Heeren

Master's Theses

It is recommended that the City of Guadalupe prepare and implement a small-scale business expansion and retention program using existing service providers in the area. This type of program model seems to hold the most potential for Guadalupe. A mixed-methods approach including in-depth cases studies of existing economic development programs and an analysis of opportunities and constraints in Guadalupe informs a set recommendations for future economic development in the City. Data was collected in three phases: short interviews with a variety of economic development program staff, short interviews with Guadalupe business owners and City officials and in-depth interviews with staff …

8th Annual Cubesat Developers' Workshop 2011, Nicole Nathan, Helena Race, Brittany Roach

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

Partial Budgeting Analysis Of Conventional Pump Over Versus Pulsair Cap Management System For A Large–Scale California Winery, Zachary Thomas Hicks

Agribusiness

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the financial feasibility of implementing an automated gas injection system from Pulsair as an alternative to the traditional pump over cap mixing technique that is used during the alcoholic fermentation stage of winemaking.

There were various costs involved in this project that were determined and explained through the use of the partial budgeting method. The costs that were thoroughly analyzed included equipment, labor, utility, and initial investment costs for the Pulsair system as well as the related pump over operation costs. After the two methods associated numbers were evaluated, they were then …

Business Plan, Marketing Analysis And Employee Handbook For A Proposed Bed And Breakfast: The Rosewood Manor, Kathleen Shaw

Management and HR

This is a Business Plan, Market Analysis and Employee Handbook for a proposed bed and breakfast in the Mammoth Lakes area. It consists of a detailed business plan including objectives, mission statements, a company summary, the opportunity and services provided. The market analysis looks at the situation, customer, competitors, the challenge and opportunity, market strategy, short and long term projections, and advertising. Finally, the employee handbook covers all necessary details for an employer and employee.

Satisfaction Of Vendors Who Participated In Sunset Magazine’S Savor The Central Coast Event, Jillian Armstrong

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

The San Luis Obispo County Visitors and Conference Bureau hosted the first food and wine event “Sunset Magazine’s Savor the Central Coast” that showcased the county’s best food and wine. Within the tourism industry stakeholder and Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) involvement in the community are crucial to tourism success. The purpose of this study was to assess the satisfaction of vendors who participated in the event. This study was conducted through the online survey application SurveyMonkey. The results of the survey indicate that overall, vendors were fairly satisfied with the event; however, they would like to see booth space …

Design Of A Packaging Solution For Ifixit’S Retail Venture, Myles Bradwell, Torrance Terzian

Industrial Technology and Packaging

One of the chief concerns of any business is to maintain steady, profitable growth in a rapidly evolving marketplace. The only way to achieve this goal is to constantly evaluate the company’s strength and position within that marketplace, and look for ways to improve. The iFixit company has established itself as a leader in providing quality replacement components, tools, and repair instruction for customers who wish to repair their own modern electronic devices. iFixit approached the students at Cal Poly to develop a solution for differentiating their primarily online business into a retail sales environment.

This senior project is a …

Evaluation Of Alternative Sustainable Materials For A Drug Delivery Package, Keith Thompson

Industrial Technology and Packaging

No abstract provided.

Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Installing Solar Panels On The Schnoor Almond Ranch, Morgan Anne Wampler

Agribusiness

This study was undertaken to determine if it would be cost-beneficial over a 30-year period to install solar panels to power the water pumps on the Schnoor almond ranch. A cost-benefit analysis was performed to determine if the investment would be financially worthwhile. The analysis included calculating the net present values of the annual cash flows along with the calculation of the internal rate of return. If the net present value proves greater than zero and the internal rate of return proves greater than the discount rate, the investment will be cost-beneficial. State and federal rebates and incentives were also …

Gow Ranch Beef Cattle Feasibility Study, Colton Jack Gow

Agribusiness

The purpose of this project was to decide the best time to sell calves on the Gow Ranch in Roseburg, Oregon. The two options are directly off the cow at 550 pounds in October or at 850 pounds in June.

The revenues and costs from selling calves at these two times were collected for the last five years. This data was put into an Excel spreadsheet to show profit and loss from each year. Both selling prices and costs were examined to show at what point to sell would have made the best profit.

Using figures from this spreadsheet it …

A Study Of The Feasibility Of Establishing A Spray And Fertilizer Equipment Outlet Store In The Paso Robles Area., Daniel C. Rodriguez

Agribusiness

The purpose of this feasibility study was to establish whether or not the proposed spray and fertilizer equipment outlet store could be opened and be profitable in the target area. The goal was to be profitable within two years of operations. Personal interviews proved to be important to estimate the preliminary budgets of the outlet store. Pertinent financial information was evaluated by proforma financials. This information proved useful as to estimate yearly profits/losses for the business and to accept or reject the author’s hypothesis.

After the study was concluded and all of the figures were evaluated by the author, it …