Business Commons^™

Financial Consulting Internship In Valencia: Alternative Investments And Ai, Mason Sidney Rike

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

During the summer before my senior year, I had the opportunity to work as a research analyst in the finance department of TuaTeam, a financial and strategic consulting firm in Valencia, Spain. TuaTeam is a relatively new firm that serves its clients in a wide range of areas, from strategic restructuring and business model development to finding funding for future projects and identifying/evaluating potential investment opportunities. TuaTeam also works closely with communities around Spain to foster innovation and development among youth and professionals seeking to gain experience in new trends in technology and cultural enrichment. The company currently holds classes …

Innovation Unveiled: The Power Of Innovative Experiences On Undergraduate Development, Alexander Cummings

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

A paper analyzing my experiences participating in the McMillon Innovation Studio and other OEI programs and their impact on my development during my undergraduate education.
It explores how these experiences can positively affect students of all backgrounds and how universities can work to improve these programs to further amplify their effects.

Forya.Ai Business Plan, Landen Usher

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis presents a comprehensive business plan for Forya.AI, an innovative artificial intelligence-powered platform designed to streamline social media content creation for churches. The platform distinguishes itself by automating the generation of engaging content, leveraging church-provided images to produce visually appealing posts accompanied by contextually relevant captions. By integrating advanced AI algorithms, Forya.AI analyzes uploaded images, identifies thematic elements, and crafts captions that resonate with the spiritual and community values of the church. This process not only enhances the digital presence of religious organizations but also significantly reduces the time and financial resources traditionally required for content development. The business …

2023 Community Bank Case Study Competition, Alivia Brewer

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

Study of Chambers Bank, located in Danville, Arkansas for the 2023 Community Bank Case Study Competition. This paper covers financial analysis, training and technology, as well as staffing.

Moving Forward: Automating A Walmart Executive View From Existing Manual Financial Systems, Alexandra Rosen

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

Walmart, the largest retail giant globally, is a company that needs no introduction. Headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, it has become synonymous with retail innovation and efficiency. Last summer, I had the unique opportunity to immerse myself in Walmart’s culture and the world of finance and accounting through Walmart's Accounting and Finance Development Program (AFDP) internship. This analysis examines my summer in the program and applies my experience to the importance of in-person office work.

Exploring Growth: A Multifaceted Approach To Development In The Stann Creek District Of Belize, Brady A. Voss

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

This honors thesis delves into the multifaceted approach to development within the Stann Creek District of Belize, as undertaken by the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) in collaboration with the international non-profit Peacework. Authored by Brady A. Voss under the guidance of Dr. Amy Farmer, this research is a culmination of efforts aimed at enhancing economic growth and sustainability in the region.

The thesis begins by outlining the author's involvement in three primary projects during a summer internship in 2023: assessing market awareness of dragon fruit, estimating the cost of production for habanero peppers, and formulating a business plan for the …

Financial Literacy For Life: Mandating Financial Literacy In The Classroom, Avery Alford

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper presents literature review and qualitative analysis of the need to mandate financial literacy courses at the high school level. It breaks down the importance of financial education and highlights the benefits in terms of confidence and mental health and its current state in the US with states that require the curriculum. Then it discusses the consequences on mental and physical health by studying the impact of cortisol, the “stress hormone”, within the scope of necessary policy change and in the context of country comparisons around the world. Next it provides counter arguments and objections that debate which classes …

Business Plan For Seamless Custom Clothing Designs, Bella Steketee

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The following Honors Thesis demonstrates a business plan for Seamless Custom Clothing Designs, an Artificial Intelligence platform that offers customers the ability to design their own clothing items to their preferred level of customization. All components of a start-up business operation are included.

Barbie (2023): An Analysis Of Mattel's Positioning Of The Barbie Brand Throughout The Decades And How Barbie (2023) Served As A Crucial Point In The Changing Of Perceptions Of The Iconic Doll., Alejandra Gomez

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper is a deep analysis of the positioning of Barbie by Mattel Incorporated. It analyzes what exactly is Mattel’s positioning of the Barbie brand before diving into a study into whether Barbie (2023) impacted this positioning at all by changing stereotypical perceptions of Barbie. The study consisted of 200 participants answering a survey that gathered their perceptions of Barbie. The 200 were then divided into groups who watched Barbie(2023) and groups who did not to further measure whether perceptions of Barbie (2023) were changed by the film which displayed Barbies as being diverse and had feminist themes.

An Analysis Of Bank Willingness To Decrease Deposit Fees, Madison E. Settlage

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

Bank deposit fees have been at the forefront of bank criticism for years, as many view them as being too severe and having a disproportionate effect on low-income customers. In recent years, there has been a strong push for declines in these rates. In this paper, I analyze banks willingness to decrease deposit fees using data from bank call reports over the 2017 to 2023 time period. Through statistical analysis, I find that various factors such as 2017 deposit fee level, ROA, total assets, average personal deposits, population, median income, and poverty rates are significant in determining bank fee levels …

Accounting And Finance Internship Thesis, Peyton Fair

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

During the summer of 2023, I had the opportunity to intern for ten weeks at Walmart Inc. in the Accounting and Finance Development Program (AFDP). The AFDP internship provides participants with hands-on training and experience in various areas of accounting and finance within Walmart. Participants work in various business areas across Walmart US, Walmart International, Sam's Club, and Walmart Inc.

In the summer of 2023, there were 38 AFDP interns representing 18 different universities. The AFDP internship provides opportunities for interns to attend networking events, interact with executives, and receive feedback on their performance through evaluations. This program aims to …

Internship Experience At Dannah Investment Group, Llc, Isabelle Linkous

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

My internship and employment experience at a small investment management firm in Dallas, Texas, has been one of the most valuable components of my college career. Dannah has three rules at the heart of everything we do:

1. Make Money

2. Have Fun

3. Influence Others

The Value Of Cryptocurrency In An Efficient Portfolio, Bryn Taylor

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

With the recent approval of Bitcoin-backed exchange traded-funds, it is now easier than ever for mainstream investors to gain exposure to cryptocurrencies. This paper aims to employ the Markowitz efficient frontier model to determine the potential for cryptocurrency investment to increase the risk-adjusted performance of a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds. The analysis finds that investors can expect a meaningful increase of 4.41% to the risk-adjusted performance of their portfolio when allocating 4.83% of their total investment to cryptocurrency. However, this potential increase is highly sensitive to cryptocurrency returns, volatility, and correlations to stock. As such, whether adding cryptocurrency …

Automatic Appraisals Of Houses, Sloan Scroggin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Multiple hedonic models and an automatic appraiser model were used to create a residential house’s estimated sales price. The goal is to use the limited data available to a REALTOR® to estimate the future sales price of a residential home without the aid of pictures of the property or viewing the physical property. The first model automates some of the actions of an appraiser by finding comparable sales based on proximity, based both on distance between houses and characteristics of the houses, and then calculating a weighted average price for an estimated sales price of future sales. If the model …

Spatiotemporal Negative Inventory Outlier Decomposition For Supply Chain Applications In Consumer-Packaged Goods (Cpg), Hayden Mcdonald

Data Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Coca-Cola is a popular soft drink brand with sales occurring in every Walmart store across the world, which generates large quantities of data and requires a robust supply chain system. However, the company does not currently have a sophisticated, automated, and/or prescriptive system for detecting where, when, and why inventory outages occur and applying preventative measures to avoid loss of revenue from the absence of inventory on store shelves. This thesis proposes and applies a novel, prescriptive system for this purpose. An inventory outage can be seen as a ‘negative’ statistical outlier in a time series of inventory for an …

The Importance Of Data Preparation In A Data Science Problem, Sophia Beard

Data Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study is going to be based on an inventory outlier automation data science problem that is being solved to identify and prescribe inventory level outliers to help keep shelves stocked in terms of beverages. The objective of this paper will address why it is so important to understand the data that is involved in a particular data science problem and how planning ahead ensures a successful outcome in the data science world. In this data science project, Spatiotemporal Outlier Analysis for Inventory Intervention Automation, it was crucial for the team to understand, research, and visualize the data we were …

Artificial Intelligence In The Hotel Industry: The Benefits And Effects On Corporations, Carlie Malone

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research delves into the benefits and effects of artificial intelligence in the hotel industry. Through a qualitive design, the study shows how the hotel industry since Covid-19 has tried to grow in the technology. The findings were valuable insights from CEO’s, CFO’s, Executives, Directors, and Managers. Nine hotel and technology executives from around the country participated in interviews covering the basic topics of demographics, AI utilized in/on the hotel property, AI and employee experiences, and guest satisfaction with AI.

The challenges stated by the participants were that AI is still in its early stages and being developed. An additional …

The Extreme Rise Of The Fast Fashion Industry From Country To Country: Does Consumer Behavior Differ Cross Culturally Regarding Fast Fashion Between The United States And European Countries?, Madison R. Feuerbacher

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

The apparel industry has various categories of fashion. One of these categories known more readily today as fast fashion. Fast fashion has gained immense global popularity over the past decade. The concept of fast fashion apparel involves producing vast amounts of product as quick as possible to sell to the consumer at an aggressively low price. It is important to understand this current phenomenon of the global rise of fast fashion as well as understand the devastating effects our environment is facing because of it. As the vocalization of the harmful effects of fast fashion have become more prevalent …

The Effect Of Contemporary Art On Fashion In Generation Z, Hayden Dewey, Hayden Claire Dewey

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

This creative project takes a closer look at the dynamic relationship between Contemporary Art and fashion within the context of Generation Z. There is a noticeable influence Contemporary Art has on the fashion choices Generation Z makes, but a gap exists in scholarly exploration of this topic. This study aims to bridge this gap and investigate further the multifaceted influences of Contemporary Art on the fashion preferences and trends among Generation Z, mainly their preference for maximalism within their clothing choices.

Throughout this project, an analysis of Generation Z’s distinct attitudes towards fashion and art takes place, emphasizing their draw …

Influence Of Fashion Involvement And Product Presentation On Consumers’ Online Impulse Buying, Sydney Buford

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

The buying and selling of goods online (e-commerce) has grown significantly in recent years and will continue to grow (Grand View Research, 2023). E-commerce platforms serve as an alternative environment to brick-and-mortar stores, providing customers with the opportunity to make impulse purchases. Due to this, it is important to understand the reasons why people make impulse purchases online. The purpose of this study was to examine the driving factors behind impulse purchase patterns within e-commerce platforms. Using the stimulus-organism-response theory, this study examined the impact of consumer characteristics and external stimulus on consumer’s impulse purchase behavior. In particular, the study …

Social Selling: My Experiences Through An Internship With Outside Life, Zariah Farris

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Last summer I had the opportunity to be a campus development associate intern with Outside Life, a company who crafts personalized ski trips for universities across the United States. This internship was virtual and taught me so many skills about how to communicate well while being fully digital and how to go through the the sales process virtually. With our sales being made without any in-person connections, I was introduced to social selling, a concept I discuss further in my thesis. I reviewed the timeline of what my internship and getting started with the company looked like. In my thesis …

Crossing Borders And Breaking Barriers: A Strategic Analysis Of Chick-Fil-A'S Expansion Into The French Market, Avery Besson

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis explores the strategic considerations and potential challenges of Chick-fil-A, a prominent American fast-food chain, establishing itself in France. The study investigates the cultural, economic, and regulatory factors that may impact Chick-fil-A's entry strategy, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities and obstacles the company may encounter in France. This research will examine Chick-fil-A’s previous attempts at expansion, analyze an American company that has successfully established themselves in France, and provide market entry strategies to Chick-fil-A to establish its presence in the French market successfully.

Fast Fashion: Ethical Dilemmas And Suggestions For Change, Rachel Walden

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The fast fashion industry has grown immensely over the last decade, quickly capturing a large segment of the fashion industry as a whole. This industry is defined by a highly responsive and extremely cost-focused supply chain, allowing the curation of trendy and low-cost garments. These garments, while appealing to consumers for the stylish and affordability, are of poor quality and have short lifetime. The fast fashion model gives rise to serious environmental and social consequences, often contributing to high levels of air and water pollution, increased landfill waste, and unethical labor practices. The aim of this paper is to describe …

Genocide Dressed In Jeans: Does Sharing A Narrative About The Uyghur Population Alter Opinions About Fast Fashion, Danya Radhi

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

One of the most cherished traditions on our University of Arkansas campus is the etching of names onto Senior Walk each year. On any given day, thousands of students stroll across these beautiful sidewalks as they venture to and from class. Dressed in the latest fashions from iconic brands such as Zara, H&M, and Nike, these students are far removed from the tragedy that has befallen the Uyghur population living in the Xinjiang province, 6,914 miles away. Evidence has been mounting that the Uyghur population has been suffering through massive displacement, forced labor camps, and atrocities that we cannot even …

The Swift Effect: How Popstar Taylor Swift Has Brought Business And Viewership To The National Football League, Mckenna Baron

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Big reputation. Two words that perfectly define the twelve-time Grammy award-winning, and Time’s 2023 Person of the Year, Taylor Swift. Swift had a monumental year in 2023. Her Era's tour is going down in history as one of the biggest tours to date. Swift is one of the most decorated music artists of all time. Swift’s love life had been kept quiet for the past few years until her recent relationship with football star Travis Kelce made headlines on the news. Kelce and Swift have taken the National Football League (NFL) and Swifties by storm, transforming the business and viewership …

Quantifying Marketing Lifts To Create A Data-Driven Model: Walmart Merchandising Operations Internship, Susannah Patton

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

I assumed the role of a Merchandising Operations Intern, working directly under the guidance of Planner Candace Gooding in D71. Given the prominence of the furniture and mattresses department in the online retail space, due to the limitations of in-store infrastructure for large products, our focus within D71 is centered on expanding the digital business. Over the past couple of years, Walmart has strategically shifted towards launching higher-end retail items, particularly in the realm of stylish furniture, bolstered by robust marketing initiatives. Although historical performance, seasonality, and price elasticity have traditionally guided forecasting for these items, the oversight of additional …

The Implications Of Nil Collectives On College Baseball, Matthew Magre

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

Under current regulations, the allocation of athletic-based aid in public universities is slanted away from non-full scholarship sports like baseball. Since the approval of student-athletes to benefit from their name, image, and likeness, college sports have ascended into far larger businesses than ever before. This expansion has raised concerns over the future of college sports and its historic stance on amateurism. While the focus of NIL has centered around blockbuster deals for individual athletes, the changes in regulation have created avenues to support student-athletes better financially. Universities have formed NIL collectives to facilitate money from donors to student-athletes in exchange …

Surveys Assessing Food Security And Willingness To Buy Dairy Products In Mauritius Conducted Summer 2022, Abigail Burch

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the summer of 2022, I worked on a team of University of Arkansas and University of Mauritius students to administer surveys regarding the consumption of dairy milk and the impact of COVID-19 on food security in the island nation of Mauritius. This project was created by both universities in conjunction with the Mauritian Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security.

Community Development In Stann Creek, Belize, Connor O'Neill

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research attempts to understand the inner workings of community development by taking part in ongoing development projects in Belize. Through collaboration with existing government entities, we took part in meetings, surveys, and site visits to gather the data necessary for the development projects. These projects consisted of finding cost of production, collecting market research, and constructing business plans. During our time, we experienced multiple difficulties similar to those that developers consistently encounter. Ultimately, we gained valuable insight into procedures involved in community development, as well as being able to aid in ongoing development work.

Intellectual Property Rights: Examining Outdated Laws, Monopolies, Manipulation, And The Need For Modernization, Maggie Moles

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis critically examines the shortcomings of current intellectual property (IP) laws in the face of rapid technological advancement and evolving digital landscapes. It argues that while IP laws were intended to incentivize innovation, protect creators' rights, and foster fair competition, they often fall short of these goals in practice. Through an analysis of various case studies and real-world examples, the thesis demonstrates how outdated IP laws can hinder progress, stifle creativity, and impede access to knowledge and resources, particularly in industries heavily reliant on patents and copyrights.

Furthermore, the thesis explores alternative models and proposals for reform, including open …