Hudl Strategic Analysis, Jessica Swanson

Honors Theses

Hudl is a cutting-edge company that assists with the filming, distributing, and recording statistics for more than 40 sports. The sports, at the high school, college, and even professional level, consist of football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and many others. Growing since its founding in 2006, Hudl now has more than 2,400 employees across 20 countries. To analyze the external environment of the video-sharing industry, a PESTEL analysis and a Porter’s Five Forces analysis were completed. These analyses found that Hudl was a unique case because they are in a very niche portion of the industry and take up a large …

Mngt 475h: Tree Programs Recommendation Report, Mary Morton

Honors Theses

Executive Summary

Project Description

We explored ways for the Arbor Day Foundation (ADF) to increase the value proposition for Tree Cities and Tree Campuses through application addendums and existing organizations.

Recommendations

We propose including an addition to the Tree City application for a grant awarded to Tree Cities that plant trees in underserved areas of the community.

We also recommend inviting Tree Campus to join the Alliance for Community Trees (ACT). Through membership, they will attend and participate in the Partners in Community Forestry Conference.

Rationale

The Tree City program is being under-utilized in connecting resources with communities. ADF can …

Arbor Day Foundation Programs: Analysis And Recommendations, Justin Myers, Emily Alston, Cameron Claborn, Charles Erker, Braelyn Isernhagen, Jonathan Jameson

Honors Theses

We are proposing the enhancement of the current Tree City USA program to include a special recognition program for high-achieving communities. These “Golden Oak” tree cities will be recognized each year based on a variety of metrics detailed in a new and more comprehensive program application. Recommendations:

● Updated application to include more information about both quantitative and qualitative insights

● Special recognition program awarding “Golden Oak” status to communities in village, town, city, and metropolis categories based on either percentile or benchmarking system

● A cumulative “Golden Oak” award given to the State that achieves the highest percentage of …

Hedge Fund Performance With The Treynor-Black Model, Gurkamal S. Pannu

Honors Theses

This paper seeks to analyze the information ratio differences between long/short hedge funds over the past two decades using the Treynor-Black model. The Treynor-Black model is a method to derive an optimal portfolio allocation across safe and risky assets, based off of expected alphas of active investments and the unsystematic volatility that can be attributed to each given security. We first developed and implemented a model to forecast information ratios on a database of long/short hedge funds. With the predicted information ratios, we calculated out-of-sample allocation weights from a Treynor-Black active portfolio model. These weights were then tested in a …

Arbor Day Foundation Tree Programs Recommendations Report, Lane Knott, Mary Morton, Peyton Walker, Haley Faust, Kyler Caverzagie, Alex Sanchez

Honors Theses

Executive Summary

Project Description

We explored ways for the Arbor Day Foundation (ADF) to increase the value proposition for Tree Cities and Tree Campuses through application addendums and existing organizations.

Recommendation

We propose including an addition to the Tree City application for a grant awarded to Tree Cities that plant trees in underserved areas of the community.

We also recommend inviting Tree Campus to join the Alliance for Community Trees (ACT). Through membership, they will attend and participate in the Partners in Community Forestry Conference.

Rationale

The Tree City program is being under-utilized in connecting resources with communities. ADF can …

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.

Arbor Day Foundation Consulting Proposal, Katelyn Bonham, Grace Novak, Kayla Brumley, Amanda Purintun, Lauren Niesen, Sarah Rakes

Honors Theses

Over the course of one semester, our group has worked with the Arbor Day Foundation as part of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Honors Academy. The Arbor Day Foundation is a local nonprofit conservation organization with a focus on trees. As consultants for the Arbor Day Foundation, our team discussed and observed the current needs of the company. We then developed creative solutions to address these needs, concentrating on Arbor Day’s Tree City USA program. Our solutions can be described utilizing the acronym “S.A.P.” which stands for “Segmentation”, “Awareness”, and “Portal”. These three recommendations build on each other …

Lutz Strategic Analysis, Ashley Tyler

Honors Theses

Lutz, an accounting firm in Nebraska, was founded in 1980 and has grown radically since. It now has four divisions – Accounting, Finance, Talent, and Technology – and over 275 employees. When analyzing the external environment, a PESTEL, Porter’s Five Forces, and SWOT analyses were done. These found the external environment can have an impact on the industry, however, accounting is a job that will always be needed, and growth is almost always available. Lutz’s current strategy for growth is a resource-based view of the firm that involves being a one-stop-shop for customers. It is also looking for new firms …

Allianz Life Strategic Audit, Evan Powell

Honors Theses

Allianz Life is a company that specializes in creating life insurance and annuity products to wholesale to financial professionals. The company is based out of Minneapolis, MN, and is a subsidiary of the parent company Allianz SE. Allianz SE is the 46th largest company in the world and ranks number one for assets managed by an insurance company. Allianz SE is based out of Munich, Germany. This report aims to learn more about Allianz Life through internal and external analysis. The following analytical tools will be included: PESTEL, Porter’s Five Forces, and SWOT analysis. These tools help to explain the …

Cohen And Milstein Strategic Analysis, Noah Marik

Honors Theses

Cohen Milstein is a medium-sized law firm operating out of six U.S. cities. It is a boutique-style firm specializing in niche areas of law and litigates higher-profile cases other firms avoid. This paper will examine Cohen and Milstein to understand its market position and competitiveness within the legal industry. The legal industry provides a unique set of challenges to firms as technology advances, new laws are imposed, and customer relationships evolve. To explore Cohen and Milstein, I will employ various tools, including Porter’s Five Forces, PESTEL, and SWOT analyses. Following the firm's evaluation through these metrics, strategic recommendations will be …

Pacific Life Strategic Analysis, Jake Litel-Smith

Honors Theses

Pacific Life is one of the most recognizable names in life insurance. The company is known for its brand and consistent delivery on its promises for over 150 years. This study shows a comprehensive analysis of Pacific Life, including external and internal considerations. Porter’s Five Forces and PESTEL will provide a guide to understanding the environment outside of the company. A SWOT analysis will provide a better grasp on the company’s current market position. The analysis will conclude with an understanding of Pacific Life’s current strategy and recommendations for its future success.

Trader Joe's Case Study, Madisson Magee

Honors Theses

My senior project is focused around analyzing Trader Joe’s business model and writing a case study focusing on the management strategies of the company. I wanted to know what made them so successful and recognizable as brand in the grocery store industry. My case study is based off of a Harvard Business School published case. Not only did I want to understand their success, but also what factors impact them and what issues they face in maintaining a successful business model. To do this, I analyzed many aspects of their company, where they stand against competitors and internal and external …

Walmart Strategic Analysis, Christian Burbach

Honors Theses

This strategic analysis of Walmart touches on the factors that affect the business going forward. Ecommerce, PESTEL analyses, and other analyses come together in this article.

Twitchtv Strategic Analysis, Carter Matt

Honors Theses

TwitchTV is a livestreaming platform that exists within the livestream community industry. It connects content creators known as streamers with viewers that can engage with the streamer and community via chat. This report seeks to provide an analysis of TwitchTV’s current position within this industry and provide recommendations for further developing its platform. It also seeks to analyze trends in the industry and environment that may affect TwitchTV in the short and long term. Specific tools utilized to analyze these trends and growth opportunities include a Porter’s Five Forces analysis, PESTEL analysis, and SWOT analysis.

Advertising During The Covid-19 Global Pandemic: The Rise Of Influencer Marketing Strategies In A Recession, Bre Tenhulzen

Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States in January of 2020 and has since impacted nearly all industries, including advertising. Consumers, the guiding factors for all advertising strategies, faced drastic lifestyle changes and behavior shifts which sent current strategies askew. The virus has created insurmountable unknowns, thus advertising and marketing experts must rely on historical and recent data to develop strategies for brands forging ahead. COVID-19 is the first global crisis in the age of social media which has both helped and hindered communication during the crisis. Additionally, emerging influencer marketing strategies are proving more effective than ever as brands …

Growth Perspectives In Tree Campus Higher Education And Tree City Usa, Olivia Coffey, Logan Lewis, Michael Schneider, Mason Ellis, Austin Vandersteen, Nicholas Lennon

Honors Theses

With an aggressive goal of 25% growth in both the Tree City USA and Tree Campus Higher Education programs, the Arbor Day Foundation (“ADF”, “Arbor Day”) needs a correspondingly bold plan to follow. Our group’s set of recommendations keep in step with ADF’s goals of inspiring people to Plant, Nurture, and Celebrate trees. Adopting ADF’s guiding principles informed and refined our recommendations. Our suggestions to ADF are to expand and refine marketing objectives, make use of communication platforms, streamline the survey and application procedure, and restructure the Tree City participation incentive programs. The subsections of this report provide greater detail …