Business Commons^™

Big Business, Small Plastic, Hannah Johnson

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Marketing Maple, Kevin Budzenski

Senior Honors Projects

In February of 2018, The University of Rhode Island was given a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the form of $470,000 to research the benefits of maple and communicate these properties to the northeast region of the United States. The grant was awarded to increase domestic maple sales through research and spreading awareness on the benefits of maple including its anti-inflammatory and glucose stability properties as well as its beauty capability to fight wrinkles. This research has also shown that maple could be a healthier alternative for sugar and artificial sweetener.

This project aims at using Google …

Finance And Accounting Dual-Degree Proposal, Meghan Finley

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Sino-Us Trade War, Erin Torgersen

Senior Honors Projects

China and the United States are unquestionably the two wealthiest economies in the world. These two countries alone account for almost half of the world’s wealth. As these nations battle to become the world's most powerful economy, it is no surprise high tensions have developed to complicate their relationship. China’s economy has been rapidly growing, especially in the last two decades as China is making its way towards the top of the list of strongest economies through its abundance of exports and manufacturing. Alternatively, as the U.S.’s economy has slowly decreased in the last few years, the gap between the …

Tabletop Game Startup, Jack Meyer

Senior Honors Projects

Starting a new business is a tedious and challenging process especially when it comes to an original idea for a tabletop game. The original idea for the game must be put into written rules and physical gameplay components. These aspects must be confirmed to work and collecting feedback from others is often a major tool used in this stage. From this point, a game developer can go a few different directions such as attempting to sell the game to a larger company or trying to produce their own independent game.

Keeping the game independent is arguably the more difficult route …

Machine Learning Models Predicting The Prices Of Houses In Boston, Sheikh-Sedat Touray

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Women's Self Perceptions And Fashion Industry Rhetoric, Grace Cody

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Uri And Its Students: A Contract For The Provision Of A Safe Environment, Danielle Joan Beatrice

Senior Honors Projects

DANIELLE BEATRICE (English; Philosophy; Business) URI and Its Students: A Contract for the Provision of a Safe Environment

Sponsor: Judith Swift (Communication Studies, Coastal Institute)

When students begin to attend college, they expect to be consumed with busy schedules, heavy workloads, and an exciting social life. Students do not anticipate being in dangerous situations. However, this does not mean that such situations do not occur. Therefore, it is essential to teach students to be active participants in educating themselves and their peers regarding prevention and response to emergency situations. My Honors Project aims to increase the awareness of safety-related issues …

Effects Of A Pandemic On Supply Chain Networks, Richard Mankavech

Senior Honors Projects

The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a colossal impact on the lives of people across the globe. Just like the lives of the people who have had to live through this pandemic, supply chains around the world have been disrupted and permanently changed as well. 94% of Fortune 1000 companies have experienced supply chain disruptions as a result of COVID-19. The effects of the pandemic on global supply chains has not gone unnoticed, as many people had to make adjustments in their shopping to account for items that are always expected to be available suddenly not being able to be …

The Evolution Of Women's Opportunities In The Workplace: A Look At The Past To Interpret The Present, Emily Milich

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Officer Retention And Success In The Us Army By Commissioning Source, Daniel Baglini

Senior Honors Projects

There are four primary paths to commission as an Officer in the US Army. The most common way of commissioning is through the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), which allows students to enroll in elective leadership and military courses at colleges and universities. Then, at graduation, ROTC Cadets are commissioned as Second Lieutenants. The second most common route is through the United States Military Academy at West Point (commonly referred to as USMA or West Point), where Cadets are immersed in military customs and traditions while working toward a college degree and upon graduation are commissioned as Second Lieutenants. …

Teaching Economic Risk Management Through A Video Game Concept, Samantha Montella

Senior Honors Projects

Many video games imply economic behavior: making decisions within a game highlights the fundamentals of human action. The basic idea is that virtual worlds, like the real world, present us with a series of choices. Games impose digital scarcity, obliging players to weigh the benefits of different courses of action, make tradeoffs, and incur costs.

Good examples are found in the role-playing game (RPG) genre, where players face tough choices between different specializations and skill trees. Obliging players to make difficult decisions highlights the opportunity costs of choice, not the money cost. Games also encourage players to think entrepreneurially: to …

An Examination Of Non-Traditional Bridal Wear And Its Primary Consumer, Erica Thalmann, Kristina Dimaria

Senior Honors Projects

Bridal wear has traditionally been viewed as big white dresses. But as times change, so do brides’ preferences for bridal wear. Jumpsuits, rompers, short dresses, and other “non-traditional” choices are experiencing an increased demand in the market. Unfortunately, brides who seek these options are often not met with a promising assortment. This study examined primary consumers of non-traditional bridal wear. Specifically, we sought to find out whether women who belong to the LGBTQ community choose to consume more non-traditional bridal wear compared to heterosexual brides. The study also examined through which channels (e.g., online, in store, etc.) consumers predominantly purchase …

The Evolution Of Technology In Auditing, Alexandra Roberti

Senior Honors Projects

The intention of this project is to learn about the technological changes that are impacting the auditing process. The audit is changing due to technological advances. In order for audit firms to stay competitive and keep their clients, they need to adhere to these changes. The purpose of auditing is to examine and verify that a company’s financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Audit firms are adopting many methods of change in terms of technological progression. Innovations such as inventory drones and Robotic Procession Automation (RPA) have had major impacts in this field. It …

Where Reality Meets Fantasy, Kendall Rankin

Senior Honors Projects

“Fantasy and reality often overlap,” was once said by Walt Disney. In my story, Where Reality Meets Fantasy, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Gelatoni, from DisneySea, dive into the world of employment law and how it affects the Walt Disney Company.

Walt Disney loved storytelling and it is demonstrated in his movies and parks. With his company’s emphasis on safety, courtesy, show and efficiency, Disney wanted not only his guests but also his cast members to enjoy being at the Happiest Place on Earth. With laws like the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and the Civil Rights …

The Impact Of Social Media On Reputational Risk, Samantha Claire Hamilton

Senior Honors Projects

In the era of social media, reputation is a crucial feature of business activity and can help companies attract customers and reach the economies of scale and scope that justify their investment. Reputational risk is a challenging topic. This is partly because it involves temporal perception and stock market frenzy like we saw with the first bubble, Tulipmania, and the Dotcom Bubble. These potential threats have strengthened due

to social media platforms playing a main role in these “panic-in, panic out” investing behaviors. As we see from many company crises, this reputational value can grow and then disappear in moments. …

The Yosakoi Festival And Rural Revitalization In Kōchi Prefecture, Japan, Amy L. Kostka

Senior Honors Projects

Japan has been experiencing a population decline in rural areas since post World War II. Rural prefectures including Kōchi have been participating in nationwide efforts as well as local efforts to maintain population and hopefully attract more people to these areas. These efforts have been collectively categorized under the term rural revitalization. Rural revitalization has many aims: to encourage pride in local cultural practices, to attract tourists and new residents, and to boost local economies. In this study I examined how a festival might assist in rural revitalization efforts. Exploring the literature involving revitalization efforts provided the scaffolding for my …

A Guide To Leadership Development At A Company, Bridget Nobiletti

Senior Honors Projects

Leadership development is essential for companies because it drives a company’s effectiveness in reaching its goal and promotes growth among employees, causing them to want to stay with the company. Knowing how to develop employee leadership is complex because it is largely dependent on the individual and their role within the organization. I interviewed leadership professionals and human resource professionals who have experience in leadership development to guide my research. I broke up management into three categories and found that the different segments of management need different skills in order to be effective at their jobs. The first step to …

Is There A Housing Bubble In China?, Grant West

Senior Honors Projects

I chose to study the housing market in China because of the dual-degree program in which I am enrolled at the University of Rhode Island. The Chinese Flagship Program is dedicated to making sure that American students are prepared to work in China once they graduate. Each student is required to have a dual degree, Chinese and a second major of their choice. I chose International Business given my interests in economics and China. I began this research project while I was enrolled in third level Chinese, a course in which students are given an honors research project that must …

Crackin' Open A Cold Barefoot Moscato With The Gals: A Market Campaign Proposal, Emily Miller

Senior Honors Projects

Barefoot Wine is one of the most well-recognized wine brands and is especially known for its sweet taste and affordable price. It is not marketed to a specific audience -- only to be a casual, fun wine. Millennials drank 42 percent of all wine consumed in the US in 2015, and census information suggests that the number of people aged 21+ is growing. As this population grows, so does the opportunity for Barefoot Wine to target this group with marketing and advertising campaigns.

The purpose of this project was to develop a marketing campaign craft ed toward college-aged females -- …

Computer Science Minor Marketing Plan, Shannon Oryniak

Senior Honors Projects

Computer Science is one of the fastest growing industries with the highest job demand. It has allowed us to do things we’d never dream capable, and bring to life creations and projects in every field.

While it may not seem like it, computer science involves a great deal of creativity. There are thousands of different ways to code a program and billions of different uses for them. While not everyone may want to code programs for a living, I do believe having an understanding of computer science can be beneficial for any major or any career. Entrepreneurs can learn to …

"Good Vibrations", Shannon Kolasinski, Lucy Moyes

Senior Honors Projects

Through the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) process, our goal was to show VIBCO, a local manufacturing company, that its business could be improved with the help of various six sigma tools. Currently, its daily production includes a large variety of products, such as industrial vibrators, vibratory equipment, and mounting brackets and hardware. The particular production area that we chose to focus on, however, was the large turbine cell.

More specifically, the purpose of our project was to create a process improvement, through the use of a kanban system, to better manage the company’s production of large turbines. …

Uri Theatre Presents: Rob Neill And The Neo-Futurists, Caitlyn Sloan

Senior Honors Projects

The University of Rhode Island has given me the opportunity to explore and recognize many different interests that I never knew I previously had. While at the university I discovered my love for Theatre and the talent I have as a manager, as well as a love for event planning through my employment with University Events. These passions drove my desire to create an Honors Project that would help me learn more about management and planning on a scale that could have a large impact. When the theatre department won the Distinguished Visiting Artist Grant for 2017, I seized the …

Service Based Learning Of Income Taxes, Britny Andersen

Senior Honors Projects

Income tax preparation is best learned through application. Reading the tax law and codification is important, however it is crucial to apply this information to real world situations. By volunteering at the South County Rhode Island Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, I had the opportunity to take my knowledge of income tax law and apply it to income tax returns for people in the local community. While an understanding of income tax laws was important, since I was providing a service to clients, communication skills were also crucial to the entire process.

Interestingly, I was surprised to discover that effective …

The Relationship Between Science And Policy, Michaela Warren

Senior Honors Projects

Increased human development and its adverse effects on nature require that our society establish new environmental policies to address these. The implementation and/or modification of environmental policies and regulations comes with its challenges. Evidence-based scientific discoveries play a key part in making effective environmental policy. Without access to and transmission of scientific information, environmental mangers and politicians have no basis to support regulatory changes. Similarly, scientists that do not engage with environmental managers and politicians are restricted developing their scholarly findings into active reform. Growth of environmental protection relies on managers, policy makers, and scientists being aware of each other …

The Beauty Of Business, Steve Leone, Kate Marcellino

Senior Honors Projects

I co-founded Humans of URI my freshman year with the intention of highlighting the diverse population at URI through their stories. We still maintain the page today and authenticity has always been an integral pillar. This experience has given me a profound appreciation for the students I pass by every single day and the understanding that everyone has a unique story. What if the College of Business could fuse storytelling with marketing? I aim to showcase the authentically beautiful community at the College of Business.

Deciding on a University and then an academic college are very difficult and impactful decisions …

An Investment Guide For Millennials, Joshua Perkins

Senior Honors Projects

While almost a majority of Gen Xers and Baby Boomers invest in the stock market, only a mere one-third of Millennials invest. In today’s economy, Millennials experience a range of financial challenges, including student debt, rising rents, and lower starting salaries. A recent study has found that the average retirement age for Millennials will be 75 years old, 10 years older than the average retirement age today. Most young adults do not realize the importance of saving, investing early, and the power of compounding returns in order to be more financially stable in the future.

Over the course of my …

The Future Of Radio, Samuel Murray

Senior Honors Projects

Since its inception and rise to popularity among major forms of mass media communication, radio has been thought to be the next technology to become obsolete. When television came out people thought radio was going to die out, but alas radio and television coexist to this day. When music videos, and eventually channels like MTV came out, radio was put into jeopardy as music would become more and more visual and the need for the radio would cease. This was not the case. When satellite channels came into being and started getting big name celebrities like Howard Stern to broadcast …

Transgender Identity And Dress Behavior, Lauryn Devine

Senior Honors Projects

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine how transgender individuals experience their bodies (e.g. body dissatisfaction) and how their body experience affects their shopping and clothing experiences. Clothing is often used as a way to define and express oneself. Therefore, if transgender individuals have a negative shopping experience and a negative outlook on clothing, it could make it more difficult to express their true identity. Society places extremely high expectations on individuals regarding appearance, which can be psychologically and emotionally difficult for cisgender individuals, but even more egregious for those individuals who do not fit society’s conventional gender …

Aurora Athletics: A Sustainable Active Wear Brand., Molly Gram

Senior Honors Projects

The apparel industry has had a compounded annual growth rate of 2.5% over the past ten years. Much of that is due to the tremendous demand from consumers for active and athleisure apparel. Demand for more casual apparel has resulted from various cultural shifts, like more casual dress codes in the workplace. There is a lot of competition between businesses in this industry. In the globalized apparel industry, a brand’s supply chain is a major influencer of its success. What if a brand could keep up with competitors while also addressing growing consumer demands for ethically sound product? Meet Aurora …