In the realm of supply chain management, student organizations play a crucial role in shaping the future leaders of the field. The Supply Chain Management Association at ASU (SCMA at ASU) stands as a testament to the impact such organizations can have. Recognized as a powerhouse within the highly competitive landscape of student-run organizations at the W.P. Carey School of Business, SCMA at ASU not only facilitates networking opportunities but also serves as a channel for industry insights, professional growth, and the development of an engaged student community. The purpose of this guidebook is to distill the collective experience of SCMA at ASU into a comprehensive resource that can guide and inspire the establishment, maintenance, and growth of student-led supply chain organizations at universities nationwide. To create the most informative guidebook possible, this resource will not only draw upon the rich experiences and achievements of SCMA at ASU but also incorporate insights and information from supply chain student organizations across various universities. This inclusion ensures a diverse range of successful strategies, innovative practices, and practical advice, reflecting what has worked best for these organizations in different academic and operational contexts. By pooling knowledge from a broad spectrum of successful SCM student organizations, this guidebook aims to serve as an essential tool for any university looking to enhance its supply chain program through student-led initiatives, fostering a new generation of supply chain professionals equipped to navigate and lead in an ever-changing global landscape.

The surge of United States high-tech firms offshoring operations to China was driven by economic incentives of the early 1990s, low costs of labor, and ample access to an abundance of resources required in high-tech manufacturing. The dawn of the 21st century served as the advent of technological advancement and innovation in congruence with China’s rapid ascension as a prime high-tech manufacturing hub. However, increased allegations of foreign intellectual property (IP) infringement in outsourced research and development (R&D) and manufacturing on behalf of China’s state-owned enterprises (SOE) have evoked concern amongst international speculators, who allege China of weakened intellectual property enforcement and collusive tactics with state-owned enterprises in the cultivation of an anti-competitive marketplace. This thesis applies a trilateral approach to determine the optimal legal, supply chain management, and business strategies to safeguard the intellectual property of high-tech firms with outsourced operations in China.<br/><br/>Firstly, this thesis explores China’s rapid acceleration of manufacturing capabilities in tandem with nationalist initiatives, historical background, and subsequent influence cultural notions; aspirations in attaining global dominance as a high-tech innovator via nationalist programs and incentives. Succeeding is a comparative analysis of intellectual property between the United States and China, associations between intellectual property protection and economic development, and global intellectual property agreeance as set forth by the World Trade Organization (WTO). Following is a legal analysis of China, which assesses legislation, judicial structure, and litigation. Lastly, is an assessment of supply chain management in China, which assesses high-tech outsourcing practices, the vulnerability of intellectual property in research and development, instances of patent infringement, unfair licensing practices, and trade secret misappropriation.

Normally one associates competitive advantages with companies instead of countries. However, when it comes to international trade it is important to try and understand why some countries have had more success than others in exporting different commodities. The goal of this project is to outline and conduct a strategic analysis of countries exporting softwood logs and sawn wood to the Chinese market and address the issues China’s demand will have to face. This issue is that Russia is proposing and already in the works of initiating a ban on exporting softwood logs in January 2022. With Russia withdrawing, this will leave a large gap in the market share for which other countries will have an opportunity to capture. Therefore, this project focuses on a comparative analysis of what strategies countries could implement to sustain this demand. China has grown and continues to be the largest consumer of softwood in the world. This has led to sustainability being a large concern for Russia who has been the longest major supplier of softwood timber to China. China also knows that by itself it does not have enough wood to support its entire population and relies heavily on importing timber from other countries. Now with Russia discontinuing to export softwood logs in 2022, China will need to find a way to import enough softwood logs to meet its demand. The main question this project tries to answer is how and which countries will be able to do this. By analyzing the external environment of China’s softwood imports, the internal environment of countries, and then concluding with a SWOT analysis this project will try to assess which countries have the capabilities and resources to jump on this opportunity.

The focus of this research paper is understanding the impacts of human factors on the technology innovations in automobiles and the direction our society is headed. There will be an assessment of our current state and the possible solutions to combat the issue of creating technology advancements for automobiles that cater towards the human factors. There will be an introduction on the history of the first automobile invented to provide an understanding of the what the first automobile consisted of and will continue discussing the technological innovations that were implemented due to human factors. Diving into the types of technological innovations such as the ignition system, car radio, the power steering system, and self-driving, it will show the progression of the technological advancements that was implemented in relation to the human factors that was prominent among society. From there, it is important to understand what human factors and the concept of human factor engineering are. It will provide a better understanding of why humans have created technology in relation to the human factors. Then, there will be an introduction of the mobile phone industry history/timeline as a comparison to show the impacts of how human factors have had on the development of the technology in mobile phones and how heavily it catered towards human factors. There will be a discussion of the 3 key human factors that have been catered towards the development and implementation of technology in automobiles. They are selecting the path that requires the least cognitive effort, overestimating the performance of technology, and reducing the attention due to an automated system being put into place. Lastly, is understanding that if we create or implement technology such as self-driving, it should not solely be for comfort and ease of use, but for the overall efficient use of transportation in the future. This way humans would not rely heavily too much on the technology and limit the effect that human factors have on us.

As the world becomes more globalized and interconnected, foreign investment has become a popular way to enter new markets, to facilitate trade, and to stay competitive. As more and more companies are looking to expand internationally, it is important to understand how economic, political, infrastructural, competence, and socioeconomic factors of a region can and should impact these investments and investment decisions. Through a comparative analysis of Taiwan and Hong Kong, this report will demonstrate how these factors can impact an investing company and will offer guidance as companies determine how the structure, history, and resources of a region will impact their foreign investment decisions. Data surrounding these elements is becoming more widely accessible every day. Utilizing this information will help companies stay competitive and prepared as they expand internationally.

The purpose of this research paper is to examine the fundamentals of blockchain technology and how the application of blockchain could serve as a future platform for identity. An identity is used, as the name suggests, to identify who or what an entity is. Although seen as a trivial concept, defining what truly makes up an identity can become quite difficult. Is an identity the thoughts, feelings, or tendencies of a person? Are more tangible assets like a Social Security card, birth certificate, or passport a person’s identity? Can nonhuman entities like businesses or organizations possess an identity? The true definition of an identity may never be known; however, it is certain that several pieces of identifying data lay scattered across multiple databases. Often a person may not have control or even access to these third-party databases that hold their information. Moreover, what information, for how long, and in what way the data is being used may be unclear. Blockchain provides a solution to the identity problem by providing a visible, secure single source of truth. On a blockchain platform, a person would no longer have to trust the goodwill of third parties to secure their data or be uncertain about how the data is being used. Instead, a user could secure their own data and only permission those deemed necessary. The signal immutable ledger would serve to replace current tangible identities as a means to verify yourself in a digital age.