Gabelli School Undergraduates Honors Thesis Program Presentations
Undergraduate | May 14, 2020 | Gabelli School of Business
Every year, talented Gabelli School students—no matter what they major in— complete the prestigious Honors Thesis Program at the Gabelli School of Business. The thesis program blends two cohorts: the Traditional Honors Thesis including students who are invited in their junior year and compete for admission, and the Global Business Honors Program, for whom the thesis is a culmination of their four years of honors work.
What does the Honors Thesis Program entail for these students? With a professor’s help, students investigate a business topic of their choice and develop that investigation into a publication-quality research paper.
With this cohort including our brightest students, over the course of two years they work on important, cutting edge topics with rigorous research methods. This year, that process was radically altered in March. Students and their advisors were more than up to the challenge, and despite the pandemic, produced the high quality research that the Gabelli School expects of its thesis students. In fact, some of these projects may go on to appear in the same journals in which professors publish!
Chris Andreou, GABELLI ’20, stated, “In the beginning, this whole project seemed overwhelming; there were so many moving parts. Professor Conrad and my co-author John really helped to dissect the paper piece by piece and recognize what was important to arrive at the conclusion. Overall, I think this experience helped me understand what goes into serious academic research and what skills are necessary to produce it.”
This program is made possible through the enthusiastic support of Dean Rapiaccioli, Dean Aksoy, Dean Dunn, who champion the University’s commitment to student-driven research, and program director, Professor Luke Kachersky.
Here are the thesis presentations that students researched this year:
An Examination into the Legal Feasibility of a Daily Fantasy Sports Investment Fund
Paper and Presentation
Authors: Christopher Andreou & John Lunz
Advisor: Mark Conrad
The Viability of Passive Investing Through the Use of Financial Filters
Author: Thomas Balcom
Advisors: James Kelly & Luke Kachersky
The Merits of Investing in Art
Author: Christina Berardino
Advisor: Kevin Mirabile
Theory and Practice: The Regulatory Sandbox
Author: David Chu
Advisor: Brent Horton
From Finance to the Food Industry: The Prospects for Consumer-Facing Blockchain Systems
Paper and Presentation
Author: Rachel Keough
Advisor: Luke Kachersky
Environmental Sustainability: Consumer Perception vs Reality
Paper and Presentation
Author: Isabelle Lee
Advisor: Jennifer O’Neil
Making Conscious Investment Decisions: Criteria for an Effective Sexual Harassment Policy
Paper and Presentation
Author: Allison Michaud
Advisor: Iris Schneider
The Economic Impact of the Departure of the NFL’s Chargers and Rams on San Diego and St. Louis
Author: Alfred Montanino
Advisor: John Fortunato
Equity Research Reports and Reason-Based Choice
Author: Jacques Paye
Advisor: Lin Tong
Generational Preferences in Leadership Qualities in Financial Institutions and Millennial Self-Perception
Author: Laura Rathjen
OK Boomer: A Study of Corporate Attitudes Toward Sustainability in Relation to Organizational Baby Boomer Population
Author: Jack Salkowsky
Advisor: Eun-Hee Kim
Relationship Between Patient Satisfaction and Care Metrics
Author: Steven Simon
Advisor: Falguni Sen
Active Funds vs. Passive Funds: Remaining Opportunities for Active Managers to Deliver Persistent Alpha
Author: Aravind Sureshbabu
Advisor: Jim McCann
Sustainability Rankings and Bond Ratings: Does ESG Improve a Company’s Financial Health?
Author: Kaylee Wong
Advisor: Barbara Porco
An Analysis of the Billboard Hot 100 Through the Lens of Artist Gender
Author: Tigerlily Cooley
Advisor: Amy Aronson
Pharma Bros Reformed: Morality for Pricing Pharmaceuticals
Author: Hara Chung
Advisor Miguel Alzola
Associate Professor of Law and Ethics, Miguel Alzola, concluded, “Having written three theses (undergraduate, MA, and PhD) and having helped a dozen students write theirs, I would say that thesis is primarily about the cultivation of good intellectual habits. And it is an excellent opportunity for students to dive deeply into a theme or problem they find interesting under the mentorship of scholars who have the knowledge and the experience to guide them. At a time of big challenges, we are training students to rise to the occasion. I am delighted to be part of the process.”
A few students also received distinguished awards for their work. The E. Gerald Corrigan Undergraduate Research Awards are given for thesis excellence in the Global Business Honors Program. The Patricia Ramsey Honors Thesis Awards are presented in memory of Pat Ramsey, a beloved management professor and a true champion of student research. Working side by side with her friend, Associate Professor Marcia Flicker, Pat inspired students to pursue independent research on business topics and develop their findings into publishable papers.
The winners are:
E. Gerald Corrigan Undergraduate Research Award:
Winner
The Legality of YouTube’s Content ID System: Copyright Protection and Fair Use in the Digital Age
Author: Kenneth Krizan III
Advisor: Mark Conrad
Runner-up
A Cross-Country Analysis of the Correlation between Environmental and Economic Performance
Author: William Burns
Advisor: Sris Chatterjee
Runner-up
A Defining Feature: Examining the Budgetary Impact of Tax Policymaking
Author: Meghan Keough
Advisor: Stan Veliotis
Patricia Ramsey Honors Thesis Award:
Instagram, Tourism, and Gentrification: How a Picture May Lead Someone to Leave their Home
Paper and Presentation
Author: Siena Mayer-Costa
Advisor: John Carey
A Comparative Analysis of Bank Valuation Approaches in Southeast Asia
Paper and Presentation
Author: Amos Timothy Ong
Advisor: Christakis Droussiotis
A Study of Legal Origin and Algorithmic Trading
Author: Wenchao Yao
Advisor: N.K. Chidambaran
