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You will have to complete a major research paper (8 to 10 pages) for the final assignment in this course. In order to do this, you will need to write in a style appropriate for an academic discourse community and read numerous scholarly articles.
At least five of the articles must be located in the School University Library.
I will provide them to you once you choose your topic.
For this week’s assignment:
· Identify 3 a minimum of primary resources and 2 secondary resources, for one of the following topics:
1. 3D Printing
2. High speed rail
3. Stem Cell Research
4. Crowdfunding
· Remember that sources with no authors, sources with no dates, and/or sources with dates older than 5 years will lose points for this and all other assignments in this class.
· Complete a literature review for each of the resources identified
· Following your literature review include the introduction to your paper which should include the claim statement and thesis statement.
· Include a reference page
Your literary resources, and introduction should be in APA format. All citations and references should be in APA format.
Review the grading rubric below:
The literature review includes summaries for a minimum of 3 primary resources and 2 secondary resources with well aligned supporting and validating evidence. The claim statement is provided in the appropriate format within the introductory paragraph.
The analysis of the topic includes breadth and depth. The summaries are aligned to the unit topic, and relates to the course content and analysis of the original article is evident in each literature summary. The assessment is well written and well-organized demonstrating excellence in scholarly writing. Mechanics (spelling and punctuation) and grammar are excellent. The assessment is set-up following the assessment instructions. The essay demonstrates has a title page, in-text citations of sources, and references, and APA Format.
Coining it; Crowdfunding
The Economist.
423.9038 (Apr. 29, 2017): p62(US).
From Global Issues in Context.
Copyright:
COPYRIGHT 2017 Economist Intelligence Unit N.A. Incorporated
http://store.eiu.com/
Full Text:
Another bubble is heading for a bust, but may spawn much
innovation
WOULD you care to invest in Gnosis, a prediction market where
users can bet on outcomes of events such as elections? Or in ZrCoin, a
project to produce zirconium dioxide, used to make heat-resistant alloys? How
about an “immersive reality experience” called “Back to
Earth”?
These are just three of a new wave of what are called Initial Coin
Offerings (ICOs). Nearly $250m has already been invested in such offerings,
of which $107m alone has flowed in this year, according to Smith+Crown, a
research firm. But it was in April that ICOs, or “token sales”, as
insiders prefer to call them, really took off. On April 24th Gnosis collected
more than $12m in under 15 minutes, valuing the project, in theory, at nearly
$300m.
ICO “coins” are essentially digital coupons, tokens
issued on an indelible distributed ledger, or blockchain, of the kind that
underpins bitcoin, a crypto-currency. That means they can easily be traded,
although unlike shares they do not confer ownership rights. Instead, they
often serve as the currency for the project they finance: to pay users for a
correct prediction, as does Gnosis; or for the content users contribute.
Investors hope that successful projects will cause tokens’ value to
rise.
In a way, bitcoin was the first ICO–except that instead of
putting money in directly, investors had to buy computing gear to
“mine” (ie, mint cryptographically) the tokens. Bitcoin inspired
hundreds of variations–“alt-coins”. But these involved the tricky
business of creating a new blockchain. Today most issuers simply write a
“smart contract” on Ethereum, a rival blockchain. This piece of
code then automatically creates tokens when it receives “ether”,
the coin of the Ethereum realm. Issuers typically publish a “white
paper” (a prospectus of sorts) and market their undertaking on social
media.
As Gnosis shows, such offerings can sell out quickly. The
crypto-currency cognoscenti made a lot of money investing in bitcoin and
other tokens and have cash to invest (as The Economist went to press, the
value of all ether in circulation was nearly $5bn). Less popular projects
offer incentives for buying early or a lot. “Back to Earth”, whose
ICO launched on April 26th, wants to raise 750 bitcoin (almost $1m) by
selling StarCredits. Investors who buy coins worth 0.75 bitcoin or more get a
special “Golden Ticket”, entitling them to special content and,
later on, free StarCredits.
But the claims in white papers are mostly unaudited. ZrCoin plans
to build a factory in Russia to extract zirconium from industrial waste;
cameras on the site are supposed to let investors monitor progress. ZrCoins
are backed by the zirconium to be produced. But as in many ICOs, it is
unclear why the funds are not raised in conventional ways. And since most
ICOs have no link to any particular jurisdiction, it is hard to see what
investors could do if issuers abscond with their money. Often they have
immediate access to the funds raised.
Even ICO fans fret that an offering will blow up, as did Mt. Gox,
an early bitcoin exchange, in 2014. But the market is showing signs of
maturing, says Matt Chwierut of Smith+Crown. More ICOs now use escrow
accounts, which makes it harder to take the money and run. Blockchain
Capital, a venture-capital firm, has just raised $10m, but it sold its coins
in America only to “accredited” investors. On May 1st Adel, an
incubator for blockchain projects, will launch one of the first ICOs to
comply with anti-money-laundering and know-your-customer rules. Otonomos,
which helps firms incorporate, is planning to offer a service giving ICOs a
legal home.
Regulators will have to decide how to deal with ICOs. Peter Van
Valkenburgh of Coin Centre, a think-tank, argues that if the tokens are
mainly used as currencies, they should not be classified as securities. But
in March the Ontario Securities Commission warned that issuers may need to
meet legal requirements, such as registration and filing an official
prospectus. This may be hard to enforce: blockchains know no borders and some
ICOs, including Gnosis’s, are created expressly to avoid regulations.
America’s Securities and Exchange Commission has not said
anything yet. Insiders worry it will come down too hard on ICOs, stymying
innovation. Albert Wenger of Union Square Ventures, another venture-capital
firm, argues that ICOs help finance projects that today remain unfunded, in
particular “protocols”–code enabling computer systems to work
together. One example is Storj, a service for decentralised file storage,
which has issued tokens on bitcoin’s blockchain. Subscribers use the
currency to pay for file storage, but can also earn it by contributing
storage to the network. They hope such services might one day replace the big
centralised ones that dominate the internet. Imagine Facebook had issued a
token, says Olaf Carlson-Wee of Polychain Capital, a hedge fund that invests
in ICOs. Users could be paid for their posts and thereby share in the
firm’s wealth.
Forever blowing
Still, before ICOs fulfil this promise, they may well have to
endure a cycle of boom and bust. Some liken the ICO craze to the South Sea
bubble in the early 18th century in Britain, when promoters raised funds for
companies promising the “transmutation of quicksilver into a malleable
fine metal” or a “wheel for perpetual motion”. Prices soon
fell, in particular after Parliament in 1720 passed the “Bubble
Act” to rein in “undertakings of great advantage”. But the
sorry episode was a step toward some rather useful innovations: the modern
joint-stock company, for example.
Source Citation
(MLA 8th Edition)
“Coining it; Crowdfunding.” The Economist, 29 Apr. 2017, p. 62(US). Global Issues in Context, http://link.galegroup.com.prx-herzing.lirn.net/apps/doc/A490722609/GPS?u=lirn50909&sid=GPS&xid=d83d70cf. Accessed 23 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number:
GALE|A490722609
Crowdfunding
Philippines Daily Inquirer (Makati City, Philippines).
(Mar. 22, 2015):
From Global Issues in Context.
Copyright:
COPYRIGHT 2015 Asianet-Pakistan
http://www.inquirer.com.ph/abt.asp
Full Text:
The recent trending article about how a woman from New Jersey in
the United States was able to raise over $1,500 via to attend the
Pacquiao-Mayweather fight in Las Vegas has both inspired and produced doubt
in me about the whole process.
means exactly what it spells out: A crowd is funding something.
The process usually happens online through the use of sites like Kickstarter,
GoFundMe and YouCaring.com. According to HSBC, the industry was worth over
$5.1 billion in 2013.
My first reaction to the article was: “Wow, people are really
quite generous!” But I remembered that not all projects are about
donating money to charities and different causes. Almost all projects on
Kickstarter are actually product-centered. A person has an idea about a
product that she wants to develop and market; helps if she doesnt have the
funds to put into that venture.
My first actual encounter with was in 2013 when Rob Thomas, the
creator of the TV series “Veronica Mars,” started a Kickstarter.com
campaign for the movie version for which fans had been clamoring for over
half a decade. It was my favorite show growing up, and I wanted to be part of
that campaign. Thomas was even offering walk-in roles in the film for those
who would donate a huge amount. Sadly, though, international donations werent
allowed. But in the end, the Veronica Mars campaign raised thrice its target
amount of $2 million and became the sites most successful project to date.
That woman from New Jersey who was able to generate the equivalent
of about P80,000 just to see the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight showed both the
beauty and the ugliness of the process. You could admire her gumption to tell
the world what she wanted and the generous public that donated to her cause,
but you could also scoff at her shallowness and the indulgent nature of those
who gave her more reason to believe that making money is easy via .
If you dont have a “controversial cause” like hers, its
very hard to reach out to people who have the funds to donate to your
project. Hundreds of projects seeking funding for medical expenses, exchange
programs, volunteer projects, and educational expenses remain fundless across
different sites. I myself am having a hard time raising the amount I need
that will enable me to apply to PhD research programs abroad. I started my
project in the hope of lightening the financial burden of $2,700 for
application and exam fees. Although my end goal is to do research and add to
the body of knowledge in the world, its really hard to find funding and make
school fees sound fun to donors.
So it was with a weary heart that I read how the boxing-fan lady
overshot her goal amount (and people are still donating!), while Ive barely
made $9 toward applying for a PhD program after maximizing all my social
media accounts. Mysteries abound. When I do become a PhD student, I might
even devote my dissertation on the whole process just to understand it
better!
Sofia T. Contreras, 23, says she “discovered the joys of
research” in Philippine Science High School-WVC. She graduated cum laude
from the University of the Philippines Diliman and is about to complete a
masters degree from De La Salle University Manila while working as an
executive assistant and volunteering as a research assistant. Her project is
at http://tiny.cc/phdsofia.
Source Citation
(MLA 8th Edition)
“Crowdfunding.” Philippines Daily Inquirer [Makati City, Philippines], 22 Mar. 2015. Global Issues in Context, http://link.galegroup.com.prx-herzing.lirn.net/apps/doc/A407252677/GPS?u=lirn50909&sid=GPS&xid=b7626fbb. Accessed 23 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number:
GALE|A407252677
AIG launches crowdfunding insurance product for investors
CPI Financial.
(May 25, 2016): News:
From Global Issues in Context.
Copyright:
COPYRIGHT 2016 SyndiGate Media Inc.
http://www.cpifinancial.net
Full Text:
American International Group (AIG) launched a new insurance
product for the fast-growing crowdfunding investment industry. Eureeca, a
Dubai-headquartered global crowd investing platform, is the first platform to
offer investors the AIG coverage.
The new product – Crowdfunding Fidelity – is the first
crowdfunding insurance product to offer investors protection against issuer
fraud, and is now available to platforms in the UK and Canada.
Crowdfunding platforms enable innovators to bring their ideas to
life and offer retail investors the opportunity to provide capital for
start-ups and growth stage companies around the world. Before the development
of crowdfunding, only high net worth individuals and institutional investors
such as venture capital funds and private equity firms were typically offered
these opportunities.
Eureeca, which is regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority,
launched in 2013 in Dubai and focuses on providing deals from the Middle
East, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
Alex Blom, Head of Financial Lines AIG MENA, “Financial
technology like crowdfunding increases the potential for economic
opportunity, but it also increases the potential exposure of businesses and
individuals to new risks. Crowdfunding has begun to show its potential in the
region and we are delighted that we were able to partner with Eureeca locally
to create a product that will be of benefit here and elsewhere.”
Crowdfunding Fidelity protects individual investors against the
theft of issuer assets by issuer directors, officers, or general employees
which cause a direct loss to the individual investor. By subscribing to this
innovative new product, crowdfunding platforms will enhance the value they
can offer investors by offering protection against issuer fraud. Although
there have been limited instances of fraud in this sector so far this new
product helps to build investor trust in this emerging sector by working
closely with the platforms to ensure underlying issuer trustworthiness.
Mr Blom said, “This product demonstrates AIG’s continued
innovation as well as its support for start-ups and the sharing economy. We
hope that this product increases propensity to invest in new and growth stage
businesses in the region which will benefit society.”
Chris Thomas, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Eureeca
said, “The new power of the crowd and the desire to democratise
investing throughout the world can unleash great partnerships. The success of
the ecosystem depends on collaboration between all stakeholders. AIG has
demonstrated its commitment to being one of this industry’s most valued
partners by engaging the crowdfunding space at such an early stage.”
[c] 2016 CPI Financial. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate
Media Inc. ( Syndigate.info ).
editorial@cpifinancial.net(CPI_Financial)
Source Citation
(MLA 8th Edition)
“AIG launches crowdfunding insurance product for investors.” CPI Financial, 25 May 2016. Global Issues in Context, http://link.galegroup.com.prx-herzing.lirn.net/apps/doc/A453306875/GPS?u=lirn50909&sid=GPS&xid=8cb28355. Accessed 23 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number:
GALE|A453306875
The Spark Project: Creating spark in crowdfunding
Philippines Daily Inquirer (Makati City, Philippines).
(Jan. 3, 2018):
From Global Issues in Context.
Copyright:
COPYRIGHT 2018 Asianet-Pakistan
http://www.inquirer.com.ph/abt.asp
Full Text:
There is no doubt that ‘crowdfunding’ has become the default avenue
to raise funds for a campaign, a project, an appeal for help, and other
issues that tug the heart. This phenomenon has reached global levels and has
sparked numerous initiatives, especially in developing socially relevant
projects that seek to create a difference.
One such crowdfunding website is ‘The Spark Project,’ a Filipino
crowdfunding website and community spearheaded by Founder and CEO Patrick
Dulay. It aims to create a ‘spark’ among local entrepreneurs or the
so-called ‘changemakers’ and doers and empower them through an
online platform to showcase their creations and projects while at the same
time, attract people who are willing to provide exciting and
socially-meaningful projects.
Thus, Dulay was elated when The Spark Project was chosen as one of the Top 5
winners of the Globe Future Makers (GFM) program, besting 130 other entries.
‘Globe enables our technology and there are a lot of potential for
synergies with Globe. GFM can really help the project by creating a bigger
community and expanding our membership, or through resources to help us grow
in the next few months. Our goal is to spark 100 projects and to achieve
that, we need all the help we can get,’ he said.
‘Through our partners in GFM such as Kickstart Ventures, Inc. and Ashoka
Philippines, we are facilitating the winners’ access to relevant startup
workshops or clinics, introductions to potential partners, mentors, advisers,
and investors so that they can build their products faster and launch sooner
to benefit the communities that they aim to serve. Together, we hope to
influence and build a whole ecosystem of social innovators who use technology
to create a positive impact on society,’ said Chelle Gray, Director for
Globe Citizenship.
It was in 2009 when Dulay started to toy with the idea of funding something
by the people. He later on began his own project together with his
co-founders. ‘I felt there are a lot of ideas and I believe in
people’s talent. Being abroad gave me a deeper appreciation of Filipino
talent being world class and I’d like to contribute to that, make their
ideas happen through technology and crowdsourcing so they can enable their
dreams and ideas to fly,’ he said.
Dulay was proud to note that in five years, they were able to
‘spark’ a total of 63 projects valued cumulatively at more than
P5.8 million. On average, a project can raise from Php 80,000 to Php 120,000.
To qualify for crowdfunding, creative entrepreneurs and change-makers should
be local or homegrown. Even if not enterprising, the effort should have an
impact on society and community and should be innovative enough.
Through crowdfunding, Dulay reported that they were able to help a lot of
interesting projects, mostly product-based or consumer goods. One example is
the Gouache Waxed Canvas Bags. The business was launched through Spark in
2013 and already opened a mall-based store last September. ‘Crowdfunding
really helped them raise more than Php180,000 to produce their first batch of
bags and grow their business,’ he said.
Another noteworthy project, though not a money-making venture but more of a
civic action project, was the rehabilitation of Estero de Paco, one of the 48
tributaries or ‘esteros’ of the Pasig River through the group Earth
Ventures which came out with a treatment ‘ball’ that uses Bokashi
or Japanese water treatment technology that eliminates bad bacteria using
good bacteria. ‘They used crowdfunding to create those balls and
organized a mud-ball throwing into the estero. This is an example of a
community-based project and due to their campaign they got a lot of exposure.
Through Spark, they were able to raise awareness and bring more people in to
participate. Those were really intangible benefits and not just
financial,’ added Dulay.
He cited that the most challenging part is how to draw the public to a
project since there is a high degree of accountability where project
proponents have to be able to deliver what they promised. There should always
be transparency, Dulay said, so everyone goes through a screening process to
determine if they can really deliver.
Source Citation
(MLA 8th Edition)
“The Spark Project: Creating spark in crowdfunding.” Philippines Daily Inquirer [Makati City, Philippines], 3 Jan. 2018. Global Issues in Context, http://link.galegroup.com.prx-herzing.lirn.net/apps/doc/A521298346/GPS?u=lirn50909&sid=GPS&xid=73c5e964. Accessed 23 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number:
GALE|A521298346
Women more successful at crowdfunding than men, says study
Philippines Daily Inquirer (Makati City, Philippines).
(July 30, 2017):
From Global Issues in Context.
Copyright:
COPYRIGHT 2017 Asianet-Pakistan
http://www.inquirer.com.ph/abt.asp
Full Text:
While men continue to dominate the business sector, women are able to start
their business from the ground through crowdfunding and are more successful
at this method than their male counterparts.
In 2015 and 2016, PricewaterhouseCoopers conducted an analysis of 450,000
seed crowdfunding campaigns in 205 countries. Examples of seed crowdfunding
include sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter where people can pitch their
entrepreneurial plans and raise the necessary capital for it.
Men far outnumbered women in conducting campaigns with 139,000 versus 55,000
campaigns for men and women, respectively.
However, women had a higher success rate at reaching their targets. They
numbered men at 22 percent, versus men’s 17 percent success rate.
This held up regardless of sector, territory and culture. In Asia, women had
a 14 percent success rate while men had 7 percent. In the United States, it
was 24 percent for women while men had 20 percent.
In terms of sectors, women also outperformed men. For education projects, 12
percent of women and six percent of men successfully raised pledges. Even in
technology, 13 percent of women and ten percent of men crowdfunded
successfully.
A number of factors contributed to this. First, and most importantly, is that
crowdfunding has more diversity in genders which leveled the playing field
for women. While there are more male backers in crowdfunding, they had
‘greater openness to gender equality’ and were ‘more likely to
invest in female-led projects.’
Another is the way women presented their projects. Female crowdfunders have
‘more emotional and inclusive language’ which was ‘more
appealing both to female and male backers.’
Interestingly, using business language made funding less likely for a pitch.
The study also points out that women turn to crowdfunding because majority of
traditional funding, such as venture capitalists (VCs), do not benefit women.
Most VCs are men and are more likely to provide capital to male-led
businesses, even if the pitch content is the same for both sexes.
Only seven percent of partners of the top 100 venture firms in the world are
women. VCs perceive that women running businesses are riskier or won’t
meet a return on investment.
Because of discrimination and lack of female representation, the study cites
a ‘missed opportunity’ worth $300 billion for women in business.
Both women and men can learn from one another: while men can adapt
women’s techniques in terms of presentation, women should also strive
for higher targets and continue to use crowdfunding to jumpstart their
business. Only 7 percent of campaigns that raised more than $1 million were
female-led, which means there is still more that women can achieve and that
women should be confident in their capabilities to run a business.
The study also calls on institutions such as governments, banks and business
organizations to make financing businesses more gender-equal. Recommendations
include training women entrepreneurs how to pitch and market their ideas to
traditional firms, allotting more funds for female-led start-ups, and
promoting crowdfunding for both investing in and creating businesses.
Source Citation
(MLA 8th Edition)
“Women more successful at crowdfunding than men, says study.” Philippines Daily Inquirer [Makati City, Philippines], 30 July 2017. Global Issues in Context, http://link.galegroup.com.prx-herzing.lirn.net/apps/doc/A499603168/GPS?u=lirn50909&sid=GPS&xid=1017b1bd. Accessed 23 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number:
GALE|A499603168
