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You found my crowdfunding site. But who am I? And why are you here?
I am an undergraduate student at The University of Texas at Dallas who has been accepted to present a literature review at two international, academic business conferences in the United Kingdom:
What is really neat is that I get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to present my literary review at both conferences for the price of one international flight!
Yes. I do not yet know if it's going to be published, but the latest draft is available at http://claytonfitchett.com/DecisionMaking.pdf
Fair warning: it is a paper about accounting principles. Depending on your disposition to the subject, you may want to pick up an iced coffee before sitting down to read it.
This is a crowdfunding website hosted by the Impact UTD program, which helps college students raise funds for special academic projects. You are here because I have invited you to financially support my academic endeavor. Spending two weeks overseas for a school project is expensive. Normally, I would not solicit donations and just cover the travel expenses myself; however, my use of the Impact UTD crowdfunding website to raise money offers two significant benefits:
The Dean's Match - The dean is matching 100 percent of all the donations received through the Impact UTD website.
If I beat my goal - If I raise more than my goal, the overages are also matched, and those overages will be used to fund other student projects. As a current recipient of the program's benefits, I am happy to help promote the goal of helping good college students participate in amazing and possibly life-changing opportunities.
This funding account will help cover my travel expenses allowing me to present my literary review at both conferences. Being that they are a week apart, I will be overseas for almost two weeks. This becomes expensive.
A literature review is a text summarizing reviewed academic articles and research from authoritative and published sources. It offers an opportunity for an author to condense a large amount of information into a comparative or informational format. The author then contributes to existing literature by suggesting or inspiring additional or new research regarding the reviewed subject.
As bonus, a literature review is often a starting point with the potential to develop or inspire a legitimate, empirical research paper or thesis.
I wrote about the national cultures of the United States and France, and how those cultures affect business decision-making, specifically when applying accounting principles and standards. The review explores the cultures of both countries, then discusses the application of accounting principles and standards. At the end, I begin making a case for the United States to adopt international standards, and how to remove barriers to adopting those standards.
The paper started as just another writing assignment for class. The really neat part is that throughout the semester, the professor was indirectly teaching us about the academic writing and publishing process. I have learned an invaluable skill that I hope to continue refining, as well as gained an appreciation for the accounting side of financial reporting between nations.
I still have to do my homework! But I imagine I will get to see a sight or two as well.
I appreciate your support of my academic endeavor. You will receive a hand written thank-you note upon my return from England.
To document the adventure, I will send you postcards from each of the universities. Thank you for your donation.
I appreciate you being so considerate. My wife, Kelly, will hand-pick refrigerator magnets for you from the university gift shops.
Thank you for your donation. This amount will help cover internal transfers between the universities and airports. I will show my appreciation by sending you a coffee mug from one of the universities. We can share a cup of java and talk about the trip.
It’s cold in the UK (and sometimes in Texas too!). I will show my appreciation by bringing you a scarf from one of the universities to keep you warm and comfy. All you “Doctor Who” fans know you'll want one.
Your contribution of $1,000 will significantly offset my travel expenses. I invite you to join me for dinner at the la Madeleine Cafe next to The University of Texas of Dallas to recap my trip and share with you my experiences abroad.
Your contribution of $2,200 will cover lodging expenses for both conferences. Upon my return, I will donate Catering by la Madeleine (sandwiches, salads, dessert and ice tea) for up to 10 people to your work or home on a date of your choosing. Your work or home must be within the delivery area of a la Madeleine Cafe.
If you donate my entire goal with one donation, the remaining donations will be allocated to help offset the expenses of other students at The University of Texas at Dallas through the Impact UTD program.