Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
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- All Subjects: Entrepreneurship
- All Subjects: Children
Description
The purpose of this project is to raise awareness for children with social anxiety. As a book directed to children around the age of 12, it will give them a character they can relate to, so they can feel less alone. Throughout the story, the main character experiences symptoms of social anxiety and is subject to events that exacerbate those symptoms. Despite her challenges, the main character is able to effectively cope with her social anxiety through her own hard work, and help from her family members, teachers, and peers. The intent is to show children with social anxiety that, contrary to what their disorder makes them feel, they are special and have the capacity to develop skills that are relevant to their talents and interests, and overcome their fears. They should know that parents, teachers, and peers will be there to help and support them and will not judge them as harshly as they suspect. The supporting characters in this story show how a strong support base can influence the success of children with social anxiety. By the end of the story, the main character still has social anxiety, but has gained confidence and her symptoms are less severe. This illustrates that, although social anxiety cannot simply be overcome—that is, it doesn’t go away completely—it can be effectively managed with assistance from close others, and perseverance.
ContributorsDillard, Bethlehem (Author) / Lewis, Stephen (Thesis director) / Gaffney, Cynthia (Committee member) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
After freelancing on my own for the past year and a half, I have realized that one of the biggest obstacles to college entrepreneurs is a fear or apprehension to sales. As a computer science major trying to sell my services, I discovered very quickly that I had not been prepared for the difficulty of learning sales. Sales get a bad rap and very often is the last thing that young entrepreneurs want to try, but the reality is that sales is oxygen to a company and a required skill for an entrepreneur. Due to this, I compiled all of my knowledge into an e-book for young entrepreneurs starting out to learn how to open up a conversation with a prospect all the way to closing them on the phone. Instead of starting from scratch like I did, college entrepreneurs can learn the bare basics of selling their own services, even if they are terrified of sales and what it entails. In this e-book, there are tips that I have learned to deal with my anxiety about sales such as taking the pressure off of yourself and prioritizing listening more than pitching. Instead of trying to teach sales expecting people to be natural sales people, this e-book takes the approach of helping entrepreneurs that are terrified of sales and show them how they can cope with this fear and still close a client. In the future, I hope young entrepreneurs will have access to more resources that handle this fear and make it much easier for them to learn it by themselves. This e-book is the first step.
ContributorsMead, Kevin Tyler (Author) / Sebold, Brent (Thesis director) / Kruse, Gabriel (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This study explores the best known practices of small businesses from different entrepreneurs' perspectives and attempts to address the question: are there consistencies between different entrepreneurs' approaches to establishing and growing a business? Ten entrepreneurs from a variety of business types (product and service) were interviewed using a consistent question template that asked questions regarding financing, business strategy (and scalability), interpersonal forces, innate qualities, partnerships, and resources. The primary overlaps between these businesses are with regard to the confluence between personal risk and business strategy, the risk of working with friends and family, the capacity to scale relative to special content knowledge or process knowledge, and partnerships
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ContributorsCole, Chandler William (Author) / Kellso, James (Thesis director) / Gilmore, Bruce (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
Women dominate in terms of purchasing power and spending. They hold 60 percent of all US personal income, and those aged 50 years or older have a combined net worth of approximately $19 trillion. Of this group, women between 50 and 70 years old, in particular, are the biggest spenders (Barmann, 2014). More important than their spending power, however, is how satisfied (or dissatisfied) they are with their current purchases. Though women make 85 percent of all consumer purchases, 91 percent of women say, "...advertisers don't understand them," (Barmann, 2014). This makes sense, considering that 50 percent of the products marketed to men are actually purchased by women (Barmann, 2014). Successfully targeting women, especially Baby Boomers (women between 52 and 70 years old), would be a lucrative endeavor, and to better understand the unmet needs of that demographic, exploratory research was needed. In-depth interviews of Baby Boomer women reveals a problem that \u2014 even on a macro level \u2014 has gone unresolved, and has perhaps worsened, throughout written history: the Generation Gap (Bengtson, 1970). To illustrate the depth of the problem, there exist starkly different impressions of younger generations, namely Millennials (born between 1980 and 1995). According to The New Generation Gap by Neil Howe and William Strauss (1992), Baby Boomers view Millennials as unintelligent, entitled "pleasure beasts." In Millennials Rising, also by Howe and Strauss (2000), Millennials are characterized as a generation that is, "...beginning to manifest a wide array of positive social habits that older Americans no longer associate with youth, including a new focus on teamwork, achievement, modesty, and good conduct." These contradictory opinions further support the substantial misunderstanding between generations that surfaced during in-depth interviews. Using the results of in-depth interviews and follow-up questions for idea validation, this thesis presents a potential method for "closing the gap." The goal of this business offering is not to homogenize older and younger generations of women; the goal is to cultivate empathy and connection \u2014 Intergenerational Cohesion \u2014 between them.
ContributorsSeefus, Cole Hawk Gillette (Author) / Gray, Nancy (Thesis director) / Giard, Jacques (Committee member) / Department of Management (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Aventure is the newest contemporary luxury men and women’s apparel and accessories boutique in Arizona. The boutique will be located in Downtown Scottsdale, specifically in McKellips Plaza conveniently located near Scottsdale Fashion Square. Aventure is the first of its kind in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, providing Millennial fashion fanatics with a destination that fills the empty void in the city’s growing fashion scene. At Aventure, we bridge the gap between pop culture, streetwear, and high-fashion. Through our mantra ‘Redefining the Luxury Retail Experience,’ we aim is to promote expression of one’s self to the fullest extent through style.
‘Aventure,’ which means “experience” or “adventure” in French, defines this upscale boutique and its essence of inclusion. This store does not aim to be your traditional retailer; instead, Aventure aims to build a community within and around the store for individuals with similar styles and passion for fashion. At the moment, the city of Scottsdale (and the Metro Phoenix area as a whole) does not have its own identity in the fashion world. There is no reason why Metro Phoenix cannot, with time, become more recognized in the global fashion community. With an array of exclusive luxury merchandise and an urban atmosphere, Aventure aims to pioneer the Valley’s establishment on the national high-end fashion scene.
The boutique is a result of the vision of its founder Ahmed Imam. Ahmed is a graduating Honors student at Arizona State Univeristy’s W.P. Carey School of Business, pursuing concurrent degrees in Finance and Business Entrepreneurship. Having been passionate about fashion for as long as he can remember, Ahmed will leverage his connections to the industry and excellent understanding of the Metro Phoenix market to turn Aventure into a hallmark of the community. Through his professional experience and educational background, Ahmed also brings the necessary knowledge and skills to the table to effectively run a startup.
The retail industry is experiencing steady growth, with the luxury goods sector expected to perform very well in the coming years. Using market-based sales forecasting, Aventure is estimated to break even by the third year of operations. Sales are expected to grow 20 percent after Year 1, and grow 5 percent thereafter. Net operating income of $83,643 is estimated in Year 1, growing to $141,351 by the end of Year 3. Overall, total startup expenses are estimated to be $206,574, made up of investments from owners and a term loan from Bank of America. The owner investment will be used to cover capital equipment, location, and administrative expenses. These include furniture, equipment, machinery, rent, utility, legal and accounting fees, prepaid insurance, and other expenses. The majority of the term loan will be used to finance opening inventory and advertising expenses, with the rest going towards cash on the balance sheet to ensure liquidity.
‘Aventure,’ which means “experience” or “adventure” in French, defines this upscale boutique and its essence of inclusion. This store does not aim to be your traditional retailer; instead, Aventure aims to build a community within and around the store for individuals with similar styles and passion for fashion. At the moment, the city of Scottsdale (and the Metro Phoenix area as a whole) does not have its own identity in the fashion world. There is no reason why Metro Phoenix cannot, with time, become more recognized in the global fashion community. With an array of exclusive luxury merchandise and an urban atmosphere, Aventure aims to pioneer the Valley’s establishment on the national high-end fashion scene.
The boutique is a result of the vision of its founder Ahmed Imam. Ahmed is a graduating Honors student at Arizona State Univeristy’s W.P. Carey School of Business, pursuing concurrent degrees in Finance and Business Entrepreneurship. Having been passionate about fashion for as long as he can remember, Ahmed will leverage his connections to the industry and excellent understanding of the Metro Phoenix market to turn Aventure into a hallmark of the community. Through his professional experience and educational background, Ahmed also brings the necessary knowledge and skills to the table to effectively run a startup.
The retail industry is experiencing steady growth, with the luxury goods sector expected to perform very well in the coming years. Using market-based sales forecasting, Aventure is estimated to break even by the third year of operations. Sales are expected to grow 20 percent after Year 1, and grow 5 percent thereafter. Net operating income of $83,643 is estimated in Year 1, growing to $141,351 by the end of Year 3. Overall, total startup expenses are estimated to be $206,574, made up of investments from owners and a term loan from Bank of America. The owner investment will be used to cover capital equipment, location, and administrative expenses. These include furniture, equipment, machinery, rent, utility, legal and accounting fees, prepaid insurance, and other expenses. The majority of the term loan will be used to finance opening inventory and advertising expenses, with the rest going towards cash on the balance sheet to ensure liquidity.
ContributorsImam, Ahmed Mohamed (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Schlacter, John (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
In Arizona, there are virtually no established support groups or services for children on the autism spectrum and their families when experiencing the loss of a loved one. This is due to many factors, including the complexity of autism, an inconsistent belief that children with autism are capable of grieving, and a general lack of research conducted on the crossover of children with autism and grief. This proposal is based on the social work strengths perspective, in which I argue that children living with autism are capable of grieving and need support to do so. The way families and practitioners approach grief among children with autism is with individual counseling based on a therapist's discretion, grief books and guides, and virtual communities. I attempt to compile evidence-based and practical activities, interviews with parents and professionals, and my experience in order to recommend effective support for children with autism experiencing loss. My hope is that caregivers will use this material in order to understand and help a neglected population find the language and means to safely grieve.
ContributorsCohen, Jessica Marie (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Stuckey, Michelle (Committee member) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / School of Social Work (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
As part of a group project, myself and four teammates created an interactive children's storybook based off of the "Young Lady's Illustrated Primer" in Neal Stephenson's novel The Diamond Age. This electronic book is meant to be read aloud by a caregiver with their child, and is designed for reading over long distances through the use of real-time voice and video calling. While one part of the team focused on building the electronic book itself and writing the program, myself and two others wrote the story and I provided illustrations. Our Primer tells the story of a young princess named Charname (short for character name) who escapes from a tower and goes on a mission to save four companions to help her on her quest. The book is meant for reader-insertion, and teaches children problem-solving, teamwork, and critical thinking skills by presenting challenges for Princess Charname to solve. The Primer borrows techniques from modern video game design, focusing heavily on interactivity and feelings of agency through offering the child choices of how to proceed, similar to choose-your-own-adventure books. If brought to market, the medium lends itself well to expanded quests and storylines for the child to explore as they learn and grow. Additionally, resources are provided for the narrator to help create an engaging experience for the child, based off of research on parent-child cooperative reading and cooperative gameplay. The final version of the Primer included a website to run the program, a book-like computer to access the program online, and three complete story segments for the child and narrator to read together.
ContributorsLax, Amelia Ann Riedel (Author) / Dove-Viebahn, Aviva (Thesis director) / Wetzel, Jon (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Popular culture tends to downplay strong female characters to favor a plethora of male figures that children look up to as heroes. This creates a gender imbalance in exposure to inspirational characters that children can look up to as role models. For our team's creative project, we chose to write and illustrate a children's book mainly targeted at young girls, ages eight to twelve that focuses on the stories of selected female figures of Norse mythology. The five stories in our collection focus on the figures Frigg, Skadi, Elli, Idunn, and Freya and are inspired by the mythology contained in the Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson and selected medieval texts on the Germanic Lombard tribe. Through our book, Women of Norse Myth: For Little Goddesses, we wanted to introduce children to Norse mythology, a branch of myth that is often overshadowed by more popular mythologies such as Roman and Greek. Additionally, our goal was to bring light to the female figures within Norse myth that are generally given less attention than their male counterparts. Keeping in mind these goals, the stories were adapted from the original myths in a manner that would be suitable for a young audience as well as our aim for female empowerment. The final manuscript contains an introduction to Norse cosmology, introductions to the figures, a glossary of Norse terms used, and the illustrated stories themselves. Together with our combined talents, interests, and goals, Women of Norse Myth: For Little Goddesses was completed, and we hope that someday it can be published and serve as a fun and inspiring storybook for children to read and learn from.
ContributorsFarine, Brittany (Co-author) / Muth, Margaret (Co-author) / Youngjohn, Trystan (Co-author) / Alexander, John (Thesis director) / Wells, Cornelia (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
The author examined the relationship between social intelligence and attachment style, specifically how attachment style affects how individuals respond to social intelligence training. Students at the Herberger Young Scholars Academy, a school for the highly gifted, completed an online social intelligence training program through the Social Intelligence Institute and were assessed on a number of items. These items include the Tromso Social Intelligence Scale (TSIS), the Attachment Questionnaire for Children (AQ-C), and a daily diary measure in which they recorded and rated their social interactions day to day. All participants were found to be either securely or insecurely attached, and those that were insecurely attached were further divided into insecure anxious attachment style and insecure avoidant attachment style. It was hypothesized that those with a secure attachment style would have higher initial TSIS scores than those with an insecure attachment style. It was also hypothesized that insecurely attached individuals would benefit more from the social intelligence training program than securely attached individuals indicated by "In tune" scores from the daily diaries, and insecure avoidant individuals would benefit more from the program than insecure anxious individuals indicated by "In tune" scores from the daily diaries. None of these hypotheses were supported by the data, as there was no significant difference between the initial social intelligence scores of the three attachment styles, and none of the variables measured were found to be significant predictors of "In tune" scores. Key Words: social intelligence, social intelligence training, attachment, attachment style, children, adolescents, gifted, IQ, high IQ
ContributorsPrice, Christina Nicole (Author) / Zautra, Alex (Thesis director) / Knight, George (Committee member) / Mickelson, Kristin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
The Confessions of a College Entrepreneur is an honors project with the goal of revealing the business and marketing strategies that Charles Crawford used to create multiple successful companies. It's a collection of personal stories, book notes, millionaire interviews, and experiences that Charles had over the past 4 years of intense business experience and research across multiple industries. Charles wants college students and business owners to succeed in business ventures and life in general. This creative thesis project is the map for how to do just that.
ContributorsCrawford, Charles Joseph (Author) / Budolfson, Arthur (Thesis director) / Giles, Charles (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2014-12