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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Description
This thesis examined whether the saturation of the social identity environment could impact consumer decision-making and preferences. One experimental study revealed that consumer preference for identity-salient products is moderated by the strength of the identity of the consumer and saturation of the social identity environment. Results showed that when participants

This thesis examined whether the saturation of the social identity environment could impact consumer decision-making and preferences. One experimental study revealed that consumer preference for identity-salient products is moderated by the strength of the identity of the consumer and saturation of the social identity environment. Results showed that when participants held a strong native membership, they were more likely to engage with identity relevant products when in an unsaturated (vs. saturated) social identity environment. Conversely, participants who held a low native membership were more likely to engage with identity relevant products when they are in a saturated social identity environment vs. an unsaturated social identity environment.
ContributorsRamohalli, Kavitha (Author) / Kristofferson, Kirk (Thesis director) / Morales, Andrea (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
In this paper I seek to understand how consumers value music today by investigating what consumers are willing to pay for digitally downloaded songs (such as the ones available on the iTunes or Amazon music stores) and the variety of factors that influence their willingness to pay. I conducted a

In this paper I seek to understand how consumers value music today by investigating what consumers are willing to pay for digitally downloaded songs (such as the ones available on the iTunes or Amazon music stores) and the variety of factors that influence their willingness to pay. I conducted a survey and received over 500 responses regarding willingness to pay for single-song downloads, consumer sentiment on whether music should be free, streaming service use, and other information pertaining to music consumption behavior. Through this research I found that paid-streamers are willing to pay more for songs than those who do not pay to stream, all else being equal. Further, Free-streamers are not willing to pay significantly more or less than non-streamers. This finding is additional information to other research that suggests streaming acts as a substitute for sales. I also found that most consumers are in the middle when it comes to the debate for whether music should always be free or always be purchased. Where someone aligns on the spectrum is a statistically significant contributing factor to what that person is willing to pay for a song. My findings also suggest that consumer preferences distinguish between benefit derived from music ownership and benefit derived from the ability to listen to music. This information sheds more light on the reason behind the declining digital download market.
ContributorsRodriguez, Stefan Daniel (Author) / Mandel, Naomi (Thesis director) / Veramendi, Gregory (Committee member) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The concept of branding has been around for centuries, but personal branding is a relatively new concept that has been defined and executed by many public figures. With the rise of technological advancements like social media, professional athletes have ample opportunities to connect with consumers outside of their respective court.

The concept of branding has been around for centuries, but personal branding is a relatively new concept that has been defined and executed by many public figures. With the rise of technological advancements like social media, professional athletes have ample opportunities to connect with consumers outside of their respective court. Our thesis team conducted research with Dr. John Eaton and Professor Daniel McIntosh to analyze how athletes’ actions and behaviors affect consumers’ opinions about their brand.
We developed multiple surveys that were distributed to Marketing & Business Performance (MKT 300) students at Arizona State University and AWS Mechanical Turk Workers. The goal of obtaining information from both college students and paid survey-takers was to compile a diverse set of opinions regarding how consumers react to athletes’ social media and public behavior. This led us to analyze how consumers interact with athletes on social media platforms based on the sport they play and consequences of their actions. After examining our consumer research, interviewing executives in the legal background, and talking to some of the university’s top-prospective athletes to gain different viewpoints, we created consumer and athlete categories.
We established six main consumer categories and six main athlete social media strategy personas in order to create social media strategy recommendations. With this information, athletes have the opportunity to develop well-thought out social media strategies that are more tailored to their fan base(s). Athletes must be cognizant of how the content on their social media accounts and their public actions will affect consumers’ perceptions about who they are and their personal brand.
ContributorsRishwain, Demetra Nicole (Co-author) / Delgado, Samantha (Co-author) / Sminkey, Marie (Co-author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor, Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
What effect do the Non-Message Labeling Factors (Color, Font, Prominence, and Placement) and Customer Belief Frameworks (Institutional Trust, Eco-Label Framework, and Information Source) have on customers' Willingness to Pay (WTP) for non-GMO Products? The topic of this study is consumer behavior, placed in the context of food history and trends

What effect do the Non-Message Labeling Factors (Color, Font, Prominence, and Placement) and Customer Belief Frameworks (Institutional Trust, Eco-Label Framework, and Information Source) have on customers' Willingness to Pay (WTP) for non-GMO Products? The topic of this study is consumer behavior, placed in the context of food history and trends in the United States. This paper also offers a set of best practices for people pursuing a non-GMO product labeling strategy. The method involved an online survey of 217 Arizona State University students who were offered extra credit in their classes in exchange for participation (Appendix 1). The qualitative survey asked participants to measure and explain their preferences for certain non-message labeling factors (color, font, size). Participants also gave information about the Customer Belief Frameworks they use when making purchasing decisions, which consist of ideas and beliefs that are independent of the packaging. The results of the survey led me to create a set of recommended guidelines when designing packaging for a non-GMO product. The survey also gathered qualitative data about Information Source, Biospheric Values, and Institutional Trust. The Review of Literature explains how these Customer Belief Frameworks were previously used in packaging studies to explore external factors that also influence the purchase decision. Given the results of the exploratory survey, I recommend employing the following attributes in non-GMO labeling to maximize profits: utilize labels with green color, wide and light san-serif fonts and in a circular shape. Managers pursuing this strategy should use the verbiage "Non-GMO Verified" rather than simply "Non-GMO", or including the words "Process" and "Project" which can add to consumers' confusion. For added fluency, use medium size and centralized size of the label on the packaging, close in proximity to the brand name. In addition, the Eco-Label Framework findings suggest including messages which appeal to altruistic values can also be beneficial, as participants were mostly concerned with altruistic values (children, family) when talking about genetic modification, climate change and natural disasters.
ContributorsBertch, Madeleine Michelle (Author) / Eaton, Kathryn (Thesis director) / MacFadyen, Joshua (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
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Description

With as rapid a growth that Esports has had and its current introduction to the public mainstream, there is yet to be sufficient studies and research compiled to fully develop the profile of an Esport consumer. While companies such as Neilson and others have begun scratching the surface of the

With as rapid a growth that Esports has had and its current introduction to the public mainstream, there is yet to be sufficient studies and research compiled to fully develop the profile of an Esport consumer. While companies such as Neilson and others have begun scratching the surface of the Esport community, there is much that is relatively unknown. Consumer behavior patterns of traditional sports has been defined for years, however as the billion dollar a year industry that Esports is, Esport consumer behavior is still taking shape. This thesis will attempt to build upon previous studies conducted by former Arizona State University students to continue to define the Esport consumer. Through quantitative research conducted via an online survey consisting of demographic, behavioral, and psychographic questions, the stereotype of an Esport consumer will be dissolved to reveal their true nature. This study will prove to be an iteration among the previous research by -<br/>• Developing a functional segmentation of Esport consumers, which will allow for marketers within the industry to better understand their audience in their attempts to persuade/incentivize<br/>• Understanding and dissecting the scale of influence that content creators (those who play Esports for the purpose of entertaining through various platforms) and competitive Esport athletes have on certain segmentations of consumers<br/>• Discovering the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on certain segmentations in regards to their time spent playing themselves<br/><br/> After compiling results from this questionnaire, marketers that are both endemic and non-endemic brands seeking to partner within the Esports space will have a better understanding of their audience and how to connect with them.

ContributorsPearson, Samuel Tyler (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description

This creative project outlines the steps taken to successfully plan and host a fundraising event at Arizona State University. In my case, this more specifically dealt with organizing a dodgeball tournament between two friendly rivals: police officers and firefighters in the city of Phoenix. All proceeds raised from this fundraising

This creative project outlines the steps taken to successfully plan and host a fundraising event at Arizona State University. In my case, this more specifically dealt with organizing a dodgeball tournament between two friendly rivals: police officers and firefighters in the city of Phoenix. All proceeds raised from this fundraising dodgeball tournament were donated back to first responders working in the city of Phoenix.

ContributorsMinton, Sarah (Author) / Aberra, Blaine (Co-author) / Eaton, Kate (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
In the past decade, online shopping mode has been recognized and accepted by more and
more people. Over 200 million people were online shoppers in the United States. Convenient,
options, and better prices compared to traditional shopping mode attract more people to choose
the products online. Consumer’s feedback presented as online reviews on

In the past decade, online shopping mode has been recognized and accepted by more and
more people. Over 200 million people were online shoppers in the United States. Convenient,
options, and better prices compared to traditional shopping mode attract more people to choose
the products online. Consumer’s feedback presented as online reviews on products after the
purchase has become one of the most important factors influencing whether other consumers will
purchase products. For merchants, by studying the behavioral differences of these online
consumers when evaluating products, they can help them to understand product characteristics
and their customers to improve online marketing strategies. This article explores the differences
in the types of utilitarian and hedonic products and behavioral changes in customer opinions,
which involves 22 different categories of products from Amazon.com and customer reviews for
analysis through a variety of technical and research methods.
ContributorsXu, Jiawei (Author) / Huang, Ni (Thesis director) / Hong, Yili (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
Influencer marketing has exploded into a multi-billion dollar industry, with millions of influencers spanning thousands of different industries. The beauty industry is one of the most popular industries for influencer marketing, with influencers having the ability to collaborate with popular beauty brands like L’Oréal as well as being able to

Influencer marketing has exploded into a multi-billion dollar industry, with millions of influencers spanning thousands of different industries. The beauty industry is one of the most popular industries for influencer marketing, with influencers having the ability to collaborate with popular beauty brands like L’Oréal as well as being able to create their own successful beauty companies. With consumers exposed to thousands of brand deals every day, brands are now searching for the keys to creating an authentic brand partnership with influencers. This thesis looks at the factors that go into authentic influencer marketing to help brands understand what they should be looking for when creating a partnership that consumers would deem as authentic, with a specific emphasis on the beauty industry. This thesis includes a multi-method study using a focus group and a survey. Specifically, the focus group focused on finding common themes related to authenticity and the survey uncovered whether follower count influences consumers’ perception of authenticity. The studies revealed that follower count doesn’t impact how consumers’ perceived authenticity, but authenticity and trust do play a role in whether consumers will interact with an influencer’s paid advertisement. To better understand the research presented in this thesis, an analysis of influencers and the psychology of influence are presented, along with a case study of a successful beauty brand partnership and an in depth look at FTC guidelines.
ContributorsPope, Haley Marie (Author) / Montoya, Detra (Thesis director) / Giles, Charles (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
The Founders Lab is a team-focused, exploratory Barrett Thesis project that allows students the opportunity to discover and utilize their “inner entrepreneur”. This project empowers teams of students to come up with a business idea; create a strategic business model; conduct research on a target market; generate a brand style,

The Founders Lab is a team-focused, exploratory Barrett Thesis project that allows students the opportunity to discover and utilize their “inner entrepreneur”. This project empowers teams of students to come up with a business idea; create a strategic business model; conduct research on a target market; generate a brand style, logo, and other marketing-related materials; meet with business professionals as a way to receive feedback; and finalize a business plan with tangible deliverables. This project in particular focuses on the creation of an app that allows users to connect with others in competitive esports tournaments and participate in tutoring sessions for financial incentives. Throughout our experience participating in the Founders Lab, we were able to construct this business pitch entitled, Eventcity.
ContributorsWandzilak, Olivia (Author) / Tefft, Austin (Co-author) / Smith, Garrison (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Pierce, John (Committee member) / Balven, Rachel (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2022-05