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.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 29
Description
This study was designed to discover any relationship between waiting and purchasing impulse goods. I distributed a survey with three conditions: a control with no wait, a wait with information explaining the wait, and a wait with no information. After the wait, participants saw a group of impulse goods and indicated how much they were willing to spend for each item, and how much they desired to buy each item. Results showed that participants in the treatment condition with information for the wait desired the impulse goods the least, and were willing to spend the least to purchase them. However, there was no significant difference between the participants given no information explaining the wait, and the control group in either desire or the price they were willing to pay. This is possibly explained by the apology in the message read by participants in the condition with information. They felt more valued and were less likely to feel the need to spend money on impulse goods that are often purchased to make the participant feel better about their wait.
ContributorsThornton, Tiffany Lynn (Author) / Mandel, Naomi (Thesis director) / Lisjak, Monika (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
The goal of this thesis project is to provide insight into the lives of Syrian refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants who have left Syria for the United States within the last 6 years, after the start of the conflict there. I have interviewed individuals who come from different regions of Syria, are members of different religious groups, and who have different opinions in regard to the conflict in Syria. One of the questions that I was most curious to ask and have answered was why America was selected as the final destination for their immigration. Along with their backstories from their time in Syria up until their arrival in the United States, I did research into the immigrants' acclimation process, and whether they feel that private organizations or that our government have helped them in that regard. I also collected data to see what the average amount of time to find a job and become self-sufficient in the United States is for these persons and their families. Although most educated Syrians know French, English, and Arabic, I was proven right in my hypothesis that many refugees have come to the United States knowing little, if any, English. Research was done into the programs that are offered to these people and their personal efforts to learn English were also documented. The primary purpose of this thesis was to find the economic and social effects of Syrian immigrants in the state of Arizona, and hopefully, on a larger scale. It was very challenging to get exact numbers on the amount of refugees and impossible to get specific details in regard to their economic impact on the economy. In order to get an approximation, I read David Card's research into the Mariel Boatlift, which documented the economic effects of Cuban immigrants on the Miami labor market, and Semih Tumen's work, titled, "The Economic Impact of Syrian Refugees on Host Countries: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from Turkey" which provides research-based analysis of the specific effects of Syrian refugees on the economy of Turkey. Conclusions for both the economic and social impact of Syrian refugees in the state of Arizona were made. Due to the current low numbers of Syrian refugees living in Arizona and the mentality that many of them possess, there is a net neutral economic impact. In regard to social impact, I was surprised to learn that the acclimation process for Syrian immigrants is relatively rapid, particularly when compared to other immigrant and refugee populations.
ContributorsGhazoul, John Anthony (Author) / Goegan, Brian (Thesis director) / Bonfiglio, Thomas (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This study focuses on how parents purchase toys for their children. Specifically, the focus is on how likely parents are to purchase a toy typically associated with being feminine, masculine, or gender neutral. This study builds on research that showed that a parent’s gender role ideology affects how likely they are to purchase cross-gender toys (traditionally masculine toys for girls, traditionally feminine toys for boys) for their children (Kollmayer 2018). The study used photographs of pretested toys that had been deemed as masculine, feminine, or gender neutral. Using a within-subjects design, participants saw toys from each category and indicated their likelihood of purchase for each toy. The likelihood of purchase was used as the dependent variable. The findings were used to make recommendations to toy companies and retailers on how to market toys in regards to gender.
ContributorsSmith, Madeline Grace (Author) / Eaton, Kathryn (Thesis director) / Lisjak, Monika (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
This paper analyzes modern day Cuba and draws conclusions about the most likely future political and economic events that will take place. Because of Cuba's troubled economy, leadership change and the world's continued shift towards democratization, Cuba is in a position where drastic changes in its government and economic structure may occur. This paper investigates Cuba's history, politics, economy, and the general quality of life of its citizens, which are used to help predict what may happen to the Cuban government in the near future. The paper also analyzes options for foreign nations' policy towards Cuba and summarizes what actions they may take to increase the likelihood of an economic and political transition. Cuba's economic structure needs drastic reform, the reluctant privatization only increases wealth disparity, trust in the government continues to get weaker as more information and its human rights violations are causes of huge concern. There are four possible outcomes for Cuba's future: stagnation, adopting the mixed economic model, a peaceful transition to a democratic model, and rebellion. There is evidence that Cuba will not make drastic policy changes in favor of liberalization in the immediate future, however, if the economic conditions are not improved and an economic crisis ensues, this paper asserts that another revolution or coup will likely occur. The resulting government may be a new autocratic leader that fills the vacuum of leadership, or a democratic regime depending on the nature of the rebellion. The exact future of Cuba is uncertain, but one thing is clear, change is on the horizon.
ContributorsBeem, Christian D. (Author) / Anthony, Charles (Thesis director) / Bonfiglio, Thomas (Committee member) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Being Sparky will be a sports documentary about the life of Walker McCrae as Arizona State University’s mascot, Sparky. The idea behind this documentary is to outline all that encompasses being Sparky from events themselves to student life, as well as the time commitment needed for such a role. The purpose is to show the impact Sparky has not only on the university but on the people who are Sparky. While it can just be wearing a costume and getting really sweaty, the work one puts in to it will always reap rewards. To most people, Sparky life seems simple and straightforward but the reality is that it is much more complex and that is what we want to demonstrate in this documentary.
ContributorsMcCrae, Walker (Co-author) / Millon, Ellie (Co-author) / Ashby, Ben (Co-author) / Lizzy, Baxter (Co-author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Bonfiglio, Thomas (Committee member) / Schildkret, David (Committee member) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Scott, Jason (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
My thesis offers original research is in its direct analysis of the IRS conflict of interest regulations and their applicability to STOs, its discussion of my experience setting up an STO, and my interviews of State Legislators as a primary source. The primary goals of my investigation are to 1. Determine the regulations and standards that exist to prevent conflicts of interest in the operation of Arizona STOs. 2. Examine instances of alleged conflicts of interest encountered by STO operators. 3. Discuss the ethical implications of STO operator actions in situations of conflicts of interest. And 4. Propose legislative solutions to remove any and all conflicts of interest. From my examination of financial records and from my interviews with other state legislators, I have concluded that Arizona Christina School Tuition Organization is violating IRS regulations by operating with an objective of conferring on its director a private benefit. The STO I helped form, ------------- STO will need to carefully document its expenses and contracts to justify its overhead margin or else risk running afoul of the same IRS regulations. Even if an STO like ------------- STO, is allowed by Arizona law to have an overhead margin of 10%, those expenses must be justified, particularly if they confer a private benefit to restricted persons. Ultimately, even if an STO deliberately flouts IRS regulations regarding private benefits realized by "disqualified" persons, it is highly unlikely that the STO will face IRS scrutiny. Therefore, there exist sufficient federal regulatory safeguards to prevent financial conflicts of interest among Arizona STO board members, but such regulations are not sufficiently enforced to prevent those conflicts of interest.
ContributorsGunther, Nicholas (Author) / Koretz, Lora (Thesis director) / Bonfiglio, Thomas (Committee member) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
DescriptionTwo gender-neutral products developed and sold by IKEA were studied in order to learn about the development of such items, as well as what makes gender-neutral products appealing to consumers.
ContributorsDaryanani, Sapna Sonu (Author) / Gray, Nancy (Thesis director) / Lisjak, Monika (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
Through this thesis we studied and interviewed 6 international business managers that oversee employees in countless countries, and the continents of where they work include: Europe, The Americas, Asia, and Africa. These six managers include: David Kuehn and Ann Marie Griffith from the United States; Bogdan Maliszewski from Poland; Denisa Madarova from the Czech Republic; Gert Schmidts from Germany; and Fer Amkreutz from the Netherlands. Per our interview questions, we discussed how these international managers view their company and culture, the external environment, the cultures they work with and oversee, and the future of international management in regards to a universal value system for business. Our questions were constructed using Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions so that we could better understand how Hofstede's Dimensions have changed due to the technological era, in regards to International Management Styles. In the end, we discovered that there is an undeniable change in how international managers are leading their teams. Throughout the business world, cultural dimensions are changing and are becoming more inclusive of other cultures. This allows managers to lead international teams more effectively and efficiently.
ContributorsGriffith, Henry Donovan (Co-author) / Kuehn, Amanda (Co-author) / Moore, James (Thesis director) / Lisjak, Monika (Committee member) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
In the field of Accountancy, recruiting is highly competitive among firms and prospective employees alike. This is particularly true when it comes to the firms Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PWC, the largest accounting firms that comprise what is known as the "Big Four." These firms maintain a large presence and recruit heavily on the Arizona State University (ASU) campus. There exists a defined path for recruiting with these firms; some of the opportunities offered include Office Tours, Externships, Internships, and Volunteer Service. However, as clear as the path may seem to someone who has researched these opportunities, it is murky for most students. Without direction, both students and the firms miss out on crucial relationship development. As an Accountancy major in the W.P. Carey School of Business, I had a difficult time understanding the recruiting process; much of my knowledge came from my peers. As a result, I researched what students know about the recruiting process, and how they learned this information. I also queried the Big Four firms and the student organization, Beta Alpha Psi, to learn what they want from students and how they organize their recruiting process. I surveyed Accountancy majors including both those who went through the recruiting process and those who had yet to go through the process. Overall, the results were consistent with my original understanding; many students lack knowledge of recruiting opportunities and those who did have such knowledge mainly learned of it from their peers and word of mouth. These results show room for growth in connecting students to the firms. A suggested course of action developed based on these findings can be integrated into the ACC101: Accountancy LEAP Program, as well as be incorporated into a student guide in order to better give students direction, a roadmap to the aforementioned path.
ContributorsWhitson, Jillian Layne (Author) / Faurel, Lucile (Thesis director) / Bonfiglio, Thomas (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
This study aimed to extend beyond existing research on the male-grooming industry to examine the reality of marketing an everyday cosmetic product to men. This thesis contains a two-part original research study involving a qualitative, exploratory study (Study 1) clarifying college-aged men's attitudes toward male grooming products and makeup for men; and a quantitative, experimental study (Study 2) created to test theories developed from Study 1. Study 1 discovered a pattern among male participants of citing functional/medicinal qualities of male-grooming products as their justification for purchase. Study 2 tested whether this could be applied to makeup by comparing the effects of two advertisements for male cosmetic products on the likelihood of purchase of the product advertised. The main implications of this research suggest that one way to integrate makeup for men into the mainstream market is to release products in free trials before releasing them for sale, since men in the study were somewhat likely to use a free sample of the product in the test advertisements, but unwilling to purchase it. Additionally, the presence of acne in the participants moderated the effects of the ads such that men without acne were more likely to try a cosmetic product when presented with the medicinal benefits of the product in addition to the appearance-enhancing benefits, rather than appearance-enhancing benefits alone. Overall, men with acne were more willing than men without acne to use the product, regardless of the advertising appeal.
ContributorsGibson, Jessica Lajoie (Author) / Eaton, Kathryn (Thesis director) / Lisjak, Monika (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05