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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- Creators: Department of Marketing
Description
This thesis examines Endgame, a gaming themed bar and restaurant located in the heart of Tempe, Arizona on Mill Avenue. The business serves regular bar fare and offers a wide selection of video games for its customers to play and enjoy. Recently Endgame recognized that it was unsatisfied with its current revenue stream, prompting this investigative study. Upon completing this project, three business problems that are limiting Endgame's revenue growth were identified. The issues identified were: food sales, visibility/access, and alcohol sales. To better understand each of these issues a study was conducted in the form of ethnography research and a survey was distributed to Endgame's target market. Two instances of observational research were conducted and a survey was distributed to 400+ students in the W. P. Carey School of Business. The data collected revealed underlying sentiments about Endgame's food/beverage service and issues related to locating the bar. This investigation revealed that ordering food and beverages at Endgame is difficult and not a straight forward process. This led to a set of recommendations related to creating an efficient and simple ordering process. The study also showed that Endgame (which is on the second floor of a building) lacks the appropriate signage to indicate its location. Using this information, recommendations were made for Endgame to create additional signage near stairs and elevators to indicate their location. The research also revealed a general lack of consumer awareness in relation to alcoholic beverages that contributed to low sales. This led to a strategy to revitalize Endgame's marketing campaign and a redesign of their beverage menu. Outside of the three business problems found during observational research, several other areas were examined in the survey at the request of Endgame's management. These areas revealed additional understandings into consumer behavior and feelings towards Endgame. These customer insights along with the recommendations given in this paper will be used by Endgame to increase their overall business revenues.
ContributorsPaplham, Tyler James (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
We were driven by the question: what is happening to the popularity of Major League Baseball? In order to answer this question we compared the league structure of Major League Baseball with that of the National Football League. We were able to speak with five former or current members of the respective leagues in order to gain some insight into how the two leagues operate. The main focus of our research was around the payroll structures of the two leagues as well as their revenue sharing policies. In the end, we discovered that Major League Baseball is becoming highly regionalized. The sport is still growing in popularity in terms of revenue and fan involvement, but it is becoming less popular on a national stage. The league is benefitting greatly from factors like the increasing importance of "TiVo proof programming" and a lack of competition. Each league is very different in its own right. While the NFL promotes a perception of competitive balance, Major League Baseball can be plagued by the negative perception it creates surrounding some of its smaller market teams.
ContributorsHeath, Cameron (Co-author) / Linamen, John (Co-author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Humanitarian aid organizations, while providing aid services, require inputs and utilize business processes like other for-profit firms. Many charity organizations depend on donations for revenue. The level of public trust in charities can affect donations. To support the American public and protect individuals from dishonest charity agencies, charity watchdog organizations publish ratings of charities to assist the public in donation decisions. The ratings focus on a variety of topics orienting how much of donation funds go directly to the cause not administrative or soliciting costs. In the American Red Cross, a new process was engineered to make procuring consulting services more efficient and cost effective. This project was focused on investigating areas of improvement for the new process. Deliverables included process suggestions for business unit managers, process suggestions for sourcing managers, and detailed process flowcharts highlighting potential modifications in the new process. Overall, it is critical to keep consulting costs low to ensure that watchdog organizational ratings stay positive and public trust in the American Red Cross remains high.
ContributorsDonahue, Nancy Elizabeth (Author) / Brooks, Daniel (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Everyone has a story to tell. Marketing nowadays is less about what is being made and more about how it is being told. Integrate an exciting or interesting story with sports and that is the ultimate storytelling experience. Social media has completely changed the game for professional teams when it comes to how teams are telling their digital stories and engaging with fans. Entire social media teams exist in these organizations, which is something that did not exist not too long ago. The rise in fans experiencing and viewing social media platforms is altering how teams engage, connect, and communicate with fans.
When it comes to my story, I wanted to make sure I told one that was interesting, relevant and worthwhile. I felt lost for quite some time in regards to what direction I wanted to take with my thesis. After meeting with Dan Moriarty and Kevin Brilliant of the Chicago Bulls during an outreach trip with the Sports Business Association, I knew I wanted to gain more insight into how teams are telling their digital stories and connecting with their fans. I wanted to learn more about how teams across the country are playing the game of social media and what strategies they put into place to be impactful and successful. I wanted to learn the value teams found in social media and how social media impacts the organizations as a whole, specifically in revenue generation. Most importantly, I wanted to learn how teams are engaging with fans and how social media has changed the world of sports. This research includes insights from various individuals in the industry as well as survey data from W. P. Carey students. The accumulation of this thesis has resulted in a closer look into social media in the sports industry and how teams are measuring success in the digital space.
When it comes to my story, I wanted to make sure I told one that was interesting, relevant and worthwhile. I felt lost for quite some time in regards to what direction I wanted to take with my thesis. After meeting with Dan Moriarty and Kevin Brilliant of the Chicago Bulls during an outreach trip with the Sports Business Association, I knew I wanted to gain more insight into how teams are telling their digital stories and connecting with their fans. I wanted to learn more about how teams across the country are playing the game of social media and what strategies they put into place to be impactful and successful. I wanted to learn the value teams found in social media and how social media impacts the organizations as a whole, specifically in revenue generation. Most importantly, I wanted to learn how teams are engaging with fans and how social media has changed the world of sports. This research includes insights from various individuals in the industry as well as survey data from W. P. Carey students. The accumulation of this thesis has resulted in a closer look into social media in the sports industry and how teams are measuring success in the digital space.
ContributorsMaguire, Allison Marie (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
This thesis provides an analysis of company culture in well-known and relevant businesses to identify a successful company culture and create an outline for businesses to follow when designing or revamping their culture. This included research and analysis of successful and unsuccessful company cultures and the affect they have on customers, employees and employers. This analysis created measurements to use to identify good company culture and bad company culture. These were identified through evaluations of employee reviews, secondary research and business articles. From there, different parts of company culture were identified as key components to building a strong, prideful and successful company culture and alternatively, what deteriorates a company culture. As a result of this thesis I uncovered measurements to use to identify a good company culture and six critical success factors to outline a successful company culture that can be tailored to any business. The measurements were surrounding retention rates, innovation, company development, employee perks, a fun atmosphere and an overall attention to employee needs. The critical success factors of company culture are to set the mission and vision of the company, define the company's core values, set a budget for company culture expenses, add special perks or actions that make your culture unique, hire and train right from the start and most importantly follow through. These factors create an outline for how to structure a great company culture, but do not set boundaries for any company. The best company culture is authentic to a company's mission, goals, customers and employees.
ContributorsHauck, Mariah Shelby (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Entering into my final year of W. P. Carey, I decided I wanted my thesis to combine what I've learned over the course of my undergraduate Marketing degree with my passion for baseball. Furthermore, I wanted my thesis to contain both a research element and creative application. I felt the best way to achieve the integration of these goals was to research and then select an MLB team to relocate to a more attractive American market. After performing research to determine an ideal team and city for relocation, I created a comprehensive marketing strategy to best cater this team for its new market. The first half of my thesis focuses entirely on the research required to select an optimal team and attractive market for relocation. I begin my thesis by performing an external analysis of the current MLB landscape. To elaborate, I gathered W-L records and fan attendance records for all 30 MLB teams between 2000 and 2016. I also collected the most recent team revenues and valuations before putting all of this data in Excel to create visual graphs. Using this data, I determine a list of the top 4 most attractive teams for relocation based on consistently poor performance in the metrics I collected data on. After selecting the Tampa Bay Rays as the ideal team to relocate, I then dive deeper into the organization through an internal analysis. Then, I focus on performing an external analysis of the most attractive markets for relocation before ultimately selecting Charlotte, NC as the best city. My research ends with a comprehensive external analysis of the Charlotte, NC market to help in creating a brand that caters to the makeup and culture of the distinct city. My analysis of Charlotte focuses on the city's demographics, population growth, local economy, political environment and trends that could impact target market segments. After performing extensive research on identifying the best team and city for a relocation, I switch gears to developing a comprehensive marketing strategy to best help the team achieve success in its new market. This begins with creating a unifying segmentation, targeting, and positioning strategy to outline the direction the team will take. These strategies place tremendous emphasis on the need for the Charlotte team to create an "irresistible cultural experience" that expands the traditional MLB mold to attract young Millennial fans to games that normally wouldn't be interested in attending games. Next, I begin by developing key elements of the brand including the team name, logos, uniforms, sponsors, and stadium. With the stadium, I even go as far as determining an ideal location along with unique features, such as lawn seating and even local vendors that have appeared on Food Network to add to the cultural experience of the brand. Then, I focus on a unifying initial marketing campaign through TV/print ads, radio ads, social media, and public relations to help the team seamlessly transition into its new home. My thesis ends with recommendations for future steps to take to ensure the relocated organization achieves lasting success in its new city.
ContributorsSchwartz, Justin David (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
As the third-largest source of revenue, sponsorships play an integral role in the world of sports business. Sports are the fastest growing category among all sponsorship spending, with the North American sports sponsorship revenue expected to grow to $18.7 billion in 2020. Identified as the most valuable benefit for sponsors, category exclusivity rights allow a sponsor to be the only company in a certain category to have an official relationship with the property. However, the popularity of category exclusivity has been declining due to the high fee associated with it. This has led to sports properties splitting up previously exclusive category to allow multiple partners to hold rights. As a result, sponsors are finding exclusivity rights at a smaller level: specific marketing platforms. This strategy permits only one corporate partner to activate in a specified channel. Although not as prominent as in professional sports, category exclusivity is still a key factor in collegiate athletics sponsorships. Sponsors concentrate mainly on creating brand awareness as college students are at the age where they begin to make their own decisions. By increasing brand awareness, these companies are also increasing the probability that the students will purchase from it, and eventually become loyal, long-term consumers. As an intern for Sun Devil Athletics Corporate Partnerships, my experience guided me through a study of the exclusive sponsorships of Sun Devil Athletics. Through an analysis of ASU students' attitudes toward and knowledge of the official sponsors of Sun Devil Athletics, this thesis discusses the effectiveness of the exclusive sponsorships with a special focus on how being aware of a company's relationship to ASU affects students' intent to purchase that company's products or services.
ContributorsSmith, Lauren Rose (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Over time it is clear that consumer trends will shift due to many different factors. During our lifetime we are able to observe a new generation of consumers that will soon take over the entire consumer landscape within the United States. This new generation of consumers are currently attending or about to finish their college education, but the lack of income does not stop them from following their consumer trends. This generation grew up in one of the most interconnected and impressionable societies the world has ever seen. These new consumers are now worried about where they are socially classified based on the products and services they seek. When focusing on the retail market, we see the world's largest retailer somehow falling behind its largest competitors. Therefore, we ask ourselves why Walmart, the world standard for the retail industry, is struggling to stay relevant in the upcoming consumer markets. By analyzing research conducted with 676 Arizona State University students and researching Walmart's overall position within the United States, we came to the conclusion that the only setback Walmart is currently facing is not their public image but the social perception from consumers. Walmart does not lack the processes or resources to appeal to the college consumer but what we found was a lack of communication and true connection with younger consumers. In this day and age, a physical store on a college campus is no longer convenient to the typical college student. After our research, we determined the areas in which Walmart must maximize marketing efforts to help develop the Walmart college brand. Our goal is to create a bridge between the world’s largest retailer and the number one school for innovation in the United States to help have access to knowledge, resources and development to the college consumer while also helping consumers realize that just because a product is more expensive, it does not mean it is any better.
ContributorsPille, Karolyn Ann (Co-author) / Monroy, Demi (Co-author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Humans have traveled since the dawn of humanity over 200,000 years ago. As time progressed and technology increased, so too did human motivations and drivers for travel. This thesis aims to understand these human motivations and drivers, ultimately answering the question, "Why Travel?" To answer this question, this research starts from the earliest of humans, classifying groups of individuals across time into respective buckets based on a similar motivation. In doing so, four traveler segments were identified: the Survivors, the Inventors, the Adventurers, and the Colonists. Each segment describes an era in time of a specific group of humans, each distinctly aligning with a specific reason for travel. In the early 1800s, the advent of commercial travel altered the future of travel. This began with the invention of the locomotive and was followed by the airplane and automobile. With this onset of commercial travel, transportation arrives to its current state in 2018 with a new type of traveler: the Modern Traveler. This is a turning point in the history of travel, as prior to commercial travel, groups of individuals could be grouped under one specific reason. Post commercial travel, human motivations and drivers become diverse and discrete, with no two individuals sharing the same motivations. To further understand this human desire for travel in a modern sense, a survey was administered to uncover these drivers. The findings revealed one broad reason: humans travel for the experience. With this overarching view of travel, five drivers were also apparent. First, humans travel to visit friends and family. Secondly, family vacations are an important factor in the motivation to travel. Third, humans desire the ability to experience a culture different than their own. Fourth, humans are intrigued by new places and can be motivated to travel by the ability to have new experiences. Fifth and finally, rest and relaxation are a key driver in human travel. With a greater understanding as to "why humans travel," and the drivers behind the "experience" individuals seek through travel, such understandings could be used to segment these individuals into distinct traveler profiles. These segments, the Backpacker, the Solo-Traveler, the Groupie, the Cultural Traveler and the Party Lover, were used to better group motivations for travel. One conclusion can be drawn from this research: travel is diverse and so are travelers. One reason cannot define the motivations of a modern traveler, rather today's traveler is bound by multiple. However, segmenting an individual provides valuable insights into their own diverse traveler persona.
ContributorsCheney, Elizabeth Marie (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Ford Motor Company has remained a staple U.S. auto manufacturer in both the American and worldwide markets, ranking 2nd only behind General Motors on the Fortune 500. Ford Motor Company is currently faced with an industry wide shortage of automotive technicians. Successfully addressing this issue and taking action is crucial for Ford to remain competitive in its ability to efficiently service customers' vehicles. Ford must have a comprehensive strategy to interest students in automotive service careers as well as improve their current recruiting tactics. In order to create this plan, I conducted an external analysis of the service technician market as well as internal analysis of Ford Motor Company. It is vital for Ford Motor Company to be aware of the external environmental trends in the technician market. The changing demographic of the technician workforce presents a quickly approaching hurdle for dealers to hire millennial technicians to replace their retiring master technicians. The societal education shift away from vocational training has drastically reduced the number of high school students interested technical careers but opens the opportunity for Ford to create awareness about opportunities in the industry. Ford must also modernize their current recruiting tactics to appeal to millennial candidates through social media and online job postings. This plan will focus on maximizing Ford's strengths in the market including their industry leading number of students receiving Ford TCEP training and excellent field operations teams. Ford will also have to improve current dealership recruiting standards and combat competitors offering higher starting hourly salaries for entry level technicians. My strategy will also explore opportunities for Ford to expand the number of schools with TCEP curriculum, hire a larger percentage of TCEP students at dealerships, and improve high school awareness about the benefits of pursuing a career in the automotive service industry. My technician recruiting marketing plan is intended to be utilized as an integrated effort between Ford Corporate and its network of retail dealerships.
ContributorsGrannis, Nicholas Otis (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Resnick, Dan (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05