Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection

Workplace managers have adapted to many new trends and activities over the years. There has been the invention of the laptop, mobile phone devices, telecommuting, etc. These managers, people who lead and handle the different workstyles of the workplace, need to be individuals that are ready for new changes that will occur in the workplace. This includes new trends that comprise technological advances and new applications of current technology. However, Generation Z is continually impacted by current technology. Generation Z is defined as anyone born from the mid-1990s to the early 2010s (Strauss and Howe, 1991). These are the first true ‘smart’ technology natives to our world, as originally noted by Marc Prensky (2010). He describes Generation Z as “Digital natives are today’s young people who were born into the digital era and are growing up exposed to the continuous flow of digital information. Digital natives are a generation or population growing up in the environment surrounded by digital technologies and for whom computers and the Internet are natural components of their lives. They do not need to familiarize themselves with the technology by comparing it to something else” (Prensky 2010). The way they communicate amongst themselves, each other, and the entire world has become faster, more accessible, and has made the world a smaller place. This has impacted the manner of how they communicate and the standards of what they expect when they are communicating with each other. There is a concern in the workplace: How will this heightened use of communication tools in Generation Z affect their workplace habits? This is what I have explored and will be discussing in this paper. An in depth look at how technology has impacted Generation Z’s communication habits and skills, whether this will help or hurt them in the workplace, and what managers of the workplace can do to help themselves and their peers interact with this new generation.

This paper outlines cumulative research on food deserts in relation to college students; namely, that there are communities classified as food deserts because significant numbers of the population lack access to grocery stores selling fresh produce or other goods normally called “healthy.” These areas are often also food swamps, or areas with intense access to sugar-dense, high-fat foods. Research as a whole suggests that three, among many, things might primarily drive food insecurity for individuals caught in these food deserts: lack of access to a personal vehicle, low income or prohibitively expensive healthy foods, and personal education or culture (Wright, 2016). College students both fit into the geographical food deserts and are individuals who tend to have a worrying level of food insecurity (Kim, 2018). It is costly to make adjustments to entire environments to rid communities of food desert qualities, and it is not always effective as ending food insecurity or malnutrition; instead, it can be much more effective to focus on individuals within communities and help push cultures into a better direction. This project demonstrates that ASU students are experiencing food dissatisfaction and are in a food desert worthy of attention and action, and that students are motivated to see a solution. The solution that the paper focuses on is a food delivery system of fresh produce and foods for students. 


Ctrl+P is an online store for 3D printed items, founded by four members with experience in computer-aided design (CAD) and financial management. They initially started with a broader scope but later focused on designing custom pool racks for the pool community. They conducted customer discovery with over 634 ASU students and landed an ongoing business deal with Mill’s Modern Social, a pool hall and bar in Tempe. The team has already made a profit and aims to be revenue-earning by the end of the project. The financial plan includes potential expenses for website development, printer filament, and 3D printers. Ctrl+P's brand mission is to print products desired by customers that consult Ctrl+P. The long-term goal of the team is to continue to gain customers and expand the business to a larger customer base.