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 - 8 of 8
Filtering by
- Creators: Department of Marketing
Description
Becoming good at selling is a nuanced skill. Many pivotal techniques are often not communicated properly in the training and onboarding phases, leaving many members of the sales force "crippled" before they even get into the field. We set out to discern the "best practices" of selling, and the underlying causes as to why they work. Through meticulous research obtained via study of experiments, sourced articles and other academic papers we compiled a thorough outline detailing the most efficient ways to build a relationship with the buyer and close the sale. From there we discussed the methodology to implement those skills into a complete sales training program. This paper serves as an informational guide to the necessary skills to complete a sale and how to train for those skills.
ContributorsSweeney, Connor (Co-author) / Reid, Tyler (Co-author) / Dietrich, John (Thesis director) / Ostrom, Lonnie (Committee member) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Almost all surfboard wax on the market today is made of paraffin wax, a product made from crude oil. Paraffin wax is not an environmentally friendly product for surfers. I believe that there is a market for and environmentally friendly surfboard wax. My thesis/creative project will be to create this business and prepare it for launch. My main deliverable will be a business plan detailing:
• An Executive Summary
• Description of the Business
• Market Analysis Summary
• Sales and Marketing Strategy
• Company Management Summary
• Funding Plan
• Financial Projections
• Appendix if Necessary
By the time I defend, the ECO-Wax (Working Title) business will be ready to launch.
• An Executive Summary
• Description of the Business
• Market Analysis Summary
• Sales and Marketing Strategy
• Company Management Summary
• Funding Plan
• Financial Projections
• Appendix if Necessary
By the time I defend, the ECO-Wax (Working Title) business will be ready to launch.
ContributorsTingey, Cameron M. (Author) / Dietrich, John (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
My thesis was designed as a creative project. My overall mission was to develop an idea that involved both my major in marketing and minor in health and wellness. My topic was how to start... a start-up business. My business, PEAK4U, is a professional fitness center that provides classes in therapeutic yoga, meditation, Physical Therapy, massage, and personal training. The customers are other business entrepreneurs who would like to provide their service at our facility. I obtained an LLC, Articles of Organization, and started a bank account for PEAK4U. I located a space to house all of these activities where I charge 25$ per hour no matter what service they provide. I have created a website that provides all the information on our instructors, classes, products we sell, and an area where instructors can apply online. This idea has been developed over my four-year academic career at ASU. A few of my honors classes here at Barrett have given me the knowledge in how to start a business. With the help from my director John Dietrich and my committee member Tiffany Gray, I was given insight from both the business and fitness sides on how to create this business. This thesis was designed to help finance doctorate school in Physical Therapy and help me to gain experience in a field that I am passionate about. Overall, the creation of this business was not very time consuming because our entrepreneurs are accountable for creating their own marketing, but must pass it through me for approval.
ContributorsGuido, Trevi (Author) / Dietrich, John (Thesis director) / Gray, Tiffany (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March of 2020, the world has learned to adapt to a new normal, which has largely centered around building relationships, learning, and conducting business with other in ways that could not be done in person. As marketing students, we wanted to see how the impacted the way Business-to-Business marketing and sales were conducted. Digital strategies have been on the rise prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, but were forced to grow at a much faster rate when technology became the leader in allowing us to engage and communicate with others. Despite the pressure to introduce digital strategies across the Business-to-Business market, many firms have been hesitant to do so, since they are so comfortable with the way in which they practice their business now. Previous research in this area has primarily focused on traditional marketing strategies and how technology has affected them, but we aim to study how the advancements in technology and the incorporation of digital marketing and sales strategies has ultimately impacted the relationships and efficiency of business within the B2B market. We are looking to gain insight through our research and speaking with members of the industry to understand where the future of B2B Marketing and Sales is heading now that it has evolved at such a rapid pace. We will conduct mixed methods of research within this thesis, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative data from our primary and secondary resources of reliable online sources/studies as well as our one-on-one interviews with industry leaders. Our studies will characterize the past and present of marketing and sales strategies utilized in the B2B industry, as well as aim to predict what the future holds.
ContributorsStepanek, Nicole (Author) / Shyman, Katie (Co-author) / Dietrich, John (Thesis director) / Willman, Sherry (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March of 2020, the world has learned to adapt to a new normal, which has largely centered around building relationships, learning, and conducting business with others in ways that could not be done in person. As marketing students, we wanted to see how this impacted the way Business-to-Business marketing and sales were conducted. Digital strategies have been on the rise prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, but were forced to grow at a much faster rate when technology became the leader in allowing us to engage and communicate with others. Despite the pressure to introduce digital strategies across the Business-to-Business market, many firms have been hesitant to do so, since they are so comfortable with the way in which they practice their business now. Previous research in this area has primarily focused on traditional marketing strategies and how technology has affected them, but we aim to study how the advancements in technology and the incorporation of digital marketing and sales strategies has ultimately impacted the relationships and efficiency of business within the B2B market. We are looking to gain insight through our research and speaking with members of the industry to understand where the future of B2B Marketing and Sales is heading now that it has evolved at such a rapid pace. We will conduct mixed methods of research within this thesis, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative data from our primary and secondary resources of reliable online sources/studies as well as our one-on-one interviews with industry leaders. Our studies will characterize the past and present of marketing and sales strategies utilized in the B2B industry, as well as aim to predict what the future holds. The results prove that despite the widespread push toward utilizing digital strategies within the B2B market, marketing and sales will never be successful without the in-person element. Ultimately, we found that B2B firms will utilize digital strategies as a means of maintaining customer relationships once they have been established via traditional methods.
ContributorsShyman, Katie (Author) / Stepanek, Nicole (Co-author) / Dietrich, John (Thesis director) / Willman, Sherry (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
News headlines are filled with unequal treatment in the workplace. However, there are also inspirational stories that encourage young women to face the challenges they are presented as they become executives in corporate America.
The purpose of this study was to interview women executives within corporate America to identify similar means of navigating women-specific issues they may have been presented with within their industry. More specifically, the questions sought to identify how these women became successful within their industry and how their female identities may have provided benefits to them, professionally. Interviewees were selected on a multitude of factors, title and status in company, industry, including availability, mutual connections, and demographics. Interviews were conducted both in person, over the phone, via web video conference and via email. All interviewees were asked the same questions, and interviews ranged from 25-45 minutes each. Each one was recorded and transcribed in order to facilitate comparison between stories, experiences, and other mentions.
The initial intention of analyzing the interviews and stories of these executives was to identify common factors that unified their stories. There were nine categories that the interviews sought to investigate: work-life balance, starting off strong, daily routines, mentorship/support, leadership, impact and legacy, advice and motivation, pros of being a woman, biggest challenges/cons. However, the interviews revealed that there were a plethora of unique factors that identified the stories these women had to tell. Overall, 5/8 of the executives believed that their female identity provided an advantage to them in the corporate sector, 2/8 women said their identity was a neutral factor, and only one woman stated she felt it placed her at a disadvantage. Further, this study concludes that the stories of impenetrable glass ceilings and roadblocks are balanced to some degree by stories of success within the corporate sector. There were 3 key themes for their narratives for success, having a support system, putting yourself first, and giving back.
The purpose of this study was to interview women executives within corporate America to identify similar means of navigating women-specific issues they may have been presented with within their industry. More specifically, the questions sought to identify how these women became successful within their industry and how their female identities may have provided benefits to them, professionally. Interviewees were selected on a multitude of factors, title and status in company, industry, including availability, mutual connections, and demographics. Interviews were conducted both in person, over the phone, via web video conference and via email. All interviewees were asked the same questions, and interviews ranged from 25-45 minutes each. Each one was recorded and transcribed in order to facilitate comparison between stories, experiences, and other mentions.
The initial intention of analyzing the interviews and stories of these executives was to identify common factors that unified their stories. There were nine categories that the interviews sought to investigate: work-life balance, starting off strong, daily routines, mentorship/support, leadership, impact and legacy, advice and motivation, pros of being a woman, biggest challenges/cons. However, the interviews revealed that there were a plethora of unique factors that identified the stories these women had to tell. Overall, 5/8 of the executives believed that their female identity provided an advantage to them in the corporate sector, 2/8 women said their identity was a neutral factor, and only one woman stated she felt it placed her at a disadvantage. Further, this study concludes that the stories of impenetrable glass ceilings and roadblocks are balanced to some degree by stories of success within the corporate sector. There were 3 key themes for their narratives for success, having a support system, putting yourself first, and giving back.
ContributorsCrawford, Claudia Laine (Author) / Dietrich, John (Thesis director) / Sacks, Jana (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
https://rlauren158.wixsite.com/thesis
The objective of this project was to combine my passion for creativity, branding and graphic design into a project that would be personally challenging for me, as well as something that would deliver a result. In considering all these things, I decided to “rebrand the brands we know & love” by picking 5 companies to recreate their logos and redesign the packaging and artwork for one product from each company.
The objective of this project was to combine my passion for creativity, branding and graphic design into a project that would be personally challenging for me, as well as something that would deliver a result. In considering all these things, I decided to “rebrand the brands we know & love” by picking 5 companies to recreate their logos and redesign the packaging and artwork for one product from each company.
ContributorsRupp, Lauren (Author) / LaRosa, Julia (Thesis director) / Dietrich, John (Thesis director) / Palmer, James (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
I conducted a study on women’s success, behaviors, and experiences in professional sales. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent that women are successful in professional sales careers and what the driving forces are behind that success. I did this through exploring a variety of factors like historical statistics, recruitment and selection, and women in sales leadership. I conducted both a literature review and informational interviews with sales women to gain valuable insights. The results suggest that women are successful in professional sales in a variety of industries due to several reasons. These reasons include their ability to form strong relationships with clients, to assess client needs, and to stay organized. I recommend that companies take a series of measures such as implementing mentorship programs, changing language used on job applications, and intentionally promoting women in order to attract and retain more women within their sales organizations. This will lead to higher profitability as the workforce is more diverse from a gender perspective.
ContributorsStaal, Hannah (Author) / Dietrich, John (Thesis director) / Montoya, Detra (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12