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 - 6 of 6
Description
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the effects of digital on the fashion industry. In order to accomplish this, we must first examine the fashion industry, as well as the emerging digital space, and how these two industries are rapidly colliding. Fashion, an industry that has been around since the early 1800s in the United States (Fashion History: The American System for Fashion, 2009), is being forced to pivot, and change its traditional practices, in order to remain relevant in a world heavily influenced by the Internet and consumer preferences. The largest changes taking place within fashion include the power of various industry influencers, including designers, magazines, retailers and lifestyle bloggers, and the rise of blogging as a fashion news source. Although designers, magazines and retailers still have significant clout within the industry, bloggers are becoming a force to be reckoned with, adding a new variable to the industry.
Meanwhile, digital is still being defined, as countless people work to determine best practices and reconcile the unending amount of information available into something that can be used. Trends in digital include the concept of new media, blogging, social media and new channels of media. Overall, we are seeing a shift to user-‐ generated content, available all the time, and a proliferation of content being created and published on the Web.
Some of the ways these two industries are colliding include the rise of lifestyle bloggers, developments and usage of technology, an abundance of new e-‐commerce models, and finally, a shift in the ways consumers curate and discover products online.
Predictions for the future include a more streamlined and user-‐friendly process for search and product discovery online, increase in social commerce and personalization of products, and finally, a return to brick and mortar shopping, but with an improved, experiential model. These trends will affect industry stakeholders dramatically, and so necessary actions for these stakeholders are also discussed, such as allocating more resources to content generation and e-‐commerce, giving consumers the ability to personalize, and improving their physical shopping experiences to provide something valuable and entertaining.
Meanwhile, digital is still being defined, as countless people work to determine best practices and reconcile the unending amount of information available into something that can be used. Trends in digital include the concept of new media, blogging, social media and new channels of media. Overall, we are seeing a shift to user-‐ generated content, available all the time, and a proliferation of content being created and published on the Web.
Some of the ways these two industries are colliding include the rise of lifestyle bloggers, developments and usage of technology, an abundance of new e-‐commerce models, and finally, a shift in the ways consumers curate and discover products online.
Predictions for the future include a more streamlined and user-‐friendly process for search and product discovery online, increase in social commerce and personalization of products, and finally, a return to brick and mortar shopping, but with an improved, experiential model. These trends will affect industry stakeholders dramatically, and so necessary actions for these stakeholders are also discussed, such as allocating more resources to content generation and e-‐commerce, giving consumers the ability to personalize, and improving their physical shopping experiences to provide something valuable and entertaining.
ContributorsLose', Jenna Elizabeth (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Giles, Bret (Committee member) / Boonlorn, Jennifer (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Entertainment Marketing to the Millennial Generation is an honors thesis project which combines research with a creative application. The thesis consists of four main segments: an overview of data surrounding Millennials, a discussion of three companies that successfully marketed to this generation, the creation and explanation of a proposed marketing modeling framework and an application of the previously found conclusions to a brief advertising strategy for Paramount Pictures. This thesis first looks at the Millennial Generation to answer the question "Who are the Millennials?" and to more clearly understand their role as media and entertainment consumers. Characteristics of technological dependence, fast-moving attention spans, desire for connection, and unique brand perceptions emerged as most significant. The case studies examine the marketing campaigns of Lionsgate Films' The Hunger Games, Nickelodeon's The 90s Are All That and MTV Iggy's Music Experiment. Strategic tactics used to target and foster a strong Millennial fan-base were identified. The previously discovered principles led to the development of a modeling framework to be used to build a Millennial-focused marketing campaign. The framework utilizes the five key elements of connectedness, hyper-advertising, technological leadership, brand currency and cultural edge. Finally, all findings were gathered and applied to Paramount Pictures. The knowledge gained from Millennial research, the case studies and the marketing framework shaped recommendations for a creative advertising brief for Paramount Pictures' Anchorman 2. The general principles of the thesis were also suggested for use in marketing in various industries.
ContributorsHoy, Grace Dorothy Curran (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Olsen, Douglas (Committee member) / Brooks, Daniel (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
This thesis provides a conceptualization and evaluation of the different dimensions of viral marketing (i.e., good digital strategy, viral and mega viral), as well as an identification of what triggers consumers to share videos and other digital content made by and for brands. In addition, based off of the research and three case studies that exemplify viral marketing (i.e. Nike, Blendtec and Old Spice), this thesis provides an application of viral marketing to the brand JanSport.
ContributorsMelby, Lauren Elizabeth (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Giles, Bret (Committee member) / Krisay, Alexis (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
White Dove Thrift Shoppes, two stores in Phoenix run by Hospice of the Valley, serve a vital function in the city. These stores allow members of the community to donate and shop while furthering the Hospice cause. Many aspects of the stores run smoothly but there is always room for improvement. While no formal goals have been established, it seems likely that management is looking for ways to increase sales and improve brand awareness. To determine how this can be accomplished, I conducted an external audit interviewed White Dove personnel. To remain competitive, White Dove needs to emphasize its strengths. Among these is the sense of community White Dove provides for its volunteers, customers, and management. The store offers high quality merchandise at a low price, which is essential for the thrift industry. The stores also are quite innovative, which will serve them well in the future. Along with its strengths, White Dove has some areas for improvement. To maximize profitability, it is recommended that White Dove engage in business practices that it is currently not exploring. In terms of marketing, the stores could advertise more within Hospice and the local community. Store tangibles could also be modified to make customers feel more comfortable. Additionally, White Dove should improve training methods for its volunteers and make all volunteers feel appreciated. Finally, managers have indicated that they would like to expand to a younger demographic. To accomplish this, White Dove can utilize ASU students and Greek life. If White Dove can successfully implement these recommendations and continue to highlight its strengths, the stores will remain competitive in the future.
ContributorsMcLellan, Brittany Ann (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Hutchman, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Ascend is the premier non-profit professional association that enables its members, corporate partners and the community to realize the leadership potential of Pan-Asians in global corporations. Ascend at Arizona State University (ASU) was founded in March 2011 as a student affiliate of the national Ascend organization. There are four ultimate goals for this thesis: 1) to create an operations and transition guide for Ascend's future leadership; 2) to develop strategies and tactics to improve Ascend's operations; 3) to better establish and integrate Ascend within the W. P. Carey School of Business; and 4) to better understand and provide for the unique needs of international students within the W. P. Carey School of Business. An analysis of external trends at the W. P. Carey School of Business and ASU reveals that international students represent a rapidly growing demographic. Ascend, although successful during its first year of operations, must adapt in order to best provide for the unique needs of this demographic. At the same time, it must continue to service the needs of its overall target markets: 1) Asian students (both American-born and international) and 2) students seeking to work in Asia. In order to set the platform for the continued success of the organization moving forward, specific and measurable objectives, strategies, and tactics were developed. The organization's financial condition, executive board, committees, membership, student recruitment, events, support network, and mentor program were identified as the crucial elements that must be developed in order to ensure improvement in the organization moving forward. Finally, in order to ensure the continued integration of Ascend within the W. P. Carey School of Business, the business school can pursue strategies to better serve the unique needs of international students.
ContributorsAsztalos, Matthew J. (Co-author) / Chang, Haipei (Co-author) / Lam, Yu Hin "Jeffrey" (Co-author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Vinze, Ajay (Committee member) / Pino, Rudy (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Research has found many different factors can influence purchase decisions, one of which is social presence. This research aims to examine how gender and self-construal can influence the effect of social presence on consumers. Using survey methodology, this study found no gender difference in terms of friends' influence on purchase decisions or their use of mobile phones to contact friends while shopping alone. The results do indicate that people who are more interdependent are more likely to contact friends when shopping alone than those who are less interdependent.
ContributorsFlores, Katelyn Marie (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Mandel, Naomi (Committee member) / Wang, Helen (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Management (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2013-05