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.
This thesis project employs a four-frame evaluation from Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal’s book Reframing Organizations to ultimately suggest potential solutions and recommendations for how Phoenix Sister Cities and its Business Relations Committee can strengthen member engagement, increase the committee’s influence in the community, reinvigorate a greater sense of purpose in being a part of the committee. The paper begins with a description of the nonprofit organization Phoenix Sister Cities and its wide range of functions, in addition to its position within the larger Sister Cities community. Following this overview, an introduction and description of the Business Relations Committee is necessary to provide context for the multi-frame analysis. This description will include the structure of the committee as well as the current and past projects that the committee plays or has played a crucial role in. Next, using external research as well as personal testimony, I will discuss the main obstacle that the Business Relations Committee currently faces, which is cultivating engagement among all the members of the committee. After explaining Bolman and Deal’s four frames, I will use these frames to analyze the engagement of the Business Relations Committee members by looking at the challenge from a wide variety of perspectives. My recommendations that stem from the frame analysis include using stories and personal testimony to share the values of the committee with the community and to motivate fellow members to be more involved in the current committee projects. I also advise that committee leaders restructure the unit based on feedback from a distributed survey in order to identify members that can be given designated tasks moving forward. Lastly, I provide new project ideas for members to focus on in an effort to increase their belief in and devotion to the committee.
This thesis will analyze the current position of the medical-grade skincare company Omni Bioceutical Innovations using the four frames discussed in Bolman and Deal’s Reframing Organizations. In reflecting upon the company through the structural, human resource, symbolic and political frame lens, a multi-frame marketing strategy is developed to address Omni’s current obstacles and future goals. The paper begins with a history of Omni Bioceutical Innovations and an analysis of the current marketing and skincare trends. Research on business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) strategies will also be shared to help provide context to Omni's obstacles when switching its marketing focus from B2B to B2C. The paper will then focus on Omni’s past digital strategy setbacks and present opportunities for how the company can move forward using Bolman and Deal’s frames and research on the skincare market and current digital marketing tactics. The resolutions presented will include insight into how to target the B2C market effectively through specific social platforms and offer suggestions of which elements should be incorporated into their new website. Through examining Omni’s past internal battles using the organizational frames, it helps clarify the needs of the company and reinforces the changes that must be made to help the company become even more successful.
