Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students.
Displaying 21 - 30 of 117
Description
Blue House Coffee is a company started by four friends with a passion for roasting fresh, quality coffee. The company's current business operations include online sales through a company website and beverage sales from a bicycle-driven coffee cart. Blue House Coffee offers a diversity in variety of high-quality roasted coffee and a top-of-the-line iced coffee as its core products. The Marketing Plan is the next step in solidifying the company's goals and will play an integral role in better understanding the business, the customers, and a strategy for success.
ContributorsZeigler, Zachary Alan (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor)
Created2014-05
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
Sibling interactions are natural contexts for learning about the appropriate expression of emotions. The emotionally charged nature of sibling interactions creates a convenient context to explore emotional reactivity and regulation. The purpose of this study was to examine the relations among parent-reported sibling relationship quality, observed sibling prosocial and antisocial behaviors displayed when playing a competitive marble game, and children's emotions coded from videotape. The sample consisted of 58 twin children who are currently participating in the longitudinal Arizona Twin Project. Parents completed the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire online at 5 and 8 years. Additionally, a competitive marble game interaction between the siblings took place in the home at 8 years and was videotaped for objective coding of prosocial, antisocial, and control behavior. Facial expressions were also coded from videotape using Emotient FACET software across the marble game interaction. Three mean composites of emotion were created, including positive and negative emotional facial expressions. Results showed that parent reported warmth did not predict the occurrence of positive emotions during the sibling interaction. However, siblings with high conflict showed less fear during the interaction. Parent reports of warmth predicted the extent to which siblings differed on emotion expression, however conflict did not. Parent ratings of conflict and warmth did not predict the extent to which the sibling dyad was emotionally intense. Findings regarding genetic and environmental effects were in line with previous reports of genetic influence on prosocial behavior and negative emotion, and expressions of joy being influenced by the environment. This study investigated noteworthy aspects of the sibling relationship that appear to promote children's adaptive development.
ContributorsGanase, Anaelle Shelina (Co-author) / Oro, Veronica (Co-author) / Roth, Winter (Co-author) / Doane, Leah (Co-author) / Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn (Co-author, Thesis director) / Miadich, Samantha (Committee member) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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
The ability to regulate emotions, attention, and behavior develops early in life and impacts future academic success, social competency, behavioral problems, and psychopathology. An impairment in regulation is known as dysregulation. Past research shows that children of mothers with postpartum depression are more likely to show impairment in regulatory abilities. There is an established link in the literature between family support and maternal depression, which in turn can impact child behavior. However, further research is needed to explore the impact of family support on early childhood dysregulation in the context of maternal depression. Using a sample of 322 Mexican-American, mother-child dyads, two models were examined. Model one hypothesized family support would buffer the effects of maternal depression on child dysregulation at 24 months. Model 2 hypothesized that family support is related to child dysregulation through its effect on maternal depression. Results showed that increased family support was related to more child dysregulation when there were high levels of maternal depression. There was no evidence to support the hypothesis that maternal depression mediated the relationship between family support and child dysregulation.
ContributorsRodrigues, Samantha Jean (Author) / Luecken, Linda (Thesis director) / Benitez, Viridiana (Committee member) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
Recognition memory is examined by exposing a person to a stimulus and later prompting them with the same stimulus to examine their ability to accurately acknowledge that the stimulus was previously encountered (Kahana, 2012). In recognition memory, confidence ratings are taken during the testing phase to assess how confident the participant is that the old-new judgment that they just made is accurate (Busey et al., 2000). Confidence is a metacognitive assessment about the accuracy of perception of decision making based on the amount, speed, and clarity of thoughts that come to mind (Dunlosky and Metcalfe, 2008). The goal of the current study is to better understand how assessing recognition memory using a variety of test procedures influences memory accuracy using the signal detection theory and adding multiple confidence scales that vary in granularity. Based on the previous literature, it is hypothesized that; 1) tasks ordered sequentially will produce greater recognition accuracy (d') than the simultaneous (dual task) condition; 2) confidence scale of 3 points will produce a larger d' than the 7 point scale, and the 7 point scale will produce a larger d' than the 100 point scale; and 3) task mode (ordered vs. sequenced) will interact with confidence scale granularity to predict memory accuracy, such that sequential judgments lessen demands on working memory that come from maintaining an increasing number of decision criteria in comparison to the dual task. Results indicated all hypotheses were not upheld. The findings suggest that taxing working memory may not affect decisional accuracy on a recognition task incorporating confidence judgments.
ContributorsSullivan, Krysten Jennifer (Author) / Brewer, Gene (Thesis director) / Blais, Chris (Committee member) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
Nicotine addiction remains a prevalent public health issue, and the FDA has released a statement outlining the systematic reduction of nicotine to non-zero levels in the coming years. Current research has not yet established the effects of abrupt nicotine dose reduction on vulnerability to relapse, nor has abrupt nicotine dose reduction been evaluated in terms of behavioral economic characteristics of demand and elasticity been evaluated for reduced doses of nicotine. Using a rat model, we first evaluated the comparability of between- and within-session protocols for establishing characteristics of demand and elasticity for nicotine to shorten experimental timelines for this study and future studies. We then tested environmental enrichment and sex as factors of elasticity of demand for nicotine. Using a rat model of relapse to cues, we also examined the effects of nicotine dose-reduction on vulnerability to relapse. We found differences in maximum consumption and demand between the between- and within-session protocols, as well as sex differences in elasticity of demand on the within-session protocol where male demand was more elastic than female demand. Additionally, we found that enrichment significantly increased elasticity of demand for nicotine for both males and females. Finally, preliminary analyses revealed that nicotine dose reduction yields more inelastic demand and higher maximum consumption, and these outcomes predict increased time to extinction of the association between nicotine and contingent cues, and increased rates of relapse. These studies highlight the usefulness and validity of within-session protocols, and also illustrate the necessity for rigorous testing of forced dose reduction on nicotine vulnerability.
ContributorsCabrera-Brown, Gabriella Paula (Author) / Gipson-Reichardt, Cassandra (Thesis director) / Olive, M. Foster (Committee member) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
It is a well-established finding in memory research that spacing or distributing information, as opposed to blocking all the information together, results in an enhanced memory of the learned material. Recently, researchers have decided to investigate if this spacing effect is also beneficial in category learning. In a set of experiments, Carvalho & Goldstone (2013), demonstrated that a blocked presentation showed an advantage during learning, but that ultimately, the distributed presentation yielded better performance during a post-learning transfer test. However, we have identified a major methodological issue in this study that we believe contaminates the results in a way that leads to an inflation and misrepresentation of learning levels. The present study aimed to correct this issue and re-examine whether a blocked or distributed presentation enhances the learning and subsequent generalization of categories. We also introduced two shaping variables, category size and distortion level at transfer, in addition to the mode of presentation (blocked versus distributed). Results showed no significant differences of mode of presentation at either the learning or transfer phases, thus supporting our concern about the previous study. Additional findings showed benefits in learning categories with a greater category size, as well as higher classification accuracy of novel stimuli at lower-distortion levels.
ContributorsJacoby, Victoria Leigh (Author) / Homa, Donald (Thesis director) / Brewer, Gene (Committee member) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12