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 31 - 40 of 101
Description
Being Sparky will be a sports documentary about the life of Walker McCrae as Arizona State University’s mascot, Sparky. The idea behind this documentary is to outline all that encompasses being Sparky from events themselves to student life, as well as the time commitment needed for such a role. The purpose is to show the impact Sparky has not only on the university but on the people who are Sparky. While it can just be wearing a costume and getting really sweaty, the work one puts in to it will always reap rewards. To most people, Sparky life seems simple and straightforward but the reality is that it is much more complex and that is what we want to demonstrate in this documentary.
ContributorsMcCrae, Walker (Co-author) / Millon, Ellie (Co-author) / Ashby, Ben (Co-author) / Lizzy, Baxter (Co-author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Bonfiglio, Thomas (Committee member) / Schildkret, David (Committee member) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Scott, Jason (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Marketing to the Hispanic Demographic: A Case Study in Major League Baseball According to the 2010 U.S. Census, a rough estimate of the current Hispanic population in the U.S. is 16.3% of the total population roughly 50.5 Million residents. Hispanics also currently have $1.5 Trillion in buying power. This number is only expected to grow at an exponential rate in the near future, and marketers need to understand what this means and how to prepare to market to the Hispanic demographic. Marketers need to be able to answer the vital question: "How do I market effectively to Hispanics?" Major League Baseball was chosen as the reference point for examples of how to market to Hispanics due to the large number MLB players that identify as Hispanic. MLB has recognized that their fans like to identify with players that look like them or know and understand their culture. Hispanic fans continue to grow a strong connection to the team and players through the common denominator of culture. Careful investigation of secondary sources, and direct interviews with front office employees from seven different Major League Baseball franchises allowed for a set of overall conclusions to be formed. The overall conclusions formulated were: the need to incorporate language, traditions, family, and above all culture into marketing when seeking to target Hispanics. The most successful teams who have implemented great Hispanic marketing initiatives have hired specific employees who are bilingual and bicultural. Hiring these employees and encouraging creativity and innovation is ultimately what will bring about success in marketing efforts. The last conclusion formulated was that the utmost important fact to remember is that marketing efforts need to show individuals being targeted that the institution targeting them cares about them as people in a sincere manner.
ContributorsYslas, Lizette Miranda (Author) / Mokwa, Michael (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
The National Basketball Association is the world's most recognized professional basketball league. Athletes such as Kobe Bryant and Lebron James have transcended from being high school standouts to global icons, but their careers might not have panned out the same way if they weren't allowed to declare for the draft immediately upon graduating high school. In 2005, the NBA and the NBA Players Association agreed to implement an age limit for athletes declaring for the NBA Draft. Although this was supposed to reduce the quantity of younger players declaring for the draft, the rule has been ineffective as the average age of lottery picks, also known as the first 14 picks of the draft, has decreased since the rule's implementation. Adam Silver, the current commissioner of the NBA, has been vocal about potentially raising the minimum draft-eligible age once more because of NBA team executives calling recent draft picks unfit for the NBA. The purpose of this research is to examine if lottery picks are indeed "NBA ready" upon being drafted, and if there is a correlation between the age at which they are drafted, the pick at which they were selected, the length of their career, and their career success. Various statistical analysis techniques are utilized, such as the calculation of R-squared values and correlation coefficients, and the usage of t-tests and multiple regressions. Box score statistics such as minutes per game, points per game, rebounds, and assists as well as advanced metrics such as player efficiency rating, win shares, box plus/minus, and value over replacement player were the focal point of this study. Players drafted with lottery selections from the 1985-2016 drafts had their career statistics compiled and examined for this analysis in order to adequately conduct the regressions. The results indicate that although lottery picks are having a decreasing immediate impact upon being drafted, the younger an athlete is drafted, the more long-term success they can expect to achieve in the NBA.
ContributorsKender, Mitchell Edward (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The FIFA World Cup is one of the most anticipated, inspiring, and intense sporting events in the world. Soccer has integrated itself not only in sports circles, but also in politics, commerce, and society as a whole. The sport has about two hundred million active players and is still growing, especially in areas such as North America and Asia. As of mid-2007, FIFA’s membership included 208-member associations, making it not only one of the largest and most powerful sports governing bodies, but also one of the most popular in the world.
Since 1930—with the exception of the break for World War II—every four years, the world’s best national teams face off in a soccer tournament. The last two tournaments hosted by South Africa in 2010 and Brazil in 2014 will be the emphasis of this paper. Each tournament featured the thirty-two countries and captured a television audience of over three billion people throughout the month-long tournament, one billion of which tuned in for the final. For comparison, the Super Bowl XLIX where the New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28 to 24 was the most watched event in United States’ history with a viewership of 114.4 million people.
Countries spend years planning and preparing to win a bid to host one of these mega events. Bids are often times awarded eight to twelve years in advance. There has been a recent trend of developing countries hosting the FIFA World Cups and the future bids already awarded follow that trend. Many people ask the question of whether all the money spent on infrastructure, construction, and tourism to host this tournament and gain international exposure are really worth it? Simply put, the 2010 FIFA World Cup was valuable to South Africa while the 2014 FIFA World Cup was not worth the costs to Brazil.
Since 1930—with the exception of the break for World War II—every four years, the world’s best national teams face off in a soccer tournament. The last two tournaments hosted by South Africa in 2010 and Brazil in 2014 will be the emphasis of this paper. Each tournament featured the thirty-two countries and captured a television audience of over three billion people throughout the month-long tournament, one billion of which tuned in for the final. For comparison, the Super Bowl XLIX where the New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28 to 24 was the most watched event in United States’ history with a viewership of 114.4 million people.
Countries spend years planning and preparing to win a bid to host one of these mega events. Bids are often times awarded eight to twelve years in advance. There has been a recent trend of developing countries hosting the FIFA World Cups and the future bids already awarded follow that trend. Many people ask the question of whether all the money spent on infrastructure, construction, and tourism to host this tournament and gain international exposure are really worth it? Simply put, the 2010 FIFA World Cup was valuable to South Africa while the 2014 FIFA World Cup was not worth the costs to Brazil.
ContributorsLooney, Andrew (Author) / Goegan, Brian (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
For decades, the National Football League Draft has served as a corner piece for professional football franchises to climb out of the proverbial basement of the NFL and for all teams to improve their competitive position. Teams, especially those that were not able to find success during the previous season, are able to offer their fans hope, which, in some instances, is all that a fan base has to look forward to. High expectations and tremendous pressure result. Front offices must be thorough and decisive in their scouting and selection-making processes in order to make good on their promises of a brighter future for their team. Over the course of the NFL Draft's tenured existence, teams have used distinctive strategies that aid them in making their selections each year. These are the key to either sustained success or potential failure, depending on the execution on the part of the front offices. For as long as I can recall, I have been fascinated with the NFL Draft. To be sure, the NFL season itself is riveting, but I have always had a deep interest in the process of scouting, evaluating, and ultimately selecting prospects to strengthen a roster. In order to arrive at a greater understanding of the ever-evolving value and dynamics of the NFL Draft, I have chosen to study its past. By examining the history of the NFL Draft, I hope to uncover how franchises have arrived at their selection strategies to bolster the talent on their rosters each year. It is my goal to then apply these strategies to make more educated predictions of my own. Throughout the course of this project, I plan to elucidate the widely perceived value of the draft through both a marketing and leadership strategy lens. I ultimately hope to extract the lessons of the past in order to make more conscious decisions in the future \u2014 both as a young professional and an aspiring NFL General Manager.
ContributorsStaloch, Nicholas Phillip (Author) / Mokwa, Michael (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
In the wide world of sports, not all fan bases are created equally—especially in the NBA. Differences in factors like tradition, history, team performance amongst teams make each fan base distinctly unique. This paper will analyze how team performance effects one component of fan behavior: home game attendance. Using win-loss data and home game attendance data for each NBA team from 2001 to 2017, I will construct statistical models to estimate how great of an impact team performance has on each team’s home game attendance. I expect each team’s fan base to respond differently to changes in their team’s win-loss record. This paper will also attempt to quantify other facts that impact attendance at NBA games, including year-to-year changes in team salary expenditures, regional income, and the number of star players playing for the team. Finally, this paper will explore the factors that affect home game attendance for specific games within a given season—things like weather, strength of opponent, and win streaks. Ultimately, the goal of this paper will be to provide NBA business analysts with resources to more precisely anticipate their team’s home game attendance. The ability to understand what motivates the behavior of a fan base is invaluable in creating a marketing strategy that drives fans to the arena. This paper will help to identify teams that are most susceptible to significant fluctuations in attendance and outline alternative strategies to positioning their product offering effectively to fans.
ContributorsSloan, Jacob Marlow (Author) / Lee, Christopher (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
For decades, corporate firms have included corporate responsibility initiatives in their regular business functions in an effort to communicate a priority toward the communities they operate in, rather than just the customers they serve. These actions \u2014 whether implemented through financial or human resources \u2014 have grown to be a common addition to business models across industries. In recent years, however, the simple addition of a community-oriented campaign to a firm's regular business proceedings have become less effective in positioning a firm as a devoted corporate citizen. Today, consumers have access to more information and opportunities for substitutes than ever before, and as they make buying decisions, they are interested in seeing the firms they support orient themselves at the heart of community engagement, rather than interacting with the community through passive support. This study and discussion highlights the trends that several corporate responsibility professionals have seen emerge in recent years regarding their respective employers' corporate responsibility initiatives. Thoughts and reactions from corporate responsibility managers representing financial, education, insurance, and technology companies will be synthesized and analyzed for trends and shared positive and negative experiences related to their common work in initiating corporate responsibility programs at their respective firms. The discussion will also illustrate the specific challenges each of the professionals face daily in implementing successful CR programs within their firms. In aggregate, this discussion will provide a comprehensive look at what exactly firms are doing in today's CR sphere: it will demonstrate what trends are working well, which have yet to be tailored to have the best impact, and what is to come of the corporate firm's relationship with its community.
ContributorsRoberts, Katelyn J. (Author) / Mokwa, Michael (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The "Dutch Dukeout" is a memorial, community engagement venture founded by Scott Fitzgerald and Sam Minton. The event was also supported and facilitated through the help of a third party member, Dylan Bryant. The "Dutch Dukeout" will continue annually, as an opportunity for Brophy College Preparatory alumni and current students to come together and connect. This venture also exists to celebrate and honor the life and legacy of Fr. Harry "Dutch" Olivier, a former, prominent faculty member of Brophy. Additionally, the "Dutch Dukeout" aims to raise money to support the Brophy Scholarship Foundation, a resource for current Brophy students to offset the financial burden it costs to attend the prominent college preparatory. Foremost, the "Dutch Dukeout" flag football tournament provides a powerful way for Brophy Alumni to reconnect with their school. By communicating and participating with graduates from various classes, alumni have an opportunity to provide valuable life lessons and share personal stories with the youth, as well as bond over their shared experience at Brophy. For a school that is able to continually develop community leaders and social activists, the "Dutch Dukeout" provides a platform for collaboration and inspiration for everyone who participates. By raising money to support the Brophy Scholarship Foundation and providing an opportunity for alumni to engage in their community, the "Dutch Dukeout" is an event that truly embodies Fr. Olivier's values and beliefs. This thesis report documents the ideas, work and efforts that were completed to launch and then ensure the success and longevity of the venture. It also serves as an example for future social entrepreneurs who aim to make a difference in communities of their own.
ContributorsFitzgerald, Scott (Co-author) / Minton, Samuel J. (Co-author) / Mokwa, Michael (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This study seeks to understand what design factors best aid in the elicitation of behaviors, specifically disclosure behaviors, from one party to another with the intent to provide some form of service. I looked at the medical industry to see how to create the best possible quality of care all while ensuring that the patient information is collected accurately and quickly. With healthcare in the United States becoming increasingly expensive along with the multitude of people seeking attention, the time that physicians have is scare. This scarcity can affect the type and quality of care that a patient would receive. Therefore, creating an online form to gather patient data would reduce time so long as the information was collected via a trusted method and patients were honest in their disclosure. The quality of the face-to-face time in a physician’s office would increase with increased honesty from patients, as the physician would be able to properly prepare for the appointment. This study examines whether screen lighting and typeface could influence a patient's disclosure of problem behaviors, such as smoking or drinking, the patient's rating of the importance of honesty, and the patient's perceptions of privacy and confidentiality during the disclosure. The results showed that Sans Serif [Arial] typeface was more effective in eliciting problem behavior disclosure. Perceptions and disclosure in relation to background color did not yield overwhelming results either way.
ContributorsScheetz, Taylor Renee (Author) / Eaton, Kate (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Do more diverse teams create better outcomes, creatively and fiscally? Why do heterogeneous groups think more innovatively and create products that reach a wider audience? Diverse teams bring unique perspectives that force individuals to reimagine their world views and question what they know. This thesis focuses on the benefits of increased racial and gender diversity in the workplace. There is a dramatic difference in the number of women and people of color in tech companies generally, in STEM roles, and in leadership roles. The benefits of diverse teams (along all axis) is indisputable, yet companies still fight diversifying their employee base. Diversity in the workplace dramatically impacts the bottom line, but it is also incredibly important from a human rights perspective. The first step to reflecting the population's diversity ratio at all levels of business is educating the future leaders of America to its importance, both as a social justice initiative and a capitalistic one as well. I created and hosted a panel with local tech entrepreneurs and investors to discuss gender diversity, the struggles being a woman in business and solutions moving forward.
ContributorsRobinson, Sasha Raquel (Author) / Mokwa, Michael (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12