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- Creators: Department of Management and Entrepreneurship
- All Subjects: Marketing
- All Subjects: Leadership
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
- Status: Published
Description
Although there are some key qualities that all good leaders employ, variations in effective leadership approaches are evident across different cultures. This project sought to compare and analyze the differences and similarities in leadership principles between Chinese and American business cultures, with emphasis on the divergence caused by the influences of history, culture and politics.
ContributorsLe Tourneur, Maxine Archondakis (Author) / McKinnon, David (Thesis director) / LePine, Marcie (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
E-commerce has rapidly become a mainstay in today's economy, and many websites have built themselves around providing a platform for independent sellers. Sites such as Etsy, Storenvy, Redbubble, and Society6 are increasingly popular options for anyone looking to open their own online store. With this project, I attempted to examine the effects of four different marketing techniques on sales in an online store. I opened a shop on Etsy and tracked sales in connection with promotion through social media, selling products in-person at a convention, holding a holiday tie-in sale, and using price anchoring. Social media accounts were opened on Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram to promote the shop over the course of the project period, and Etsy's web analytics were used to track which sites directed the most traffic to the shop. I attended a convention in mid-January 2016 where I sold my products and distributed business cards with a discount code to track sales resulting from being at the convention. A holiday sale was held in conjunction with Valentine's Day to look at whether holidays influenced purchases. Lastly, a significantly more expensive product was temporarily put in the shop to see whether it produced a price anchoring effect \u2014 that is, encouraged sales of the less expensive products by making them seem affordable in comparison. While the volume of sales data was too small to draw statistically significant conclusions, the project was a highly instructive experience in the process of opening a small online store. The decision-making steps outlined may be helpful to other students looking to open their own online shop.
ContributorsChen, Candice Elizabeth (Author) / Moore, James (Thesis director) / Sanford, Adriana (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a burgeoning technology, industry, and field of study. While interest levels regarding its applications in marketing have not yet translated into widespread adoption, AI holds tremendous potential for vastly altering how marketing is done. As such, AI in marketing is a crucial topic to research. By analyzing its current applications, its potential use cases in the near future, how to implement it and its areas for improvement, we can achieve a high-level understanding of AI's long-term implications in marketing. AI offers an improvement to current marketing tactics, as well as entirely new ways of creating and distributing value to customers. For example, programmatic advertising and social media marketing can allow for a more comprehensive view of customer behavior, predictive analytics, and deeper insights through integration with AI. New marketing tools like biometrics, voice, and conversational user interfaces offer novel ways to add value for brands and consumers alike. These innovations all carry similar characteristics of hyper-personalization, efficient spending, scalable experiences, and deep insights. There are important issues that need to be addressed before AI is extensively implemented, including the potential for it to be used maliciously, its effects on job displacement, and the technology itself. The recent progression of AI in marketing is indicative that it will be adopted by a majority of companies soon. The long-term implications of vast implementation are crucial to consider, as an AI-powered industry entails fundamental changes to the skill-sets required to thrive, the way marketers and brands work, and consumer expectations.
ContributorsCannella, James (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Giles, Charles (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Arizona State University has prided itself on the mission to become a global leader in innovation, sustainability, and inclusion for students of all backgrounds. To provide the most meaningful experiences and promote student growth both personally and professionally, the university offers over 800 students organizations for involvement and leadership on campus. With a heavy reliance on paper and print materials, large-scale engagement events such as Passport to ASU and Panhellenic Formal Recruitment have become wasteful and inefficient, straying from the goals established by university president, Michael M. Crow. The processes involved within these two events are outdated and limit accessibility for many students, minimizing the opportunity to get involved and connect with their peers. Engage is a company founded by an Arizona State University student, hoping to find feasible solutions to meet the needs and improve the overall student engagement experience. By designing two separate mobile applications for Passport to ASU and Panhellenic Formal Recruitment, Engage has eliminated the need for paper and print materials while simplifying the event processes for incoming students and the organizations. These apps will similarly improve accessibility for all students, allowing users to get involved and connect with peers without limitations such as transportation or time. Innovation is a key focus of Arizona State University, and to stay competitive they must find new ways to improve the student experience and modernize current offerings. Getting involved is often considered one of the defining parts of collegiate life, and the university must work to maximize opportunities and make the transition as effortless and enjoyable as possible. By implementing these two mobile apps, student engagement will reach new heights and realign with the missions Arizona State University was founded upon.
ContributorsFitzgerald, Paige Elizabeth (Author) / Montoya, Detra (Thesis director) / Giles, Bret (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This thesis examined whether the saturation of the social identity environment could impact consumer decision-making and preferences. One experimental study revealed that consumer preference for identity-salient products is moderated by the strength of the identity of the consumer and saturation of the social identity environment. Results showed that when participants held a strong native membership, they were more likely to engage with identity relevant products when in an unsaturated (vs. saturated) social identity environment. Conversely, participants who held a low native membership were more likely to engage with identity relevant products when they are in a saturated social identity environment vs. an unsaturated social identity environment.
ContributorsRamohalli, Kavitha (Author) / Kristofferson, Kirk (Thesis director) / Morales, Andrea (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Study abroad provides an opportunity for students to grow, earn academic credit, and explore the world. The experience helps students develop a new set of skills and engage in another culture. However, only a small percentage of students across the United States participate in this opportunity. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate why students study abroad or choose not to. More specifically, this study examines the motivations and obstacles students have to studying abroad. The other questions that contribute to this study are: Why are students unable to study abroad? How do certain personality traits affect a student's choice to study abroad? How can university study abroad organizations attract more students to participate in their programs? Before conducting research, the author reflected on her reasons for studying abroad, the problems she encountered, and her overall experience. Based on her experience and knowledge as an ASU Study Abroad Recruiter, she identified the different types of students who have not studied abroad. These are: students who plan to study abroad, are unable to study abroad, and who do not want to study abroad. To address the purpose of this study, the author created survey questions based on her experience and background research. She conducted research through a survey on Qualtrics and administered it to college students in the W.P. Carey School of Business. After reviewing the results, she came to several conclusions that can serve as guidelines for marketing study abroad to different types of students. Based on these conclusions, the author developed marketing messages to appeal to students with certain personality traits as well as to students who have not studied abroad. For each message, she created a sample of an ad that can be used in print materials or social media campaigns.
ContributorsRefermat, Gianessa Marie (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Olsen, Douglas (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Many companies recognize the need of soft skill improvement and utilize leadership development programs. As the program states, the company uses the curriculum to focus on developing and cultivating leadership skills for their employees. While perfecting the aptitudes, it is vital that these curriculums focus primarily on developing soft skills rather than hard skills. Not stating that hard skills are not significant; just that leaders require to apply soft skills abundantly in their day to day duties. Within this thesis, the discussion is on the gap of soft skills and why the need to improve and narrow the breach is imperative in today's workforce. About 67% of HR managers will hire a candidate with strong soft skills, even if their hard skills are lacking; since HR managers value and recognize the proficiency gap of soft skills in the workforce today. Because of the necessity for soft skills, it is vital for employers to identify how to assess for soft skills. In order to do so, the companies should focus on the competencies that are required for the needed position. For the competencies that are utilized in leadership positions, soft skills are emphasized and assesses for more. Salt River Project is utilized, in the thesis, as a company example on assessing competencies that are desired when hiring for leadership positions, varying from a supervisor level position to a director level position. Due to the findings stated in the thesis, soft skills are weighed heavily and are recognized as required skills for most leadership positions. Therefore, soft skills are paramount in leadership development programs.
ContributorsRodriquez, Alisa (Author) / Macafee, Lisa (Thesis director) / Knott, Eric (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This honors project was born out of a desire to understand individuals who abandoned political glory in favor of serving other leaders. I wanted to study and know who can go head-to-head with \u2014 and command the respect of \u2014 the U.S. President on a daily basis. I limited my search to friends of the presidents who held powerful positions: I identified Harry Hopkins, Robert McNamara, and Condoleezza Rice. This thesis is broken into the following sections. To begin, we follow each official in their rise to prominence and discover how they captured the attention of their respective presidents. Next, we delve into their relationships with the Oval Office -- what is similar or different about each of their connections with the presidents. The bulk of the work focuses on pivotal moments in our country's history \u2014 events that shaped the United States of today. Specifically, we look at the New Deal, World War II, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the Middle East, and nuclear weapons proliferation. Then, we dissect similarities and differences between their relationships with their presidents, and wrap up with some takeaways about how one could go about becoming a presidential advisor. Their distinctive styles can be grouped into doers or planners. Hopkins and McNamara were proud and self-proclaimed doers. Rice stands alone as a fantastic planner. If one seeks to emulate any of these three, there are three things to commit to. First, skills both matter and don't matter. Second, there are two paths to getting presidential attention and becoming close enough for them to seek one out for advice. The first is to understand which wheels need greasing, and grease them. The other is to have a potential solution to an unsolved problem -- that is powerful. Be great, a maverick, and public, or look to create your own role from scratch and hope that you are an expert when a time of great need comes. Third, once you are friends with and have the political ear of the president, know that loyalty is the only thing that truly matters. This thesis is an attempt to better understand leadership through the lens of powerful followers. This project strives to inform the reader of the context within which these actors played, the actions that they took, and the consequences that were incurred, all while being personally close to the most powerful position on the planet. I have tried to give context and understanding for pivotal moments in American history while shining a spotlight on a few underappreciated historical actors.
ContributorsAnhoury, Mitchell Alden (Author) / Mokwa, Michael (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Asana Arizona is a concept created by Arizona State University students Halie Blauser and Stephen Argentati to sell handmade jewelry. They were inspired to start making jewelry in their free time, and were interested to see if they could create a profitable small business. Their first priority was to create a strategic marketing plan, to examine the current external/internal environment and find marketplace opportunities. As a part of this they performed research to determine which fashion styles would be the best target demographic to market their products to, and found that consumers who identified as "Bohemian", "Hipster", and "Punk" were the best target demographics. They also found that a majority of college students do not care whether or not a product is handmade or locally made, and primarily just care about price. Online social media pages were created for Asana Arizona on Instagram, Etsy, and Facebook, and a Facebook ads were created and boosted towards the target fashion styles.
ContributorsArgentati, Stephen (Co-author) / Blauser, Halie (Co-author) / Eaton, Kathryn (Thesis director) / Schlacter, John (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Dysfunctional organizations and toxic leader behavior has been increasingly examined over the past few years. Scholars, consultants and the media have analyzed and considered a variety of causes underlying destructive company practices and the bad behavior of bosses. Much is at stake as both individual and company is at risk along with shareholders. In this study I identify some dysfunctions in organizations, dimensions of destructive leaders and the impact in the workplace and the community. Moreover, I provide ideas for preventative measures and how dysfunctional practices can be identified and dealt with. I begin with a brief background introduction to the subject matter and proceed with an examination of some signs and behaviors displayed in the dysfunctional workplace. How does departmental, divisional and companywide dysfunction impact employee levels of trust, emotional intelligence and performance? What is the cost of company dysfunction on leaders? Following an exhaustive examination of relevant research, I have decided to focus on two specific sources due to their impact on corporate, consulting and academic communities. I utilize Babiak and Hare's, Snakes in Suits and Stanford Professor Robert Sutton's book, The No Asshole Rule. Building upon these works and the composite of research reviewed by these key scholars I move forward to a real- world case of a dysfunctional organizational and toxic CEO via an examination of Uber Technologies Inc. I will be revealing dimensions of both Uber's wide-reaching dysfunction and the workings of a CEO who has been identified as a psychopath. I provide ideas for identifying the dysfunctional organization (with Uber as a prototype) and look at possible means of generating solutions and actions for combatting excessively negative and destructive organizational and leader behavior. Finally, I am concerned with takeaways and pragmatic implications offered by my research.
ContributorsMolina, Alissa Ruth (Author) / Goldman, Alan (Thesis director) / Trujillo, Rhett (Committee member) / Dean, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12