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- All Subjects: Business
- Creators: Barrett, The Honors College
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
- Resource Type: Text
Description
In this paper, I have designed a business model for a new type of fashion retail
store. This store will perfect the personal styling experience by utilizing customer and
apparel data to make individualized apparel recommendations. The format of this store
will heavily reduce the amount of search time for customers by only showing clothing
pieces that each person is likely to purchase, based on predictive analytics. In order to
plan this business model and determine whether a company of this style could be
successful, this paper includes research on the current environment of the fashion
industry, the company’s potential target market segmentation, and tactics for developing
the best customer offering.
store. This store will perfect the personal styling experience by utilizing customer and
apparel data to make individualized apparel recommendations. The format of this store
will heavily reduce the amount of search time for customers by only showing clothing
pieces that each person is likely to purchase, based on predictive analytics. In order to
plan this business model and determine whether a company of this style could be
successful, this paper includes research on the current environment of the fashion
industry, the company’s potential target market segmentation, and tactics for developing
the best customer offering.
ContributorsTrevino, Alexandra (Author) / Riker, Elise (Thesis director) / Schlacter, John (Committee member) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
As technology increasingly connects people and economies around the world, learning an additional language is more useful than ever. Acquiring business proficiency in a foreign language makes one more competitive in the workforce and a valuable asset to an organization or company. This thesis is a creative project in the form of a course syllabus with the intention to expand the knowledge of and encourage critical thinking about Italy’s role in the European and global economy in addition to provide the language skills necessary to compete in the Italian economy. Upon completion of the course, students will become capable and more confident to communicate and work in an Italian work setting.
ContributorsAguilera, Cesar Efren (Author) / Dal Martello, Chiara (Thesis director) / Palaich, Sandra (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
Innovation Space is Arizona State University’s capstone style project in which upper division students gain real experience in the startup and product development world by solving real-world problems. These problems were presented to my team by sponsor; LG Electronics. Innovation Space uniquely offered an interdisciplinary glance into “real life” in the months before college graduation. Students are placed on teams with designers, engineers, sustainability majors, and business majors to better reflect the real world. As a business student of this program, I was able to gain and share knowledge from my teammates’ distinct backgrounds; as well as gain the interdisciplinary experience that is key to a college education, specifically to a business student. LG Electronics, our sponsor, brought our team the task of expanding their product line in their “wind comfort” business unit. LG Electronics has created a lighter, more efficient motor for a fan; likely as an answer to their dominating fan competitor, Dyson. LG Electronics wanted to see what our team could do to alter the way people cool their homes, and we responded with three original ideas: a modular, non-centralized A/C unit; a hands-free hair dryer; and a portable 360 degree fan. Our team developed the latter product, and named it Torus. The product was developed over the course of August 2018 to May 2019, ending in a working prototype formally presented to the sponsor and industry professionals. On top of this project, I was directed to also analyze the Innovation Space program for its benefits and drawbacks to a business degree from the W.P. Carey School of Business.
ContributorsSkogebo, Hannah Michelle (Author) / Trujillo, Rhett (Thesis director) / Hedges, Craig (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
Ninety-five employees across three market leading Mexican-based corporations were interviewed to empirically evaluate the level of leadership and teamwork found within the organizations. Employees interviewed ranged in hierarchal ranking from upper-management, middle to lower management, and bluecollar positions. Based on the interviews, employees were judged on four essential characteristics of leadership and three essential traits of teamwork. Each element was scored out of five (=1 not exhibited, =2 rarely exhibited, =3 somewhat exhibited, =4 often exhibited, =5 always exhibited) and summed to compose an overall score for each of the values. Leadership and teamwork were defined using globalized oriented standards to compare how Mexican companies would be assessed if they were to enter international competition. The paper finds that high levels of productivity exists even with deficits of leadership and teamwork are present. It concludes that the managerial strategy is successful due to the culturally accepted behaviors of the Mexican society. It proposes that as Mexico continues to become a more globalized nation, the cultural mannerism will directly contradict working philosophies common to developed nations. Additionally, it suggests that if certain cultural practices were eliminated, Mexico would experience faster assimilation into the global market sphere.
ContributorsCuellar, Daniela Norma (Author) / Roberts, Nancy (Thesis director) / Darra, Manjira (Committee member) / Choubey, Chandra (Committee member) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
News headlines are filled with unequal treatment in the workplace. However, there are also inspirational stories that encourage young women to face the challenges they are presented as they become executives in corporate America.
The purpose of this study was to interview women executives within corporate America to identify similar means of navigating women-specific issues they may have been presented with within their industry. More specifically, the questions sought to identify how these women became successful within their industry and how their female identities may have provided benefits to them, professionally. Interviewees were selected on a multitude of factors, title and status in company, industry, including availability, mutual connections, and demographics. Interviews were conducted both in person, over the phone, via web video conference and via email. All interviewees were asked the same questions, and interviews ranged from 25-45 minutes each. Each one was recorded and transcribed in order to facilitate comparison between stories, experiences, and other mentions.
The initial intention of analyzing the interviews and stories of these executives was to identify common factors that unified their stories. There were nine categories that the interviews sought to investigate: work-life balance, starting off strong, daily routines, mentorship/support, leadership, impact and legacy, advice and motivation, pros of being a woman, biggest challenges/cons. However, the interviews revealed that there were a plethora of unique factors that identified the stories these women had to tell. Overall, 5/8 of the executives believed that their female identity provided an advantage to them in the corporate sector, 2/8 women said their identity was a neutral factor, and only one woman stated she felt it placed her at a disadvantage. Further, this study concludes that the stories of impenetrable glass ceilings and roadblocks are balanced to some degree by stories of success within the corporate sector. There were 3 key themes for their narratives for success, having a support system, putting yourself first, and giving back.
The purpose of this study was to interview women executives within corporate America to identify similar means of navigating women-specific issues they may have been presented with within their industry. More specifically, the questions sought to identify how these women became successful within their industry and how their female identities may have provided benefits to them, professionally. Interviewees were selected on a multitude of factors, title and status in company, industry, including availability, mutual connections, and demographics. Interviews were conducted both in person, over the phone, via web video conference and via email. All interviewees were asked the same questions, and interviews ranged from 25-45 minutes each. Each one was recorded and transcribed in order to facilitate comparison between stories, experiences, and other mentions.
The initial intention of analyzing the interviews and stories of these executives was to identify common factors that unified their stories. There were nine categories that the interviews sought to investigate: work-life balance, starting off strong, daily routines, mentorship/support, leadership, impact and legacy, advice and motivation, pros of being a woman, biggest challenges/cons. However, the interviews revealed that there were a plethora of unique factors that identified the stories these women had to tell. Overall, 5/8 of the executives believed that their female identity provided an advantage to them in the corporate sector, 2/8 women said their identity was a neutral factor, and only one woman stated she felt it placed her at a disadvantage. Further, this study concludes that the stories of impenetrable glass ceilings and roadblocks are balanced to some degree by stories of success within the corporate sector. There were 3 key themes for their narratives for success, having a support system, putting yourself first, and giving back.
ContributorsCrawford, Claudia Laine (Author) / Dietrich, John (Thesis director) / Sacks, Jana (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
At the outset it may seem as if fields of business and history are two irreconcilable fields. However, careful study of both reveals that the two are far from dissimilar. After all, one cannot expect to conquer the world without impeccable logistics, and no organization succeeds without a competent culture. Two great civilizations rose to prominence because their supply chains and methodologies outstripped their contemporaries. The first is the Romans. Once a small village situated on the Italian Peninsula, Rome’s empire grew to encompass the entirety of the Mediterranean world during the first century CE. The second is the Mongols, nomadic horseman who formed the largest contiguous empire in history roughly twelve hundred years later. At its height, the Mongol civilization spanned from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the forests of Europe in the west.
Both great civilizations achieved their empires due to their innovative supply chains, organizational tactics, and culture. Each, however, presented their own unique solutions to the problem of world conquest by capitalizing on their respective strengths. For the Romans, this meant placing an emphasis on infrastructure, adopting and modifying the technologies of other peoples, and instituting a culture that emphasized achievement and resilience among an aristocratic elite. The Mongol’s, however, focused on their force’s mobility rather than infrastructure, emphasized recruiting of outsiders to supplement their weakness, and developed a meritocratic system largely free of aristocratic structure. Both empires, however, emphasized the importance of each soldier as a self-sufficient unit to ease the strain of the overall supply chain.
These two civilizations therefore provide valuable insight for two diametrically opposed business environments. The first being manufacturing companies, with the need for rigid processes and investments in infrastructure not unlike the Romans. The second being startups with their need for speed and flexibility much like the Mongols. Thus, by examining the past modern companies gain valuable insights in how to structure their organizations for the future.
Both great civilizations achieved their empires due to their innovative supply chains, organizational tactics, and culture. Each, however, presented their own unique solutions to the problem of world conquest by capitalizing on their respective strengths. For the Romans, this meant placing an emphasis on infrastructure, adopting and modifying the technologies of other peoples, and instituting a culture that emphasized achievement and resilience among an aristocratic elite. The Mongol’s, however, focused on their force’s mobility rather than infrastructure, emphasized recruiting of outsiders to supplement their weakness, and developed a meritocratic system largely free of aristocratic structure. Both empires, however, emphasized the importance of each soldier as a self-sufficient unit to ease the strain of the overall supply chain.
These two civilizations therefore provide valuable insight for two diametrically opposed business environments. The first being manufacturing companies, with the need for rigid processes and investments in infrastructure not unlike the Romans. The second being startups with their need for speed and flexibility much like the Mongols. Thus, by examining the past modern companies gain valuable insights in how to structure their organizations for the future.
ContributorsCurtis, Alexander (Author) / Kellso, James (Thesis director) / Brettle, Adrian (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This project analyzes the large array of managerial leadership research in congruence with the wide field of workplace communication to attempt to determine the importance of refining communication channels between managers and employees as well as articulate the core competencies a manager should exhibit when practicing exemplary communication in their respective work environment. The preliminary sections of this thesis will establish the currently existing foundations utilized and narrow the wide range of research available to applicable information regarding positive workplace communication, influencing factors in a feedback loop from the employee’s perspective, as well as leadership aspects and actions a manager can alter or initiate to improve their workplace’s environment through communicational refinement. This research is supplemented with a survey that was administered to Arizona State University student leaders who were involved in coordinating the Regional Business Conference on the Polytechnic campus. The survey data is designed to either confirm or contradict the findings of the literature. The objective of this project is to synthesize an overview of a manager’s responsibilities and recommend actions to tailor and improve workplace communication
ContributorsWhelan-Gonzales, Luke Andrew (Author) / Schmitz, Troy (Thesis director) / Pegg, TJ (Committee member) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Often considered to be one of the most promising solutions in the fight against global poverty, “microfinance is a term used to describe financial services, such as loans, savings, insurance and fund transfers to entrepreneurs, small businesses and individuals who lack access to traditional baking services” (Kiva). With hundreds of organizations committed or partially committed to the facilitation of microfinance loans on a domestic and global scale, the way scholarly communities have ultimately decided to view this type of giving is narrow but optimistic. The trends associated with microfinancing show it to have a positive impact on both lenders and borrowers. The goal of this thesis is to bring a level of personal context to these trends with qualitative research from the stories of individuals who have participated in the facilitation of a microloan.
ContributorsOlsen, Hannah (Author) / LaRosa, Julia (Thesis director) / Price, Sandra (Committee member) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This thesis examines the applications of the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence within small-to-medium sized retail businesses. These technologies have become a common aspect of a modern business environment, yet there remains a level of unfamiliarity with these concepts for business owners to fully utilize these tools. The complexity behind IoT and AI has been simplified to provide benefits for a brick and mortar business store in regards to security, logistics, profit optimization, operations, and analytics. While these technologies can contribute to a business’s success, they potentially come with a high and unattainable financial cost. In order to investigate which aspects of businesses can benefit the most from these technologies, interviews with small-to-medium business owners were conducted and paired with an analysis of published research. These interviews provided specific pain points and issues that could potentially be solved by these technologies. The analysis conducted in this thesis gives a detailed summary of this research and provides a business model for two small businesses to optimize their Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence to solve these pain points, while staying in their financial budget.
ContributorsAldrich, Lauren (Co-author) / Bricker, Danielle (Co-author) / Sebold, Brent (Thesis director) / Vermeer, Brandon (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Customers in the modern world are accustomed to having immediate and simple access to an immense amount of information, and demand this immediacy in all businesses, especially in the restaurant industry. Now more than ever, restaurants are relying on third party delivery services such as UberEATS, Postmates, and GrubHub to satiate the appetite of their delivery market, and while this may seem like the natural progression, not all restaurant owners are comfortable moving in this direction. Pain points range from not wanting a third party to represent their business or the lack of supervision over the food in transit, and the time it takes to navigate the delivery landscape, to the fact that some food just doesn’t “travel” well. In addition to this, food delivery services can cause increased stress on a kitchen, and dig into the bottom line of an already slim restaurant margin. Simply put, customer reliance on these applications puts apprehensive restaurant owners at a competitive disadvantage.Our solution is simple—we want business owners to be able to take advantage of the huge market provided by third party delivery services, without the fear of compromising their brand. At DLVR Consulting, we listen to specific pain points of a customer and alleviate them through solutions developed by our in-house food, restaurant, and branding experts. Whether creating an entirely new “delivery” brand, menu curation, or payment processing service, we give the customer exactly what they need to feel comfortable using third-party delivery applications. In this plan, we will first take a deep dive into the problem and opportunity identified by both third-party research and first-hand interviews with successful restaurant owners and operators. After exploring the problem, we will propose our solution, who we will target with said solution, and what makes this solution unique and sellable. From here we will begin to explore the execution of our ideas, including our sales and marketing plans which will work in conjunction with our go-to-market strategy. We will explore key milestones and metrics we hope to meet in the coming year, as well as the team which will be taking DLVR from a plan to an implemented business. We will take a look at our three year financial forecast, and break this down further to monthly revenue, direct costs, and expenses. We will finish by taking a look at our required funding, and how we will attempt to gain said funding.
ContributorsClancy, Kevin (Co-author, Co-author) / Sebold, Brent (Thesis director) / Clancy, Keith (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05