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Description
Through the research of: accredited business articles, wedding sites such as The Knot, personal interviews with brides, research novels, television shows, and movies; this project will depict why and how traditional, American "White Weddings" have become so commercialized by advertisements and businesses as a result of various media channels' reinforcements of cultural ideals and norms about brides and weddings since the 1920s. The purpose of this paper is to identify the largest cultural and commercial forces that contributed to the growth and expansion of the wedding industry.
ContributorsHovendon, Allison Michelle (Author) / Suk, Mina (Thesis director) / Ostrom, Amy (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
This report details a prioritization value model that was created for the use of Arizona State University and ASU LightWorks in determining and implementing appropriate sustainability projects for removing greenhouse gas emissions. A thorough review regarding the current project selection process, and an extensive analysis into the desired state of the process was conducted for this paper. The newly developed prioritization model includes multiple attributes that rank and prioritize projects based upon the highest value as determined by criteria set forth by the university. Encompassed within this report are the steps in creating the decision model, as well as the benefits and additional uses of the model for the end user. From the analysis and model created, the end user has the ability to choose carbon neutral projects that better align with the vision of the New American University.
ContributorsAmoroso, Nicholas (Co-author) / Lee, Betty (Co-author) / Brooks, Dan (Thesis director) / Johnson, Travis (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Scottsdale Ranch Animal Hospital (SRAH) is a well-established veterinary clinic co-owned by Dr. John Nick and Dr. Richard Stolper that is located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The hospital’s mission is to provide, “the highest quality medical, surgical, educational, boarding and grooming services available. We strive for the highest level of integrity and compassion in our interaction with our patients and their human pets” (“Welcome to Scottsdale Ranch Animal Hospital”).
The purpose of this report is to analyze the current market position of Scottsdale Ranch Animal Hospital, and make appropriate marketing recommendations and strategies for implementation. Managerial goals include increasing customer retention and growing its customer base in order to generate new revenue.
The analysis conducted includes reviewing the external environment, internal environment, and market opportunities. Notable industry and environmental trends include: laws regarding bans on the sale of commercially bred pets, an overall increase in national pet spending, declining feline veterinary visits over the last few years, a cultural trend emphasizing spending on luxury pet goods and services, and a significant level of local competition that has similar service offerings.
Notable internal strengths include: the prime geographical location of SRAH in a pet-friendly and wealthy community, multiple service offerings available, the quality of veterinary staff, a loyal clientele, and a “blank slate” in terms of marketing. However, internal weaknesses include: outdated equipment and technology, a lack of marketing efforts and a weak online presence, poor management, human resource issues and little employee accountability, and poor financial conditions as a result of high levels of debt between the practice and building.
Partway through this project, SRAH decided to sell its practice to PetVet Care Centers, a company specialized in acquiring animal hospitals in order to grow a national veterinary network. PetVet took over ownership in March of 2014, and has already begun to address the critical managerial and financial problems at SRAH. Thus, the following recommendations are made to the new owners specifically regarding building an integrated marketing campaign. The limitation, however, is that PetVet’s marketing budget is unknown at the time of this report.
Based on SRAH’s precarious position in the marketplace, it is recommended that the practice focus on client retention, capturing first time visits by creating a strong online presence, and capturing first time visits by targeting new customer segments. Client retention strategies are as follows:
• Push email sign ups for online Pet Portal. Goal is to improve the percentage of clients signed up from 36% to 43% by the end of the 2014 fiscal year (approximately 450 new sign ups).
• Specifically create policies regarding behavior in employee-client interactions.
• Include a summary sheet detailing services received and veterinarian recommendations to be given with discharge paperwork.
• Implement callbacks within 24 hours of a patient surgery to be performed by vet techs
• Create specialized goodie bags for surgeries or boarding stay. Example would be a boarding goodie bag that contains treats, toys, and a personalized “thank you for staying with us” card.
• Bundling services to create preventative care packages. Canine Junior and Senior Wellness packages could result in additional $31,000+ in revenue each year.
Strategies centered on capturing first time visits through creating a strong online presence include:
• Hiring CyberMark for its regional SEO services to improve SRAH’s ranking in search engine results.
• Switching to a new website producer to allow for greater flexibility and autonomy in managing SRAH’s website. It is suggested that PetVet consider IDEXX or CyberMark for this service.
Lastly, strategies centered on capturing first time visits by targeting new customer segments are as follow:
• Purchasing a direct mail list from DirectMailTools.com, that specifies Scottsdale homeowners or renters, who own a cat or dog, and have lived in their place of residency for less than a year.
• Consider converting breed specific groups as a long-term goal, though no immediate action is suggested.
The purpose of this report is to analyze the current market position of Scottsdale Ranch Animal Hospital, and make appropriate marketing recommendations and strategies for implementation. Managerial goals include increasing customer retention and growing its customer base in order to generate new revenue.
The analysis conducted includes reviewing the external environment, internal environment, and market opportunities. Notable industry and environmental trends include: laws regarding bans on the sale of commercially bred pets, an overall increase in national pet spending, declining feline veterinary visits over the last few years, a cultural trend emphasizing spending on luxury pet goods and services, and a significant level of local competition that has similar service offerings.
Notable internal strengths include: the prime geographical location of SRAH in a pet-friendly and wealthy community, multiple service offerings available, the quality of veterinary staff, a loyal clientele, and a “blank slate” in terms of marketing. However, internal weaknesses include: outdated equipment and technology, a lack of marketing efforts and a weak online presence, poor management, human resource issues and little employee accountability, and poor financial conditions as a result of high levels of debt between the practice and building.
Partway through this project, SRAH decided to sell its practice to PetVet Care Centers, a company specialized in acquiring animal hospitals in order to grow a national veterinary network. PetVet took over ownership in March of 2014, and has already begun to address the critical managerial and financial problems at SRAH. Thus, the following recommendations are made to the new owners specifically regarding building an integrated marketing campaign. The limitation, however, is that PetVet’s marketing budget is unknown at the time of this report.
Based on SRAH’s precarious position in the marketplace, it is recommended that the practice focus on client retention, capturing first time visits by creating a strong online presence, and capturing first time visits by targeting new customer segments. Client retention strategies are as follows:
• Push email sign ups for online Pet Portal. Goal is to improve the percentage of clients signed up from 36% to 43% by the end of the 2014 fiscal year (approximately 450 new sign ups).
• Specifically create policies regarding behavior in employee-client interactions.
• Include a summary sheet detailing services received and veterinarian recommendations to be given with discharge paperwork.
• Implement callbacks within 24 hours of a patient surgery to be performed by vet techs
• Create specialized goodie bags for surgeries or boarding stay. Example would be a boarding goodie bag that contains treats, toys, and a personalized “thank you for staying with us” card.
• Bundling services to create preventative care packages. Canine Junior and Senior Wellness packages could result in additional $31,000+ in revenue each year.
Strategies centered on capturing first time visits through creating a strong online presence include:
• Hiring CyberMark for its regional SEO services to improve SRAH’s ranking in search engine results.
• Switching to a new website producer to allow for greater flexibility and autonomy in managing SRAH’s website. It is suggested that PetVet consider IDEXX or CyberMark for this service.
Lastly, strategies centered on capturing first time visits by targeting new customer segments are as follow:
• Purchasing a direct mail list from DirectMailTools.com, that specifies Scottsdale homeowners or renters, who own a cat or dog, and have lived in their place of residency for less than a year.
• Consider converting breed specific groups as a long-term goal, though no immediate action is suggested.
ContributorsStolper, Samantha Lynn (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Denning, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The U.S. Department of Energy awarded $15 million to the Algae Test-bed Public-Private Partnership (ATP3) at Arizona State University. ASU LightWorks is the university partnership that works to combine research into one strategic framework. The combination of both of these entities allows for a framework to address energy issues through collaboration with academic institutions, commercial enterprises, and national laboratories. The Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation (AzCATI) partners with ATP3 and the facilities are located on ASU's Polytechnic campus. Part of NVG's research focuses on a gap analysis of what types of entities to partner with, but thus far partnerships include: the National Laboratories, Cellana LLC, Touchstone Research Laboratory, SRS Energy, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Texas at Austin, and Commercial Algae Management. The goal of ATP3 is to create an open and collaborative network in geographically diverse locations, that allow for world-class expertise while addressing flexibility and customer service, as well as IP management within a tiered fee structure. The standard would be that ATP3 address the operational protocols, data collection and analysis, data management, quality control, modeling and assessment, and finally education and training. This allows ATP3 to be a quality testing facility for the algal research community, and the test-bed facilities will be located in Arizona, Hawaii, California, Ohio, and Georgia.
ContributorsLowry, Teeghyn Aleene (Co-author) / Cope, Nicole (Co-author) / Willert, Kevin (Co-author) / Brooks, Daniel (Thesis director) / Johnson, Travis (Committee member) / Brandt, William (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
C.C. Silver & Gold Inc., a local precious metals and coin dealer, is introducing a new product line, Tooth Fairy Tokens. This one year marketing plan aims to clearly define the business goals of this new venture by outlining the company's current market position and providing it with a competitive marketing strategy that relies on niche market opportunities and established supplier relationships. By providing the firm with a solid foundation of research and direction, this marketing plan will help the company achieve its goals of gaining a market presence and increasing company revenue within the first three years of introduction.
ContributorsBlackmer, Courtney Lauren (Author) / Montoya, Detra (Thesis director) / Ostrom, Amy (Committee member) / Brown, Steven (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Founded in November 2014, by owner Céline Rille, Rille & Co. is a creative studio that develops, implements and markets creative strategies for companies in hospitality, retail, entertainment, restaurant, and consumer product industries. Rille & Co. is coming to the end of its first year of business, and it is crucial that the company examines the previous year and evaluates its strategy to continue success in the future. Organized into three key sections of analysis, the following marketing plan is intended to set the company up to achieve, and surpass, all goals in the coming years of operation.
First, the environment in which the company was operating in during its first quarter of business is examined, along with the strategies that were in place at that time. Included in this first section is also a comprehensive competitive analysis that examines how Rille & Co. fits into the competitive market. Next, the success of the initial strategy for Rille & Co. is analyzed through a SWOT analysis of the company’s standing as of Fall 2015. Finally, the third section of analysis contains key recommendations and alterations to the original strategy in order for the company to experience continual growth and success.
In all, if Rille & Co. implements the strategies outlined in this marketing plan, it should be able to continue business for years to come. The most important aspects of operation for the business are its internal organization, finding clients with the correct fit, and boosting its website’s SEO to better implement inbound marketing techniques. For an agency, it tends to be difficult to focus on these internal problems when clients’ needs come first. In this case, Rille & Co. must prioritize its own operations to better meet the needs of clients.
As Rille & Co’s first year of business is coming to a close, it is extremely important to note how far the company has come, despite any obstacles that made for an exciting first year. The agency is well on its way to achieving the standards of success it set for itself, but the agency’s success is also measured in its resilience and adaptability – necessary traits for any agency (or company, for that matter). With huge changes on the horizon, now is the time for Rille & Co. to demonstrate its resilience and adaptability again – coping with the loss of an integral employee and adapting to the needs of clients who may not be financially sound. The team should be proud of the work accomplished, and although it is the “end of an era,” Rille & Co. should prepare itself for the adventures that have yet to unfold.
First, the environment in which the company was operating in during its first quarter of business is examined, along with the strategies that were in place at that time. Included in this first section is also a comprehensive competitive analysis that examines how Rille & Co. fits into the competitive market. Next, the success of the initial strategy for Rille & Co. is analyzed through a SWOT analysis of the company’s standing as of Fall 2015. Finally, the third section of analysis contains key recommendations and alterations to the original strategy in order for the company to experience continual growth and success.
In all, if Rille & Co. implements the strategies outlined in this marketing plan, it should be able to continue business for years to come. The most important aspects of operation for the business are its internal organization, finding clients with the correct fit, and boosting its website’s SEO to better implement inbound marketing techniques. For an agency, it tends to be difficult to focus on these internal problems when clients’ needs come first. In this case, Rille & Co. must prioritize its own operations to better meet the needs of clients.
As Rille & Co’s first year of business is coming to a close, it is extremely important to note how far the company has come, despite any obstacles that made for an exciting first year. The agency is well on its way to achieving the standards of success it set for itself, but the agency’s success is also measured in its resilience and adaptability – necessary traits for any agency (or company, for that matter). With huge changes on the horizon, now is the time for Rille & Co. to demonstrate its resilience and adaptability again – coping with the loss of an integral employee and adapting to the needs of clients who may not be financially sound. The team should be proud of the work accomplished, and although it is the “end of an era,” Rille & Co. should prepare itself for the adventures that have yet to unfold.
ContributorsChada, Rachel Anne (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Schlacter, John (Committee member) / Rille, Celine (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12
Description
I will explore that confidence gap between men and women and how it holds women back in a male-dominated business world. Then, I will give recommendations to businesswomen and managers to overcome the confidence gap. Everyone knows that women on average get paid less per dollar than men. Clearly, this is partly due to a social ill that discriminates against women. However, I am not the type of person to sit back and wait for things to change. As a young woman graduating Barrett and moving onto law school, I wanted to explore what I myself can do to combat disadvantages I may encounter in the corporate world. My objective is to investigate the differences between men and women in the business world using the book, The Confidence Code, by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman as a framework for discussion. Is there a confidence gap between males and females and how is that hindering the latter in the workplace? Next, I will discuss why it is important for businesses to even care about having women on their teams at all. Finally, I will explore possible ways to build self-confidence in women in order to make them more successful in their careers. I will give recommendations to businesswomen themselves and to businesses in general to achieve this goal. For the purposes of this thesis, I will define confidence in business as "the belief that one is able to succeed at something" and furthermore, "the act of actually trying to be successful at something". To take it a step further, confidence also means being resilient instead of discouraged in the face of failure. Self-confidence is absolutely essential to a successful career as a businessperson. It is necessary to build skills such as: speaking up, sharing ideas, negotiating, applying for jobs, positions, projects, and promotions, not letting others intimidate you, not feeling the need to unnecessarily apologize, and to be proactive instead of hesitant. I found that part of the reason for the wage gap and why there are so few women CEOs is due to women's lack of confidence. For example, women do not initiate salary negotiations as often as men do and they ask for significantly less money when they do. Women will not apply for promotions unless they feel 100% qualified while men will go for it if they feel they have about half the qualifications. Then I decided to do research on whether or not women are as confident as men- and the answer is absolutely yes. Companies with more women in leadership positions outperform companies without. Men and women generally produce the same results but women still doubt themselves more. Finally, it turns out women actually have more effective leadership strategies then men. The confidence gap is due to many biological, psychological, and sociological factors. At the beginning of my research, I was frustrated by what I was finding. But the good news is that there are many ways women can overcome the confidence gap through reframing, taking action, and practice. There are ways businesses can foster a culture that meets the needs of women in a previously male dominated space. This information is empowering and I hope my thesis can help other women the way it has helped me.
ContributorsChristov, Anjelica (Author) / Kalika, Dale (Thesis director) / Ostrom, Amy (Committee member) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Tech2Learn, a privately owned tutoring company, serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade at its Phoenix location. The company's founding mission "is for every child to build individual competence and confidence in essential skills." It accomplishes this mission by providing a safe, fun, and engaging environment where children feel comfortable learning. In addition to tutoring in traditional subjects such as math and reading, Tech2Learn also offers a dyslexia reading lab, and a High School Placement Test prep course. The goal of this plan is to find a low cost and easy to manage way for Tech2Learn to market its services and encourage referrals. To achieve this goal, I conducted both an external and internal analysis. In order for Tech2Learn to remain competitive in the industry, it must be aware of trends such as the rapidly evolution of teaching technology, new government mandates on curriculum, and parents' desire to be involved in their children's education. While these trends create opportunities for growth, there are also threats that arise. One threat to Tech2Learn is a large number of competitors in the market. The company relies on its strengths of human capital and unique teaching approach to minimize these threats. The tactics and strategies recommended in this plan are intended to reduce the company's weaknesses. Specifically, tactical recommendations target Tech2Learn's digital presence through the creation of a Facebook page, consolidation of company owned web domains, and updating business information on both owned and earned online sites. Additionally, strategic suggestions aim to prepare Tech2Learn for future growth through the implementation of a formal training procedure, consideration of an additional office location, and differentiation through the early adoption of new technologies, such as virtual reality.
ContributorsCunningham, Sinead Bridget (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Giles, Bret (Committee member) / Cummings, Deborah (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12