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- Creators: Barrett, The Honors College
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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
Description
Employers must go beyond diversifying their workforce and prioritize inclusion in their workplace. This thesis is written to employers to provide a comprehensive, introductory look into why and how an employer could prioritize inclusion in their workplace. In part one, a literature review answers the following questions: What is inclusion? How are diversity and inclusion related? How is the workplace exclusive? What is an inclusive workplace like? and What are the benefits of having an inclusive workplace? Then, in part two, a case study analysis reviews best practices of a company that has been recognized as being inclusive. Through both of these parts, three overacting principles emerge; inclusion should be a widespread value in an organization, new practices must move beyond the superficial to have real impact and all employees in the organization should be engaged in making the workplace more inclusive. Change also must happen in three areas including the climate, leadership and practices of an organization.
ContributorsMooney, Samantha Jean (Co-author) / Mooney, Samantha (Co-author) / Smith, Jacqueline (Thesis director) / Sully de Luque, Mary (Committee member) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
A market analysis on the boutique fitness industry, as well as financial plans and logistical planning of creating a unique indoor cycling studio in the greater Scottsdale area. Through competitive, financial, and technological analyses one is able to better understand the breadth and scope of the growing fitness industry as well as see the potential risks and benefits in opening a small business in this arena.
Health and wellness can be found all throughout the market nowadays. Whether it be from the food people eat or the money people spend on self-care, this trend has created a significant niche in today’s market. Create Cycle is the next big player to be stepping into the mayhem that is the health and wellness industry. Create Cycle is a new indoor cycling experience located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Its mission: to provide people with an unforgettably positive fitness experience where each and every person feels empowered to create love for themselves through state-of-the-art technology. With the fitness industry is quickly growing, and it is imperative for Create Cycle to differentiate itself within the Scottsdale market. Create Cycle will be, in theory, based around an entire experience. The classes will consist of some of the best talent and training one can find in the valley. This will be done through a specific hiring process and strategic organizational structure. The goal is to let experiences in class lead to a strong community following, where Create Cycle becomes the place to be. Its vision: to one day break down the notions of exercising solely for physical appearance but rather for one’s own happiness and for those around them in a larger frame of mind.
Health and wellness can be found all throughout the market nowadays. Whether it be from the food people eat or the money people spend on self-care, this trend has created a significant niche in today’s market. Create Cycle is the next big player to be stepping into the mayhem that is the health and wellness industry. Create Cycle is a new indoor cycling experience located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Its mission: to provide people with an unforgettably positive fitness experience where each and every person feels empowered to create love for themselves through state-of-the-art technology. With the fitness industry is quickly growing, and it is imperative for Create Cycle to differentiate itself within the Scottsdale market. Create Cycle will be, in theory, based around an entire experience. The classes will consist of some of the best talent and training one can find in the valley. This will be done through a specific hiring process and strategic organizational structure. The goal is to let experiences in class lead to a strong community following, where Create Cycle becomes the place to be. Its vision: to one day break down the notions of exercising solely for physical appearance but rather for one’s own happiness and for those around them in a larger frame of mind.
ContributorsMyers, Claire Elizabeth (Author) / Trujillo, Rhett (Thesis director) / Laughlin, Drew (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Over 50% of the US population has listened to a podcast as of 2019. That is over 144 million people in the US alone that can potentially generate revenue for a podcast host. In 2017, podcast advertising secured revenues of $314 million. It is expected to grow to $659 million by 2020 (Goldberg). There is a growing market of active podcast listeners for advertisers to tap into. There is so much potential in podcasting that Spotify has recently decided that they are willing to spend $400-500 million on this category alone in 2019. In that large figure they have acquired “Gimlet”, a podcasting company, for 230 million and “Anchor”, a creation/distribution platform (Heater).
These massive amounts of investment in podcasting is assuring for the podcast industry that began as recently as the early 2000’s. There is money to be made for the content creators of podcasts as well. This paper focuses on how podcast hosts can generate the most amount of money. The two forms of producing income is by paid advertisements or donations/crowdfunding. I conducted an experiment using my own podcast to test whether paid advertisements or donations were more effective at making money. My hypothesis for this experiment is if I offer a free podcast for the public to listen to and ask for donations then I think less than 10% of listeners will donate. I believe that paid advertisements will generate more revenue than donations because I believe podcast listeners are not generous enough to donate. My research on how to make the most money podcasting is illustrated in the following pages.
These massive amounts of investment in podcasting is assuring for the podcast industry that began as recently as the early 2000’s. There is money to be made for the content creators of podcasts as well. This paper focuses on how podcast hosts can generate the most amount of money. The two forms of producing income is by paid advertisements or donations/crowdfunding. I conducted an experiment using my own podcast to test whether paid advertisements or donations were more effective at making money. My hypothesis for this experiment is if I offer a free podcast for the public to listen to and ask for donations then I think less than 10% of listeners will donate. I believe that paid advertisements will generate more revenue than donations because I believe podcast listeners are not generous enough to donate. My research on how to make the most money podcasting is illustrated in the following pages.
ContributorsMaldonado, Marcus (Author) / Radway, Debra (Thesis director) / Bonfigilo, Thomas (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor, Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Companies are constantly looking for a way to increase sales and productivity from their workforce. A popular way to spark motivation and competition is through employee sales contests or incentive-based plans. In theory, these contests are geared to include every employee at the sales level in the organization and are thought to boost motivation across the board. But, sales contests receive substantial attention regarding their effectiveness from the academic and professional press due to some unethical incidents happening at large corporations. There have been many studies regarding the effectiveness of contests, but many have inconclusive results and do not produce a definite answer. Because of this, further research is needed to confirm the effectiveness of such contests used in the professional world. Further research would require a study that is much longer in length, as there are many variables that are behind the psychological factors associated to sales contests.
I conducted a study on the effective design, implementation, motivational factors, and takeaways upon completion of such contests. The purpose of this study is to find out whether or not sales contests are an effective way of motivating a diverse workforce. The results suggest that sales contests are a hyper-efficient tool to increase employee motivation but must be prepared for and implemented correctly in order to achieve efficient results. I recommend that sales managers use contests as a tool to gauge the motivational and behavioral changes in their employees resulting from such contests, instead of just trying to gain more revenue. Also, to combat the growing threat of unethical behaviors as a result of running sales contests, leaders need to implement appropriate measures, like unethical behavior diversion courses.
I conducted a study on the effective design, implementation, motivational factors, and takeaways upon completion of such contests. The purpose of this study is to find out whether or not sales contests are an effective way of motivating a diverse workforce. The results suggest that sales contests are a hyper-efficient tool to increase employee motivation but must be prepared for and implemented correctly in order to achieve efficient results. I recommend that sales managers use contests as a tool to gauge the motivational and behavioral changes in their employees resulting from such contests, instead of just trying to gain more revenue. Also, to combat the growing threat of unethical behaviors as a result of running sales contests, leaders need to implement appropriate measures, like unethical behavior diversion courses.
ContributorsWitt, Tyler Lee (Author) / Montoya, Detra (Thesis director) / Dietrich, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
The automotive community is incredibly vast and expansive in the southwest corner of the United States. In the Phoenix area, there is a large distinction of “car culture” within the fundamental parameters that define society in general: the upper echelon of the wealth bracket usually engages with their own, and the byproduct is that their automotive tastes lie often in the luxury exotic supercar market. Example vehicle manufacturers include Porsche, McLaren, Ferrari, and Lamborghini. In the mid to lower wealth bracket a similar model is observed, members often only engage with their own, and again the automotive byproduct is a representation of such, with example manufacturers including Honda, Nissan, Toyota, and Subaru. This stark distinction of classes begs the question: how would these unique class distinctions fare when both these groups are paired together from an automotive perspective, and what are the potential implications of this unique aggregation with high fashion?
ContributorsDas, Eashan (Author) / Wijesinghe, Pushpa (Thesis director) / Otto, Jeffery (Committee member) / Kiss, Adam (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12
Description
The world of business has become increasingly globalized over the years. Companies are seeking business internationally and it has become common to work with people from different parts of the world. It is imperative that those who work in business understand and recognize the differences between their home country and culture, and the country and culture of those with whom they are doing business. With that being said, students who intend on going into business post graduation must keep in mind this globalized mindset when applying for jobs. As a student in the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, I learned how important this is after receiving my International Business certificate while studying abroad for a semester in Spain. I found that the skills that I gained and what I learned about myself, and the European culture helped shape the way I view the world of business. I also believe that this helped differentiate me from other applicants when applying for internships. I believe that every business student, if willing and financially able, should study abroad not only to gain an insightful experience, but because it helps place them above other applicants when applying for jobs or internships.This project included research to find evidence that supports this belief through surveys and interviews with business students who have studied abroad in the past, and through interviews with employers and recruiters from all over the country. The creative portion of this thesis includes a promotional video, using the student interviews, as well as my own personal experience, to further promote studying abroad for business students.
ContributorsStebbings, Lauren Ashley (Author) / Koretz, Lora (Thesis director) / Moore, James (Committee member) / Laws, Michelle (Committee member) / School of Art (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12