Matching Items (7)
Description
Microfinance is a term that refers to providing basic financial services to the poor; it has become a powerful tool for poverty alleviation. The idea is a relatively new one - modern microfinance began through experiments in the 1970's - but it has grown quickly and currently serves over 155 million clients worldwide. There are many studies that provide evidence of the positive impact of microfinance and the movement has an array of enthusiastic proponents. It is certainly not the only solution in the battle against poverty, however, and there are also studies that question the true depth of its impact. In looking at microfinance around the globe, one thing becomes clear: although it is an international phenomenon, microfinance has definitely found more success in some regions over others.
ContributorsEdgell, Bailey (Author) / Mendez, Jose (Thesis director) / Schoellman, Todd (Committee member) / Forbes, Stephen (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Contributor)
Created2012-12
Description
Social proof and mismatch of self-preference have been assumed to play an important role in the inference of value. They can be influential factors when it comes to decision-making in a mate-selection environment. In this thesis study, participants took an online survey in the form of a dating website. They answered a series of questions about the traits they would like to see in a potential mate. They were then presented with four potential mates and asked to rank them by their preferences. The results show that participants most preferred the potential mate with a high social proof and a low mismatch of self-preference and least preferred the potential mate with a low social proof and a high mismatch of self-preference. When comparing just social proof and mismatch of self-preference, there was not an interaction effect between the two. I conclude that even though social proof is a powerful influencing factor by itself, it did not have the power to trump the mismatch of self-preference.
ContributorsAkhter, Sumbal (Author) / Kwan, Virginia (Thesis director) / Knight, George (Committee member) / Cohen, Adam (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Contributor)
Created2012-12
Description
The purpose of this thesis is to analyze how the cultural conceptions that American Arizona State University (ASU) students have of Germany change with experience. More specifically, this thesis answers how these cultural conceptions change after students learn the German language or visit the country. In order to accomplish this, three representative groups of people with varying levels of experience were interviewed. Structurally speaking, the thesis first provides background information why the topic was chosen and how a survey was designed to conduct a study on the topic. Next, the data from the study is presented in its raw form as well as in organized charts and graphs. A set of observations that were taken from the data will be explained, supported, and then analyzed. The thesis then concludes with a discussion of how the study could be improved or changed to further analyze the topic.
ContributorsGourley, James (Co-author) / Baskin, Connor (Co-author) / Lee, Sara (Thesis director) / Gray, Jamison (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
This creative project discusses my experience studying abroad in Europe this past fall. It includes nine poems for each of the nine countries I visited, along with corresponding reflections and commentaries. The larger theme shows how I transformed from a tourist to a traveler.
ContributorsCaviness, Anthony (Author) / Fette, Donald (Thesis director) / Hoyt, Heather (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
The paper outlines the importance of the class and a general selection of the information that will be gone over in the class. I decided to go with Italian soccer in general as opposed to just the league. The league is of utmost importance, but no Italian soccer discussion is complete without mention of Gli Azzurri (the Italian national team). Throughout the paper I talk about soccer’s origin, its history, how it came to Italy, and much more. We focus a lot on Italy’s transition of soccer from the traditional name of football to calcio, because that plays a major role in the sport. Italy essentially had formed its own version of the sport with some even claiming that Italians were the ones who created football and not the English. This is actually quite tough for an Italian to admit, I would know first-hand. Nonetheless, the paper goes on to talk about other important topics, such as the structure of the league, the players, accomplishments, scandals, politics and more. The students will be able to get a much better grasp on the importance of soccer in Italy as they are able to better understand the league, the teams, the fans, and the roles the individuals play. In summation, this class is meant not only to inform the students on the informational part of the league, its teams, etc. it is to help students understand how crucial and central soccer is to the Italian culture. Through the lectures and teachings, the students will learn bit by bit how important soccer is on a day to day basis for Italians. Soccer is an escape for those who never got to live their dreams, for those who are in a tough situation, or for those who want to have something to look up to or hope for. For Italians, soccer is another dimension and I plan on explaining that through this paper and my lectures.
ContributorsScorzo, Piero Angelo (Author) / Minardi, Enrico (Thesis director) / Arena, Paul (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
The movie industry is an uncertain business, and films often fail to make money, so the movie promotions and marketing decisions studios make are vital in determining success. With movie promotions, people from different cultures can perceive films and their advertising efforts differently because of their backgrounds, so movie marketers must recognize these differences to be able to succeed in international markets. This thesis is intended to help provide information for filmmakers and their respective film advertisers on how different cultures may perceive promotional movie poster factors, and how they can be more successful in their pursuit. Specifically, we are focusing on the influence of stars and review sources featured on such posters and how they might play into someone’s response to a film. To do so, we will be comparing viewers relative to their Hofstede cultural dimensions (of individualism and collectivism and power distance) to understand what factors might influence a society more and why. We first dive into our preliminary research, then make predictions and test them through a 2x2 study to determine what movie promotion elements are most influential to different viewers. Next we will conclude with the managerial implications and limitations and future research of our study. Overall, our research and data findings offer insights to filmmakers on how they might enhance and tailor their movie promotions when marketing to different cultures.
ContributorsCheruvu, Niyati (Author) / Gardner, Kyra (Co-author) / Eaton, Kate (Thesis director) / Palmer, James (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
The aim of this thesis is to explore and understand how cultural, socio-economic, and political factors intersect to influence and affect societal happiness. We examine this by exploring the discrepancies that exist between the world’s happiest country, Finland, and the world’s 15th happiest nation, the United States. Through our explanation, we find that the cultural differences in nations is the implicit key to success in happiness. More specifically, the differences between femininity, experienced in the Nordic region, and masculinity, experienced in the United States. Social, economic, and political factors are in large part a result of the underlying culture. We see the nuanced ways in which cultural orientations shape social structures and policies which directly impact a society’s well-being. In analysis of the World Happiness Report, we acknowledge the multifaceted nature of happiness metrics, highlighting the importance of inclusive policy-making and responsive governance. Amidst its growing popularity the topic of societal happiness is growing in attention from both the public and policymakers. A collective pursuit of happiness emerges despite the cultural diversity prevalent throughout the world. By examining these complex relationships, we look to offer insight that helps create a deeper understanding of the complex relationship that exists between culture and societal happiness and well-being.
ContributorsSilva, Matthew (Author) / Echerivel, Emerson (Co-author) / Sturgess, Jessica (Thesis director) / Cloutier, Scott (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2024-05