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Starting from 21st century BC, China has had strong but isolated philosophies for making things, which dominated the style and spirit of Chinese design. With globalization, however, contemporary Chinese design fell under the influence of Western design including design practice, design theory, and education. Today, by improving capacity for independent

Starting from 21st century BC, China has had strong but isolated philosophies for making things, which dominated the style and spirit of Chinese design. With globalization, however, contemporary Chinese design fell under the influence of Western design including design practice, design theory, and education. Today, by improving capacity for independent innovation, and creating its own brand, China may be able to change its current practices of production that are defined by high consumption of resources, high pollution and low value-add. The search for high-quality Chinese design, which is both original and innovative with unique and identifiable features, has become a vital challenge for the Chinese government, organizations, and companies. Promoting original Chinese design with adding cultural values, in the past decade, has become prominent in various design fields because of the growing need to support economic development, upgrade industrial infrastructure, and promote national identity. In this context, many small-medium, creative and design-focused companies have been established with the goal of pursuing original Chinese design all the while concentrating on Chinese culture and users. In order to understand the present scenarios of original Chinese design, this research examines furniture design in select SMEs in China by studying relevantly critical issues: the motivation of designers for pursuing original Chinese design; the design ideas, practices and business strategies of these SMEs to build original and influential design brand; the challenges and opportunities in the furniture design industry while promoting original Chinese design; and the emerging picture of future Chinese design. This research applies the methodological framework of grounded theory with qualitative research methods including semi-structured interview and in-depth case studies. As a result, regarding interaction among Chinese culture, original design, and entrepreneurship, the research reveals three key findings regarding the interaction among Chinese culture, original design and entrepreneurship. First, “reflect Chinese culture”, particularly essential traditional Chinese culture, is a common ground of original Chinese furniture design, which has been shown both from design ideas and practices of the select SMEs. Second, insufficient entrepreneurship influences the promotion of original design brands both in domestic and international market. Third, innovative design among contemporary furniture designers is constrained by a morass of Chinese culture impediments, such as lacking critical thinking and overemphasizing on inheritance of traditions. Moreover, the research presents a theoretical framework with key implications for developing and promoting Chinese design that is original, innovative and socially impactful. The insights gained from the research also provide a foundation and possible direction for future studies on design, culture, entrepreneurship, and other creative industries both for China and other nations.
ContributorsRen, Liqi (Author) / Giard, Jacques (Thesis advisor) / Boradkar, Prasad (Committee member) / Lan, Zhiyong (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
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Description
Serious play—the notion of bringing the benefits of play to bear on work-related tasks—is receiving more attention as a remedy to many challenges of the modern knowledge economy. Exploring and defining the role of serious play approaches to facilitate collaborative problem-solving and value creation, this dissertation consists of four related

Serious play—the notion of bringing the benefits of play to bear on work-related tasks—is receiving more attention as a remedy to many challenges of the modern knowledge economy. Exploring and defining the role of serious play approaches to facilitate collaborative problem-solving and value creation, this dissertation consists of four related research papers.

The first research paper (RP1) reconciles three different conceptualizations of knowledge into a new theory of knowledge. This pluralistic definition allows knowledge to change character across the span of the value creation process. The paper further introduces a model called the Wheel of Knowledge (WoK) for mobilizing knowledge throughout the different knowledge conversions of the value creation process. The second research paper (RP2) advocates that serious play can scaffold and accelerate these knowledge conversion processes, it disaggregates existing serious play approaches, and starts to operationalize the WoK by using it to match different types of serious play approaches to different types of knowledge conversion challenges. The third research paper (RP3) validates the WoK by sorting the serious play literature according to how it applies to the different knowledge conversion processes. The paper provides a framework for ascertaining the applicability of serious play methods to specific knowledge conversion challenges and identifies under-explored research areas of the serious play field. The fourth research paper (RP4) tests the recommendations of RP3 by applying the LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) method to a knowledge conversion challenge focused on tacit knowledge sharing. It reports on a mixed-methods, multi-session case study in which LSP was used to facilitate cross-disciplinary dialogue and deliberation about a wicked problem. Results show that LSP is particularly useful in the beginning of a value creation process and that it facilitates socialization and tacit knowledge sharing. Taken together the papers demonstrate the necessity, potential, and application of serious play as a catalyst for the knowledge conversion processes presented in the WoK. It is now clear that different serious play approaches are suitable as respectively: an accelerator for trust-building and collective creativity, as a conduit for iterative innovation, and as a way of making rote tasks more engaging.
ContributorsNørgaard Jensen, Camilla (Author) / Seager, Thomas P (Thesis advisor) / Selin, Cynthia L (Thesis advisor) / Boradkar, Prasad (Committee member) / Giard, Jacques (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
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Description
The purpose of this thesis is to convince readers of the benefits of cross-functional collaboration and innovation within the W. P. Carey School of Business. Specifically, cross-functional collaboration is the "innovation" that is being discussed and will be presented. Written from the perspective of a current business student, this thesis

The purpose of this thesis is to convince readers of the benefits of cross-functional collaboration and innovation within the W. P. Carey School of Business. Specifically, cross-functional collaboration is the "innovation" that is being discussed and will be presented. Written from the perspective of a current business student, this thesis incorporates secondary research as well as personal experience to explain why this would benefit the business school at Arizona State University. The research conducted stems from online resources such as the Harvard Business Review, Kai Nexus, Forbes and other websites and explains why the author decided to pursue this topic. Cross-functional collaboration is seen in the everyday workings of the business world and are a utilized by a multitude of successful companies \u2014 Dell, Intel, Amazon, Apple and other similar companies. Therefore, it should be taken advantage of within undergraduate education in order to better prepare students for what they may experience afterwards. In addition, a majority of the paper is dedicated to recommendations for how exactly cross-functional collaboration could be incorporated, as well as examples of successful cross-functional courses and teams. These recommendations will be beneficial to business and general faculty members and can contribute to positive organizational change at the university.
ContributorsThompson, Trevor N (Author) / Trujillo, Rhett (Thesis director) / Peck, Sidnee (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
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Description
This study aims to find measurable approaches to achieve sustainable closed-loop supply chain. The proposed methodology here was initiated with my experience that was gained through InnovationSpace Program. InnovationSpace Program is a year-long multidisciplinary product-design and development program hosted by Arizona State University that aims to tackle societal problems. Inspired

This study aims to find measurable approaches to achieve sustainable closed-loop supply chain. The proposed methodology here was initiated with my experience that was gained through InnovationSpace Program. InnovationSpace Program is a year-long multidisciplinary product-design and development program hosted by Arizona State University that aims to tackle societal problems. Inspired by the Design Thinking framework, I found out that much more effort would need to be done from the beginning stage of product design in order to achieve real and cohesive improvement in industries today. Thinking about the concepts of reverse logistics within supply chain and the planned obsolescence during the product design stage, I would like to come out some more efficient and measurable long-term supply chain planning for the industries, regarding its different production lines and the properties of its products.

Through the process of writing the sustainability report for InnovationSpace program, I had gained deeper understanding about applying sustainability concept into daily business procedures. As supply chain is defined as the oversight over materials, services, information and finances flowed within and among companies and industries, the new innovative supply chain management can be better adjusted according to the concern of any sustainable impact to all the stakeholders and communities. After gathering the information from industries and listening to the suggestions from academic insights, I then finalized the proposed innovative sustainability strategy for the supply chain management nowadays and I called it as Diamond Index.

Diamond Index=Avg(Environmental Stewardship+Social Responsibility +Economic Impact)^(Innovation Index)

Economic Impact (Econ)∈ [0, 10] Social Responsibility (Soc)∈[0, 10]
Environmental Stewardship (Env) ∈ [0, 10] Innovation ∈ [0, 1]
ContributorsQiang, Rubing (Author) / Boradkar, Prasad (Thesis director) / Peck, Sidnee (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12
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Description

In the 21st century economy, life moves pretty fast, and change is happening all around us. For example, it was common to drive to shopping malls with your friends or family and spend the whole afternoon browsing through hundreds of items until you found the perfect purchase. Or, only a

In the 21st century economy, life moves pretty fast, and change is happening all around us. For example, it was common to drive to shopping malls with your friends or family and spend the whole afternoon browsing through hundreds of items until you found the perfect purchase. Or, only a few months ago, the entire world was put on lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19, which caused a recession when consumers stopped spending as much to start saving. Americans also used to enjoy their loud, gas-guzzling cars and trucks to get them from place to place. Now what changed, and why? The study of economics justifies how we, as human, fundamentally live and make choices every day. As we notice the results of our choices, we may continue to do the same the next day, temporarily go another route, or alter our behavior permanently. This framework presents the concept of innovation. By applying this logic to the business world, I will attempt to analyze and defend why the innovations of e-commerce, COVID-19 vaccines, and electric vehicles were the natural cause of society changing perspective to move forward toward a better tomorrow.

ContributorsBruce, Matthew Walker (Author) / Wong, Kelvin (Thesis director) / Emmett, Ross (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description

The Founders lab is a year-long program that gives its students an opportunity to participate in a unique team-based, experiential Barrett honors thesis project to design and apply marketing and sales strategies, as well as business and financial models to start up and launch a new business. This honors thesis

The Founders lab is a year-long program that gives its students an opportunity to participate in a unique team-based, experiential Barrett honors thesis project to design and apply marketing and sales strategies, as well as business and financial models to start up and launch a new business. This honors thesis project focuses on increasing the rate of vaccination outcomes in a country where people are increasingly busy (less time) and unwilling to get a needle through a new business venture that provides a service that brings vaccinations straight to businesses, making them available for their employees. Through our work with the Founders Lab, our team was able to create this pitch deck.

ContributorsZatonskiy, Albert (Co-author) / Hanzlick, Emily (Co-author) / Gomez, Isaias (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Hall, Rick (Committee member) / Silverstein, Taylor (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description

The Clutch Services App is a platform that was imagined with the intent to bridge the gap in the Arizona State student commerce market that exists between student entrepreneurs and consumers. Our thesis validated the gap in the market through intensive research that emphasized student demand and an in-person demonstration

The Clutch Services App is a platform that was imagined with the intent to bridge the gap in the Arizona State student commerce market that exists between student entrepreneurs and consumers. Our thesis validated the gap in the market through intensive research that emphasized student demand and an in-person demonstration of the problem the application would seek to solve. We consistently surveyed the student population testing if there is an existing platform that closes the gap in the market, their awareness of entrepreneurs on campus, interest in supporting student-owned businesses, and overall interest in a platform that would host ASU student-owned businesses. Additionally, we hosted an ASU Student Business Fair, on campus, to physically represent the functionality of the app and its purpose. Through these methods we were able to successfully validate the demand for a platform, exclusively for ASU students, that showcases student-owned businesses to better connect them with the student population.

ContributorsFano, Anthony (Author) / Harper, Triniti (Co-author) / Cameron, Colin (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Patel, Manish (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor)
Created2023-05
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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

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

This research explores Amazons growth amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and how it impacted its innovation initiatives. It examines the strategies employed by Amazon to drive innovation, explores the challenges encountered during this period of expansion, and identifies opportunities for innovation in a post-pandemic era. Additionally, this study offers insights and

This research explores Amazons growth amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and how it impacted its innovation initiatives. It examines the strategies employed by Amazon to drive innovation, explores the challenges encountered during this period of expansion, and identifies opportunities for innovation in a post-pandemic era. Additionally, this study offers insights and recommendations for organizations navigating similar circumstances.

ContributorsGolbienko, Adam (Author) / Lee, Christopher (Thesis director) / Slimp, Joshua (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor)
Created2023-12