The Applied Learning Thesis is a Barrett, the Honors College thesis project in which one uses something going on in their daily lives and apply it toward a thesis project. For my project, I am using my current position as a Customer Experience Representative (CER) at BMO Harris Bank to determine whether or not the teller position is necessary in the current landscape of retail banking. Using interviews from individuals related to the industry, research primarily from internet sources, and real data given by BMO Harris Bank representatives, I will try to determine what direction future of the teller position seems to be heading.

COVID-19 has proved that our society can be adaptable in the most unexpected situations. Chaos and fear struck the nation causing people to react in a variety of ways in an attempt to protect their own self interests. The retail space has had to adjust in large scales, making the shopping experience safer both for the customer and the employees. I was able to experience this first hand at Target, working there many years previous to and during the pandemic, getting to see the shift in consumer patterns. I noticed customers would purchase more products in one department, then the next month it would shift to another department. This paper will analyze those shifts in sales trends both departmentaly and within shopping methods at Target to help identify the largest changes and the possible reasons behind these.

BeFit. Summary of Honors Thesis Throughout the Barrett, the Honors College Thesis process we were tasked with creating our own entrepreneurial startup venture. Our objective was to mock up and develop a holistic fitness application that businesses can use to motivate their employees to adopt healthy habits while increasing productivity. We were able to reach out and connect with local businesses about the prospect of using our application. In addition, we included a reward system that companies can use for health experiences, such as a percentage off rock climbing or a discounted round of golf. This aided us in gaining valuable insights into who our potential clients could be and helped us narrow down our target market. We implemented a ring system in our application where employees would fulfill daily goals of physical health, mental health, sleep, and nutrition. The rings start dark red and gradient towards green as the client accomplishes their goals. The BeFit. app had separate tabs for personal health statistics, leaderboards, rewards, and intramural sports that could be played against other companies. Our prototype utilizes all of these features with the goal of companies’ ability to increase their employees’ cognitive function and team morale in the workplace.

The Founder’s lab is a year-long program that gives 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 Barrett honors thesis project focuses on increasing the accessibility of health and wellness programs for small businesses and their employees through a customizable and easily implemented third party program that encourages employee retention.

The Founder’s lab is a year-long program that gives 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 Barrett honors thesis project focuses on increasing the accessibility of health and wellness programs for small businesses and their employees through a customizable and easily implemented third party program that encourages employee retention.

Braille Retail is a student-led effort to promote awareness and inclusivity for visually impaired and blind individuals through legible braille designs on fabric. Our mission is to bring awareness to the visually impaired and blind community and increase braille literacy. We plan to reach our mission by placing legible braille and its translation on our sweatshirts. Furthermore, we want to support the visually impaired and blind community by donating 5% of our profits to local blind charities.