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- Creators: Arizona State University
- Status: Published
Description
It is vital for schools to have qualified teachers educating our children. Institutions with teacher preparation programs supply a valuable service to their communities by providing classrooms with devoted professionals who thrive on helping children learn, and the Teachers College, where this study is set, is one such institution. The Teachers College offers two pathways to gain teacher certification: a traditional bachelor’s degree in teaching areas such as elementary, secondary, or special education, as well as master’s degrees in those same teaching areas which offer students with a bachelor’s degree in an area other than teaching, another pathway to teacher certification. Many people who receive their bachelor degrees and then return to college to earn advanced K-12 teacher education degrees are from the millennial generation. The decision to return to college to earn a master’s degree with teacher certification can be a stressful one. Millennial students seeking teacher certification often have fulltime jobs and families, and therefore need the process of returning to school to be quick and efficient. How well these prospective students communicate with the admissions staff at their school of choice will determine if they receive the information needed to complete their applications. The focus of this study is to investigate if a proactive advising text message innovation developed for this study called TextEd, used during the admission process for graduate level, teacher certification programs at the Teachers College, affected applicant communication levels and customer satisfaction through the application process. More specifically, surveys and interviews were conducted with applicants from three teacher certifications programs to determine if TextEd was an effective tool for communication with millennial applicants. Results indicated that applicants’ preferred method of communication was their cell phone, and an increased level of customer satisfaction occurred when using a proactive advising approach with text messaging during the admissions process.
ContributorsO'Malley, Katherine I (Author) / Hermanns, Carl (Thesis advisor) / Caterino, Linda (Committee member) / Fogerty, Glen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the current state of the brick-and-mortar bookselling industry, with particular focus on independent bookstores and their strengths and weaknesses, and synthesizing recommendations for these bookstores to reinvent themselves in a rapidly changing market. This examination is highly relevant given recent concerns that, with the rise of e-retailers like Amazon and the closure of bookstore chain Borders, brick-and-mortar bookstores may be superseded by new digital vendors. Independent bookstores are thought to be at a particular disadvantage to these retailers, given their limited size and resources, as well as the lack of capital or consumer base that a larger chain like Barnes and Noble can draw upon to invest in emerging technology. With these more limited financial opportunities, independent bookstores must find different ways to not only keep abreast of the technology that consumers are coming to expect from modern businesses, but attract customers.
To gain insight into the state of the industry and current position of independent bookstores, I will first examine the past fifty years of the brick-and-mortar bookstore, followed by a Porter’s Five Forces analysis of the industry threats and a SWOT analysis to compare the strengths and weaknesses of independent bookstores. Next, the patrons of independent bookstores will be discussed with a focus on the two largest consumer groups of Millennials and Baby Boomers, their characteristics, and the opportunities they provide to bookstores. After this there will be an exploration of the competitors to brick-and-mortar bookstores, focusing on Amazon and then touching on some of the other rivals to bookstores’ consumer base. The next section will be an in-depth analysis of a variety of bookstores across the United States, with attention to their successful practices, goals, concerns, and failures. First, there will be a comparison of industry success and failure through case studies of Borders and Powell’s bookstores. Next, there will be a comparison of five beloved independent bookstores across the country to share their varied competitive advantages that are the secret to their success. Finally, there are primary source interviews with the employees of three major Phoenix bookstores, which provide insight into the goals, current projects, attitudes, and inner strengths of these businesses. Finally, the thesis will conclude with a section offering solutions and suggestions for independent bookstores to pursue based on the primary and secondary research discussed above. These recommendations are focused on five key areas:
• Community
• Consumers
• Store Design
• Technology
• Diversification
Ultimately, the information provided by this research and these interviews indicates that while vital business changes are being pursued by independent and chain bookstores across the United States, the independent bookstore shows no signs of disappearing in favor of online vendors or e-readers.
To gain insight into the state of the industry and current position of independent bookstores, I will first examine the past fifty years of the brick-and-mortar bookstore, followed by a Porter’s Five Forces analysis of the industry threats and a SWOT analysis to compare the strengths and weaknesses of independent bookstores. Next, the patrons of independent bookstores will be discussed with a focus on the two largest consumer groups of Millennials and Baby Boomers, their characteristics, and the opportunities they provide to bookstores. After this there will be an exploration of the competitors to brick-and-mortar bookstores, focusing on Amazon and then touching on some of the other rivals to bookstores’ consumer base. The next section will be an in-depth analysis of a variety of bookstores across the United States, with attention to their successful practices, goals, concerns, and failures. First, there will be a comparison of industry success and failure through case studies of Borders and Powell’s bookstores. Next, there will be a comparison of five beloved independent bookstores across the country to share their varied competitive advantages that are the secret to their success. Finally, there are primary source interviews with the employees of three major Phoenix bookstores, which provide insight into the goals, current projects, attitudes, and inner strengths of these businesses. Finally, the thesis will conclude with a section offering solutions and suggestions for independent bookstores to pursue based on the primary and secondary research discussed above. These recommendations are focused on five key areas:
• Community
• Consumers
• Store Design
• Technology
• Diversification
Ultimately, the information provided by this research and these interviews indicates that while vital business changes are being pursued by independent and chain bookstores across the United States, the independent bookstore shows no signs of disappearing in favor of online vendors or e-readers.
ContributorsPorrell, Kelly Maria (Author) / Montoya, Detra (Thesis director) / Schlacter, John (Committee member) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
The COVID-19 pandemic carries many implications that are resulting in substantial shifts in the way people work, live, and socialize. Interest in the effects of the pandemic on residential mobility and discussions about the short- and long-term impacts on housing preferences have grown. Recent studies have explored the pandemic’s implications for the housing market. Yet, little is known about how COVID-19 is changing people’s housing needs and residential choices.This research narrows the gap in the literature by exploring changing housing preferences in the Phoenix metro area (PMA) among Millennials (i.e., those born between 1981 and 1996; Pew Research Center, 2019). The study uses data from (i) one- on-one interviews with Millennials and other generations, planners, and real estate agents, (ii) the U.S. Census, (iii) Zillow, and (iv) scholarly publications and regional media to investigate the push and pull factors shaping emerging Millennial housing trends in the PMA. This study also investigates the implications of Millennials’ changing residential choices on the PMA housing market, with special attention to impacts on social equity.
The findings suggest that the pandemic has made Millennials reevaluate their residential choices. While this generation's locational housing preferences were strongly motivated by proximity-related factors (Ehlenz et al., 2020; Pfeiffer et al., 2019), telecommuting and online learning resulted in Millennials’ mobility to smaller cities, suburban neighborhoods, and areas far away from jobs and schools. This research also finds that Millennials are becoming more interested in privacy, flexibility in housing, and larger homes that include work and outdoor spaces. Finally, the study reveals concerns about the increasing risk of eviction because of the business shutdowns and employment losses caused by the ongoing health crisis.
Overall, this research suggests that planners and decisionmakers should rethink PMA urban growth policies to avoid continued suburbanization and social justice challenges, such as eviction and foreclosures. It also highlights the positive outcomes of flexible housing as an effective tool for community development. The findings suggest that planners and developers should integrate considerations of generational diversity into housing practice and theory.
ContributorsSaadaoui, Rababe (Author) / Pfeiffer, Deirdre (Thesis advisor) / Ehlenz, Meagan (Committee member) / Jamme, Hue-Tam (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021