Matching Items (12)
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- All Subjects: Leadership
- Creators: WPC Graduate Programs
Description
We were driven by the question: what is happening to the popularity of Major League Baseball? In order to answer this question we compared the league structure of Major League Baseball with that of the National Football League. We were able to speak with five former or current members of the respective leagues in order to gain some insight into how the two leagues operate. The main focus of our research was around the payroll structures of the two leagues as well as their revenue sharing policies. In the end, we discovered that Major League Baseball is becoming highly regionalized. The sport is still growing in popularity in terms of revenue and fan involvement, but it is becoming less popular on a national stage. The league is benefitting greatly from factors like the increasing importance of "TiVo proof programming" and a lack of competition. Each league is very different in its own right. While the NFL promotes a perception of competitive balance, Major League Baseball can be plagued by the negative perception it creates surrounding some of its smaller market teams.
ContributorsHeath, Cameron (Co-author) / Linamen, John (Co-author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
The thesis titled "Exploring Undergraduate Admissions through the Development of Shadowing Programs" is an organizational study and analysis of a shadowing program developed by Krista Moller, Ryan Johnson, and Kean Thomas. It resulted in the creation of a 25+ person student organization in the W.P. Carey School of Business called "Explore". The organization received backing and support from the admissions department in W.P. Carey, notably Dean of Admissions, Timothy Desch. The organization's members (titled "ambassadors") host a high school student interested in the business school for a day of class. High school students are matched with an ambassador based on majors they might be interested in, and ideally the result of the day of shadowing is the high school student having a better understanding of the opportunities available at W.P. Carey. The organization began in the fall of 2013, and was intended to be used as a thesis project from its inception. As a result, the founder's experiences were carefully documented and this allowed for a detailed analysis to take place. The analysis delves into the difficulties faced by the organization's members and executive board as a result of internal and external influences. The successes and experiences they were fortunate enough to have are also detailed, and plans for the organization's future are included as well. In addition, the Explore program is analyzed in comparison to other programs around the country and even in Canada, with the goal being to see where we could potentially strengthen our program. The founders of the Explore program (and authors of this thesis) hope other students might learn from it so that more programs such as Explore can be created, benefiting the local community and ASU itself.
ContributorsMoller, Krista (Co-author) / Johnson, Ryan (Co-author) / Thomas, Kean (Co-author) / Suk, Mina (Thesis director) / Desch, Timothy (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12
Description
The aim of this thesis is to explain the dichotomy between public perception of leadership and quantifiable measurement of leadership based on Information Measurement Theory, a method of utilizing deductive logic, and to identify and interpret the causes of such discrepancies as seen in the case of Steve Jobs. The general public perceives Steve Jobs to be an effective leader because he was visionary, entrepreneurial, charismatic and highly successful. However, these perceptions are not true indicators of leadership but rather qualitative interpretations of leadership without tangible evidence in support of this idea. An analysis of words found in multiple appearances of online articles relating to Steve Jobs and leadership revealed a variety of common factors associated with Steve Jobs' leadership, supporting a primarily positive viewpoint by the public. The thesis then identified how a new methodology of measuring leadership effectiveness based on quantitative data, known as the New Leadership Model, concludes Steve Jobs does not meet the criteria necessary to be considered a Best Value Leader, one who uses alignment rather than management, direction and control to achieve maximum efficiency within an organization. The discrepancies between public perception of Steve Jobs as a leader and the results of the New Leadership Model evaluation show significant variance. Potential rationale for these variances is offered in the thesis. In conclusion, the thesis argues that public perception will often differ from quantifiable measurement of leadership based on the interpretation of leadership by various groups and by the methods each group uses to identify characteristics of effective leadership.
ContributorsRoderique, Kelsey Boyd (Author) / Kashiwagi, Dean (Thesis director) / Kashiwagi, Jacob (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Although the number of women earning college degrees and entering the workforce is increasing, a gender gap persists at top leadership positions. Women are faced with numerous challenges throughout the talent pipeline, challenges that often drive women out of the workforce. This paper looks at the power of mentoring and how women, particularly young women, have the potential to overcome these challenges through a successful mentoring relationship. We use examples of successful mentoring programs at the corporate and university level to support the development of a mentoring program at the high school level. Our paper presents the research and development process behind the Young Women in Leadership (YWiL) Workshop, a half-day event that focused on bringing awareness to the importance of mentoring and leadership at the high school level while providing young women with the confidence and knowledge to begin to establish their own mentoring relationships.
ContributorsRust, Brenna (Co-author) / Myers, Sheridan (Co-author) / Desch, Tim (Thesis director) / Kalika, Dale (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Research on leaders indicates that strong leadership depends on certain behavioral factors as well as an established sense of trust and cooperation between leaders and the individuals they lead. In order to understand what has the greatest influence on an individual’s leadership abilities, this study was conducted to uncover what factors play the largest role in how an individual leads others and how they view others as leaders; the factors examined were extraversion, gender, honors college, class standing, and GPA. Along with this, the study was designed to determine the impact of ambiversion on leadership as well as the aforementioned factors. According to research, ambiverts are more dynamic and their behavior depends upon the situation at hand. In this study, a survey was conducted to gather information on students, assess their level of extraversion, and obtain their experiences both as leaders and when other individuals were leading them. Based on personality, extraverts felt more confident and effective in their leadership abilities, introverts were more authoritative in their approach to leadership and took charge of the group, and ambiverts did not feel confident or effective as leaders. Overall, women were more confident in their leadership abilities and felt they were more effective leaders. Women also are considered more team style leaders that encourage group members to participate and view success as a group effort. Men are more authoritative in their leadership style and believe the group should follow their rules. Along with this, women rated themselves as introverts less than men. Along other dimensions, W.P. Carey students are less about the people in their leadership style than other majors, and Barrett students are more focused on the task side of leadership than non-Barrett individuals. Additionally, students in the top GPA bracket are more team style leaders while students in the highest class standing are less team style with their leadership approach.
ContributorsPinto, Victoria Lynne (Co-author) / Houri, Jade (Co-author) / LePine, Marcie (Thesis director) / McKinnon, David (Committee member) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
In this paper, I have designed a business model for a new type of fashion retail
store. This store will perfect the personal styling experience by utilizing customer and
apparel data to make individualized apparel recommendations. The format of this store
will heavily reduce the amount of search time for customers by only showing clothing
pieces that each person is likely to purchase, based on predictive analytics. In order to
plan this business model and determine whether a company of this style could be
successful, this paper includes research on the current environment of the fashion
industry, the company’s potential target market segmentation, and tactics for developing
the best customer offering.
store. This store will perfect the personal styling experience by utilizing customer and
apparel data to make individualized apparel recommendations. The format of this store
will heavily reduce the amount of search time for customers by only showing clothing
pieces that each person is likely to purchase, based on predictive analytics. In order to
plan this business model and determine whether a company of this style could be
successful, this paper includes research on the current environment of the fashion
industry, the company’s potential target market segmentation, and tactics for developing
the best customer offering.
ContributorsTrevino, Alexandra (Author) / Riker, Elise (Thesis director) / Schlacter, John (Committee member) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
With every generation comes a unique struggle or times of turmoil and tumult. Many of these stories are learned from elders and grandparents when they reminisce of events that have altered the course of their lives and the lives of those around them. I intend to persevere these anecdotes and experiences in order to keep them from becoming lost in time. With the change in technology and industrialization, our grandparents and elders have lived a vastly different life than their descendants. In my case, my grandparents and relatives lived in Greece during the Second World War and the Greek civil war. In order to preserve these unique experiences, I have documented them in the form of a digitally recorded interview and have transcribed the interviews for analysis. The interviews and analysis will be separated into three sections: World War II, The Greek Civil War, and Immigration to the United States. Historical context will be provided with an overview of the events that occurred during the wars in the Greek Arena. Each interviewee will then have their perspective presented with historical sources that will reconcile the events and experiences for historical accuracy. In addition the sentiments shared by the interviewees on their lives as a result of these events will be observed in order to truly understand their perception of the world. From doing so, their life stories will be better understood and the stories told to their young grandson or nephew will not be forgotten in their passing.
ContributorsAmbus, Anthony (Author) / Benkert, Volker (Thesis director) / Julian, Lim (Committee member) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
In the field of Accountancy, recruiting is highly competitive among firms and prospective employees alike. This is particularly true when it comes to the firms Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PWC, the largest accounting firms that comprise what is known as the "Big Four." These firms maintain a large presence and recruit heavily on the Arizona State University (ASU) campus. There exists a defined path for recruiting with these firms; some of the opportunities offered include Office Tours, Externships, Internships, and Volunteer Service. However, as clear as the path may seem to someone who has researched these opportunities, it is murky for most students. Without direction, both students and the firms miss out on crucial relationship development. As an Accountancy major in the W.P. Carey School of Business, I had a difficult time understanding the recruiting process; much of my knowledge came from my peers. As a result, I researched what students know about the recruiting process, and how they learned this information. I also queried the Big Four firms and the student organization, Beta Alpha Psi, to learn what they want from students and how they organize their recruiting process. I surveyed Accountancy majors including both those who went through the recruiting process and those who had yet to go through the process. Overall, the results were consistent with my original understanding; many students lack knowledge of recruiting opportunities and those who did have such knowledge mainly learned of it from their peers and word of mouth. These results show room for growth in connecting students to the firms. A suggested course of action developed based on these findings can be integrated into the ACC101: Accountancy LEAP Program, as well as be incorporated into a student guide in order to better give students direction, a roadmap to the aforementioned path.
ContributorsWhitson, Jillian Layne (Author) / Faurel, Lucile (Thesis director) / Bonfiglio, Thomas (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Company X is one of the world's largest manufacturer of semiconductors. The company relies on various suppliers in the U.S. and around the globe for its manufacturing process. The financial health of these suppliers is vital to the continuation of Company X's business without any material interruption. Therefore, it is in Company X's interest to monitor its supplier's financial performance. Company X has a supplier financial health model currently in use. Having been developed prior to watershed events like the Great Recession, the current model may not reflect the significant changes in the economic environment due to these events. Company X wants to know if there is a more accurate model for evaluating supplier health that better indicates business risk. The scope of this project will be limited to a sample of 24 suppliers representative of Company X's supplier base that are public companies. While Company X's suppliers consist of both private and public companies, the used of exclusively public companies ensures that we will have sufficient and appropriate data for the necessary analysis. The goal of this project is to discover if there is a more accurate model for evaluating the financial health of publicly traded suppliers that better indicates business risk. Analyzing this problem will require a comprehensive understanding of various financial health models available and their components. The team will study best practice and academia. This comprehension will allow us to customize a model by incorporating metrics that allows greater accuracy in evaluating supplier financial health in accordance with Company X's values.
ContributorsLi, Tong (Co-author) / Gonzalez, Alexandra (Co-author) / Park, Zoon Beom (Co-author) / Vogelsang, Meridith (Co-author) / Simonson, Mark (Thesis director) / Hertzel, Mike (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
This thesis analyzes the relationship between diversity within U. S. boards of directors and overall firm performance. In the summer of 2020, various political and social movements erupted, fighting against police brutality and racial violence. These events were followed by an influx of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) frameworks across corporate America. It was becoming increasingly clear that diversity within company leadership was lacking. A company’s board of directors, who is responsible for creating value for shareholders, was not an accurate representation of the people it served. First, I will begin by discussing the current state of diversity in corporate boards by discussing reasons firms diversify, benefits and risks of a diverse board, and major barriers to diversification efforts. A main goal of directors is to maximize shareholder return, which prompts the question: is there a financial benefit to having directors of different backgrounds, skills, and perspectives? In the second part of my thesis, I explore the correlation of board compositions and the company’s financial performance through a study of 45 Fortune 500 companies. Previous studies have mixed results; some studies concluded that there is a positive correlation, some found a negative correlation, and others were inconclusive. While the results of my study did not demonstrate that a relationship between firm performance and diversity exists, I want to emphasize that it does not mean that diverse boards do not contribute at all to the success of the board. There are various factors that contributed to my results, but regardless of my findings, I believe that further research of this topic is necessary and will be beneficial for those in corporate governance.
ContributorsVitale, Anna (Author) / Licon, Wendell (Thesis director) / Samuelson, Melissa (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor)
Created2022-05