The purpose of this experiment was to determine if there was a statistically significant relationship between the success rate of Assisted Reproductive Technology treatments and factors including the socioeconomic status of the area around selected fertility clinics as well as whether the eggs used in the treatments were fresh or frozen, and either from donors or from the patients themselves. Data on treatment success rates were gathered from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and socioeconomic status data in the form of median income and racial makeup of the area surrounding selected clinics were gathered from the national Census. These data were analyzed using a general linear model to determine whether any of the potential effects had a significant impact on success rates. A binomial logit link analysis of the results showed that only the fresh versus frozen nature of the egg used in each procedure had a significant impact on the success rate of that procedure, and that the socioeconomic status of the area around the clinics seemed to have no effect on treatment success rates. The value of this analysis in particular comes from its attention to the relationship between socioeconomic factors and the success rates of fertility specifically, as much of the existing research on the relationship between socioeconomic factors and quality of care tends to focus on medical care in general, as opposed to any one area.

Political polarization is at an all-time high in the United States and people are more polarized in their beliefs than ever. The issue of polarization is one of the most divisive conflicts in America today. The following honors thesis analyzes how political polarization affects voter emotions and behaviors. To study this, I expose participants to a high polarization news article and a low polarization news article and observe the results. Out of the test came two key findings. The first is that participants who identify as Independents were much more likely to feel inspiration in a high polarization context than in a low polarization context. The second is that in a high polarization condition, Democrat and Republican participants felt more connected to their own parties compared to the control condition.

Influencer marketing is the latest phenomenon in the consumer marketing industry. Successful influencer sponsorships close the gap between companies and their customers by capitalizing on the connection influencers share with their audience. Producing advertisements more organically and directly, coming from a trustworthy and relatable source leads to greater returns. Therefore, influencer accounts are becoming increasingly popular throughout social media, especially Instagram. For this reason, the main focal point of this paper is to describe how to effectively create an influencer brand by finding a niche and growing an engaged audience on Instagram. Our findings consist of three studies: personal interviews, creating an Instagram account, and analyzing twelve well-known influencers. We first analyzed the environmental trends impacting the social media industry and what this means for a growing influencer. Using our discoveries, we launched an Instagram account, featuring the Nordstrom Twins, learning from the first-hand experience of successful and unsuccessful content strategies. Then, through data collection and analysis of twelve unique twin influencer (twinfluencer) accounts, as well as personal interviews with industry professionals, we established an influencer business strategy. Our research conveys how to increase user interactions and grow an engagement rate on the constantly evolving Instagram platform.

This paper is a beginner’s guide to the product management (PM) career. The paper starts with an introduction to myself and my product management journey, as well as my purpose in writing the guide. Next, I cover the basics of a product management career, such as career path, salaries, job descriptions, responsibilities and characteristics of product managers, and the different types of product managers. I then go in depth on the product development lifecycle, the place where the product manager’s work resides. The product development lifecycle consists of: finding and planning the right opportunity, designing the solution, building the solution, sharing the solution, and assessing the solution. Product managers work cross-functionally with marketing, design, and engineering teams. After discussing each step to the process, I move into the topic of how to get the knowledge and skillset necessary for a product management job. This includes tips and advice on degree choice, books, websites, PM internships and full-time jobs, and how to prepare for interviews. The guide provides fundamental information about product management, getting a product management job, and where to go after to learn more.

This thesis proposes the creation of a web service, Pulse, which will function as a content aggregator for the hardcore eSports fan. The hardcore eSports fan is characterized as an individual who (1) spends at least 10 hours a week consuming or engaging in eSports content, (2) follow multiple eSports personas (players or teams), and (3) have streamed or attended at least one eSports tournament. This segment of the eSports fanbase is targeted because it represents a very invested portion of the 380 million total eSports fans engaged with streaming and potentially attending live events and purchasing team merchandise (Newzoo 2018). The eSports industry itself is expected to reach almost a billion dollars in 2018, and Pulse will seek by capitalize on this record valuation by connecting fans to the highlights they love and performance metrics they wish to see for a given eSports Participant.

Pulse will stand out from its competitors by offering the hardcore eSports fan a digital space that provides them everything they care about eSports at a glance. From tracking Participant and franchise metrics to notifying them of an upcoming event, Pulse will sort through the eSports data stream and present its users with a customizable aggregation feed to sort through in a social media-type environment. Forum posts and comment sections on highlight videos will also be included to facilitate a social experience for the browsing user if he or she wishes to engage with the wider Pulse community. The web service will perform monetization by selling advertisement space to free users, or through monthly subscription fees to Premium users. The Premium users are offered additional features of the Pulse web service, such as additional Participant metrics, full video catalog of eSports highlights, and more focused search results.

This study focuses on how parents purchase toys for their children. Specifically, the focus is on how likely parents are to purchase a toy typically associated with being feminine, masculine, or gender neutral. This study builds on research that showed that a parent’s gender role ideology affects how likely they are to purchase cross-gender toys (traditionally masculine toys for girls, traditionally feminine toys for boys) for their children (Kollmayer 2018). The study used photographs of pretested toys that had been deemed as masculine, feminine, or gender neutral. Using a within-subjects design, participants saw toys from each category and indicated their likelihood of purchase for each toy. The likelihood of purchase was used as the dependent variable. The findings were used to make recommendations to toy companies and retailers on how to market toys in regards to gender.

This paper will be exploring a marketing plan for a Kpop Fan artist, Jennifer Lee. Kpop is a genre of music originating from South Korea that provides a whole-package entertainment. Fan artists are producers who create produce for the consumption and purchase of other Kpop fans. The paper will consider segmentation and the products and platforms that best target them in order to maximize revenue. A survey was performed with a sample size of 314 participants to find out consumer behavior and preference as well as producer situation. Consumers come from both the United States and abroad. Customers come directly and almost exclusively from followers. Therefore, increasing the number of followers on Instagram is essential to increasing revenue. Jennifer has time, resource, and ability constraints, while the market has limited potential. The conclusion is that Jennifer should become more organized as a business. To grow her following, she should cater more towards the most popular fandoms (BTS), make art tutorials, consider collaborations, and better inform followers of her products/services available for purchase. The social media platforms key to marketing Jennifer's products are Instagram and Twitter. Other platforms to be used to increase exposure are Tumblr, Amino Apps, DeviantArt, Reddit, and YouTube. She must also declutter all of these virtual storefronts of unnecessary content to varying degrees in order to build ease of access and a trustworthy brand image. The best platforms for transaction is a personal store, RedBubble (a website that allows users to sell a variety of products with their uploaded images printed onto them), Patreon, and in-person at conventions.

This thesis will examine the recruitment process of educated millennials coming from four-year institutions to their first job out of college. When referring to millennials throughout my research, I am specifically focusing on current college graduates in order to better relate to my own experiences as a soon-to-be-graduate seeking a job. I will examine the various recruiting techniques, i.e. channels to connect with graduates, and the hiring and interview process as a whole. This thesis will also discuss the challenges and differences of recruiting millennials versus other generations. It will also discuss the latest trends in college and early talent recruiting. In order to do this, I conducted a number of in-depth interviews with recruiters and hiring managers from various companies that recruit heavily from Arizona State University (ASU), in order to determine what these companies have done to be successful among young college graduates. I aimed to identify the specific techniques that these companies use to connect with recent college graduates, what skills these firms are looking for, and what the hiring process looks like for new millennial employees. I also conducted an extensive online literature search about recruiting educated millennials in the workforce, and I used that information as a basis to form my interview questions. The interviews were meant to confirm or deny that research, but the interviewees also revealed many new trends and insights. I hope that this information will be beneficial not only to college seniors seeking first-time employment, but also to other companies who feel that they are struggling to capture young talent.

The development of music streaming services over the past 10 years has been an innovative way in which the music industry has adapted to the digital revolution and the increase in online piracy. Given millennials' increasing use of web and mobile platforms and the growth in audio and video streaming seen in the last few years, this paper will seek to identify and analyze the marketing strategies and product offerings of the streaming services currently on the market, and identify the listening and buying habits of millennials to see which of these services is most representative of these trends. One way this was measured is through a survey of 429 students attending the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Based on the findings of this survey in the context of the streaming services' current business models, it was discovered that people within this age group want a service that is low-cost, accessible, and rich with content. Second, they are not more likely to choose a streaming service over another if it pays out high royalties to others. Lastly, it was determined that while Spotify is currently the frontrunner for streaming services, Apple Music will likely see growth in usage and subscription revenue through its permanent presence on the world's most highly used phone. This will be dependent on Apple Music's ability to differentiate itself from other competitors on the market. Overall, it is likely that streaming services will have to provide a low-cost option for consumers while artists will need to find alternative sources of revenue given the substantial change in the business model of the recording industry.