This study examines how a commitment to service can impact and come to exemplify a company’s brand image, customer loyalty, and overall organizational success. It examines the history and evolution of customer service, as well as what commitment to service looks like in present-day businesses. It differentiates companies that have attained a reputation for superior service and companies that have struggled to overcome service failures. Trader Joe’s, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Chick-fil-A, Southwest Airlines, and The Walt Disney Company are identified as five companies that have attained a reputation for remarkable service. This study includes five analyses to understand each company’s mission, history, leadership, employee engagement, and organizational culture. This study synthesizes how an unwavering commitment to customers, emphasis on employee empowerment, and ability to embed service in culture are common themes that can significantly contribute to a company’s ability to develop a reputation for remarkable service.

This thesis project is an introspective review of the author’s childhood and family life, as one of her siblings is on the severe end of the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The siblings of a special needs child are impacted in many different ways, emotionally and behaviorally, and the sibling experience is directly influenced by the dynamics of this relationship. Additionally, family composition has the largest impact on the experiences of the typically developing child, and the roles generally found within a family may be altered by the presence of a special needs child. To determine the validity of this statement, a literature review supplemented by research will be presented in this dissertation.
The purpose of this thesis was to determine the effects of growing up with a special needs child, questioning if there were a set number of outcomes that each typically developing sibling would manifest, and determining if family composition was impactful on these as well.
To frame the literature review, the author establishes that she has an older sibling who rejects the idea that having a special needs sibling had any effect on her life or personality, which is a juxtaposition to the outlook of the author herself. By analyzing research and composing a list of effects on typically developed siblings; such as, increased responsibility; having to grow up quickly; taking on caregiving roles for older siblings; a survey was created to be sent to participants who were either parents or siblings of a special needs person. By including both parents and siblings, two perspectives could be compared--that of the sibling experiencing the change, and the parent who watches it happen. After distribution of the surveys, there were six (6) valid responses.
The findings ranged from a multitude of similarities among older siblings and then parents, but the literature had no information on siblings younger than the special needs child. It was connected that children with an adopted younger special needs sibling have a more difficult adjustment than do biological siblings. Additionally, older siblings feel nearly unanimously that they had to grow up quicker to take on some caregiver roles.

This study examines the intersectionality of mental health and education, with an emphasis on resources and awareness for elementary school teachers. It starts with a review of mental health awareness in society, particularly in regard to social stigma and its associated effects. I then discuss the existing resources, teaching methods, and third party interventions which address mental health awareness and care within elementary schools. Within this context, the research supports the strong influence of teachers’ behaviors and perceivable attitudes on students. However, despite the identification of teachers playing a significant role in the availability of mental health resources for students, existing studies rarely addresses the necessity of mental health awareness and care to optimize teacher capacity and counteract occupational stress. The study examines the current approach and challenges of an elementary school that has expressed interest in creating a culture of care, characterized by mental health awareness and resources that support teachers within the school environment. After identifying the key mental health concerns of the school’s stakeholders, I propose a custom program of self-care and mental health awareness to support the current work culture. The study concludes with examination of implementation strategies for the school, as well as implications for future mental health awareness in similar settings.

This online course is designed to educate students on the most popular yet conflicting generations: Millennials and Generation Xers. The lectures discuss what is a generation, what makes someone a Millennial or Generation Xer, and explains how to communicate with each generation. Whether you are a manager, coworker, or student, this course will teach you how each generation views the world, and how you can effectively communicate and relate to both generations. Below is a link to take this course at a discounted price: https://www.udemy.com/generational-communication-in-the-workplace/?couponCode=COMMUNICATE

This project explores the preparation of students from Kofa High School for a four-year higher education institution with the resources provided to them by their school. The Kofa High School College Bridge Program aims to assist students, many of whom will be first-generation college students, through workshops covering topics such as financial literacy, standardized testing, psychological makeup, team-building activities, leadership, and more. Workshops included first-hand testimony from college students about their experiences at a four-year institution. With the high number of Hispanics living in Yuma, Arizona and attending Kofa High School, the students fit into the statistics that Hispanics are less likely to achieve a four-year college education. Many public schools including Kofa High School have college-bound or honors programs in place to combat these statistics and to challenge students academically to prepare them for a higher education. Ashley and Levi collaborated with two AVID classes for freshman and sophomores, to survey students about their perceptions of college, the factors that are holding them back, the problems that they feel their school can improve on the most, and a few more. By conducting monthly workshops, in addition to their normal curriculum, the students gained a greater understanding of the importance of higher education. These monthly workshops included learning about the skills needed to succeed in high school in order for them to succeed in the next two or three years before applying to a university.

A fun, interactive, and practical motivational speaking package designed to inspire and encourage high school and college students, as well as young adults, to achieve success and discover their leadership potential. Using secrets learned from starting my own business, Board Blazers LED Underglow Skateboard Lighting, and performing as Drum Major of the 400+ member ASU Sun Devil Marching Band, I share tips and tricks that can be applied in everyday life. Topics include surviving in difficult leadership situations unique to young leaders, celebrity confidence secrets, and creating infectious enthusiasm while working on a team.

Innovation Space is a course designed to challenge senior students to collaborate on an interdisciplinary basis while completing a thought-provoking project. Each project is designed to allow students to address real-world issues. My team, Leverage, has created a product suite for power wheelchair users. Our product suite equips a wheelchair with a backup camera, an expanding lap desk, and a headrest with integrated Bluetooth speakers and microphone. These products are designed to increase the productive potential of the disabled, particularly quadriplegics injured around the C4 vertebra level. During the course of the program, my team will create physical prototypes of our product and I will create a full business plan. The individual written portion of my thesis will consist of discussion of a branding framework developed by creative director Patrick Hanlon. In addition, I will suggest methodology for effectively branding our company.

This project investigates how experiences colleges create for admitted students impact students' excitement for, satisfaction with, and likelihood to attend the college, analyzed by different subgroups, and how non-yielded students compare their college selection to W. P. Carey on various metrics. This study found that top admit students were less likely to attend, less satisfied, and less excited with the services offered than their counterparts and recommendations were made to improve the gap.

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.