Marketing Commons^™

Millennial Attraction To Southwest Michigan – Retaining And Attracting Millennial Talent To Our Region’S Companies, Robert Nyhuis

Honors Theses

Businesses in our region and in our country today have a unique opportunity being presented to them. Four generations of employees are walking through the doors of our companies each day. To expect that each generation can be catered to the same would be ignorant for a CEO or manager to believe. It’s common knowledge that this new generation entering the workforce, the millennials, are unlike any other generation to come before in regards to their workplace necessities and demands. Technology, diversity, and flexibility just scratch the surface when it comes to what the millennial generation is looking for when …

Permissions Between Creators And Users: An Investigation Of Particulars In Privacy Policies For Mobile Apps, Abbigail Griffith

Honors Theses

Mobile apps create a space for users to share information with other users and, in doing so, the creators of the applications. Generally, the greater amount of sharing information that occurs between users and creators enhances the experience of the apps for both parties. However, the extent to which mobile apps use this information can cause concerns with users about privacy due to the unknown practices of mobile apps relevant to data collection, data sharing, and data storage.

Documents, such as privacy policies, exist in attempts to moderate these concerns. Additionally, mobile apps offer in-app features for the same reasons. …

Women Leaders In Marketing: Breaking Through The Glass Ceiling, Hallie Green

Honors Theses

Introduction: During my internships I was able to work with and meet women leaders in marketing. Through our discussions I learned that gender roles are still prevalent in large companies today. Many of the women I worked with talked about struggles women face in their career that men do not. There were strong emotions that women did not get equal treatment for their contributions to the company. I was surprised by these statements, especially from seemingly successful women. This thesis will be an exploration of the difficulties professional female marketers face, and the ways women that are starting their career …

Treat Transparency, Amanda Van Giesen

Honors Theses

Snacking is Growing at an Alarming Rate

As modern lifestyles change, and consumers grow ever busier, snacking is becoming a more important part of the traditional consumer’s schedule. According to Nielsen, global consumers spent roughly $374 billion dollars on snack foods between the years of 2014 and 2015 (Nielsen, 2014).

Why Students?

With college students potentially becoming customers as they begin to make their own purchase decisions, an analysis of this group and their relationships with snacks is key for manufacturers. According to my study, 73.5% of survey respondents indicated that they have consumed seven or more snacks during the …

Western Michigan University’S Department Of Dance Marketing Plan, Cassandra Hartline

Honors Theses

The following report constitutes the formal marketing plan for the department of dance at Western Michigan University. This plan is intended to synthesize all of the marketing related information pertinent to Western’s dance department and provide easy one step access to this material at any time. The other purpose of this plan is to dictate the primary objectives the department is looking to accomplish through implementation of marketing tactics.

The first primary objective includes increasing visibility of the department of dance as a whole to both our primary and secondary target audiences; the second objective is to create innovative marketing …

Cross Cultural Study Of Food And Consumer Packaged Good Products In A New Market: Case Study In Thailand, Savanna Everett

Honors Theses

This study examines whether there are differences in consumers’ shopping behavior due to cultural orientation. The study uses comparing samples of American and Thai culture on two occasions. Theory suggests that these two cultural groups have dramatically different shopping practices. Thai, raised in a collectivist society that values price consciousness and sophistication in money handling, differ from Americans raised in an individualist society that traditionally do not have the same values (Ackerman and Tellis 2001).

We argue that differences in culture provide the most likely explanation for the differences in prices between the two types of super markets. The overall …

Cross Cultural Study Of Food And Cpg Products In A New Market: Case Study In The United States Vs Thailand, Mariel Dehn

Honors Theses

This study examines whether there are differences in consumers’ shopping behavior due to cultural orientation. The study uses comparing samples of American and Thai culture on two occasions. Theory suggests that these two cultural groups have dramatically different shopping practices. Thai, raised in a collectivist society that values price consciousness and sophistication in money handling, differ from Americans raised in an individualist society that traditionally do not have the same values (Ackerman and Tellis 2001).

We argue that differences in culture provide the most likely explanation for the differences in prices between the two types of super markets. The overall …

Is Major League Baseball Striking Out? In-Game Advertising And Its Effects On America's Pastime, Ashley M. Anderson

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to determine the effectiveness of in-game advertisements at Major League Baseball games. Average attendance at Major League Baseball games has been steadily declining for years. Simultaneously, the average length of a professional baseball game has increased significantly. Secondary research has shown that just a few minutes of advertising per game could add up to hours of extra playing time per season. There is ample research available on the evolution and frequency of in-game advertisement, but little has been done to study the actual effectiveness of in-game advertising. Therefore, I conducted primary research in the …

Style For Life: A Fashion Blog Analysis, Lynley-Love Jones

Honors Theses

Social media usage has drastically increased and has made interacting with a much larger number of people from around the world possible. Because social media has allowed increased interaction, blogging has been able to capitalize on this by building brand awareness and exposure in the market with more people as a result. This has also helped fashion blogging become a huge part of the fashion industry, with it now being viewed as a respectable facet of the industry. These people have become hugely influential in the fashion world, having been deemed the title of product influencers. Consumers become invested in …

They Call It Le Big Mac: The Importance Of Adapting To Local Preferences In Marketing Strategy, Walker Bobo

Honors Theses

When McDonald's entered France in the 1970s, critics did not believe it would be a success. France is a country with a strong and longstanding gastronomic tradition, and it is proud and protective of its culture. In addition, the country has been known for its anti-globalization views. However, France is today the largest market for McDonald's, outside of the United States. How was McDonald's able to win over the French market and become so successful? This thesis analyses adaptations to marketing strategy that McDonald's undertook in France to better appeal to the local audience and connects these adaptations to trends …

Hello Kitty's Long-Standing Cross-Cultural Popularity In The United States And Japan, Melanie Matchette

Honors Theses

Hello Kitty’s success is unique in that the character is popular across the world and has been popular for decades. This paper seeks to determine how Sanrio has gained and maintained success in both the United States and Japan despite their differences in consumers. I will explore the differences and similarities in marketing strategies employed in each country. I develop themes that attempt to explain the success of marketing techniques unique to each country as well as marketing techniques that worked for both countries.

After exploring the reasons behind marketing success in each country, I determine what Sanrio could do …

Marketing Ideas That Could Improve Adoptions And Reduce Return Rates Of Dogs In Shelters In The State Of Michigan, Bryan Klemett

Honors Theses

Dogs have always been something that attracts people’s attention. It is hard to decide whether it is their fur, their cuteness, or their personality that makes them lovable. The area I chose to conduct my research is in marketing. Since dogs are man’s best friend, what other better way is there to do a thesis than on something so lovable? This research entails marketing ideas that could increase adoption rates while reducing return rates of animals at shelters in the State of Michigan.

I chose this topic because as it is stated earlier, I am a dog lover. I have …

Modeling Mobile Website Usability, J Matt Hamil

Honors Theses

Smartphones have become a prevalent part of today’s society. Smartphone users have begun using their phones to make purchases on the mobile web. This study focused on usability characteristics of mobile websites of large retail companies. The aim of this study was to conduct quantitative analyses building upon previous usability research both in the e-commerce and m-commerce realm. A sample population was obtained from a convenience sample recruited from a social media and email campaign. Respondents were asked to visit an assigned website and find three products for a friend, family member, or significant other. The data were analyzed quantitatively …

Becoming Our Parents: A Proposed Investigation Into Family Influence In Consumer Behavior, Katie E. Bowman

Honors Theses

Relationships between children and parents have been studied for years across multiple disciplines. Family ties affect countless decisions made throughout the world, making this study relevant to multiple researchers. The need to understand these family influences is particularly important within the business world. Because sales are the goal, being able to comprehend why a consumer purchases one product over the rest of its competition is crucial. This paper is focused specifically on the relationships between parents and their children and how that relationship affects the consumer behavior of the children. These relationships are being studied through intergenerational consumer patterns including …

Emotions Involved In Shopping At The Airport, Alexis D. Tymkiw

Honors Theses

This paper examines the emotional motivations that drive consumers to shop at airport retailers. Airport retailing is a rapidly growing segment as airports continue to expand retail areas and the number of passengers increase each year. With larger retail areas, airports are beginning to resemble shopping areas. However, with higher prices and consumers experiencing time and space constraints, the airport is a very unique shopping environment. This paper explored two unique emotional motivations for shopping at airports: (1) to escape the stress of travel and (2) to eliminate boredom. Analysis of the in-depth interviews led to the development of four …

Anxiety In The Aisle: A Multi-Channel Study Of The Incongruence Between Wine Consumption And Wine Shopping, Brianna Amat

Honors Theses

The wine industry is extremely fragmented with few manufacturers holding a substantial market share while contending with each other for limited shelf space and shoppers. At the same time, the large selection of wines available challenges retailers and manufacturers to make wine selection and purchase as pleasant and convenient as possible for shoppers.

Retail stores, referred to as “off-premise” are the predominant outlet for purchasing alcohol. Shoppers are exposed to a wide variety of prices, bottle sizes, grape variety, etc., but the traditional in-store displays lack in the most important information for shoppers — how to navigate the aisle and …

Preparing And Executing An Effective Sales Call, Mackenzie Wright

Honors Theses

This thesis is written in a business document format. It will have four main sections: Introduction, Preparation, Execution, and Conclusion. Each section will include subsections. I will be discussing my involvement in the International Collegiate Sales Competition (ICSC), which was my thesis project. I will be comparing my participation in the ICSC to the knowledge I gained during my tenure as a Sales and Business Marketing student in the Haworth College of Business.

Any data or information was taken from WMU’s website, the ICSC website, and my knowledge from WMU sales classes.

Competing In The International Collegiate Sales Competition, Christina Cook

Honors Theses

The following report aims to analyze the process that is involved in competing in the International Collegiate Sales Competition. There will be an overview of the selection process and the competition itself and an analysis of the overall performance at the competition. In addition, there will also be an overview of lessons learned by competing along with general suggestions to future competitors and competition coordinators.

Before examining the details of the competition, this thesis will address the Sales and Business Marketing program at Western Michigan University. In addition, there will be models referenced within Western Michigan University’s sales program that …

Does Social Media Help Create Brand Loyalty?, Ali Russo

Honors Theses

Throughout my time at Haworth College of Business, Social Media has been a big topic of discussion. The issue has not been if companies should use it as a tool to reach consumers but how do companies effectively utilize Social Media sites. Companies have two important ways to utilize these sites: the first is to collect data from users, and the second is to create a platform where they can interact and influence purchasing decisions. I wanted to create a thesis that focused on the interaction side of Social Media. Initially, I wanted to see if Social Media would create …

Private Labels Related To Time & Risk Preferences, Darryn Taylor

Honors Theses

Purpose: This paper explores the linkages between demographics, time preferences, and risk preferences of private label food products.

Design/methodology/approach: More than 600 adults were surveyed on their perceptions of private labels, hedonic traits, and impulsive consumption along with their time and risk preferences.

Findings: Time preference and hedonic trait are relevant to consumer’s private label preferences.

Originality/Value: By developing measures on time and risk preferences relating to demographics, this thesis provides more detailed explanations of the consumer’s willingness to use private label brands. The scales that were developed for measuring time and risk preferences have not been previously used in …

Black And White Advertising In Fashion Magazines, Lauren E. Necaise

Honors Theses

This thesis consists of a quantitative analysis with respect to black and white advertising in select women’s fashion magazines. There were five research questions outlined.

A code sheet was created to obtain data with regard to factors including: number of black and white and total advertisements, product/service category, setting, advertisement size, percent of black and white of the ad, position, product/user, black and white visual and verbal (words/ information), emotional/intellectual appeal. This allowed the research questions to be answered. A qualitative analysis was also performed on repeat advertisements for products that used both color and black and white advertising with …

Mud Volleyball Tournament Fundraiser Event Supporting The Water Project, Morgan Deboer

Honors Theses

The WMU Mud Volleyball Tournament took place on September 26, 2015 as Autumn Gammon and Morgan DeBoer’s honors thesis project for the Lee Honors College. The tournament was a fundraising event that helped bring awareness to The Water Project, a non-­‐profit organization that is dedicated to bringing clean water systems to communities throughout Sub-­‐Sahara Africa. Held at the Kalamazoo County Expo Center and Fairgrounds, the event brought together Western Michigan University students and surrounding community members for a fun-­‐filled day in the mud supporting a deserving cause.

The event took a great deal of organizing, with planning starting in the …

The Difference Between The On Premise And Off Premise Craft Beer Experience: Implications For The Craft Beer Category, Karen Kalinski

Honors Theses

The differences between the on-premise and off-premise craft beer experience was researched in this study. The original research question was whether there is a relationship between on-premise and off-premise sales of craft beer. After initial research through semi- structured interviews the research questions were revised to three related questions: 1. What are the on-premise and off-premise craft beer experiences?, 2. Is there a significant difference?, and 3. Does the one behavior affect the other in purchasing behavior? Participants included 12 consumers of craft beer ranging from individuals with extensive craft beer experience to relative newcomers to the craft beer segment. …

Managing The Credibility Of A Nonprofit Organization In The Face Of Unexpected Publicity, Regan Crowell

Honors Theses

Ethical conduct of a nonprofit organization was suspected to impact the credibility of the organization as perceived by its stakeholders. This study uses secondary research for three nonprofit organizations in order to gain a closer look at the ethical issues of compensation, conflicts of interest, and the combined issues of accountability and strategic management. The nonprofit organizations discussed are United Way, Susan G. Komen, and The ALS Association. Each faced unexpected publicity, either positive or negative, and managed the organization’s credibility through dealing with one of the named ethical issues. Based on the case studies conducted for the three nonprofit …

Viral Marketing In The Nonprofit Sector: Crafting Messages That Create Awareness And Call An Audience To Action, Hannah Parker

Honors Theses

The nonprofit (NPO) sector has seen immense growth in recent years. With this growth has come an increased need for any particular nonprofit to compete and differentiate itself from the vast number of other nonprofits also looking for clients, volunteers, and donors. Unfortunately, nonprofits often lack the resources needed to develop and execute a successful marketing campaign. The emergence of controlled viral marketing offers a number of possibilities for these NPOs looking to spread awareness and increase involvement. The purpose of this research was to explore common themes among previous viral marketing campaigns and identify factors that are likely to …

Sales Across Cultural Context, Luke Hatfield

Honors Theses

The proposed study was designed to analyze how culture affected sales practices. The models used for analysis in depth were the CLAP model from WMU’s sales program and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. Brazil, Germany, and China were analyzed and the elements with the largest differences from the United States were compared to the usual procedure of the CLAP model and a suggestion for an adaptation was made based on research findings (See appendix for condensed version).

After the study was complete I came to a conclusion of what steps should be taken by the effective salesperson to expand on this study. …

Relationship Versus Transactional Marketing In The Service Industry, Anna-Claire White

Honors Theses

Undergraduate research varies from major to major, offering valuable insight toward understanding more about what one is studying. This study focused on relationship versus transactional marketing in the service industry and the impact that building relationships has on making a sale. The aim of this study was to conduct qualitative and quantitative analyses in order to identify patterns regarding the correlation between building relationships and closing a sale. This objective was accomplished in this study. A sample population of consumers was obtained from a proprietary database from a collection of research obtained during my internship with Company X. The data …

Making Healthy Food Choices: Factors Affecting Healthy Eating In The Context Of The Nashville Mobile Market., Laura Walton Fenelon

Honors Theses

Food deserts are areas that do not have full grocery options, resulting in a lack of healthy foods. These areas are generally low-income, with an abundance of unhealthy convenience stores and chain restaurants. A non-profit organization, The Nashville Mobile Market, was established to combat food deserts in Nashville, TN. This market conveniently provides healthy foods for consumers at low prices. However, The NMM was not utilizing marketing techniques, specifically relationship marketing techniques. A survey was administered to residents in the food desert areas. From this survey, data was collected pertaining to which factors most affected why these consumers do not …

The Effect Of Product Density On Perceived Price And Quality, Joshua Jc Holston

Honors Theses

This study explores whether product density affects crowding, perceived quality, and perceived price of products within the retail space. The goal is to determine whether product density directly affects customers’ perceptions of price and quality of merchandise within retail spaces. It tests the hypotheses that increased product density will lead to an increase in crowding perceptions but a decrease in perceived price and quality. The study uses photographs of retail spaces with differing densities to manipulate product density and an online questionnaire to gather data. A student sample is used to collect the data. ANOVAs are used to determine the …

Smart Meter Technology And The Effects On Grocery Retailers, Cara Cremeans

Honors Theses

This study investigates the relationship grocery retailers have with their utility company and the smart meter technologies that will be implemented in their grocery stores in the near future. I engaged in background research and conducted qualitative interviews of several Chief Executive Officers and owners of local grocery supermarkets, as well as a contract Chief Financial Officer who works closely with small grocery retail stores. For each interview, the men were asked a series of questions relating to sustainability, smart meters, and store operations.

Saving money at grocery retail stores does not notably come in the form of energy consumption, …