Spring Theory is working with Dr. Luke Thelen of the M.S. in Applied Psychology degree program at USC to develop a company-focused partnership in his Market Research course. A focal point of the course is these projects, in which students work for approximately 15 weeks on a quantitative and qualitative market research challenge to provide professional quality research and statistically valid, actionable recommendations to a client company around pressing business issues or initiatives.
Projects that work best for this opportunity are typically rooted in a better understanding of a consumer type. The larger challenges that students address through their research and recommendations often center around topics including branding, insights, strategy, messaging, or products.
The projects are highly-structured and thoughtfully planned to provide students with support throughout the length of the project and to ensure a seamless experience for clients.
Until December 1, 2020
January 11-April 30, 2021
Dr. Luke Thelen
Graduate
3-5 (40 Students total)
Company provided
Until December 1, 2020
January 11-April 30, 2021
Dr. Luke Thelen
Graduate
3-5 (40 Students total)
Company provided
Leading expert faculty
Extensive research and analysis
Client-focused experience
Access to the perspectives of top students
Custom project suited to company’s individual needs
Provides an unparalleled learning experience for Students
Honda partnered with students to understand how best to market PHEV technology, and improve sales in this product category as a whole. Students conducted research to understand consumer familiarity with the technology, and identify product names that would resonate well with the identified target markets.
Sperry, known best for the extremely popular "boat shoe," turned to students to help with penetrating the West Coast market in terms of brand awareness, consumer adoption, and distribution. Students also conducted research around how to introduce the culture of an item like a "boat shoe" to unfamiliar customers.
Factual, a leading location data company, partnered with students to determine if and how consumer sentiment around personalization and advertising changes with each company and platform. Students also sought to understand how much data consumers share with companies and what they know about how data is collected/used.
Porch worked with students to better understand what motivates consumers to make a purchase of a product, inclusive of installation, either online or in-store. Students then analyzed the data and made recommendations for ways that Porch could best partner with their retailers to maximize sales.
The Master of Science in Applied Psychology (MAP) degree program at The University of Southern California believes that all successful businesses and organizations need two things: loyal employees and loyal customers.
This intensive, one-year program focuses directly on these two crucial areas by studying both consumer psychology and organizational psychology. This unique program equips students to speak to both of these business challenges through the language and tools of psychology rather than the language of finance. Today more than ever, professionals who are experts in the Human Capital that drive organizations forward are in demand.
In terms of coursework, the first semester is spent in foundational courses in applied psychology, organizational psychology, consumer behavior and applied research methods. The second semester consists of electives and an internship experience. This project opportunity is also required for graduation.
The company commitment would consist of approximately 10 hours over the course of the project.
Clients are always welcome, and encouraged, to devote more time beyond these 10 hours if they have the ability to do so. The 10-hour commitment includes: a project planning meeting, a kick-off meeting with your student team(s), a mid-point meeting or report review to provide feedback, and attending (virtually or in-person) the final presentations.
This also includes time spent at various points throughout the semester on emails and calls to answer students' questions and provide project guidance.
This is typically established based on what the client company and the student team are able to accommodate.
We have found that projects with standing weekly (or bi-weekly) conference calls and/or email status reports have the most success as it allows for the most client visibility into the student team's progress, and for the students to obtain timely feedback.
The main forms of communication include email, conference calls and video conferencing.
Examples for this specific opportunity can be found in the "Past Project Examples" section above.
For examples of other collaborations set up by Spring Theory, please feel free to visit the Past Collaborations page on our website by clicking here.
The primary benefit of working with Spring Theory is our expansive network of opportunities through top-quality university programs and courses. We are heavily involved in establishing the connection with the professor, and in the project scoping and planning conversations. We help establish a clear timeline and project milestones on a formal planning call with the client representative(s) and the professor that will be overseeing the project.
Once the project starts, we check in around major project milestones to ensure the project is meeting all expectations and that the client representative(s) have sufficient visibility into the project progress. We also send surveys and have a mid-point call to further gauge these aspects. While this rarely occurs, if the project has gotten off-track or the client is unclear of where a project stands, we are happy to intervene to get the project back to meeting expectations.
Generally, we try to strike a balance between being involved enough to provide sufficient support, while still allowing the project to progress naturally and being mindful of the client's time. We are always available, however, as a resource throughout the entire project.
The benefits our clients have experienced through working with student teams have included a combination of the following:
