Stephanie Nguyen Headshot

Author: Stephanie Nguyen | Majors: Marketing and Economics

My name is Stephanie Nguyen, I am a senior Honors College Fellow double majoring in Marketing and Economics and minoring in Sustainability in the Walton College of Business, and I am currently working on my honors thesis project. My thesis advisor is Dr. Molly Rapert, an associate professor in the Marketing department in Walton, and she has been integral in helping me through this process and offering insightful considerations she has undoubtedly acquired as both a long-term professional and as a well-trusted thesis advisor to many students prior to myself.

My honors thesis explores the depth and breadth of the intricacies related to people’s access to nutritious food. Today, food insecurity is one of the top problems that Arkansans face; with 1 in 6 Arkansans being food insecure, policy barriers being passed that hinder access to food assistance programs, and having to come to terms with the consequences of years of marginalizing low-income communities, the fight for reliable access to nutritious food gets tougher for Arkansans on a daily basis. While charitable organizations and government assistance have often been thought to be the solutions to these problems, the rise of social innovation tactics may open up a new way to imagine food security efforts. This honors thesis project will explore if and how businesses, particularly those who participate in corporate social responsibility, can best create or amplify opportunities that will increase food security in Arkansas. This will be accomplished by looking overseas to see how similar issues are being addressed through social innovation. A main inspiration for this project arose from my experiences studying abroad on a service learning program in Mozambique in 2019 where I learned from a poultry business in a region where high rates of food insecurity and malnutrition are prevalent. I was also drawn to the topic of food insecurity in Arkansas after learning more about the increase of food deserts in certain regions of Arkansas and its relationship to race and class. Additionally, my work as a board member for Razorback Food Recovery and my time on the executive board for the Volunteer Action Center on campus has allowed me to be more aware of the systems and variables put into place that exacerbate the issue of food insecurity. My experiences will lay a foundation for exploring the effectiveness of social innovation and how the unique solutions implemented in Nampula province of Mozambique can be casted to the United States, tailored to Arkansas’ unique problems, and amalgamated into usable conclusions and opportunities for Arkansas organizations or businesses.

I first met Dr. Rapert as a student in her Marketing Management class although I knew about her beforehand, having only ever heard overwhelmingly positive things about her. I knew I wanted Dr. Rapert to be my honors thesis advisor when I saw how much she pours into her students and how many students she has advised in their honors thesis projects in the past. I knew that her expertise and advice would be unmatched, especially after learning about cause-based marketing in her class. So far, she has been very helpful in the logistics of this process while also supporting what I am passionate about and coming up with ideas that fit. Additionally, since I will be conducting interviews. Dr. Rapert has many relevant connections that can help offer valuable insight.

Even in just going through the preparatory steps of data collection, I have learned a lot about the research process. I want to ensure that all of the relevant perspectives will be heard to gather a more whole view. This also goes for the interview questions and making sure that I would be asking the right questions. Since I would be dealing with human subjects, a part of the research process is ensuring that adequate consent is acquired prior to data collection.

Overall, what I have learned about myself during this process is finding out what I am really passionate about and taking my prior experiences and turning them into my honors thesis; over the past 3.5 years being on the University of Arkansas campus, I have learned a lot about food insecurity and social innovation and now I get to create something that takes what I’ve learned and make it something tangible.

In Spring 2022, I will be entering my data collection phase where I will be conducting interviews with relevant subjects and experts. From there, I will work on creating conclusions and opportunities after taking into consideration current successes and hindrances.