Week 5 EOC: Social Networks and Job Hunting

Facebook, LinkedIn, what’s next Twitter, where the best comment gets you the job. Having seen and knowing of people who place information on sites where they embellish the truth this seems a like an atmosphere of who can spin a tail better than the next. Most individuals who are seeking jobs today pay for a professional write up to be crafted for what most would say are pretty mundane job careers. Thus leading us to the problem that currently exists where many well-meaning people can’t write their own bios, writing skills have plummeted over the last few years because of the misuse of the English language. Using a social networking site has so many untold issues, to say the least it allows for individuals to create whoever they want to be in an atmosphere that is often difficult at best to verify. Using social networking sites for sharing and vouching for products and their use, I think is brilliant, and then we have the everyday person giving their first-hand accounts about the use, reliability and the quality of a product or service, now that I can subscribe to. I have witnessed firsthand many applicants vying for positions, coming in for an interview, only to find out that these individuals learned buss words by copying what others had placed on well-meaning resume’s from LinkedIn, Facebook or better yet from one of the many online sites where information abounds where you can find out how to write the perfect sentence. Brand-Ambassadors, folks testing the water for products and services I would give this approach to seeking new people to help with promoting these types of things a thumbs-up. Looking for someone to run a geo-thermal site or better yet heading up an environmental services company, I would look elsewhere. For me to use social networking methods to hire for jobs that require someone to be vetted and then expecting that person to stay around for any length of time the hiring statistics quoted in the “Recruiters Troll Facebook for Candidates They like” (The WSJ, 8/8/2011) would have to exceed the 1% of those being hired presently by social networking sites. It costs companies a lot of time, and money to bring people on, and train them for work, my thoughts are that if you found that special someone on a social networking site then what would prevent them from continuing the hunt for jobs on those sites and not just consider your job offer and training for something that they have settled for, my thoughts lead to loyalty, no mention of that from these articles and so I rest my case.

Week 4 EOC: Business to Business Marketing

"Kitchenware Direct is a brilliant example of a smaller retailer that catapulted into a market leading position in a few short years by streamlining its entire business in the cloud," said Zach Nelson, CEO of NetSuite. "Suite Commerce gives it a powerful, real-time view of its entire multi-brand business operations. This helps drive its market leading position by meeting the growing expectations of consumers for tailored, personalized and seamless shopping experiences from multiple touch points." http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/10/09/4325441/kitchenware-direct-sizzles-with.html#storylink=cpy  Business to consumer marketing has now moved into a more diverse atmosphere.  Consumers make choices based on emotion versus Businesses choosing based on long term economic profitability, environmental considerations, evolving partnerships, and the long term relationships that can be built going forward that provides insight to the growing needs of / for the business.  Businesses look for relationships that can help solve those problems that keep them up at night, B2B relationships are moving into a direction that can mutually benefit both parties where visibility can bolster their dealings.  Consumers on the other hand today are looking for short term conveniences, they want multiple access points to get at products they want to purchase.  Consumers want flexibility when a product doesn’t perform, the flexibility is for the returns of the products.  Consumers are no longer looking for long term relationships with providers of goods, today’s consumer is looking for choices, prices and credibility and they want their credit information kept safe.  “All CRM systems are not created equal, and that's good news for companies that sell more to consumers than to businesses. However, it's crucial to understand the differences between B2B and B2C CRM in light of each company's individual requirements. Three consistent themes appear and can be used as a baseline for selecting tools to help B2C marketers: speed, process and persistence.” http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/69391.html  Other distinct differences between B2B versus B2C is the buying cycle time, typically in a B2B selling environment decisions are decided by committee, and in a B2C environment decisions are more typically made by an individual and there is a lot of impulse buying versus decisions made by more than one person, the decision to buy often is spur of the moment, much like we see during holiday times. Businesses on the other hand more often decide to buy based on a problem or a need that needs to be satisfied, the decisions are also based on what can be done with the relationship in the long run, in other words today this satisfies my needs but what else can you do for me in the long run, while a consumer is more like at “Wham, Bam, Thank You, Mam” situation, instant gratification with no real expectation of a long term relationship. “Some people might think, sales are sales, and it doesn’t matter who your customer is along the way because you’re looking for the same result in the end. However, you wouldn’t market to a 5 year old the same way you would to an adult, so why market to a business the same way you would a consumer?” http://www.ecommercepartners.net/blog/how-similar-are-b2b-and-b2c-sales.html  With that being said sales cycle for B2B require research, knowledge of the business, what‘s going on in the industry and what the businesses long term goals are.  Selling to consumers requires an immediate gratification landscape, in other words does this item fit the bill for tonight or today.  Decisions from consumers are more likely to be based on what’s trending right now, this season and most often does not require a level of thinking beyond the moment.

Week 3 EOC: Making Money for Good

Kroger’s community tenacity can be overwhelming, how can anyone measure up, I guess you would say that it starts with one step and then you build on that to create a pathway towards making the space around you better than when you first came upon it. “The Kroger Co.'s (NYSE: KR) family of stores, in partnership with key suppliers, has committed $3 million in donations for local breast cancer initiatives across the country to support National Breast Cancer Awareness month in October.” http://ir.kroger.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=106409&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1610052&highlight= Krogers community commitment doesn’t just encompass one area of human kindness , their spirit of giving spans the landscape of all needs. “At $64 million, the company’s significant giving in 2010 shows no signs of slowing down this year, as it has been an active participant in the Food 4 Less program to feed the hungry, and has also raised $1.5 million for military families and welcomed Salvation Army donation kettles into its stores this holiday season.” http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-10-most-charitable-companies-in-america.html Kroger’s takes care of the heart, mind and sole, they are heavily involved in almost every aspect of our lives, it may even be true that they are the ones who are the “fabric of our lives.” Community engagement is vital to individual responsibility, and it also helps everyone to understand that no matter the amount we can all have firsthand involvement with the building and strengthening within our communities. It can start with a grassroots effort and then build upon a corporate dream such as Kroger. “According to the company’s vice president of corporate affairs, Lynn Marmer, $40 million of Kroger’s cash giving flows through a 15-year-old community rewards program, where shoppers who carry Kroger’s loyalty cards name a local charity they want to support. Kroger then gives 2%-5% (determined by local stores) of each shopper’s bill as a cash contribution to the school, church, or community group chosen by the customer.” http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2011/10/21/american-companies-that-give-back-the-most/ “Just like Kroger’s we are all being watched within our communities, we can create a strong foundation for love of community and it begins with creating a positive impression for our youth, by giving back, one step at a time.”

Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

As a baby boomer we have lived to excess, we are part of the “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality group, causing extenuating circumstances that affect how we live our lives. “We have earned it,” the baby boomer is the most educated generation ever. We live for excess, driving the latest cars, taking vacations every year, whether we can afford the car or the vacation. We live in the “I deserve it” moment. Many boomers have a high level of commitment to work, family and community, but they also live to excess because of the “I deserve it” mentality. Our children were born into society with the pledge that was made by many baby boomers which in part says “they should not have to struggle like our parents did.” We have provided so much that boomers have now created a new generation of “got have it now, can’t wait, need the latest” children. We have created free thinkers, we as boomers allow the new breeds, our children to give a try, it you don’t like, chunk it. If you don’t succeed, try something new. “You have a huge group of preretirement baby boomers, a huge number of people who are asking, ‘Can I live off my savings and Social Security for the rest of my life?’” says one economist. Every wonder why boomers can’t retire, did it ever occur that boomers were afraid to say “no.” Seems like an easy thing to do, boomers parents did it regularly, their parents lived within their means and seemed to go through life satisfied, they may have not been happy, but they were content. I wonder if baby boomers ever thought of saving their money for that new car, or even ever thought that to live in a home with three bedrooms and one bath would suffice. Thoughts that can only be answered in a fairy tale, I am sure that Netflix has a movie about it.

Week 2 BCG Video Games

According to the Boston Consulting Group video gaming products fit into 4 separate quadrants (Star, Question Mark, Cash Cow, Dog). Apple continues to position itself within the marketplace, with the introduction of the new iPad petite. The petite version even with its higher price point of it’s closet competitors will continue to dominate within the marketplace based on Brand and reliability. The Apple brand is so strong that consumers will overlook the shortcomings that have recently plagued the new Iphone5." Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu claims that a release of a petite version of the iPad by Apple could be "the competition's worst nightmare". http://www.zdnet.com/ipad-mini-will-be-competitions-worst-nightmare-says-analyst-7000005557/ There shouldn’t be any surprises that as consumers enjoy the new free games that are found on portable devices within the marketplace that this is causing undue competition to games that typically would cost from $15-$70. The decline of profits within other players in the marketplace is already being felt. Former industry gaming leaders Xbox 360 Microsoft Corp. says it sold 1.1 million Xbox 360 consoles, down from 1.7 million a year earlier, in what it calls a soft console market. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/video-games-industry-faring-205534711.html . Nintendo Co. says it sold 710,000 Wii units in the April-June quarter, down from 1.56 million a year ago." Nintendo is coming out with a successor, the Wii U, this year. It is forecasting 10.5 million units for the full fiscal year, which ends in March 2013". http://finance.yahoo.com/news/video-games-industry-faring-205534711.html The creation of Facebook has also taken time from gamers who would normally be spending their free time playing video games they now are spending time chatting, looking at pictures, liking and friending those whom they have come in contact with. Socializing on social networks sites have also played a part in the demise of video games and the interaction that gamers would spend on those games is now taken up by networking time.

Week 1 EOC Customer Service

Customer Service, the death of customer service has been greatly exaggerated… my families experience at Nordstrom department store has been a great experience my wife has been a customer since 1984 and their customer service continues to ring true! Nordstrom where you can return anything at any time continues to provide first class service to its customers. My wife recently took back to Nordstrom some shoes that had been purchased online (internet) back in May, she returned them in late August and they honored their commitment for returns “Don't love it? Don't worry—returns and exchanges are easy. Simply send your item back or bring it to a store near you.” Never a problem, never a crossed eye, the associates in the customer service department at the local Nordstrom store always credits her account and takes their merchandise back with a smile, “don’t want it, no problem, doesn’t fit, no problems, not comfortable, no problem”, whatever the issue Nordstrom stands by their high standards of customer service. Creating a WOW experience for their customers has been their motto since day one and they continue to deliver on that promise today.

Week 1 EOC My Voice

As an US Air Force retiree living in the Entersinment Capital of the World, Las Vegas, NV. In May of 2012 I established a small photo company. It was created from values gained the experience photographer while they were serving in the US Air Force. The photography crew is dedicated to "Service before Self: while operating under the code of honoring their customers. The photography crew of Aristocrat Photo is ready to capture your favorite moments in traditional fashion begining with a classic photo of you and your entire party in front of the famous " Welcome to Las Vegas" sign or capturing your every move under the creative theme of " What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas." Getting married at one of the spectacular venues the Las Vegas has to ofter or just taking the town by storm, then let Aristocrat Photo be a part of your special moments by capturing all of your memories in pictures or on video.