Week Three EOC: Making Money for Good

While there are always companies that are way to interested in their bottom lines to want to give back, some see this as an oppurtunity to envoke real change. These companies want to make a difference and show that they can do so by even the smallest of ways, like donating a small percentage of every item sold to a certain organization or cause.

 Box Tops For Education - Since 1996, Box Tops For Education has raised over $400 million dollars for America's Schools. By cutting out the Box Tops coupon on the top corner of hundreds of particpating products, most found in your local grocery store and giving them to the school of your choice, you are helping them with their mission statement, which is, nourishing young lives by enhancing every child's learning environment.

Product Red - Product Red was founded in 2006, by U2's Bono and Bobby Shriver of ONE/DATA, to help raise awareness and raise fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. It is a brand licensed to companies such as Starbucks, Converse, Nike, Hallmark, American Express and others. Each company came up with a product with the Product Red logo and a portions, in somes cases up to 50% donated to the cause.

 Mary Kay Cosmetics - When you think of Mary Kay Cosmetics, you probably think door-to-door Avon lady but with a pink SUV, but Mary Kay knows the importance and fighting for an important cause and giving back, as their mission is changing the lives of women and children around the world. The cause is domestic violence and what they have done to help stop it is amazing. Buy buying a Creme Lipstick from their Beauty That Counts line. They have be able to donate millions of dollars to not only domestic abuse victims but also cancer patients and also orphaned children.

Voice

As photographers, we see the world differently than a cop would or even a doctor. We see a world vibrant in colors and full of life, and the need to capture that is something that is strong and undeniable. Personally I feel lost if I don’t have my camera on me. I am always framing and looking for shots even when I don’t have my camera out. Photography and music are escapes to me, a form of therapy, it’s a way to step out of my head for a while and create something amazing. I’ve always had a camera of some sort in my hands, whether it is a polaroid camera, a disposable camera or my digital camera. I have always loved photography but the one photo that actually solidified my decision was a picture of a concentration camp in Poland. It was haunting and it was almost as if you could feel the emotion the photographer was feeling at the time he captured the moment. If I could capture half of the feelings and expressions that he did with that single photo and have it be the reason someone chose to follow their dreams then I would count myself extremely humbled and honored. I would love to be able to do any kind of photography that allowed me to travel around the world and let me work with anything to do with music. Whether it is photographing musicians for magazine articles, album covers or even concert photography. It would combine my two loves and that to me would be truly amazing and a dream come true.

Week Two EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

During a recession, many things fall to the wayside. Such as the case with video games. Video games  and video games consoles for that matter are steadily decreasing in sales and profits. January of 2009, there was significant growth but by July of that year sales plummeted.

“ You’re seeing an industry slowdown in games and consoles. ” – Tom Szkutak, Amazon Finace Chief

Playstation 3 – Can be considered a cash cow because anyone who have wanted one has one. While it still makes money off the games and other services it offers. You can use it for streaming videos, audio and even rent tv shows and movies. Reviewers think the PS3 is superior to all other game consoles.

"An upgradeable Blu-ray player that can also double as a game system makes the versatile PS3 the best hardware value," -  Scott Stein, CNET

XBOX 360 – Can also be considered a cash cow for most of the same reasons as the PS3, but when it comes to gaming online, XBOX 360 is by far the chosen favorite.

"The redesigned Xbox 360 has the same horsepower, game library, and rich online experience as previous Xbox 360 models, but contains several key tweaks and improvements -- inside and out -- that make it the best Xbox yet,"  - Jeffrey Wilson, PCMag.com.

Nintendo Wii – Is probably on the lower side of cash cow because while it is considered to be the best family gaming console it still is popular for the “ serious gaming and gamers” because the graphics are not realistic. But it makes for a fun time with family and friends of all ages to have fun and blow off some steam.

“Although graphics look terrible compared to the Xbox and PS3, playing games on the Nintendo Wii is maddeningly addictive and intuitive. ” - Jim Louderback, PCMag.com

Week One EOC; Great Customer Service

"The key to building lasting customer relationships is to create superior customer value and satisfaction. Satisfied customers are more likely to be loyal customers and to give the company a larger share of their business."

(Marketing Creating and Capturing Customer Value - Page 19)

While there is not a time that stands out in my mind, as one where the service was above and beyond the call of duty or absolutely outstanding, I can represent the other side of the coin. I worked as a customer service associate for a company at the airport for a year. It was a tiny news and gifts store located in one of the terminals. The customers that came through my store varied from young to older, men, women and children of all races and ethnicities. I treated them as how I would have liked to be treated; with respect, a smile and a friendly approachable attitude, someone that could help me find what I was looking for and get me in and out in a timely manner. While there were many times that the customers attitudes were not always pleasant, part of my job was to make sure they left happy and satisfied that they chose my store to shop in and that ultimately they would return to my store upon another visit. Sometimes customers think yelling and screaming at the sales associate will make them do their jobs faster, it actually only causes more stress and frustration for all parties involved. While many times I almost lost my composure, I kept a smile on my face because this is a business and ultimately a loss of profits if I did, not to mention my job. At the end of the day there was only one goal; to make sure the customers had a great experience so that they would return time and time again.