Synthesis Post

After researching the world of business, our team found out some very useful information that anyone who is looking for a career in this field should know. There are certain tips on getting jobs, staying connected with people within the business field, and just general tips on being a consumer that we have learned from various news articles or people we have talked to in person that have years of experience under their belts. This blog served as a guide for someone who had little to no experience in the field, and these are the most important tips we discovered.

The entire field of business is a giant connected web.  Business can really mean a variety of things, business is everywhere, it’s not defined to a single skillset or category. Companies and industries really begin to be successful when a multiplicity of business aspect’s come together to form a whole.  An article that we wrote on the logistics of retail pricing does a profound job at illustrating really how vast and connected the world of business is. One of the major costs of running a business is manufacturing costs. The manufacturers, one aspect of business, produce the product and charge the retail stores, an aspect of business that is intertwined and connected with the manufacturer.  Another piece of the retail business world is called “overhead”.  Overhead costs include things like paying rent, the cost of store technology, and more.  In this case, the renters and the producers of the technology are paid by and therefore connected to the retail store.  The final  portion of the retail business equation is labor, or the store’s workforce.  These workers are a business subcategory of the store itself, the larger business entity.  Business as whole, not simply retail, essentially operates the same way.  In the large scope, the business world can be and mean so many things, and in the end, all of these aspects are linked in some form.

Within the business field, it is incredibly important to establish connections with people who work at important companies. Forming relationships with recruiters, bosses and everyone in between is vital for getting jobs and moving up in the industry. Networking is especially important for college kids who have little experience and are looking for their first real internship at a big name company. Joe Gaglio, who is a senior executive at Deliott Risk Advisory, recently gave a presentation on the importance of networking and keeping up good communication within the workplace. By making good first impressions on recruiters, you are more likely to distinguish yourself from other potential employees who are trying to get that same job. Having a more personal relationship with a recruiter also gives you a chance to get to know more about what that company does from the inside, and maybe even learn things that you can share with an interviewer. Joe also explained that once you have a job, it is important to get to know the bosses and people who have been with the company longer than you have, as they can help you to perform better and maybe even help you move up within the company. Finally, it is also important to get to know other business people outside of the company you work at, as it allows for possible partnerships and even allows the possibility of getting a better job at a different firm. Networking is one of the most important skills you can develop and use in the business field; it gives you an edge over other potential recruits, and allows you to  move up within a company or even to a better job at a different firm.

As business majors, it is not a secret that the job field is very competitive. So our goal as a blog group was to provide information on how to prepare for the job search process. This all starts with interview etiquette, what to look for in companies, and how to build a resume. It is essential to be very well educated on topics like this because your accomplishments that you have made in the past only really get your foot in the door. If you can’t impress in the interview, then say goodbye to having any chance on landing that job you’ve always wanted. You have to know how valuable researching and rehearsing is, and how important it is to dress to impress, for example. It’s also critical that you know where to work, and why that specific company will be a great fit for you. So, we tried to give our readers perspective on what to look for in relation to employee satisfaction, benefits, and overall workplace atmosphere.

There are very many minors and classes you can look at to advance your business degree. For example, human communication, sociology and computer science. There are also a lot of different business degrees. There are ones that involve the financing aspect of a business, the marketing aspect, different management aspects and many more. Due to the vast amount of choices in this field it can be easy to find the right fit. Most companies offer jobs in all of these different areas in business. The best degree to get in college is the one that helps what you want to accomplish in a company. If you decide you want to deal with people, the best degrees to look at would be something with human resources and human communications. If you decide you want to be involved in something with math and problem solving then the best fit for you would be something in accounting and financing. If you want something to do with creating and designing advertising and marketing would be degrees that could help with that.

The best way for a student in any field to get a leg out on the competition is to take advantage of the opportunities you are given. Luckily for us business students here at MSU we get all the many benefits of attending a university with one of the highest ranking business schools in the nation. In one the posts you can find on our blogger page there is a more in-depth schedule of all the great opportunities offered on campus including resume writing workshops every Monday at 4:15 in the Eppley center and the Global Business Festival on Sunday, November 22nd from 12:00-5:00 pm. So, as you can see there is a variety of weekly events going on around campus with more new and exciting ones popping up all the time! Through our blog, the WRA business group strives to cover all corners of business; from the global aspects of business to business right here on our very own campus and everything else in between.

Prompted Post 3

The Interview

Questions:

For this interview I interviewed my dad who is a professional in the Business World. My dad has been a land developer his whole life, but in recent years has co-owned and ran multiple convenient stores/gas stations in my the southern cities of Tucson and Casa Grand in Arizona. Before my interview I prepared a series of question in which I attempt to further explore his field of business and get a better understanding of what his average work day consists of.

1. What do you write/ how do you communicate in your field?
After conversing with my dad he talked to me about how most of the communication involved with his job is through text messaging/phone calling, emailing and face to face. Over the phone or text messaging seemed to be the most common because it is the most convenient form of communication and with his job requiring him to be constantly on the move or driving that is the best way for him to relay information and receive information from the people he is working with. Email is typically used when he is sending over a business proposition or an extensive amount of important information

3. Who do you primarily communicate with in your work day?
His primary contact comes between him and his business partner as well as his employees. For my father to be most effective in his work day he must stay in contact with his business partner who in most cases is at the stores they own running it from the inside. They need to communicate on many different topics regarding the employees as well as gas and food shipments for each of the stores. He also has to stay in contact with the managers of his stores to make sure the business aspect of the stores is always running smoothly.

4. What are the most difficult aspects of your job?
For my father he didn't hesitate to say that the most difficult part of his job is firing people. While keeping up with the managing and maintenance of all his stores the hardest part is having to release someone from their job. This is a huge part of his position because it is his duty to look out for the best interest of his businesses as a whole, but he said it is never easy to fire anyone, no matter how good or bad of an employee they might've been.

Wal-Mart's Cyber Monday Sales Plan

Just like every other year with Thanksgiving comes Black Friday and in more recent years cyber Monday. Cyber Monday is Black Friday's younger sibling per say, where major stores have massive online sales. This year Wal-Mart pulled a fast one and has decided to start Cyber Monday on Sunday this year for the first time in history! With this huge sale starting at 8 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 29th Wal-Mart is projecting to generate over 3 billion industry wide. In recent years many companies have tried this and the results have turned this into the largest online retail shopping day of the year!

"Walmart Is Planning to Turn Cyber Monday into Cyber Sunday." Time. Time, 23 Nov. 2015. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.                         

By Hunter Griffiths

Turkey Trouble

By: Vincent Kania

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, everyone is looking forward to carving into their favorite holiday meal. The centerpiece of the meal, of course, is the turkey, but consumers this year may have to pay much more than they are used to. After a devastating disease that ravished farms earlier in the year, The National Turkey Federation (yes that's a thing) estimate that nearly "48 million turkeys were wiped out over the summer"(Brennan para. 4). Prices this year are estimated to rise by about 20% compared to last year.

Despite these higher prices, retailers are looking to keep the price below $2 per pound so that consumers will still come into the store and buy not only turkey, but stuffing and other typical foods. This is a good thing for consumers, and shows how important thanksgiving day sales can be to retailers, and how consumers can benefit from these things.

Brennan, Morgan. "Grocers Will Eat Most of Increased Turkey Costs This Thanksgiving." NBC News. N.p., 20 Nov. 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

Prompt 8: My hands on experience

I have had a wide range of experiences in the work force, but not necessarily in a business that I plan on going into in the future. However, the work that I did was for a business, which helped me understand how businesses need to run in order to thrive. First of all, I worked for a small market in my hometown, which gave me my first glimpse into what happens behind closed doors. Before, It was hard to appreciate the service that I was given when I was a customer there. I learned from the owners of the market, that customer satisfaction was the most important thing for them. They went the extra mile every time a customer needed something to make sure that they were more than happy. In all businesses, I think customer satisfaction is something that needs to be ensured.

I also worked in a factory that stamped out car parts and modified dies for General Motors. The main thing i took away from there is that I really understood how hierarchy within a business worked. They had the die helpers (me), which was the lowest tier, then the die makers, the leaders, the foreman, the VP and executive board, and the owner. They all worked together throughout the day to make sure the shop ran smoothly, and they were producing as efficiently as possible. I really got a sense for what was necessary for that to happen. The passion of the workers was surprising to me because of how awful the conditions were. These guys got up at 5:30 in the morning and worked until 5 in the afternoon. They had one hour long lunch break. I don't think there was one instance when either of them complained, they just kept doing their best for the company.

When I talked to the owner of the company, he really stressed that his philosophy as a business owner and president, was to try to get his workers to take ownership in the company, and take pride in their work. He didn't think that they would be able to be where they are at today, unless his employees actually cared about their work. This is a very important thing that I took from my experience. I always have dreamed of having a job that I am truly passionate about. I don't want to roll out of bed and hate my life every day. The workers at this company taught me that you should really love what you're doing. Even if it's in the roughest of conditions. They didn't make any excuses, and thats what I admired, and hope to take after them in my future as a businessperson.

by Jack Denison

Women In The Workplace

         Women throughout the years have been progressing in the workplace, but there is still a big problem with gender inequality. There are less women in each level of a corporation than men. Women are also usually paid less than a male doing the same job, and there is a large number of women over looked for a job due to their gender even if their credentials are better than a man’s applying for the same position. 

 According to McKinsey.com, "From entry level to the C-suite, women are underrepresented at US corporations, less likely to advance than men, and face more barriers to senior leadership. In fact, at the rate of progress of the past three years, it will take more than 100 years for the upper reaches of US corporations to achieve gender parity.” 

Many women get paid less for doing the same jobs as men, there are a few possible reasons for this. One is thought to be due to the fact that women aren't as confident and demanding as they should be when deciding on how much to get paid or asking for a raise.   

According to aauw.org "In 2014, women working full time in the United States typically were paid just 79 percent of what men were paid, a gap of 21 percent? The gap has narrowed since the 1970s, due largely to women’s progress in education and workforce participation and to men’s wages rising at a slower rate.

By: Jordan Liddle

"Women in the Workplace." Women in the Workplace. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

"The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap (Fall 2015)." AAUW: Empowering Women Since 1881. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

Prompt 6: Evaluating Sources

I read an article about the Oklahoma State University Spears school of business, and it's relation to being able to find jobs in the field of business.  This article was written in 2011, in the time of our recession, so the article was detailing how unemployment and it's benefits were continuing to persist and rise.  Despite the recession, over half of all available jobs fell into the category of business, and according to the article, the field of business as a whole witnessed a 6.2% increase in salary.  It was detailed that the demand for jobs is nearly matched by the amount of available jobs in the workforce.  The Spears school of business efficiently and readily prepares students for the workforce, and assists them in finding jobs.

Through our own personal findings and discovery's throughout the duration of the blog project, I can personally support the article's points.  The Eli Broad college of business is very similar to that of the Spears college of business.  They both do a fantastic job of setting up students with opportunities in the business field.  Not even looking at specific programs, we have found that the entire field of business as a whole is so wide and expansive, there are so many different directions you can go in career wise, and there are absolutely no shortage of opportunities, no matter which direction you decide to go in.  As the years go on, business grads are able to find more and more opportunities.  This is a major finding that we have seen consistently in exploring our field, which is why I support the findings of the article.

By: Cole Dolan

"Where Are the Jobs? In the Business Field." Proquest.com. Targeted News Service, 21 July 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

VW tries to recover from scandal, embarrassment

We very often hear of scandals that companies find theirselves in, which put their entire business at risk. Whether is be the banks on wall street, or Subway having to apologize for their longtime spokespersons legal issues, it is something that we all can learn from. In business, not everything goes the way as planned. So, it is important to know how to dig yourself out of holes that you may encounter.

Volkswagen is one of the most recent cases relating to this subject. In september, the EPA discovered that many VW cars being sold in the U.S. had a software in their diesel engines that could detect when they were being tested, and would then change the performance to adhere to the EPA's standards. Long story short, they cheated on emissions tests.

VW now has to recall 8.5 million cars in Europe and 500,000 in the U.S. as a result. They are also facing up to 18 billion dollars in penalty fines.

The company has admitted to "breaking the trust" with their customers, and has since apologized for its actions. Obviously that isn't enough, especially from a major player in the automobile industry. They now have a long road ahead of them to try to improve their reputation, and gain their strength back in the market.

From a marketing standpoint, this is a disaster. VW has recently launched a campaign to provide a "goodwill package" for their affected customers, which includes a $500 prepaid visa gift card, and a $500 dealership gift card, along with 24 hour, no charge roadside assistance for 3 years.

This story is just an example of how wrongdoing in the business world has major consequences, and even though taking shortcuts can lead to success in a lot of situation, eventually it will catch up to you.

by Jack Denison

Sources:

Hotten, Russell. "Volkswagen: The Scandal Explained - BBC News." BBC News. BBC, 4 Nov. 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. <http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34324772>.

Schultz, E.J. "Volkswagen's New Ad: 'We're Working to Make Things Right'" Advertising Age CMO Strategy RSS. Advertising Age, 15 Nov. 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. <http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/working-make-things/301365/>.

6 Companies Run The Media

         

        There are six corporations that run 90% of American media. There is GE, CBS, Viacom, Time Warner, Disney, and News-Corp. These corporations own the most properties in television, News, radio, and films. In 1983, 50 companies owned 90% of American media. These companies have created a type of monopoly in the media. 

There is an illusion these companies cast over us. There are many different media outlets so we think we get a lot of choices. In actuality, among these six companies there are only around 50 men and women who make the decisions of what we all see in the media. If we see past the illusion we realize we are most likely not given all the information out there or they are changing what is shown so we perceive that differently. 

These companies are able to warp the way society sees reality. All this power that they have did not happen over night. There were business men and women who made deals and set up mergers to gain this power. 

By: Jordan Liddle

Lutz, Ashley. "These 6 Corporations Control 90% Of The Media In America." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 14 June 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

"Media Monopoly Revisited." FAIR. 1 Oct. 2011. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

The Mistakes of Rolls-Royce

    

  Due to recent mistakes by the company Rolls Royce, they have found themselves in a minor predicament. In this past week after talking to the companies CEO an article written by Forbes magazine the company announced a 1 billion dollar decrease in pre-tax profit. The huge loss taken by Rolls-Royce included a 20% drop in stock market shares. The problems leading up to this unfortunate situation put the company in such a large hole that they aren't predicted to recover until 2017, but what is it exactly that caused this and what can we learn from it?

      Well, according to this scholarly article this turn of events wasn't completely the companies fault. Some of the factors contributing to this downfall were out of the companies hands, but a few were not. In this article the author, Richard Aboulafia, discuss how a lot of Rolls-Royce's problems can be contributed to bad marketing strategies and performance issues.

       In conclusion, there is much that can be learned from this companies mistakes; not only for the company itself, but for anybody interested in running a business someday. This article uses Rolls-Royce as an example to show how even some of the largest most luxurious companies can slip up. This serves to show how vital it is to never lose focus of your companies/your own goals and values, because even the smallest mistakes can turn out to be detrimental in the long run.
     


By Hunter Griffiths


Aboulafia, Richard. "Rolls-Royce: Bad Decisions, Tough Luck, and a Long Road Ahead." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 13 Nov. 2015. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.                         

What is Happening to Black Friday?

By: Vincent Kania

With Thanksgiving and Black Friday right around the corner, retailers are bracing for the craziness that comes with Black Friday. This year, however, Black Friday might not be as much of a hit to retailers as it has been in the past.

Physical retailers are reporting loses in profit, while online retailers like Amazon are reporting near all-time highs in sales. These stats could spell trouble for retailers who need Black Friday to be a major hit. It seems that this year, however, many people may be sitting the day out and simply taking advantage of the sales offered by online retailers. A survey conducted by retail research firm Conlumino shows that "45% of shoppers plan to spend less money on Black Friday this year than last, and 13% of people plan to sit out the day entirely" (La Monica para. 15). It is an interesting study, and shows that this years crazy shopping day may not be that crazy in stores, and that the real winners are the online retailers who are making more money than ever before.

Black Friday. Digital image. Forbes. N.p., 28 Nov. 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

(GPS), Gap. "Black Friday Could Be Bleak Friday for Retailers." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 15 Nov. 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

Apple Plans to Shut Down Beats Music

Everyone these days is well familiar with Apple.  I would be willing to bet that everyone that reads this owns an Apple product if not two.  This powerhouse of a company has a complete monopoly and essentially has control of the majority of that market.  Apple finds ways to continue to keep sucking our money away, with so called "improvements" and "upgrades."

Recently, it has been announced that Apple is going to shut down it's very popular Beats Music service that has gained so much popularity.  Can anyone guess why they're doing this?  Oh yeah, for money of course.  This Beats shutdown is taking place in efforts to push more and more users to the up and coming Apple Music service, hoping to take even more of our money.  Back in October Apple Music had 15 million subscribers, but they are looking to expand to around 100 million.  Last May, Apple purchased Beats for around 3 million, and we are finally coming to see what the ultimate goal of this purchase was, an attempt to reel in more revenue to Apple.

By: Cole Dolan

Snyder, Benjamin. "Apple Shutting Down Beats to Push Users to Apple Music." Time. Time, 13 Nov. 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

Businesses using social media to their advantage

Social media is something that plays a role in most everyone's life nowadays, which has naturally attracted companies to advertise their products through it. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are three major platforms where you will see this practice most prevalently, but now, companies are starting to move towards Snapchat to help spread the word about their products. They have even taken it to the next level, and have used snapchat to actually recruit new talent.

Havas Chicago recently launched a "snapchat recruitment program for interns, calling on job seekers to create social media campaigns among seven causes, from fighting hunger to ending gun violence. The winner will get a 10-week internship and a chance to lead an agency wide initiative supporting the cause they pitched."

The goal that this company is aiming towards is to get perspective from someone in their target audience, which will in turn, help them connect with their target audience. They are very concerned with making sure that they have all of the possible advantages when it comes to being in touch with the millennial generation. 

I think this kind of story is important to note, because in this day and age, marketing/advertising majors need to understand that business just isn't the same as it once was. You have to be familiar with the fact that you need to tailor to your audience, and with the rapidly changing ways that the world is communications, you have to make efforts to adjust, just like this company is doing.

Source:

Johnson, Lauren. "Why Snapchat Is Becoming the Hottest Social Tool for Ad Agencies." AdWeek. AdWeek, 08 Nov. 2015. Web. 08 Nov. 2015. <http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/why-snapchat-becoming-hottest-social-tool-ad-agencies-167972>

Seaworld's Response to Blackfish

As many know in 2013 documentary called "Blackish" was released to show the public how the people at Sea World treat their animals. People were shocked to find out the cruel ways in which the trainers at sea world really treat the creatures they train. In time following groups of people began to boycott Sea World and their publicity took a turn for the worst. This poor publicity had a massive economic effect on the park as a whole and they finally decided to fix it.

According to an article in Time's Magazine, in response to everything that has happened to Sea World they have decided to no longer have live whale shows in the future. Instead, starting in 2017, Sea World is creating a "more natural setting" for the Orcas. Sea World's CEO discusses the effect the film had on Sea World's attendance and how their new attraction will provide a more natural looking and feeling environment for both the animals and visitors of the park.

By Hunter Griffiths



Feeney, Nolan. "SeaWorld to Phase Out Killer Whale Shows Next Year." Time. Time, 09 Nov. 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

May The Money Be With You

With the upcoming theatrical release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, along with the game Star Wars Battlefront and an entire toy line, Disney is poised to make a massive profit off of the love for Star Wars. It is clear that Disney is due for a big pay day, but just how big will it be with only the influence of the Star Wars brand? Shelling out $4 billion for a property means that Disney will need a big hit, but industry analysts believe that the marketing campaign that has been brewing lately will drive up big sales for Disney.

The recent “Force Friday” event, when new toys from Episode VII became available for purchase, sent Disney stocks soaring. According to Hazel Sheffield of the Independent, “The selling frenzy could earn Disney up to $3 billion by the end of the year (Gensler para 2).” Then there is the highly anticipated video game Star Wars: Battlefront, which is being developed by Veteran Developer DICE and is being published by Electronic Arts. DICE has a history of developing critically acclaimed shooters such as their flagship Battlefield franchise, and a recent public BETA test proved that the new game is coming along very well. A recent post from publisher EA says that pre-orders are “Extremely strong” and the company is expecting to sell around 13 million copies of the game. Then there is the film itself, which sold out opening night tickets in thousands of locations the minute tickets became available. The buzz around the movie is crazy, with each trailer online racking up over 50 million views each.

It is no surprise that Star Wars is about to make a ton of money for Disney, and it will be interesting to see how much cash it brings in, and if the movie lives up to the hype.    

By: Vincent Kania

"Box Office History for Star Wars Movies." Star Wars Franchise Box Office History. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.

Gensler, Lauren. "The Force Is With Them: Three Companies That Will Make Big Money From Star Wars." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 3 Sept. 2015. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.

Behind the Business: DesignCrowd

These days, crowd funding or crowd sourcing is becoming increasingly popular.  DesignCrowd is an up and coming business where users or businesses can essentially crowdsource website, logo, and graphic designs to use and implement for themselves.  Adam Uzialko got the chance to interview and learn from DesignCrowd's CEO, Alec Lynch, and he was able to discover some fascinating pieces of information about the business.

One of the thing's that Alec started off with is essentially what purpose his business serves.  What DesignCrowd does is provide a place where businesses can submit logo or website plans, and designers worldwide can submit their creations for clients, providing a safe and convenient way for these two entities to communicate and do business.  Alec started his business in 2008, and he could see that many businesses in a variety of industries struggled with the whole design process, which is when he realized the potential for DesignCrowd.  To start up his business he poured a lot of his own funds with help from friends and family, and received his real boost from 4 angel investors.  Throughout the entire process he was able to build up 12 million all from Australian investors.  DesignCrowd's solid team and revolutionary idea has built them up to make around 20 million in revenue a year, and Alec is only looking to increase these numbers and expand the business.  His advice for entrepreneurs is to start now, theres no reason for hesitation, you may never know what potential or possibility your idea could have.

By: Cole Dolan

Uzialko, Adam C. "Behind the Business Plan: DesignCrowd." Business News Daily. N.p., 06 Nov. 2015. Web. 08 Nov. 2015. 

Prompt 10: Code of Ethics in The Business world

       

        Starting and maintaining a business is a hard task, there are many people that are involved in a company. Each company creates a code of ethics that their employees have to follow. 

According to Chron “A code of ethics, also called a code of conduct or ethical code, sets out the company's values, ethics, objective and responsibilities. A well-written code of ethics should also give guidance to employees on how to deal with certain ethical situations. Every code of ethics is different and should reflect the company's ethos, values and business style. Some codes are short, setting out only general guidelines, and others are large manuals, encompassing a huge variety of situations.”

Even though each company creates a different set of rules, most of them have the same premise. Employees must be respectful, have integrity, work hard and be accountable for their actions. The core values that companies enforce on their employees are also recognizable to other people outside of the business field. Growing up schools and parents tried to enforce the same values.

Even though each company has a code of ethics people are suppose to follow, sometimes people forget or ignore those values, there are multiple reasons why people would do that, for example people can become too greedy. Things like false advertising falsifying records, and selling insider information are all examples that would be going against code of ethics.

For the most part companies do follow certain values, but there have been cases where a company tried to work around them, Hyundai and Kia were caught misrepresenting the gas milage of a few different models of their cars. Even though there are many companies that follow the code of ethics there are some that because they do not it can put distrust in the mind on the consumers. Which can cause a generalization of business people that make them seem so greedy for wealth and success that they will go to any length to acquire that.

By: Jordan Liddle

"Examples of a Code of Ethics for Business." Small Business. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.

Aruna Viswanatha, Julia Edwards, and Ben Klayman. "Hyundai And Kia Have To Pay $100 Million To The Government For Misrepresenting Gas Mileage." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 3 Nov. 2014. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.

Chipotle Scandal

P.S.A to all those Chipotle lovers/ stock owners! In case you haven't heard yet, since the middle of October a substantial amount of Chipotle chains have been forced to shut down in the states of Washington and Oregon. It all started on October, 14th when people throughout the Clackamas counties of Washington and Oregon began feeling sick. As the sickness began to spread throughout the neighboring areas local health experts began to raise questions. The Oregon Health Authority spokesman, Jonathon Modie was the main contributor to the national public radios article on the topic. The experts working with Modie have identified this sickness as E-coli. The outbreak later being linked to The Chipotle's nearest these areas have now caused 43 Chipotle's to close. So whether you are financially or emotionally invested in this restaurant keep your eyes open for the latest in this evolving story.

Paralta, Ayder. "Amid E. Coli Outbreak, Chipotle Closes 43 Restaurants In Washington, Oregon." NPR. NPR, 2 Nov. 2015. Web. 02 Nov. 2015.

By Hunter Griffiths

Uber Surge Pricing

Most college kids are familiar with Uber.  It's convenience and dependability leads lots of people our age to turn towards their services.  One of the big problems with Uber is it's high pricing, and according to an article from Time Business, it certainly doesn't look like they are going down any time soon.  This price hike phenomenon is becoming better known to Uber users, and it's called surge pricing.

Uber has increased prices to better motivate drivers to go out and pick people up in crowded cities.  The goal for them to increase the amount of drivers that go to busy cities, where the demand for Uber is going to be the highest.  Contrary to what Uber thought was going to happen, surge pricing is hurting them a lot more than helping.  Demand for Uber is decreasing drastically, customers just aren't willing to pay as much as they're charging.  Drivers are actually staying away from areas with surge pricing due to the decrease in demand.  As popular as Uber has become, their business is dropping quickly, "surge pricing" is only hindering them.


By: Cole Dolan

Osborn, Katy. "Uber's Surge Pricing Doesn't Work The Way It's Supposed To, Says Report." Time Magazine. N.p., 29 Oct. 2015. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.

Walmart Pulls Controversial Costumes

By: Vincent Kania

While there have been no shortage of controversial Halloween costumes before, Walmart may have stepped the line and gone too far this time. They released a line of costumes that had features very similar to the uniforms worn by modern Israeli Defense Forces soldiers. Walmart was immediately criticized by many different groups, citing that the costume was extremely racist and that Walmart was "promoting occupation and killing of innocent teens this Halloween season" (Bayly para. 4). Walmart quickly removed the item from store shelves, but it seems the damage has already been done.

In today's world, it is very important to take into account other people's beliefs and standards. It is important for not only everyday people, but big name companies such as Walmart to realize the effect they have on other people. Walmart has put itself in a position where many people may think they are racist and will never shop there again. There is more damage being done to the rest of the world, however, than just to Walmart's sales. Allowing ideas like this to actually come to fruition show that racism is alive and well today, and it shows that we need to do a better job as human beings to identify when we are being offensive to someone else, and when to shut these situations down before they happen. Walmart is now under intense scrutiny from the public eye, and rightfully so. It may be a while before they recover from this, but that is ultimately what needs to happen in order for people to understand that things like this are not OK.

Bayly, Lucy. Israeli Soldier Kids Costume. Digital image. NBC News. N.p., 29 Oct. 2015. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.

Bayly, Lucy. "Wal-Mart Pulls Israeli Soldier Costume, Fake 'Sheik' Nose Off Shelves." NBC News. N.p., 29 Oct. 2015. Web. 01 Nov. 2015.

The Benefits of Studying Abroad

        Studying abroad can be a vital way for business majors to get ahead in the working world. This opportunity can help you gain experience, leadership skills and it broadens your world views. At Michigan State University they offer a wide selection of places you are able to go, there are 275 programs and over 60 different countries to choose from.

         When applying to a job people who have had more experiences and internships, especially in another country are more likely to get chosen for a position. Also studying how other countries run businesses can help with finding different ways to run and market a business.

       Also Michigan State offers opportunities like financial aid. There are many ways you can pay for this expense and in the long run it would pay off. Not only do you get to travel and experience a new view and culture. This can help with future opportunities in the work world. 

By: Jordan Liddle

"Office of Study Abroad | Michigan State University." Office of Study Abroad | Michigan State University. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.

Domino's moving toward a futuristic image

In the marketing world, the ultimate goal is to make a certain brand more attractive, to motivate consumers to buy their products. Sometimes, this can be taken to the extreme. Domino's has created the DXP delivery car, which includes a warming pizza oven (capacity of 80 pizzas), and space for two liter drinks and dipping sauce. Although they will only have 100 out on the road shortly (Boston, Detroit, Houston, New Orleans, San Diego, Seattle), this is an effort that the company has made to entice consumers, and keep their brand up to speed with the need to stay in tune with today's cutting edge technology.

"People want their pizza to be as hot and fresh out of the oven as possible," CP+B executive creative director Matt Talbot said. "The DXP, with its built in warming oven, can deliver on that better than any vehicle before it. The other compartments in the vehicle also mean that any drinks, sides and sauces will make it safely to your front door as well." I don't know about you, but I will definitely be ordering some Domino's to see this for myself. 

Source:
http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/dominos-just-unveiled-radical-pizza-delivery-car-took-4-years-build-167707