The person I interviewed is the primary manager, whom of which is the son of the owner of a denim store I used to work at in Birmingham, Michigan. It is not a corporate business, therefore I consider the manager to be a professional of marketing and entrepreneurship.
1) What does a normal day typically look like?
Well, the store opens at 10am Monday - Saturday and at noon on Sundays. Usually, I arrive to the store an hour before, so in most cases at 9 am. When I arrive, I like to ensure that the store was closed properly the night before. I make sure our register is reset for the day, clothes are folded, hung and presented the right way, the sign lights are turned on, nothing has been stolen, receipts are in their correct envelopes that are organized by day of the week and so on. My days are usually split up into sitting in the office, planning buying trips, going through resumes, creating store front visuals, and being out on the floor. When I am out on the floor, I work in the men's department. Although that's my primary position, my job also consists of making sure things are running smoothly throughout the day around the store as a whole. The store closes at 8 on Thursdays and Fridays, 6 on Sundays, and 7 the rest of the nights. My employees usually stay at least an hour after close to clean up and prepare the store for the next day, but I'm usually there for 2 hours so I can lock up the store and leave everything the way they should be.
2) What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite thing that I get to do every day is interact with customers and business partners. If I'm not assisting and meeting new people, then I am in contact with other companies that sell merchandise to us. I love the business and marketing aspect of this job because I truly get to learn something new every day. My other favorite part is being able to attend buying trips around the country. I usually head to cities such as New York or Los Angeles to meet with companies that sell to us and find merchandise that I'd want to sell in our store. In all, I love how interactive the job is.
3) How do you communicate with other companies?
Usually, I communicate with companies I do business with either by telephone or email. Most companies and representatives that I come in contact with are out of state, so the primary form of contact would be electronic.
4) How much writing does your job require?
The most writing that I usually do is for emails or letters. If I am contacting another professional that I intend on doing business with, I usually send them an email. I also use email for other purposes such as hiring new employees and local advertising.
5) Do you enjoy writing?
I usually don't mind writing, but that could be because my job doesn't require too much of it. I only need to do it when necessary for the business. I wouldn't mind more writing, though. I do like it; my job just doesn't consist that much of it.
6) What kind of format do you use to write?
The format of writing I use will vary depending on who it is that I am writing to. If I am writing to someone who works for a company that I am working with or somebody I consider hiring, I would write very formally (high style). However, if I am writing a note or email to my fellow employees, I usually find myself including some humor in my style because I am more personal with them.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Monday, January 27, 2014
Post #4 - Steve Jobs Video (Free Post)
This week, I watched a video about Steve Jobs and his outlook on marketing and being able to think differently. At the beginning, Jobs quotes, "To me, marketing is about values!" He discusses Nike as a company and how its major strategy is to not talk about their product itself, but to instead "honor great athletes and athletics". He then goes on to talk about Apple. Jobs says, "Our customers want to know who is Apple and what is it that we stand for. Where do we fit in this world?" To me, as someone who will be studying marketing as a major, I find this to be a very important question. This is telling companies to ask themselves what they believe in, and how they think that belief can change lives. According to Steve Jobs, Apple believes that people with passion can change the world for the better. He says that values and core values should not change. At the end of the video, Jobs shows a clip that talks about how the crazy ones who believe they can change the world are the ones who end up being able to change the world.
Although this video was short, I think it contained very useful information. It was short and sweet; got straight to the point. In summary, Jobs believes that those who can think differently, even crazy enough, are those who can end up changing the world for the better. I really liked his analysis of Nike as a company because he talks about why they are as large as they are. Jobs mentions that shoes are such a big commodity and Nike doesn't even need to talk about them to make the company so successful.
Work Cited:
"Best
Marketing Strategy Ever! Steve Jobs Think Different / Crazy Ones Speech (with
Real Subtitles)." YouTube. YouTube, 21 Apr. 2013. Web. 27 Jan.
2014.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Post #3 - Considering Delivery and Style
Scholarly Journal: Wilkie, William L., and Elizabeth S. Moore. "Scholarly Research in Marketing: Exploring the “4 Eras” of Thought Development." Journal of Public Policy & Marketing 22.2 (2003): 116-46. Print.
After finding a scholarly journal and blog that are related to marketing, it was easy to differentiate between the style of writing between the two. Firstly, within the scholarly journal I discovered, I noticed immediately that it had a table of contents and a few pages at the end that cited references that were used. From what I have previously seen, this is what a scholarly journal usually consists of. It makes the journal as formal as it should be, especially because it directs the reader to the specific page he or she is searching for. Also, the journal in which I am referring to has countless of these references, which ultimately makes it more credible. Furthermore, the journal is not only available for readers online, but can also be found in a printed form. For these reasons, this journal has a high/formal/scholarly style of writing. Because it is written in this way by professionals and is peer reviewed, a journal like so could be intended for other professors of a university, someone who may be conducting research, or a student, such as me.
Blog: "Inbound Hub." Inbound Marketing Articles. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.
The blog I found is composed of articles each by different authors. Most headlines are questions that regard to different aspects of marketing or different ideas for someone to become a better marketing professional. After reading some of the posts, I have come to the conclusion that it is written in a middle to low style, at least a bit less formal than the scholarly journal. Not that this is a bad thing, though; I believe this is what is appropriate for a blog. This is because the strategy of writing is for the reader to be able to relate and fully understand what they are reading. You could say that it is more reader-friendly for someone who just wants to know more about marketing. The style of writing fits the mode of delivery, which is an online blog website. The meaning of the blog is to teach readers about marketing and its different topics. The authors of the posts do not speak in a formal manner because they are blog posts, which mean they do not need to be formal as it is not peer reviewed or written by professionals.
After finding a scholarly journal and blog that are related to marketing, it was easy to differentiate between the style of writing between the two. Firstly, within the scholarly journal I discovered, I noticed immediately that it had a table of contents and a few pages at the end that cited references that were used. From what I have previously seen, this is what a scholarly journal usually consists of. It makes the journal as formal as it should be, especially because it directs the reader to the specific page he or she is searching for. Also, the journal in which I am referring to has countless of these references, which ultimately makes it more credible. Furthermore, the journal is not only available for readers online, but can also be found in a printed form. For these reasons, this journal has a high/formal/scholarly style of writing. Because it is written in this way by professionals and is peer reviewed, a journal like so could be intended for other professors of a university, someone who may be conducting research, or a student, such as me.
Blog: "Inbound Hub." Inbound Marketing Articles. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.
The blog I found is composed of articles each by different authors. Most headlines are questions that regard to different aspects of marketing or different ideas for someone to become a better marketing professional. After reading some of the posts, I have come to the conclusion that it is written in a middle to low style, at least a bit less formal than the scholarly journal. Not that this is a bad thing, though; I believe this is what is appropriate for a blog. This is because the strategy of writing is for the reader to be able to relate and fully understand what they are reading. You could say that it is more reader-friendly for someone who just wants to know more about marketing. The style of writing fits the mode of delivery, which is an online blog website. The meaning of the blog is to teach readers about marketing and its different topics. The authors of the posts do not speak in a formal manner because they are blog posts, which mean they do not need to be formal as it is not peer reviewed or written by professionals.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Post #2 - Supply Chain Management or Marketing? (Free Post)
After doing a bit of research about these two majors, I have come to the conclusion that marketing would be a better fit for me. I found this to be true because I feel as though I have a larger interest in the PR and advertising world than I do it the producing and transporting world. As a person, I enjoy every aspect of the media and I feel that I would make a good professional in my future. Not only do I already have experience in sales as well, but I know that it is something I would enjoy working with in my future, too.
Post #1 - What I Wonder About My Future
What is the general definition of supply chain management?
What is marketing?
- After reading the author's definition in Essentials of Supply Chain Management by Michael H. Hugos, I've put in my own words that it simply is the practice of producing, moving what ever has been produced to a specific place of origin, and every step in between. This brings me to my next question, which regards to the major key concepts of supply chain management.
- For supply chain to work in a successful manner, it must follow an organized pattern. The 5 key points that explains this are as follows:
- Production
- Inventory
- Location
- Transportation
- Information
- A supply chain consists of a company, the suppliers, and the customers. Other than this simple group of participants, you could also say that there are sub-groups as well. For example, you have the suppliers of that company and its own suppliers, the customer's customers, and the companies that are acting as providers to other companies.
- Logistics Analyst/Manager
- Supply Chain Analyst
- Supply Chain Manager
- Fleet Manager
- Warehouse Operations Manager
- Facilities Manager
What is the salary of a supply chain management professional?
- Anywhere from $40,000 to a little over $90,000.
- According to a Forbes article, marketing is summed up as how meaningful a product is and why it should be useful for the public.
What is marketing's mission?
- In another Forbes article, the mission stands to be the "leading designer and integrator of innovative, tailored technology solutions that empower people to push the boundaries of what is possible."
- In the same article, it says, "The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a division of the U.S. Department of Labor, defines marketing professionals as those who examine market conditions to determine potential sales of a product or service. They also monitor trends that indicate the need for new products and services, and oversee the development of those products. In addition, marketing associates identify potential customers and create marketing campaigns and pricing strategies."
What does a marketing professional do?
- Advertising media or or products
- Organize campaigns and research studies
- Public relations
What are different career paths in marketing?
- Advertising Manager
- Public Relations Manager
- Marketing Manager
- Promotions Manager
- Brand Manager
- Sales Manager
- Market Research Analyst
What is the highest paying salary of a marketing professional?
- A high paid marketing professional could be paid anywhere over $100,000.
Sources:
- Hugos, Michael H. Essentials of
Supply Chain Management. 3rd ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2011. Print.
- "Spotlight on Supply Chain
Careers." Supply Chain Management Careers. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.
- Smith, Jacquelyn. "The 10 Best Paying
Companies For Marketing Professionals."Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 09
July 2013. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.
- SAP Voice. "What Is
Marketing?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 09 Aug. 2012. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.
- "Marketing Job Description: What
You'll Do." Marketing Job Description. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan.
2014.
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