SWOT - What did I learn from it?

For many art students, using the word SWOT doesn't mean much to them. In the marketing class, I finally got a chance to learn what it means and understand how it works. SWOT stands for Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat. To be successful in a business, the person has to do SWOT analysis to have a deep understand throughly about their business and what's going on around in the business world, especially for that particular business. Strength and Weakness is more of an internal analysis, to dig deeper and see what we are good and not good at. In contrary, Opportunity and Threat make the business realize the market out their, who are the competitors, consumer market, what are the advantages and disadvantages going on around the company. To me, I learn to extract details, ask as many questions and doing deeper researches. I think a detail and throughout SWOT analysis is very important and it will help direct planning strategies into the right direction.

Mike's Stone Jewelry New Name

Hey guys, we've been brainstorming a new name for this stuff.

Options:
mike stone
mike stoned
first stone
stoned out
rare stone
flex stone
rare nature
raw nature
rawnate
true stone
true nature

Please comment by Sunday night on your favorites..if no one has any preferences, we're just going to ask Mike!

Segmentation (Cont.)

Segmentation

A Market Segment is a subgroup of people or organizations sharing one or more characteristics that cause them to have similar product needs.

Market Segmentation is the process of dividing a market into meaningful, relatively similar, and identifiable segments or groups.

How did we come up with the Market Segmentation for Mike's art, and what where the Market Segments?

Food Inc. - Sarita

The movie we were watching in class turned my stomach. It is hard to know the truth. Once you do know the truth, you are then accountable for your actions. The world is corrupt and businesses out there are just riding on the same trend. It is hard for me to comprehend the vicious cycle of money and the nasty effects that it has to the human race. I was raise eating meat, but the cruelty behind the consumption of the product makes the whole thing seem dead ass wrong! Why are we in a rush to the future?? It looks like we are better off staying behind in times than advancing to the money-hungry greedy destination we are heading to. I do think that animals can supply food for us to eat, but damn! It makes you rethink your morals and even the grocery shopping you do. I went home that night and didn't stop anywhere to eat with fear that I would be eating some poor, abused, mistreated, cloned, weak, animal. It would be like eating sorrow or digesting misfortune. Let me stop before I continue with the overflowing thoughts of how wrong the whole system really is. I could snap and really go off, but I think we all know the lack of ethical practice that is going on in the world, not just in the meat industry and for that I rest my case. Keep your eyes open and your stomach strong! Don't forget to pray for the food you consume.

Food Inc- Sadie

(relocating my comment)
I have been partially vegetarian for most of my life. I lived in England in the middle of the Mad Cow disease (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy) outbreak. As a result, we ate very little beef. Shortly after returning to the USA, I ate less and less beef, as well as pork, until I stopped completely. At first it was because I didn't like the taste of beef, but as I grew up, it became an issue of health. I started understanding the affects food can have on your body, especially meat, due to it's origins. Now that I'm older, I have looked at many research stories and documentaries focusing on the unsanitary living conditions cattle, poultry, and other animals are raised in. Some people might argue that it doesn't matter how the animals live, it doesn't affect the food made out of them. I disagree. Chemicals get absorbed, especially when they are being fed their own excrement and ground up dead animals, a recipe for massive bacteria. People wonder how something like BSE can occur, but I think it's quite obvious. If you raise your food in filth, it will become filthy. Couple this with our hypersanitary loe for anti-bacterial products, and you've eliminated immune systems defenses and sicced lethal bacteria on our weakened immune systems. The part in Food Inc. where the poultry farmer is picking up dead chickens really shocked me. In contrast to the farmer who prided himself on a small operation where the animals eat what they would naturally and are killed on a much smaller scale, it really seems like an obvious choice as to which one I would buy when I was eating meat. I hope benevolent farming practices become more popular, and that the existing ones hold their ground (like Stoneyfield Organics). As long as they continue to value impact over income, maybe the food industry can change.

food inc ellen

I really can't say my opinions of the food industry have changed since viewing food inc. I've always been aware of the food industry and have tried to be especially careful when selecting where to buy my meat. I even turned to veganism for a number of years when I was younger, but I began to feel that it was not a healthy option. Ultimately, I think you need to be extremely well informed as a consumer. I grew up in a place with many, many farms and have on many occasions, met my dinner. I can't say that it's a good experience but i do think that it's important to make people aware of that at a younger age. As far as humane treatment of animals meant for human consumption goes, I think the best thing you can do for yourself and your food is to raise it. I understand alot of people are uncomfortable with this, but if you can separate yourself from the pre-packaged meat you buy in the store, knowing that it comes from an animal that suffered great trauma then you should be able to switch gears and raise it healthy, ending its life quickly and humanely.

Food Inc - Rakefet's thoughts and proposed solutions

I am so happy we watched Food Inc. together. As disturbing as the movie is, it gives me great satisfaction to watch it again with people who haven't seen it before and watch their eyes open. Awareness is key! It is our responsibility as consumers to educate ourselves and protect our interests. Know what you are buying, read the small type on the labels, keep current with research studies and then make your choices. If you want to eat healthier, you have options: buy from local farmers, go to farmers markets, buy fruit and vegetable that are in season, grow your own food, cook, eat at organic cafes/restaurants, eat in moderation, drink tap filtered water. You can make a difference! 

Below are some links to local resources:

http://www.eatwild.com/products/florida.html

http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets

http://www.sweetwater-organic.org/

Food Inc.

I have always known that the big food companies did not produce our food the all natural healthy way, but I preferred not know where my food came from so I wouldn't always be paranoid every time I ate something.

I feel sorry for all the family farms that are getting put out of business because of the big corporations. I was completely shocked to find out about all of those people in office that stand right behind these huge companies and let things fly under the radar.

Just a few weeks ago one of my older friends where talking about getting a chicken coop. I didn't think it was a good idea because it could start stinking up the neighborhood and I didn't want to know the chicken before I ate it. Although after watching Food Inc. I'm thinking having a place where I know that the chicken lived a good life and didn't just live in a cage isn't such a bad idea. I am still able to eat products from the grocery store, but I try to get organic as much as possible.

Food Inc.

After watching food Inc. i feel the same way about the industry that i have always viewed it before. They tried to show that the other farmers treat their animals in such a humane way, but in the end they all get killed. As to some of the hormones used, that could be changed. Also the large scaled production happened for a reason to meet the constant demand of food, which is why the store are never out of food. All in all i felt more sympathy for the farmers getting abused than anything having to do with the animals, and believe there are more important issues than this. People are not dying at large rates from this, and our health is getting better as is the life expectancy rate, so obviously something is being done right.

Blogging 101

Blogging 101:

Food Inc.

Watching Food Inc. really opened my eyes to the many factors that effect our economy from food production. I was prepared for the killing of animals because living in Texas near a packing plant I have heard and witnessed the mass killings myself. What really surprised me was the way the companies, that need the large quantities of product, bury the farmers in debt. They pay the farmers barely enough to be considered above the poverty line and put them in a debt that basically enslaves them for life. Not only does this destroy our farming community and leave them with little or no say, it kills our banking system. Imagining the massive amounts of farmers required to support our food intake in America, this problem has to be a major contributor to the downfall of our banking system. Allowing huge corporations like Walmart to basically use our federal government and horrible national debt to fuel their small buisiness killing machine really makes me mad.

How to blog!

This is how you blog:

Produced and Edited by: Alexander

We are what we eat...

In response to watching the documentary "Food Inc." I am now fully aware of the potential hazards of being lured into purchases just because of convenience.

Prior to watching the film, I was well aware of large scale food production and the risks it involves. Investigative journalist Eric Schlosser narrates the film and the first moment I saw him I knew what we were in for. He's the author of "Fast Food Nation" a book that examines the local and global influence of the United States fast food industry. It was a required reading for my liberal arts classes from two summers ago. The premise of the book was to outline the history of fast food restaurants and its big impact on the way we look at food in America. In retrospective, us artists were to make sure we we're aware of the social responsibility that burdens us when Eric brings up the topic of companys like McDonalds deliberately targeting children in their marketing campaigns.

In addition to reading the book, I also rented the movie of the same name which is about a Don Anderson, the Marketing Director of a a hamburger chain called Mickey's, learns that there is considerable presence of fecal matter in the meat of the burger he advertises. He travels to the slaughterhouse that provides the hamburger chain and finds out that its guilty of sloppy production techniques.

After exposing myself to such materials, my personal perception and behavior of what I eat has changed dramatically a year ago. I have refrained from drinking soda entirely to only consuming water and have limited myself to eating fast food to one or two times a week. When purchasing groceries at the local supermarket, I look for whole wheat products and avoid any processed food that could potentially carry a genetically modified crop. I also attempt to make all my meals from scratch, avoiding the need of processed foods in striving for a healthier lifestyle.

Food INC

I know it's crazy late, I know I would get fired, but in my defense..I had helped an old lady cross the street the other day :). The movie FOOD INC opened my eyes to what the food industry is really about. I understand that fast food isn't good for you. I know big name companies are doing things they should to the food that I consume and could cause side effects on my body. I hear it all the time when I tell people I'm going to go eat at Burger King, but I never really think about it. The movie FOOD INC revealed a side of the food industry that should be fully exposed in every right. The movie goes into explaining the farmer's role in the fast food market. I feel for those poor people who don't have anywhere to turn to for help and decide to trade off their resources for a little piece of change. Not only is it a little piece of change, but they end up borrowing more money from the bank than they receive from those big name companies. Next my heart went out to those poor little critters. They're feeding chickens something to make them more fatter and it's not good for the chickens let alone for the farmers. It's true that it is a job and someone has to do it, so they hire... "minorities" to do the job. I mean why not? they'll do it for low pay like their lives depended on it, or better yet the citizenship for all of the aliens they have working for them that is. When it's all said and done I'm starting to see what's going on around and what the truly the process in which the food industry is taking to make sure their pockets stay full.

Food Inc. - Casey Ligon

Most of the concepts and imagery from Food Inc are not new to me. I've seen plenty of news articles and films detailing the farming industry. I think it's sad that I've seen these images and heard this same message over and over again without taking a step toward a better consumer lifestyle. I go to whichever grocery store is closest and pick out whatever food is cheapest or looks good to me at the time. So many consumers buy into this that big cooperation get bigger and immoral trends continue within the farming industry.

I went Organic for a few months at one point, but I wasn't able to see the results of all my new shopping choices, so I went back to just buying whatever was most convenient.

One part of Food Inc. made me realize that even a small change makes a difference. At one point in the film, the chicken farmer refused to 'upgrade' to a less humane bird enclosure and she lost her contract with the company that bought her stock. Clearly Tyson didn't care at all about the welfare of the chickens, so when their producer refused to make a 'small' change, they were able to drop her without a second thought and move on to another supplier willing to sink to lower animal rights convictions (or lack thereof). This simply made me think of all the small steps that buyers have made toward allowing less-than-desirable animal living conditions, and how far they will be able to go if consumers continue buying their foods.

Now that I am in a new city, I have options for buying groceries at markets that provide only organic and natural foods. Because this provides me with an easier buying process (rather than scouring the shelves at Publix for the occasional organic product), and because one part of the film truly made an impact on me, I am more likely to start eating organically. Not for the sake of a healthy diet, or to go with the green trend, but for me to feel good about the way farmers and animals are treated in the process of getting that food from the farm to my dinner table.

Food Inc.

Throughout my life I have gathered much information from my surroundings and experiences, and before watching Food Inc., I had already realized that the food industry is not an entirely honest one. Unfortunately it seems too much to ask of those who run the entire thing, to do so with the public's well-being in mind. As a consumer, while it does seem like we have almost infinite choices in what we buy (brand, quantity, price, etc.), in reality we actually don't. Not when huge corporations own practically everything we buy, and multiple brands as well. For example I have heard that big name brands also own their equivalent store brand products as well, so it creates competition with itself. In addition to this, just the general knowledge that corporations as a whole aren't entirely honest with the public, has left me desensitized and cynical of everything I see, though I also believe in giving some the benefit of the doubt. Because of this cynicism, it is hard for me to believe that something is really fat free or all-natural...since according to Food Inc., they don't have to label everything entirely, so why can't they put on labels that aren't entirely true, like beefing up a resumé? There are many more thoughts I could express about this whole subject, but we only did see a few clips.

Food Inc.

Before watching Food Inc., I sort of knew that the meat industry was sketchy in this country, but I've always avoided the fact by not thinking about it. A couple of my close friends are vegetarians and their actions have made me think about it a little bit in the past year.

What really shocked me about the film was that it doesn't matter whether you order meat from a restaurant or buy in a supermarket, chances are it's coming from the same place. This was disturbing to me because I won't order meat in a restaurant simply because I don't trust the people handling my food. However, I can't even select my own meat in a grocery store without thinking about some of the images from the film now.

The other thing that made me mad was that in some states you can't have a negative opinion about the meat or you'll be sued. I'm already not a fan of the lies, greed, etc. in our government, but this just disgusts me even more. The fact that our government is so controlling, rather manipulative of our food industry and its businesses, I honestly don't know who or what I should trust anymore.

Food Inc.

I have heard rumors about the food industry and what they do to excelerate the animal's growing but this was the first time I watch the movie and see for myself. It was very upsetting to me what the food industry are doing to the animal. All they want to do is to maximize their profit, they don't care about the animals, the consumers' health and the farmers' health and living. It has to deal with ethic issues and humanity. What they do in the food industry is crucial.
However, looking at the other side of the blades, we are such a consumer culture. Coming from a different background, Americans use, spend and waste so much comparing to other country. To serve the public's demand, industry had to try different ways even when it's is unethical. It is a sad fact. I like how the movie make people realize the truth of what they really are really consuming. Public need to be more informed and educated, it was terrible how the big food industries and the government hide things from us. And to me, a little positive part of the recession is people start to reserve, save more and not being wastefull on anything they can.
The movie won't change the way I eat, but I will be so much more conscious of where the food I eat coming from. How was it grown and if it is organic? I will try to support more of local farmers and less on the big meat industries such as Tyson.

Food Inc...

I have never seen this movie before, but I have heard a lot about it and the impact it had on peoples life, some people even changed their life styles, changing their diets and so on.

It was interesting to see how big companies control and exploit smaller producers, employees and animals.

It was also interesting to see how some small producers deny the imposition of radical rules of the big companies like that small producer that did not want to change the cages of the chickens, it was shocking to see that the big company terminated the contract.

I left me thinking about how everything we eat everything that sits in the grocery store probably has been manufactured that “cruel” way. I wonder if we will eve know where those things really come from other that the little sticker on the package.

I was surprised by the size of the food industries in here I am used to a much smaller country in which big industries are nothing compared to this ones.

It is a move that I recommend people to watch! But we also need to be very thoughtful when we watch it and pay more attention to what we buy and where.

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FOOD INC.

To say the least I was very disturbed by this documentary. How can people do that? Some people are so money hungry that they don't even care who they hurt to get it even if it is helpless animals. It was interesting to me to learn that not only does the fast food industry use this but the our everyday grocery store uses the same stuff. My family get our meat from a local butcher and I am curious to know where he gets his meat from. I am going to ask him next time, i think he gets the animals form local farms that treat the animals right. And from here on out only buy from him and not from major corporations.

Food Inc. and the lifted veil.

After watching Food Inc. I feel that the depths of corruption within this country have hit an all-time low. Putting capital gain before the safety and well-being of the worlds citizens is a sign of a completely unethical bureaucratic system. It seems to me that the FDA needs to have a restriction that any money exchanged between an employee of that administration and any representative of food company will be fired immediately and regulations set that no one that worked within a food manufacturer can be eligible for employment within the FDA. I also feel that we as a society need to stand up and demand a better quality of food. This film completely opened my eyes.

Food Inc. - our roles!

Food Inc. is a good way of showing awareness to the world on about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here. These questions have never been asked before by many people since the government, big corporations, marketing strategy, advertisement, packaging, and design fool us all.

I am very concerned and angry with the government and corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. This is a serious topic, as we all survive with food that we consume everyday; it is our life, country and world.

There is no such thing that we cannot do anything. As a creative thinker and the next generation, we have the responsibility to change. Be ethically right about what we are marketing, advertising, and selling to the society is a big step. Many consumers are influenced by what we do as an artists, businessman, and designer. We should send the right messages and tell the truth to the people by playing our important role instead of helping the corporations to cheat and hid the truth.

Besides being responsible as creative thinkers, we can still help by little actions we take everyday such as: Protect family farms; visit your local farmer's market; Make a point to know where your food comes from—READ LABELS; Buy organic or sustainable food with little or no pesticides; Meatless Mondays—Go without meat one day a week; Support the passage of laws requiring chain restaurants to post calorie information on menus and menu boards; Stop drinking sodas and other sweetened beverages; Eat at home instead of eating out; and many more that you can find from http://www.foodincmovie.com/get-involved.php

I believe if each person take some actions on changing the way how we think and eat, collectively it will make a big impact on our health, farmers and our environment.

food inc.

i already knew how animals were treated before they made it to the super market, but diseases? antibiotics in food? i did not know that. what really got me mad, you know besides the whole savage raising and killing of chickens, was that they don't bother telling people what's going on. like of course it's important! we're eating eat, we have every right to know! ...well i love animals, and i think animals are equal to humans, and i feel really bad how they are killed and treated, but i love meat, it's too good to give up.

Moop.

Hola. This is a sample blog post content.

As you know, Gandhi was a spiritual man. He also went on many hunger strikes, which left him weak and gave him bad breath. He usually walked without shoes, leaving his feet rough.

In layman's terms, he was a super-calloused fragile mystic vexed by halitosis. :D

Food Inc.

Food Inc. just made me confused, about everything. I knew before that the chickens we eat are treated badly but I never thought about what kind of diseases they could have and how sick that could make us for eating them. I understand why they alter the chickens to grow faster and have so many of them piled up in each farm, because we have such a huge population. If chickens were raised the normal way, I feel we would quickly run out. This makes sense to me. What doesn't make sense is why it's such a big secret. They are hiding so much from us so I feel like there's much more going on then what we know about. You can't trust any food you buy whether it be meat or veggies. We have absolutely no control over it either. What are we going to do? Just not eat food? It's scary but there's just nothing anyone can do about it. One thing I didn't know was how badly farmers are treated. If they don't follow all the rules, they're out of a business. Plus they don't make nearly as much money as they should. Big companies like Tyson are just using these farmers. It would be great if every farmer did things the "right" way with healthy animals. I don't see this happening because the economy is so bad. They will have to eventually give in to the bigger companies. I don't think I would stop eating meat after seeing the movie. I've been eating it my whole life so it's just natural to me. I feel like it's pointless for me to worry about it too much because it's out of my control. I'm just not sure what to think about it anymore.

Food Inc.

I've always heard about animal cruelty and how the foods that we buy is actually harmful to us but I've never really saw the perspective side of the farmers until I saw this video. I thought that was really interesting and sad. Also, the fact that the government doesn't want to tell us more information of what we eat; either cloned animals or what they're actually injecting to our foods is disturbingly wrong. The government in this country is actually messed up than other countries. I mean, the idea of companies hiring illegal immigrants and the government not stopping those companies is wrong and we blame immigrants for hopping over the fence when the government allows companies to do that. I've always felt that US takes everything for granted. The information that was shown in the video is great and should be more pushed to the public.

Food Inc.

I think that this movie was a great thing to make. I really do think that the public should know what the farmers ad corporations are doing to the food that we eat on a daily basis. I wish they could find different ways to do it. Maybe be a little bit more humane. But, it also makes me never want to eat meat. But, I could never give it up.

A Bit Of What I've Learned

Despite some of these having already been mentioned, the culmination of what I have learned so far this semester include:

• the 5 P's (Product, Price, Place, Promotion, and People)
• the different types of segmentation and its importance
• the definition of marketing, and what is or isn't marketing in terms of packaging
• the basic outline of a marketing plan
• how to determine the SWOT Analysis
• --- Strengths & Weaknesses
• ------ (Internal Factors)
• --- Opportunities & Threats
• ------ (External Factors)
• to therefore figure out competitive advantage and its resulting marketing strategy

What I have learned so far about Marketing

This semester in Marketing I have learned quite a bit. I obviously have learned about the 5 P's and the different segmenting of buiseness plans along with the width and depth of product lines. The thing that I have enjoyed learning the most is how to break down a company and its products using both S.W.O.T. and simply understanding the market you are going into. I have always been interested on how marketing and advertising were linked. I soon realized that one can not exist without the other. Without market research you advertising is a shot in the dark and you will find your mistakes along the way and they will only slow you down. Also if there is no advertising the research was for not.

Marketing + Graphic Desing = better solution

I always knew Marketing and Graphic Design are connected but I was not sure what was the connection. From what I have learned so far, I figure that Marketing is where problems are created and analyzed for better solution that Graphic Designer will be able solved. Some examples below:

Types of orientation - Production orientation, sales orientation, market orientation, societal marketing orientation are four philosophies that strongly influence marketing process and design approach.
Marketing plan - Business Mission statement, objectives, SWOT analysis, marketing strategy, marketing mix – 5Ps (product, promotion, people, price, place), implementation, evaluation and control. It needs to be strongly established in order for better design solution that meets the plan. Without the strong foundation and plan, design solution will suffer as well.
Segmentation – B2C (geographic segmentation, demographic segmentation, psychographic segmentation, benefit segmentation, and usage-rate segmentation); B2B (producers, resellers, government, and institutions). This will help clarify the target and how to approach design for each segment.

With strong marketing research and plan, it will help the design approach and problem solving for better solution that will be effective to communicate and develop values to the customers or audiences. Marketing and Graphic Design are both related and depended on each other for better solution.
This is a perfect mix for me and it would be very helpful for my future career.

Some of what I've learned so far . . . . .

5 P's of marketing

Product - The physical product

Price - How much it will coast
Promotion - Communication and selling to potential consumers
People - Who is your target market?
Place - Where your product will be sold.

SWOT Analysis
S - Strengths (internal)
W - Weaknesses (internal)
O - Opportunities (external)
T -  Threats (external)

Types
B2B - Business to Business (relationship driven)
B2C - Business to consumer (product driven)

What I've learned so far..

In the beginning of the semester I was a little confuse what marketing is. I know that sounds silly but I didn't know what exactly what it was. I know products,packaging, and etc are marketing but I didn't know that information is a part of it as well. So far, I've learned about B2B and B2C, segmentation, the 5 P's, and etc. I really like how we are learning and how to market by going through a hands-on experience marketing Mike's art.