Response to Meghan Hardy's Post

If you are graduating this year, have you had a hard time landing a job?


Yes I am graduating with a degree in Architecture. Right now the industry is hurting and it is very tough to find a position anywhere. Most companies that are hiring are looking for senior designers who have 5-10 years of experience. Last summer I tried to obtain an internship to get my foot in the door somewhere and most companies said they usually do internships couldn't afford to do them this summer. I'm hoping that the economy starts to climb back and I can find a job with my degree.

Copying the Competitor

I recently encountered two powerhouses in the fast food industry copying each other on every move they make. You can see this going on constantly with competitors but the one I found the other day at Burger King is truly the exact same thing as McDonald's. It happened with the BK double cheese burger went up in price from 1.00 to 1.29. To substitute it they came up with what they are calling the BK Double. This is 1.00 but the difference is that their is only one piece of cheese and not two like on the original double cheeseburger. This is exactly what McDonald's did just a couple months ago. They no longer sell their original double cheese burger for 1.00 but have a McDouble for a dollar with one piece of cheese. I believe burger king is going to start to see everyone will start to shy away from the 1.29 cheeseburger. They had a great niche in the market because their competitors double cheeseburger was more expensive. Do you think this was the right move for BK or should they have kept offering their double cheeseburger for 1.00? Can you think of any other examples where a store/business copies their competitor?

Non-price Competition

Our text defines this as when a seller decides not to focus on price and instead emphasizes distinctive product features,service,product quality,promotion, and packaging. A great example of a company that I believe is a non-price competitor is our case study Sherwin Williams. When you compare it to other brands of paint, mostly always SW is more expensive. Most people just respond to it as "you are paying for what you get". SW paint is supposed to be one of the best quality paints. The other good example that I thought of was clothing stores for teens and young adults. For the most part it comes down to four stores: Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, American Eagle, and Aeropostale. They are in a certain order as well because Abercrombie is the prime example of non-price competitor, while on the other end of the spectrum is Aeropostale where they are price competitive. Aeropostale is the cheapest store as usually they always have deals going on, and on average all the clothing is cheap. You can walk in and get two t shirts for $20. While if you walk down the mall further and try to by two t shirts from Abercrombie you can plan on spending around $60. I believe that non-price competitors are viewed as the "high-end" of what ever products they sell. Have you ever been persuaded to buy from a non-price competitor, just because you wanted the logo?

In Response to Sam's Post

Do you have any personal favorite techniques for selling items on craigslist/ebay? Do you think that big companies use similar or different techniques to sell their products?


I have only actually sold a couple of things online, most of them being textbooks that I couldn't sell back to the bookstore. I would say my techniques are pretty simple. I describe the item honestly and in detail, to make sure there isn't any confusion of the condition of the item. I also try to show a picture of the item, so that the person buying it knows what they are buying and can visually see it. I think companies try to do this, but with big companies, there also comes a lot of small text. They could advertise something as "on sale" but underneath in small print might read must spend over $50. But when you can visually see the item in a magazine or online, I think it increases your chances of a sale dramatically. Have you ever had instances where you think something is a really good deal, but then you find out about the small print?

In Repsonse to Sam Chipkin's Post

Do you think that Ferrari has alternative reasons for going green? Does Ferrari's new outlook change your perspective of them as a company?

I believe they might be loosing ground from the other top of the line car manufactures, because most of them are now producing a so cold "green" line. So if they aren't able to make a "green car" they might as well produce their cars in one the the most earth friendly car manufacturing plant. I know most people are familiar with the damage vehicles do to our environment, but many people are unaware of the waste of energy these huge mega plants are. To be able to have a trigeneration plant for electricity, hot, and cold water, will save Ferrari in the long run millions of dollars. Using the photovoltaic as power will limit also the use of electricity. Overall I don't think this changes my perspective of Ferrari, but I do believe it is a good thing for our environment, I could ultimately help them in sales. Seeing a green Ferrari would be a different feeling for sure.

Cognitive Dissonance

When reading chapter 8, I came across the word "Cognitive Dissonance". By definition it is simply defined as a buyer's doubts shortly after a purchase about whether the decision was the right one. I never knew their was a term for this kind of feeling but I can say I have been a victim of having cognitive dissonance after a purchase. Just over Christmas break I received a $50 visa gift card. A few nights after I got it, I went the only open restaurant we could find and ended up spending $28. On the way home I was definitely second guessing, because I had just spend more the half of the card just because I needed to satisfy my hunger. Now knowing about cognitive dissonance, I started to wonder if companies know if their products or service are susceptible to cognitive dissonance. I believe the higher the price, the more chance of really feeling cognitive dissonance. Have you ever experienced this, and can you think of any companies that might be susceptible to this?

In Response to Kevin MacArthur's Post

Do you think it would be a good idea to check out a companies track record and history before going into business with them?


I agree with Kevin, as no matter what the situation is you should always look into a companies history to see what they are all about. I think this is an excellent idea when applying for a job. If you go into the interview knowing some history of the company and what they are all about, I think it makes a good impression and shows the interviewer that you really want the job. It always the safe bet, to look at the companies track record, because for all you know they could have been problems in the past that they don't share. Overall just make sure you know general information about the company and make sure that their track record is relatively clean.