Research opportunity for CB students

Hi to the CB class,

As I mentioned in class yesterday, you have the opportunity to earn up to 10 points by doing some digging into the annals of literature and history. I'll give one point for each *excellent* example you provide.

Please help me find materials related to people's consuming/giving small luxuries & treats during periods of economic hardship. These can be from fiction & non-fiction books, magazine & newspaper articles, advertisements, movies, tv shows, etc.

Tell me:
1) what the source is,
2) who wrote it and when,
3) where the money comes from,
4) what the treat(s) is/are,
5) what the theme(s) of the story is/are

Examples: The Christmas segment in Little Women, novel by Louisa May Alcott (1869) -- Frugality; Food, gifts; Sharing is best way to treat yourself
The bun segment in Sara Crewe, children's novel by F. H. Burnett (1905). On this web page, this section starts with the line, "Some very odd things happen in this world sometimes..." -- Found money; Food; Sharing is best way to treat yourself
The Recessionista, blog by Mary Hall (July 2008 -- present) -- Frugality, coupons; Food & drinks, clothes & accessories, decoration, entertaining, vacations ("staycations"); It's possible to have fun and save money if you're careful
"A Label for a Pleather Economy," feature article by Natasha Singer (NY Times 10/24/08) -- Frugality, changing spending habits; Fashion; Consumers want to treat themselves, cute terms can help make cutting back more acceptable in people's minds
Bates Fabrics, magazine(?) advertisement (1939) -- Bridal budget; Bed linens; Beauty + heirloom quality + great value = smart purchase

I'm especially interested in non-2008, non-American, non-female-oriented examples (since everything I've come up with on the spur of the moment seems pretty girly...).

Thanks in advance for your help! I'm looking forward to seeing what you can find :-)
Graham

Packaging analysis

Hello all 341 students,

Here are the directions for the packaging assignment that's due next Thursday. Please read the chapter before you do your own writeup -- I guarantee you'll do a much better job if you know what you're talking about when you start writing!

Wikipedia has a really good page about packaging that is both informative and interesting. I highly recommend that you read it in addition to the book -- it contains additional information that is valuable to your understanding as a consumer and a marketing student.

Have a wonderful weekend, be sure to vote, and I'll see you all next week!
~Graham

(photo credit: alison*h/flickr)

341 slides posted

You can now download the slides for chapters 12 and 13. I think we'll be all caught up tomorrow!

See you then,
Graham

341 assignment help

Hello to principles students!

I hope you all had a nice weekend.

I've made up a sample of how you might write up your research assignment that's due tomorrow.

If you're already done and happy with your work, there's no need to change it. This is just for people who might be struggling to find a way to organize their work (for them to write and me to read).

See you all tomorrow,
Graham

CB case #3 -- Subcultures

Hello to consumer behavior,

Please read the case about subcultures before you start watching Dark Days on Thursday. That way you can take good notes while you watch.

Please note -- I've bold-faced the most important aspects of each question, to make sure that you get what I'm asking. I hope it helps!

Have a great rest of the week, and I'll see you next Tuesday!

CB reminder

Hello to consumer behavior students!

Please remember to submit your cases to TurnItIn, as well as giving me hard copies in class.

Also, be sure to use your code name, rather than your real name, on your cases.

Thanks,
Graham

My sister's wedding

The happy couple :-)

Wow!

Air New Zealand is trying a new promotion that's getting international attention... (Please note, "top Kiwi band Elemeno P will entertain the crowd" -- reason enough to grab your passport and head to Auckland!)

In other news:
The happiest way to have a heart attack

New product development at its finest

A instantly classic ad, featuring the amazing David Belle

Office hours this week

Hi all,

We've got visitors on campus this week who will be pulling me away from office hours on Thursday.

I'll be out of my office 9:00-9:30 on Thursday to meet with a prospective accounting faculty member. I'll also be out 12:30-? in order to have lunch with Dave Olsen (Senior VP of culture and leadership development, Starbucks).

Other than those times, I'll be in my office for most of this week. Please get in touch if you need to meet with me at a specific time. I'm happy to get together!

Best,
Graham

CB Case #2

Hey everyone,

I hope you're having a wonderful, snowy Homecoming weekend!

Case #2 should be a fun one to work on. If you want to use alternate source material for question #1, it's probably fine, but you might want to ask me first, just to be sure.

Cheers,
Graham

Meet the recruiters TONIGHT

Hi everyone,

I know we talked a lot about it yesterday, but I want to emphasize what a great opportunity tonight and tomorrow present to you and future MSU students.

The "Meet the Recruiters" event tonight begins at 5:00 pm at the Stadium Club on the 2nd floor. Dress is business casual -- please don't wear short skirts, jeans, t-shirts, flip flops, tennis shoes, etc! There will be refreshments available, so this is a perfect opportunity to practice balancing a snack and a drink while impressing a potential employer with your intelligence and charm.

Tomorrow is the big career fair at the SUB. Again, I urge you to dress nicely, and to remember to take a handful of clean, unwrinkled, updated resumes with you. Even if you aren't planning on doing anything more than just checking out the scene, it would be a shame if you found something you were really interested in and weren't able to make the best impression possible.

Go knock 'em dead!

Job hunting tips, 101

Just in time for this week's career-building opportunities comes this great article from the New York Times!

Good luck to you all,
Graham