EOC WK 10: Benifits Not Features

Some of the features of my food truck Caribe a la Carte are the various choices of foods that come from the region. There are also many Caribbean choices of beverages that come along with the meals, some of the choices have to the proper preparations made to be served in a time effective situation. Having a choice selection of 10 spices that are particular with the region will give my food truck individuality, and give my customers a choice of how they want their food particularly prepared. This is important to the survival of this business, the reason being that I want to have our customers who have traveled to the Caribbean before will know what the food tastes like and I also would like the customer to return to the truck’s location again. The power of the word of mouth can’t be underestimated in this situation; positive feedback from our customers will be beneficial to the marketing strategy of my food truck. Here is another benefit that Caribe a la Carte gives its customers; giving our customers the experience of dining in the Caribbean is a very enjoyable. This food truck will also have some of the products of the region available to be purchased on location. Some of the products will include Goya, which is a manufacturer from Puerto Rico and produces various spices, and fruit beverages that are well known around the world. The question that I ask is “Who will be eating at Caribe a la Carte?”, and “What is their benefit?”. I’m banking on that this can be a social media event that will benefit the customer by meeting other savvy professionals who choose to eat at this mobile restaurant. Encouraging professionals to leave their business card so that they can enter a chance to win a free meal is like giving our customers the thought of giving out their business card to possible acquaintances they meet at our location.

EOC WK 6: Me x 3, Products I Use

This week’s EOC‘s topic is about the 3 products that I personally use on a day to day basis and the reasons why I use them. Let me begin by telling you a little bit about me first, Gen Xer and what I like. I grew up about the time Hip Hop was born. I grew up listening to RUN DMC and the Beastie Boys, and I specifically remember that no one was wearing NIKE’s shoes or sportswear. NIKE’s were worn by upper-class tennis players, or people that wanted to go cross country running or something. All the break dancers and DJ’s, or every one that was involved in that culture wore ADDIDAS. It sticks with me until this day; I prefer to wear ADDIDAS I believe for this reason is because I grew up with their products and their lifestyle. Another product that I use is Levi’s jeans. I never liked those fancy jeans and shiny stuff on them for guys… it’s to pretty for me and my tastes. I think that designs on jeans for men are absurd; jeans are comfortable and sometimes are worn to work in. Levi’s are nice, comfortable and the designs are not to flashy for my tastes. Last but not least, when it comes to technology I use Apple products for all my technical needs. I have an Apple computer at home and a laptop for all my editing needs. Apple is a dependable product, especially if you use them in the creative process. I use Pro Tools software; combined with Apple it runs seamless without any delays. I guess when it comes down to it, things that are to flashy are hip and I like it when technology actually works for what it’s made for.

EOC WK 5: Social Networks and Job Hunting

This week’s EOC deals with social networking and how it effects potential employees and employers in the field. There is a article written in the WSJ this week “Job Recruiters Turn to Facebook to Find Candidates”, in this article it points out a few reasons why employers are using this new method. Facebook has an estimated 750 million users worldwide, and some recruiters have cut cost by eliminating on line job boards which can charge up to a hundred dollars per posting depending on volume. People also tend to value referrals if they are sent by someone in their network even though Linked In has comprehensive data base. “Candidates have been 50% more likely to apply to positions they found through Facebook than through other means, said Mr. Staney. "[Job boards] just blast it out. This is much more efficient and targeted," he said. Interesting quote, I think this tells me that people who use Facebook are more comfortable using a system that is more relaxed, and they know that the people who share the same interests referred them the job posting. This is the reason why Facebook is slowly becoming a force when it comes to the job placement market, making Linked In feel threatened. Linked In’s revenue is growing rapidly, “In the second quarter, the company's hiring solutions segment—which among other things helps recruiters search through their profile database for candidates—grew 170% to $58.6 million from the same quarter a year earlier.” Linked In has the hire end of the market cornered, people who have a resume with some history and some real world experience. Employers like reviewing candidate’s profiles on Facebook to get a general idea of the candidate’s personality, to make sure that they’ll be a good fit for the company. This information is useful if you are looking for work in today’s market, the web is a great platform to display your professional skills.

EOC WK 2: Video Games Can't Dodge the Recession

The video game industry can’t dodge the recession, well who can? The recession has taken a toll on the U.S financial structure as a whole, but the video game industry is now feeling the pinch. Some of the reasons can be quoted in the recent article “Video Game Makers Cant’s Dodge The Recession,” in the Wall Street Journal written by Yukari Iwatani Kane and it states “Many console and PC game sales are also being cannibalized by digitally downloaded games and alternative entertainment sources like Apple Inc.'s iPhone, which offers thousands of games that can cost only 99 cents or even nothing at all.” Video game companies have invested millions of dollars in creating their game consoles; with this type of competition they are not seeing the return of their investment. EPA studios has downsized their studios, and most major players has seen sales decrease in the past few years, but does this really mean that it is game over for the video game industry? Not according to an article posted on www.redorbit.com, stating “The video game industry in the U.S. has been thriving despite economic woes. Industry data showed on Thursday that sales of video game hardware and software rose 57 percent in March from just a year ago.” This leads into another quote in the same article, “Microsoft’s Xbox 360 regained its lead over Sony's PlayStation 3 after two months of sluggish sales the company blamed on supply constraints. Consumers bought 262,000 Xbox 360s and 257,000 PlayStation 3s.” What I think what is happening here is that some people panicked over a slight slump in sales, overlooking the market sales projection in terms of the future. In an article written by a video game analyzer Pachter in www.1up.com, he quotes “Pachter offers this prediction: "I don't think that the market meltdown will impact game delivery for a couple of years, if ever." I guess this is a topic to be observed in the near future.