Enrolling in College

Introduction

            Whether you just graduated high school, or you graduated many years ago, enrolling in college is no easy task.  First you have to ask yourself a bunch of questions, starting with what do you want to be when you “grow up”?  If you want to become a software engineer, you go to Stanford and major in computer science; if you want to work for NASA someday, you go to Purdue; or if you want to be a basketball star, you go to Duke (Top 50, 2016).  At least those would be the ideal choices if you had unlimited resources to go to any college you wanted no matter the cost or distance.  What do you do though if you’re a 31-year-old divorced mother of two, living in southeast Iowa with your parents, working part-time at a fast food restaurant, and you want to turn your two associates degrees into a bachelor degree?  You would enroll at Kaplan University and take their online classes of course.   

Enrolling at Kaplan

            So you’ve decided to enroll at Kaplan, but what’s next?  Well, if your experience is like mine, you’d receive a phone call from one of the academic advisors.  The advisor will ask some routine questions, such as: have you ever been to college before, what kind of work are you wanting to do, what kind of time do you have available to concentrate on your studies, etc.  This helps the advisor best place you in a program.  After answering the advisor, it was mentioned that the best program for me was the online bachelor degree majoring in business.  After reviewing my transcript from Southeastern Community College, I was told the number of credits I would need to complete; and I was informed that I would be able to earn my bachelor degree with just five 10-week terms.  I was emailed a spreadsheet showing what my financial aid would be during my time at Kaplan; I electronically signed what was needed of me to sign, and I was given my start date.  I was not informed of what classes I would need to take at Kaplan, nor was I informed where I could find this information.  I received an email that allowed me to set up my Kaplan Portal, and that was the extent of my direction from any advisors.

            Before any of this happened, I should have asked myself a few questions.  If you’re planning to online college, you should first ask yourself some important questions.  First of all, do you enjoy working with computers and being on the internet?  If you aren’t that comfortable using a computer; or you simply just don’t like too, then online college is not the right choice for you.  Next, are you able to learn outside of a classroom setting?  If you can’t see yourself learning at home, a library, coffee shop, or another venue other than a classroom, then again, online college is not for you.  Lastly, are you self-motivated, and do you like working alone?  If you struggle working alone, then online college will be a challenge (How Do I Know, n.d.).

Other College Enrollment Experience

            As mentioned earlier, I transferred credits in from Southeastern Community College.  I earned two associates degrees there, and the experience was much different.  When I sat down with the advisors at SCC, I was given a list of classes that needed to be completed for the program of my choice.  I was able to choose which classes to take each semester, but was also given advice on when to take them.  I was told right away that my program required me to do an internship in my final semester, and that I would want to start looking for a business to intern at sooner rather than later.  My financial aid refunds were consistently mailed out after we’d completed the first three weeks of each semester.  I never once felt like I didn’t understand what expected of me or how things worked around campus.  It was a truly amazing experience.

The Differences

            Professors, departmental staff, and advisors serve as guides who can look over your potential courses each semester, give you course descriptions, and help you find and map out courses pertaining to your major.  Additionally, advisors inform you about internship opportunities (Capley, 2014).  I feel this is precisely what the professors and advisors at SCC did for me; however, I can not say the same of the advisors at Kaplan University.

            I did not know that an internship was required for my program.  I never would have thought that it would be because I was taking classes online.  I did not find out until the week before the internship class started.  I was very ill that week; and trying to read over the bombardment of emails sent to me in regards to the internship had me in complete panic mode.  At first, I did not realize it was an online internship, so I really panicked.  It took me almost 6 months to find a place to intern for SCC, so how was I going to find a place to intern for Kaplan in a week?  Then I was told it was all online.  I was told later that I could have done a real internship if I’d have known ahead of time that I would be taking an internship class.  Interning in person at a local business, would have benefitted me so much more.  It would have given me a local reference to use on resumes, and I would have gotten a much better idea of how managers work in the real world.  I feel that I was denied this terrific opportunity.

Conclusion

            Overall, I am sadly unsatisfied with my experiences at Kaplan.  I did not even know that there was calendar stating the last date to request an incomplete and when the incomplete work was due until Professor Doyle told me to look the information up.  I had no idea where to find it, as I was never told anything about the KU Campus homepage.  For four terms, I genuinely thought the Kaplan Portal was the homepage for Kaplan.  Being told about the Campus homepage would have solved so many of the unknowns, such as which classes I would need to complete.

            My final complaint in regards to Kaplan is the financial aid situation.  As I mentioned, I received a spreadsheet with the refund amounts I’d get back each term when I first started.  I placed these amounts in my personal budget at the allotted times (I put them four weeks after the term started to give ample time).  The consistency of when I received these amounts was unreal.  The first refund I received just a few weeks into the term, same with the second; but the third refund came near the terms end, and the fourth was not on time either.  Not only that, but after my second term I was told that they decided to change a policy regarding some grants and that now I wouldn’t receive approximately $2,250 of the refund amount I had budgeted.  For a single mother, struggling to raise two children, that kind of money is nothing to joke about.

            In hindsight, had I know this is how the experience was going to be, I would not have ever started with Kaplan University.  I feel like I was under-informed, misinformed, and mislead.  If I ever choose to continue my education further, I’ll be sure to ask everything in the very beginning.

References

Capley, A. (2014, August 25). Why You Should Meet with Your Academic Advisor. Retrieved January 27, 2016, from http://www.theprospect.net/why-you-should-meet-with-your-academic-advisor-30684

How Do I Know Whether Online College Is Right for Me?  (n.d.). Retrieved January 27, 2016, from http://www.onlinecollege.org/online-college-right-for-me/

Top 50 Colleges & Universities in America for 2016. (2016). Retrieved January 27, 2016, from http://www.thebestcolleges.org/rankings/top-50/

The Human Challenge: Think Piece

Procurement organizations today need to be more strategic, collaborative, and technology-driven.

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If not, Oxford Economics says you need to tackle these talent issues head on.

Download this think piece to learn what more than 1,000 of your peers are doing about the human challenge in procurement, including:

• Evaluating skillsets needed in today's market
• Finding and retaining the best employees
• Developing on-the-job training and development plans
• Engaging and motivating employees

Part of a series on the Future of Procurement, by Oxford Economics. 

The Human Challenge: Think Piece: http://myeducationmanager.tradepub.com/c/pubRD.mpl?sr=oc&_t=oc:&qf=w_aric11

United States Monetary Policy

Monetary Policy

It is an economic policy using money as a control variable to ensure and maintain economic stability. To do this, monetary authorities use mechanisms such as interest rate fluctuations, and participate in the money market. The US Central Bank is formed by a decentralized system known by the Federal Reserve System. The Federal Reserve has three main instruments to conduct monetary policy. These are: (1) open market operations; (2) discount rate and (3) the legal reserve requirement (“FRB: What is the difference between monetary policy and fiscal policy, and how are they related?,” n.d.)

The instruments of monetary policy influences the economy through the effect they have on the interest rate. If you want to stimulate the economy, the FRS performs a monetary policy of cheap money, which is to increase the amount of money. This increase in the amount of money generally has the effect of lowering the interest rate on the market. Thus, private investment and personal consumption is stimulated, causing an increase in aggregate demand and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). (Heakal, 2004; Timberlake, 1993)

On the other hand, if you want to slow down economic activity, in order to reduce inflation, FRS conducts monetary policy of expensive money, which is to reduce the amount of money. This reduction in the amount of money generally has the effect of increasing the interest rate on the market. Thus, it is decreasing private investment and personal consumption, causing a decrease in aggregate demand and the price level.

A rise in the interest rate encourages saving and discourages credit. Auto markets, new homes and mortgages are among the most sensitive to changes in interest rates.

An expansive monetary policy is monetary policy that seeks to increase the size of the money supply. As already we mentioned, in most countries, monetary policy is controlled by a central bank.(“Current U.S. Monetary Policy and Interest Rates,” n.d.)

Actions they can take the authorities to increase the money supply:

·      Buying government bonds and other financial assets and so the payment to private agents inject more money into the system liquid. This is called open market operations.

·      Lace reduce banks: Reducing the amount of cash that banks must have to cover deposits, they will get increase the amount of money because with the same amount of coins and bills may attract more deposits.

·      Reduce the types of intervention which favors banks borrow more on the central bank and offer cheaper loans and rates to customers who also are more likely to borrow at lower interest be injecting money into the system.

REFERENCES

Current U.S. Monetary Policy and Interest Rates. (n.d.). Retrieved March 7, 2016, from https://www.towerswatson.com/en-US/Insights/Newsletters/Americas/insider/2012/Current-US-%20Monetary-Policy-and-Interest-Rates

FRB: What is the difference between monetary policy and fiscal policy, and how are they related? (n.d.). Retrieved March 7, 2016, from http://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/money_12855.htm

Heakal, R. (2004, April 28). How The U.S. Government Formulates Monetary Policy. Retrieved March 7, 2016, from http://www.investopedia.com/articles/04/050504.asp

Timberlake, R. H. (1993). Monetary Policy in the United States: An Intellectual and Institutional History. University of Chicago Press.

The Value of Goods

The Value of Goods

           To understand how people, but in this case Geoffrey B. Small looks at, but most importantly implements the marketing concept, marketing needs to be define. “Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large”(Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, 2014). Marketing not only sells goods, services or ideas, but also delivers value and benefits to the customers. Marketing has four management philosophies: production, sales, market and societal orientations.

          The production orientation focuses on the internal capabilities of the firm rather than on the desire and needs of the marketplace. In other words firms produce their specific goods and let the customer decided if that is what they need or not. Furniture stores are a good example of this type of orientation. The sales orientation philosophy is based on the idea that people will buy more goods and services if the sales techniques are aggressive and that high sales result in high profits. The sales orientation philosophy fails to understand the needs and wants of the marketplace they usually use aggressive incentives to obtain sales. The market orientation philosophy assumes that a sale does not depend on an aggressive sales force but rather on a customer’s decision to purchase a product. Within the market orientation philosophy there is the marketing concept, which it is the idea that the social and economic justification for an organization’s existence is the satisfaction of customers wants, and needs while meeting organizational objectives. One example of a market orientation company can be American Express who has had the ability to focus on their customers and adapt to their changing needs over the years. And finally the societal orientation philosophy that is the idea that an organization exists not only to satisfy customer wants and needs and to meet organizational objectives, but to preserve or enhance individuals’ and society’s long-term best interests. This orientation philosophy relates to the less toxic, more durable, contains reusable materials, or made of recyclable materials goods (green products).

          After defining the four marketing management philosophies the marketing management philosophy implement by Geoffrey B. Small Company can be identify as the societal marketing orientation. Geoffrey’s company not only satisfies customers’ needs and wants but they also concerned with the environment and they are doing something about it. They do not only sale their goods to their customers but they give them goods of the very best quality, but custom made products that best fit their customers personal and individual needs, not like the perfectly made goods by machines that are everywhere. Geoffrey Company’s goods might take longer and might cost more than the other goods but when they get to the customers they can clearly see the different in quality, durability, value, and the most important that are made by a company who shares the same environmental concerned as them. Here is when the marketing concept takes place within Geoffrey’s company because they are not only satisfying their customers needs and wants but they are meeting their organizational objectives of playing an active important role in the community their live in and attract customers with the same interests as them.

          Nowadays the Internet, Social Media, and Media are very important tools to advertise all products and goods. Each day more and more people draw on to all these tools to buy or inform themselves about the products they need and want. Geoffrey b. Small Company can use this new trend to talk about their goods, the whole process of the manufacturing since the beginning to the end, the kind of materials they use, and show them the value the would represent to them. Because like they stated, their products might cost more compare to some of the ones found at any regular store in the short-term but they have more value in the long-term.

References

       

Lamb, C. W., Hair, J. F., & McDaniel, C. (2014). MKTG7. Mason, OH: Cengage.

Proposed Plan of Action with the Current Weather Situation

to:           Mrs. Paula Jones (Owner Specialty crafted wines)

from:     JOH UPWARD

subject:     Current weather situation

date:      August 31, 2014

Proposed Plan of Action with the Current Weather Situation

With the current weather situation of inclement weather with the chance of hail and severe thunderstorms I am making the following recommendations. The grapes need to be tested for both sugar ripeness and flavor or phenolic ripeness. This should happen immediately as the weather may dictate that the grapes are picked immediately or the entire harvest could be lost. Once both types of ripeness are determined we can determine a picking schedule taking into account the weather. I would suggest picking the grapes sooner than later to protect the harvest and allow us to have a product for the year (Schmid A. W. A, 2013) (Le Cordon Bleu Online, 2014). With the onset of this weather storm we could also have very cold weather that may cause freezing conditions when the plants are not ready to handle this type of cold. I would suggest that we also set up the heaters to keep the plants warm to avoid losing more than we are ready to at this time (Schmid A. W. A, 2013) (Hewitt, 2014).  If this action is not taken the grape crop could be lost entirely or a large part of it lost.

Growing grapes and a look at the different seasons and how it affects the grape. Spring is when the vines awaken from being dormant during the winter months. Buds start to appear and the biggest hazard is frost. However we do not the weather to warm it makes the plant more susceptible to frost for a longer period of time. The summer comes and the buds start to turn into flowers and the grapes themselves start to appear. We like the temperature to stay within a small range during the early parts of this season. Heavy rains become a problem. We want rain but light and steady and then long periods of warm dry weather with slight wind to keep the grapes plants dry. Autumn the grapes mature and are ready to harvest. During this time we want a long warm autumn to give the grapes the time to mature both in sugar ripeness and phenolic ripeness. Winter brings on the time when the vines are pruned back and allowed to rest. During this time weather is less of a concern (Schmid A. W. A, 2013) (BBC, 2009).

William Crawford

References

BBC. (2009). Vineyard Seasons. Retrieved from BBC Weather Centre: http://www.bbc.co.uk/climate/impact/vinyards_seasons.shtml

Hewitt, H. (2014, August 31). Harsh winter weather affects vineyards, too. Retrieved from Tridune-Star: http://www.tribstar.com/features/valley_life/harsh-winter-weather-affects-vineyards-too/article_328c26fc-a9ef-5add-a7fd-9de0d467e43e.html

Le Cordon Bleu Online. (2014, August 31). Viticulture and the Vineyard. Scottsdale, AZ, USA.

Schmid A. W. A, a. L. (2013). The Beverage Managers Quide to Wines, Beers, and Spirits. Upper Saddle River N.J. : Prentice Hall .

Professional Portfolio

Professional Portfolio Essay

There are many desirable skills in the world and some people are better at certain skills than others. Also certain jobs require certain kinds of skills so it is always best to find a job that best matches your set of skills and to always push yourself to be better and to learn new skills over time. Learning is important and it is something that everyone must strive to continue to do in life no matter what, you are never too old to learn.

            According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2016) a skill is “the ability to do something that comes from training, experience, or practice.” Skills are something that anyone can learn, all you have to do is try. Sometimes certain people catch on to certain skills quicker than others but everyone can learn any skill they want. One of the top ten skills wanted for jobs according to Adams, S. (2014) is the “ability to create and/or edit written reports.” Everyone spends time writing no matter who you are. I personally spend time writing for school, my internship, and just for pleasure. In school I write papers and reports frequently. In my internship I am writing reports and emails frequently. I also write to friends for pleasure because I enjoy writing. Writing is an essential part of life and I enjoy keeping myself mindful of how to write properly due to all of the new age slang. Writing will always be important no matter what.

            A skill that is important to everyday life is reading comprehension. I have heard a lot of people so that they do not like reading, which I do not understand since it is such an essential part of everyday life. Everyone has their own style of reading that they enjoy but everyone should at least enjoy reading something. In the business world reading is essential due to the fact that there are always reports, emails, and directions that have to be read in order for work to be done. I have to read safety handouts frequently at my job and I read all the time for school and for the internship but I also read for pleasure because I just love getting engrossed in a good book. Reading is a part of everyday life from reading stop signs to reading directions on how to put a dresser together. Reading is and will always be important.

            Another important skill to have is negotiation and persuasion. These skills can be difficult to obtain because they mean that a person must instill their thoughts into others but there is more to it than that. According to Targetjobs.co (N.A.) negotiation and persuasion is “about being able to put forward your way, but also being able to understand where the other person is coming from so that you can both get what you want or need and feel positive about it.” These are skills that come in handy when trying to find a peaceful way to deal with an issue. I have had to use them in my current job when trying to come to a resolution about what job I should do. I was able to persuade my supervisor to allow me to do two part time jobs to allow me to stay busy at work while taking add stress off of his back. Finding a peaceful solution is always the best way.

            Time management is also a very crucial skill to have in any part of life. I personally have not entirely mastered this skill but I do the best I can with it. Managing your time correctly can be essential when you are working in a busy environment. Most businesses do run on a very busy schedule. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph I agreed to handle two part time jobs at my work and this takes some time to do so I have to manage my time well to ensure that both of the lines I make parts for get the parts that they need on time. I also have to manage my time with doing school work and doing work for my internship. Life can get very busy for everyone and finding a way to get everyday work done can be difficult and sometimes it is best to prioritize tasks so that important things get done first.

            One last skill that is important that tends to get overlooked is social perceptiveness. In life it is important to be able to pay attention to other people’s social behaviors. If you are in a business environment watching coworker’s social behaviors can help you learn how to approach them. It can also help you to know when you are no longer needed or wanted in an area if you can watch for social ques from others. It can also help you to determine if people are discussing a personal issue and how you should approach them. Being socially perceptive can help you handle a lot of situations with people and help you control tough situations.

            There are many skills that are needed to be successful in life but it takes time to learn skills. We must all remember that you are never too old to learn and to always push yourself to be better. Skills are things that everyone must strive to have and there is always time to learn new ones.  

           

References

Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2016). Skill. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skill

Adams, S. (2014, November 12). The 10 Skills Employers Most Want in 2015 Graduates. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2014/11/12/the-10-skills-employers-most-want-in-2015-graduates/#330aed9719f6

TARGETjobs. (N.A.) The Top 10 Skills That’ll Get You a Job When You Graduate. Retrieved from https://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/career-planning/273051-the-top-10-skills-thatll-get-you-a-job-when-you-graduate

Dahl, C. (2016) Skills Assessment. Optimal Resume. Retrieved from https://kaplanu.optimalresume.com/previewDoc.php?tkn=96d0880bf6008502d285f3103e2d1973-s88836

Internship Reflections

Internship Reflections

Executive Summary

            The business world is constantly moving and constantly changing. It is important to keep up with work and maintain good relationships to the best of your ability. Businesses always run smoother when the workers can work as a team. We have all had some coworkers that we do not agree with or do not get along with but it is important to put those differences aside while at work and work together so that everyone has a smooth and productive day. It is important that when on a team to be willing to help others. If you accomplish your work early always be willing to help out others on the team to ensure that all of the work gets done and no one gets left behind.

Introduction

            Things are finally starting to get into full swing with the internships. Each week an assignment is given to work on from the project controller to everyone, we also have to stay in contact with our clients and make sure that all of their wants and needs are being fulfilled throughout the week. It is important that everyone works together and is willing to help one another if someone is confused about some of the work. “Teamwork makes the dream work.” (Maxwell, J. C. 2002).

Body

            Each week we are all given an assignment to work on by the Project Coordinator. This will give us something to help us get our hours for the week in case our clients are not contacting us. Sometimes the clients do not respond quickly or they do not have much for us to do. This week we were all asked to write a SWOT report on University Consulting. We were allowed to either write an essay or create a PowerPoint. I chose to write a PowerPoint for the project. Research always needs to be done and so I have been evaluating University Consulting trying to discover their pros and cons to write the best SWOT report that I can.

            Each week we must also keep in touch with our clients to ensure they are being helped with everything that they have asked for help with. I am currently working as an Operations Consultant and I personally have two clients that I am helping. My first client is Better Brodhead they are a non-profit organization out of Wisconsin that help troubled teens with sexual assault and drug problems. They have asked for help with creating a Volunteer and Recruitment Plan for their organization. I personally did not know where to even begin with this so I started doing research to see what information I could find. I also asked my team for help, I contacted my Project Coordinator and asked him where he thought I should begin I also asked another women who has been helping me to get acquainted with my other client. My Project Coordinator informed me to ask the client if they have anything in place right now and what the volunteers will be needed for. We also have to create a sign-up sheet and advertise for volunteers. The other women that I asked for help from told me she hadn’t done much work with this kind of thing before but to start with research and advertising and gave me the name of someone I could contact for help. My team helped me to find somewhere to start helping the client so that now I can proceed forward. According to Root III, G. N. (2016) “An efficient team can be trained as a group, help each other maximize their job performance, and help to make an inviting and productive atmosphere for new team members.” This internship has definitely accomplished that, everyone on my team has been exceedingly helpful with everything that I have asked for help with.

            My other client is The Parenting Place and The Children’s Museum located in Wisconsin. They help parents with learning to handle children and learning to protect and help their children grow. They are working on a coupon book to help promote business for themselves and their communities. They were given to me by another intern because my other client had not contacted me in some time and I did not have anything to do so I asked for work to ensure that I could be getting my hours. The PP & CM has contacted me to help them with getting phone numbers for potential donors to the coupon book and to help with follow up calls to the donors. I have received the list of donors and I have been finding phone numbers until the coordinator and I can speak over the phone about what it is she would like me to be asking the potential donors. I have noticed during these projects that everyone within University Consulting really works together and helps each other throughout everything. Everyone has been very willing to help me when I have questions and concerns. University Consulting has done an amazing job with adapting to the changing times and creating this internship online for the working students. According to Tollman, P., Toma, A., Roghe, F., Morieux, Y., Maaseide, S., Tamboto, E., and Koike, J., (2016) “the priority concern for many business leaders is to adapt to the changing conditions in order to boost their company’s performance.” This is a great explanation of what University Consulting has done they have allowed students to finish their degrees with their internship without taking time off of their jobs because at this point most people have to be working in order to support themselves.

Conclusion

            Businesses are always going to have difficulties and are always going to be striving to do the best they can but teamwork is what will push them to get there. Most people have had good and bad jobs and know what good and bad teamwork looks like so striving for good teamwork is what all businesses should be doing. I have found that while being an intern with University Consulting everyone really does work as a team and is always willing to help each other and get all of the work done that is necessary.

Recommendations

            Research is always the best recommendation for any issue. Doing research to help you understand an issue and then how to solve it is always where you should start. In a business asking for help from your team members is also a great place to start because everyone always has different opinions and this can help you to find the best answer. In my current projects within in my internship I asked my team members for advice on where to start and I got a lot of great advice and I started doing research to find any information that is available to me.

Market Research Plan for U-Drive Transport

Market Research Plan for U-Drive Transport

Introduction

U Drive Transport was idealized in June of 2008 by siblings, Jen and Carl. The idea was to create a car sharing business that would serve the needs of people living in densely populated areas throughout the United States making their lives easier by allowing them to rent vehicles by the hour, day and/or week. This would be done without having to stand in line at a car rental location center, but instead renting from a parking site kiosk. By 2009 UDT had headquarter its business in Chicago and acquired 10 mini cars from Europe and set up next door to the University of Chicago. Today UDT has around 500 employees and is operating in 20 major cities throughout the United States and is still growing.

Purpose statement

            U Drive Transport Company was able to determine that there was a need for eco-friendly cars near colleges as well determining that their services would be appealing to families with one car and tourist (Lamb, Hair, & McDaniel, 2014). U Drive also acquired secondary research that helped them determine the target marketing. The information also helped them by giving them a marketing strategy of what areas to focus that would acquire the best for their business to be expandable.  U Drive looked at these different areas to determine whether the company is going to thrive in a new country and city.  The company will determine with the information if their expansion or business will be successful or if it will be welcome.

Marketing Research Process

            Upon approval by U Drive Transport leadership, this marketing research project will be assigned to the expansion manager for completion, and the budget will be finalized for consideration. This proposed research design is cost efficient and can be executed with in six months to a year time period if funded.

Research Questions

            The following marketing research problem and opportunity questions inform the research design specification for this project:

1.     Is there a demand for car sharing in market?

2.     What type of customers will be utilizing the car sharing opportunities?

3.     What geographic location will result in a mass customer acquisition?

Planning the Research Design

            Both quantitative and qualitative analysis will be conducted using the following types of data:

            Secondary Data. To be collected from the outside resources as well as resources from within the company, this data will help assist with research questions. Secondary data deriving form inside the company will consist of current sales and which market geographically is the company dominating and how this is being done. Outside secondary data will be collected from government agencies, competitors, resources on the Internet, reports from marketing research, academic journals, and current economic demand for car sharing (Lamb, Hair, & McDaniel, 2014)

            Primary Data. The collection of primary data is essential to answer the research problem opportunity questions for the study. Primary data, or data collected for the first time, are used for solving the particular problem under investigation (Lamb, Hair, & McDaniel, 2014). Two methods of primary data collection will be used to inform this study, including:

Focus Group. A type of survey of personal interviewing, a focus group can be used to gauge consumer response to a service or current service and how the service can be improved.

Survey Research. The most popular technique for gathering primary data, in which a researcher interacts with people to obtain facts, opinions, and attitudes (Lamb, Hair, & McDaniel, 2014, p. 149).

Specifying the Sampling Procedures

            Not knowing if the large population will use U Drive, they will gather information from a small sample of people that either thinking about carpooling or use public transportation and that will be there sample for the larger population (Lamb, Hair, & McDaniel, 2014, p. 155).

Collecting Data

            The collection of data will occur in the current cities were U Drive is being utilized as well as Liverpool and the current competition that is in Liverpool. The collection of data will occur in major cities that utilize car sharing as their main way of transport.  The collection data process will require the service of various researching firms that specialized in expansion of countries in different countries, a field service firm (Lamb, Hair, & McDaniel, 2014, p. 156).

Analyzing Data

            After the data has been collected the marketing team will analyze it using data techniques common to research including one-way frequency counts, cross-tabulations, and more sophisticated analysis (Lamb, Hair, & McDaniel, 2014, p. 156). This analysis will help decide of expansion of U Drive Transport to a different country will be a smart business decision and if it will be cost effective as well as an opportunity to increase revenue and expand the brand.

Presenting the Report

Once the data is analyzed the presentation should begin with a clear, concise statement of the research objectives, followed by a complete but brief and simple explanation of the research design. A summary of major findings should come next. The conclusion of the report should also present recommendations to management (Lamb, Hair, & McDaniel, 2014, p. 157). Once the data is analyzed and results are formulated, U Drive marketing manager will generate a report and make recommendations to leadership based on the findings of the research study the report will directly address the research questions proposed in this document.

Follow Up

Upon the completion of the research report and presentation to leadership, U drive Transport marketing team will evaluate the information that was presented to determine if more information in needed to inform a decision making. However, conducting research in international markets can create a whole host of problems and challenges (Lamb, Hair, & McDaniel, 2014, p. 158).

Reference

Lamb, C. W., Hair, J. F., & McDaniel, C. D. (2014). MKTG 7 (7th ed.).                                        Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781305370128/pages/109773116

Personal Skills Reflection

Skills Assessment

            When we take a look at what we can offer a company and how to improve ourselves it is always a great place to start with looking at your skill set.  By improving your skill set and working on your week areas allows you to become a better employee and manager.  So as I took the assessment not only did I find the skills I would use but the ones that I could improve on.  By the time I am done writing this paper I hope you hae a feel for what skills I possess and what needs to be improved do that I can succeed.

            Probably the biggest skill that I will have to rely on for this internship is time

Management.  While working a full time job already, spending time with my daughters, my other school work, and the internship time will be tight.  Balancing the time will be a challenge but, one that is manageable and it necessary so I can complete a life goal to graduate college. This will aid me in the future as I further my career and take on more responsibilities.

            Decision Making is also a big one that will be used over the next eight weeks.  Right now the decisions are when and how to do the work asked of me but, in the upcoming weeks it will impact those interns that are placed under my leadership.  The ensuing challenge here is to make decisions that favor all those involved and not just use my own needs as the basis of the decision. The decision making process will aid me in the understanding of how to make a decision that affects those that work for me not just who I work for.

            Communication to say the least is going be huge and it is always one of the keys to success.  I am presented with communication that is more challenging than we encounter within most of our jobs.  I do not have the option of face to face communication but, have to rely on technology to assist me.  And that is not the only barrier to good communication in the internship.  With interns spread out all over the nation and in some cases world, I will have to deal with time zone differences.  Email will aid in the time zone barrier but, something are needed to be communicated using the phone.  So where communication does come with its natural barriers there are added barriers to this skill.

            Reading comprehension with be key to my success in the internship as well.  With email being the primary mode of communication I will need to be able to comprehend what the sender is needing and is needed of me.  Within the meetings sometimes there is a lot of information on the slides that will need to be understood as well.  Being able to read and understand these things properly will make the transition through the program smoother.

            As I think of where this internship may take me, I feel that Service Orientation could turn into a great skill to display.  Thinking about how I can help others and acting on it could help a fellow intern learn easier or be able to complete a challenging task.  This skill will work closing alongside Social Perceptiveness.  Being able to read people and understand what is going on with them will aid me in the endeavor to help them.  Sometimes people are reluctant to ask for help so if I sense they need help and offer it then maybe the person will be able to complete a task that is confusing them.

            So as I start to get deeply involved with this internship and now have talked about the skills that I feel I will need to the most and their role in the scheme of things, I will push myself to put all these into practice.  Sometimes I may come across something new that I need help with and it is my duty as a student and a seeker of knowledge to not be afraid to search out the help and answer.  If I sit still and do nothing to better myself then I will not only fail myself but, fail those around me that depend on my strength, knowledge, and leadership.