The Missing 33%

I am hoping to start a new series for this blog that highlights women in the workplace and also marketing trends that are relevant to the work that I aspire to do in the future. Below is my first entry, I hope you like it!

Link: http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_colantuono_the_career_advice_you_probably_didn_t_get

Susan Colantuono, CEO of Leading Women, is a powerful leader and her primary goal is to close the gender gap at the top. Her TED talk entitled, "The career advice you probably didn't get" is an interesting look at the reason why many women are not being considered for high-level positions. As a young women, I am constantly looking for successful women to emulate all while supporting the closing of the gender gap.

The "Missing 33%" concept that Colantuono talked about represents the amount of women in upper management positions. Although at first I want to jump to conclusions and feel upset that the percentage is not more balanced between the genders, I remember how far we have come as women. Clearly there is room for improvement; however, the leaps and bounds that have been made recently in favor of women is amazing.

The main idea in this TED talk is that, "Leadership is using the greatness in you to achieve and sustain extraordinary outcomes by engaging the greatness in others." I think this is a great way of explaining how to gain success in your chosen career field. Many people associate success with their own personal gains, but it is more then that. When you include your coworkers and collaborate with them, you are engaging their greatness and it will in turn increase your future success.

It is so easy to get discouraged as a women in the business world, but there is so much potential if we just remember to engage our greatness and also the greatness of those around us.

Next, something else that stuck out to me from this video was a quote from a male business leader. He explained that he had two successful entrepreneurs, one was a man and one was a women, and he found that he had been treating them differently. He attempted to build the women's confidence and helped the man learn the business. This was a very interesting story because it showed that many women are being seen as sensitive and fragile by their employers. This concept is not something that should still be happening in this day and age and I believe it contributes to why there is still a gender gap. When men leaders assume women need a confidence boost in order to succeed, they are wrong. This automatically puts them a step behind men when it comes to applying for career advancement.

In general, what I took away from this talk was that women are on the right track to closing the gender gap, but many are not given important career advice before they proceed into the business world. The Missing 33% is made up of the women who do not understand that you must engage your greatness and the greatness of others in order to gain career success. Relating to those around you and also sustaining your business, strategic, financial, and acumen qualities can be the difference between being middle management and being the leader of a thriving company. Women have the intellect and know-how so we just need to put all of our knowledge into practice in order to close the gender gap for good.

Dean's List VoxBox

Hey everyone! I don't know if you have heard about this site but its called Influenster and I have decided to be a product tester for them. I just received my Dean's List VoxBox and it came with a whole bunch of goodies. Here are some of my favorite things!!

Soft Lips Cube: I love the design and the chapstick honestly makes my lips soft. It is similar to the Eos, but in cube form. Great idea!

CoverGirl Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation: This is definitely my favorite item from the box I received. It balances my complexion and is suprisingly my color. I have been trying to find a cheap foundation that still does the job but as I got this for free, I am excited to keep using it. I might even buy it when it runs out.

Sinful Colors Nail Polish: Every girl loves nail polish so I was ecstatic to see this in my package. Red is definitely a great fall color and I can't wait to try it.

Lastly, the Airheads Bites were a bit interesting. I don't think that the idea will take off honestly. They were okay but I think people are so used to the original design that they might not think to buy this revamped product. They tasted exactly the same as the original product but they were about the same shape and size as a peanut M&M. This would be the only product I wouldn't full endorse from the bunch.

There were many other things that I received from Influenster I think that it's a great site for college kids who are looking to try out the newest products. Go to www.influenster.com and make an account! I am not saying it to endorse the company, I just really think its an awesome idea.

Last Semester Updates!

So this semester has been very exciting so far! I have gotten the chance to participate in a number of things that I am so grateful for. First, I decided to work for Intramural Sports once again. I wasn't sure I would have time but I found a way and I am ecstatic that I did! 

Next, I am part of the NSAC Liberty Chapter that is competing in the AAF competition. This years sponsor is Pizza Hut and even though I can't help the team next semester, I am glad I can help this semester. 

Also, one of my classes is attempting to help the Lynchburg location of Rita's with their marketing so that is pretty fun because I LOVE RITAS! 

Like I said before, I got asked to write some articles for Admitopia for their college life series and I have just submitted my first article for review. 

Other then that my life is pretty boring. I am excited to see what life after graduation is like. I am looking to work in either Pittsburgh, Lancaster, Lynchburg, or maybe BOSTON! That would be amazing I love Boston. I am so fortunate to have had the internships I did this summer. The knowledge I have gained from them is immense and will definitely carry through to my next job. Till next time!

Admitopia Article Submission

Below is an article I was able to write for the college experience website admitopia. You guys should check out their "College Life" section soon to see me as one of the college bloggers!

5 Reasons Your Teacher Might Be the Key to Your Success

There’s a stereotype around the fact that if you converse with your teacher, you are automatically named the teacher’s “pet.” This is an ancient joke that does not apply in college. Teachers are great resources that are available to help. If you are struggling with your classwork or concepts, it is definitely a great idea to talk to or e-mail your teacher. Here are some reasons you should reconsider when relying on your new freshman classmate for study notes and project materials.

1. They have all the answers.  No I am not implying to steal the teacher’s answer sheets, I am just explaining that they make the tests and quizzes and also conceptualize the projects. They know the material very well and if you are confused about anything, your teacher is likely to be able to help you.

Tip: If you have a question about a project or upcoming test, don’t forget about your teachers office hours, that is a great time for you to meet with them and you can usually just walk in if you have an immediate issue.

2. They aren’t monsters. Many students disregard teachers help because they are scared to ask or forget that teachers are people too. Teachers are employed by the school for this reason. They are eager to help you, even if you don’t believe it.

Tip: Schedule a meeting with your teacher before each test and beforehand write down some questions you have about the material that way when you do get to their office you don’t waste their time.

3. You are essentially paying for them. When you pay tuition you are paying for a lot of things, but some of it goes to the teacher’s salary. You would take advantage of your meal plan wouldn’t you? Why not take advantage of the assistance that your teacher can offer? College is a great investment and success will come as long as you learn how to utilize the resources given to you.

Tip: Some colleges offer tutoring services, this is a great way to get utilize the resources that you are paying for. Tutoring could be a viable option if you are struggling with a class.

4. Teachers went to school to TEACH. So you are doing your Undergrad in Psychology or Communications? Well your teacher most likely has his Doctorate in the subject you are studying. They are very knowledgeable and have many years of education that proves it. Any questions you have can be answered pretty quickly by an e-mail or a quick question after class.

Tip: If you are interested in pursuing additional education after your Undergrad, your teacher may be able to give you some insight into what it will be like.

5. They can help you even after graduation. Many students forget that teachers have hundreds of connections that can ultimately help them in their future job searches. There are many opportunities available to students that can be accessed by the referral of your teachers.

Tip: When considering an internship, e-mail the teachers that are in your area of study and see if they know of any businesses that are offering paid or unpaid work.

Same Sex Marriage Legalized: How This Affects Lancaster County Retirement Communities

I had the opportunity to sit in on a group of marketing executives this morning from surrounding retirement communities in Lancaster County. It was a great experience and I was able to leave with great perspective.

The recent legislation that permits same sex marriage in the state of Pennsylvania seemed to come out of nowhere. I was not aware that such a large policy change would happen so soon.

Many businesses have to decide new procedures when it comes to allowing same sex couples as residents. Being an intern in the retirement community world, there is so much talk about what is trending and what is not.

It is important to understand today’s culture and what has changed as you are making these decisions. The fact that the state has mandated that same sex marriage is allowed, it is crunch time for many marketing professionals.

The decision to “allow” same sex couples or even unmarried couples in general into the communities is an interesting conflict. In my mind, there is no conflict because God calls us to love everyone and “rejecting” someone because of their specific beliefs and lifestyles is unethical to me.

However, this is clearly not the case with most communities. Creating new policies is a hassle but then again, not dealing with the conflict is not smart either.

In my eyes there are two options: take a stand and do not allow same sex couples at all, or decide to change policies and allow it. Being wishy-washy with this topic is not an option.

Public relations in a faith-based community are centered on honesty, loyalty, ethical decision making. Putting a policy like this on the back burner is not doing anyone any favors.

Conclusively, it is a beneficial strategy to be open and inviting of all types of prospective residents as a retirement community. The laws will come and go but being open to change is something that people appreciate. 

Recent News Project

Below is a compilation of news summaries I did a few semesters ago. It was a project for one of my writing classes but it really helped me boil down news articles and figure out what was the most important information. This is a skill that is used all the time in advertising and public relations and I am glad that I had the opportunity to practice it. 

Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg Weds Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy

Prince Gillaume and his new wife wed in a two day celebration over the weekend. Many royals were in attendance to the lavish nuptials. Guillaume is the last in his family to wed, so many family traditions were present.

NEWS: Link

Monster Energy Drink-Death Connection Possible In 5 Cases Since 2004, Report Shows

The popular energy drink is now getting sued and possibly recalled for potentially being tied to 5 deaths in the past. A 14-year-old girl died of "cardiac arrythmia due to caffeine toxicity," and her mother is suing the company. When researching about Monster Energy Drink, the mother found it has been looked at before for causing death in extreme cases.

Link

Survivor's Dana Lambert: Leaving Due to Illness Was 'Heartbreaking'

On Day 12 of Survivor one of the contestants, Dana Lambert had to throw in the towel due to illness. She left because she was constantly vomitting and blacking out and she needed to get better. The hit show expects contestants to deal with extreme climate and energy conditions and it got the better of Lambert.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20641126,00.html

Mike Tomlin expects stars on D back

Summary: The Pittsburgh Steelers are eager to have back Troy Polamalu and James Harrison for the next game. They were both out for injuries but will more than likely be playing Sunday. The Steelers Coach, Mike Tomlin, said that he has watched them both play, and they are ready to get back into the game.

Link: NEWS

NHL lockout: No progress, no agreement—no October games?

Summary: NHL players are holding a lockout to increase their pay to 52 percent out of the 3.3 billion revenue that comes in to the owners. There has been no progress for this stakeout in the last few weeks. All preseason games have been cancelled which will last till October 8 and there is talk of cancelling all October games.

Link:NEWS

The Jay Cutler personality debate is over

Summary: There has been some questionable actions on the Chicago Bears quarterback, Jay Cutler. There was a recent incident where he ignored his coaches request and was deemed emotionally unstable by many people. Now, Culter is back on track and will hopefully use this win to boost his attitude.

Link: NEWS

Strong Storms a Risk for DC, Baltimore, Cincinnati

Summary: Heavy storms including hail and strong winds will be continuous during the week and also the weekend. Some of the big cities this storm will hit include Washington, DC and Baltimore, Maryland.

Link: NEWS

Climate Extremes: Arctic Sea Ice Melts to Record Low

Summary: The NSDIC claims that the artic is losing 35,400 square miles of ice everyday. This is a record low since 1979 an can produce some major issues in the future.

Link: NEWS

Lack of Rain, Low Humidity Fuels Wildfires

Although the East Coast is experiences many rain storms, the West Coast however is hitting a major dry spot when it comes to weather. The dry weather is still causing huge wild fires like the one in Idaho right now that is consuming over 340,000 acres and is only 25 percent contained.

Link: NEWS

26 killed in Mexico pipeline fire near US border

Summary: A large fire started close to the US border at a natural gas pipeline distribution center; however it was extinguished in 90 minutes. Twenty-six people were killed in the chaos, and 46 more were injured. There is investigation being done about whether or not it was an attack on the company.

Link: NEWS

Suicide Bomber in Afghanistan Strikes Minibus, Killing Mostly Foreign Workers

Summary: As a result of a reply to the parody video "Prophet Muhammad," 14 people were killed by a suicide bomber in Minibus. Mostly were foreign workers who were working for the U.S. government. The act was said to be carried out by an 18 year old woman.

Link: NEWS

A Faded Piece of Papyrus Refers to Jesus’ Wife

Summary: Karen King, a Harvard Professor, has in her possession a piece of papyrus that is under investigation to see if it really talks about Jesus having a wife. The script on the paper talks about the woman being Jesus' disciple. The text was written in Coptic and is from the 4th century.

Link: NEWS

Robbery suspects toss cash into air during pursuit

Summary: The Bank of America in Santa Clarita was robbed and during the high speed chase the suspects threw money out of the car. The suspects were known to be the kind of people that would steal from the rich and give to the poor. They were finally caught and arrested, but people who witnessed the madness said that it was a riot watching the money fly.

Link: NEWS

As Chicago Teachers Strike, Students Are on the Loose and at Loose Ends

Summary: Chicago teachers have been on strike to better their school environment and the students are suffering the consequences. They are having to go to school in unfamiliar environments like churches and neighboring schools. Parents are being affected because of the cost of child care and loss of work, so some are wondering if this strike is worth it anymore.

Link: NEWS

Military trainer in Texas acquitted of sex assault

Summary: An airforce instructor was found not guilt of sexual assault in court. The Staff Sgt. from the Lackland Air Force Base was thought to have sexually harassed a boot camp graduate. He did however plead guilty to other accusations in order to reduce his jail time to 14 years.

Link: NEWS

Virginia Tech football team helps freshman move into dorms

Summary: Some of the Virginia Tech football players took time out of their busy schedule to help new students move in. It is this kind of community service that keeps Virginia Tech among the most valued schools. The team was happy to help the new students as they started a new chapter in their lives at Virginia Tech. 

Link: NEWS

Veggie Tales creator shares about spiritual challenges in his career

Summary: Among many of the favorite Liberty University Convocation speakers is Phil Vischer, who was the founder of the children's television series, The Veggie Tales. His first time at Liberty he spoke about dreams and explained his rocky journey to follow his. This time he shared about the burdens that come with following your dreams, and it was definitely a speech to be remembered. 

Link: NEWS

Appomattox bank robbery first in decades

Summary: Recently there was the first robbery in 94 years at the Appomattox Farmer's Bank. The robber was chased by car and then by foot before being arrested. The bank wants to assure everyone that all codes were followed during the chaos of the robbery.

Link:NEWS

Isaac on 'verge of becoming a hurricane' as it closes in on Gulf Coast

Summary: Hurricane Isaac has been building up power and is very close to actually striking land. The rain is what is affecting people in that area the most; although, the rainfall could amount to 14 inches which is very dangerous. Also, many millitary bases and whole communities are being evacuated due to the high risk and relocated to a safer area.

Link to article here: NEWS

Robert Wayne Gladden Jr., Perry Hall Shooting Suspect, 

Posted Ominous Facebook Status

Summary: Robert Gladden has been suspected of shooting another classmate on the first day of school. His Facebook status that day which says, "First day of school, last day of my life,"gives police some evidence towards him being the culprit. His lawyer claims that he brought a gun to school to ward off bullies; however, there is still speculation when it comes to if he was the one who shot the fellow student. 

Link to article here: NEWS

Is a Penny Rounded a Penny Lost? Ask Chipotle

Seeing as there is a new Chipotle in Lynchburg, it will be interesting to see what people think of this new "rounding" theory that the franchise has. According to The New York Times, Chipotle has been rounding to the nearest nickel in order to cut down on transaction time. Many debate whether this is a fair or worthy tactic, or if Chipotle should just take the time to distribute the change like every other store. 

Link to article here: NEWS

The Persuaders' Critique

While watching The Persuaders, it was interesting that so much research goes into a single companies advertising campaign. Consumers don't realize that what they are seeing in advertisements has been specifically designed to evoke a certain emotion in them. In the "World's Most Famous Commercial," the Apple commercial, the company was trying to get their customers to feel powerful by buying a Macintosh computer.

The Persuaders also highlighted the research of Delta Airlines' Song campaign and how the research was used. The director, Douglass Rushkoff, really elaborated on every detail of the brand name in order to show consumers how a brand is created. It helped his film to show the different steps that have to be taken in order for a company to launch a new program.

As consumers we only see the brands that are succeeding such as Apple and Nike. The New York Times wrote an article about the Song failure, and it talks about the next step for Delta Airlines after filing for bankruptcy. I believe that since the company spent too much money trying to be a "luxury" airline, it really cost them. They could not compensate with ticket sales because they were also trying to be cost efficient with ticket prices.

Another thing that stuck out to me when it came to persuasive techniques from the movie was the Acxiom Company. The fact that Acxiom has information on every person and can tailor advertisements to a certain demographic from that information is unreal.

The Persuaders explained in detail how Acxiom works and even has interviews with people who have used the service to try and understand the concept better. Acxiom has information on things such as:

· magazine subscriptions

· personal information (i.e. address, phone number, and e-mail address)

· information from online surveys

· anything "public" on the internet

Other than Acxiom, there are also less invasive ways of getting consumer information. I think that Douglass Rushkoff did a great job of interviewing important people in the advertising world and having them explain their motive when advertising.

Many companies use focus groups to gain insight for their company. The Persuaders interviewed Frank Lutz(right) to show the focus group aspect of research. This segment really benefitted the video because it showed consumers how certain words really make a difference in advertising.

In my opinion, Douglass Rushkoff did an excellent job of showing consumers what happens behind the curtains of advertising. He used his contacts to interview major advertising giants, explained important advertising techniques, and also showed a wide variety of information on the topic.