Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

I'm proud of the fact that I've been able to push myself to immerse and research a topic that I initially had no interest in. I've expressed that I had no interest in the medical or business field, yet I was able to push myself to do an entire project related to those two fields. It's been a very interesting process, especially since I was lost and unmotivated during the first four months, but I'm pleased that I have come this far.

Another thing that I'm proud of (and I'm sure there are plenty of seniors who will agree with me) is the fact that I have completed the senior project. There have been multiple times where I've wanted to give up because of how intense and thorough I had to be. Added to the fact that there was pressure to apply for colleges and scholarships, and I'm surprised (and pleased) that I've made it this far.

(2) Questions to Consider

a. I definitely deserve a solid P for my 2Hour Presentation. I believe that I have met all of the requirements for P consideration and did it well, even with technical glitches and the fact that some of the students seemed tired when they arrived to my presentation. However, I think that I may have earned an AE, because I successfully met the talking requirement, and I did present solid research and knowledge during the timed portions.

b. I would give myself an AE. I have met every single deadline this year. There were occasions where I slightly faltered in my delivery of deadlines, but those were at the beginning of the year for lesser value assignments. Most of my work has been solid, and even better than I hoped then I would have expected it to be. My major assignments (Science Fair, iSearch, etc.) had pushed me to excel and make sure that whatever I was learning wouldn't be wasted time. In the end, I believe that effort was shown, as my stronger assignments were the higher level assignments.

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

What worked for me was being able to come to my project adviser (Melogno) for any help that I needed for my project. It helped a lot when I needed to find service learning, or if I felt lost with what I was doing with my senior project.

(4) What didn’t work for you in your senior project?

What didn't work was that I didn't find service learning fast enough. No one I knew worked in business related fields, or marketing. I thought that I would be able to base my experience from yearbook, but then I didn’t really know anyone based in book sales. I was promised a chance to work at the mall if I came back in January, but when I did, that was when I learned that they can’t allow me to serve with them, due to some liability issues. I was offered a chance at a local marketing firm in Diamond Bar, to bounce ideas off, before I realizied that they wouldn't be able to teach me what I wanted to learn. I would be teaching them and giving them feedback, and would not have been able to learn something about marketing properly.

(5) Finding Value

Even if I were to never market medical supplies as a career, the skills that I learned from this project have helped me appreciate the respective fields. Before, I used to dislike dealing with the business field and all related topics. Now that I know that there's a way of looking at it so that it's not just about the profits, marketing has opened the door for me to respect what marketers do and be able to sort out the good from the bad. It also became my first step into the real world, no matter what my career may be. All of the skills I learned about - communication, knowing your audience- were things that I had picked up on during my last few years in high school. This project hit me with the fact that these are things that were crucial to surviving the work force, and that I needed to start practicing these skills if I'm going to go anywhere in my career. After all, we're practically marketing ourselves to companies in the workforce, so this is simply my wake up call to that fact.

My research has also increased my awareness for medical equipment. Maybe it's because I haven't been hospitalized yet, but I used to dismiss medical equipment like walkers and canes before I realized why it's so important. Also, I knew that my dad had sleep apnea, but after realizing what it was through my research, I'm now aware of the importance of his CPAP, as well as the fact that I may or may not develop the disorder. Whatever the case may be, I have the knowledge to be able to address the symptoms in me or a loved one before it puts someone's health at risk.

2-Hour Presentation

[I have no idea how to upload it correctly onto Google Docs so that it's formatted correctly. I'm posting a link to the word doc and the pdf doc. Please email me if you want me to directly send you a properly formatted copy of my 2Hour Lesson Plan. Thank you!]

2Hour (Word)
2Hour (PDF)

Service Learning

Literal
Service Learning Log
Contact Name & Number [emailed to Melogno]

Interpretive
I think that the most important thing was that I was able to experience how medical suppply companies operate. Even if I was idle and had to figure out how to keep myself busy, I was able to observe what was going on in the office. My service learning people were open to me asking questions about who was going in and out of the office, as well as to the events that were happening. During breaks, I got to observe how everyone interacted and dealt with the most important issues of the day.


Applied
Service learning was what gave me the focus for what kind of marketing I would focus on for my senior project. In order to organize the store, I had to know what it was that I was dealing with. It's similar to marketing- you have to know your product in order to be able to successfully create a relationship over it.  When I was categorizing the store, I had to do some research to figure out what it was that I was categorizing, and I was constantly asking why we were selling these items, who we sold them to, and why I had to keep changing the prices.

All of the observations that I made during my stay and the interactions that I witnessed were what gave me the foundation of my first and second answers. Communication within the company was vital. Whenever the biller (one of my service learning people) would ask about a lack of communication with a certain client, the driver would usually have an answer to it, and vice versa. I noted that everyone naturally worked with the focus that medical supplies coincided with peoples' health. It was something that I greatly appreciated as I watched how they all worked together.

Confirmation of Contact Person, Contact Phone Number, and 50 hours completed [pending]

Independent Component 2

Literal
(a) I, Stefanie Paz, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) I did an analysis of various marketing materials/devices within the AEON Medical Equipment & Supply Inc. as well as from MedTrade Spring Convention 2012. The analysis was based on the LIA format of learning. I also recreated the four marketing materials used by AEON.




Binder

LIA Analysis

Drafts and Revisions

Flyer

Brochure

Postcard

Flyer (retired)

Revised Marketing Materials Analysis


Interpretive
For each marketing analysis, I broke it up into an LIA format, to help me better understand the purpose of the brochure.

Literal
Type of marketing device: [Flyer, brochure, etc.]
Product: [What is being sold?]
Company: [What company is behind this?]
Facts learned about the product: [What does this product do?]
Facts learned about the business: [What does this company do?]
Interpretive
Main purpose of the device: [What is the device trying to say or do?]
Benefits of the product: [Good marketing focuses on the benefits. What are they for this product?]
Identifying the target audience: [The people that the business should be focused on when marketing their product.]

• Geographics: [location, climate, atmosphere]
• Demographics: [gender, age, income, education, etc.]
• Psychographics: [ideas, behaviors, interactions, beliefs, etc.]
• Behaviors: [needs and wants, buying patterns and behaviors]

Applied
Suggested improvements to the design/delivery of the device: [Things I would do to change the the theme of the device, if I could.]
Suggested improvements to the content of the device: [Information that I would like to know about from this device]
Comments: [Final commentary on device]

Each of the four AEON devices took me an average of six hours to recreate, and another two to write up the analysis and prepare it. It takes me 20 minutes to do a thorough analysis, and I have analyzed twenty-one different marketing materials. In addition, the two presentations that I was able to attend accounted for a total of one and a half hours. This is approximately equal to thirty-four hours of work.

Applied
This component helped confirm my answer two: "Freely communicate with your target audience and clients in order to make them feel comfortable with what they want." It may even become my best answer, as soon as I am able to narrow the five answers that I have down to three. As a marketer, sharing your message clearly and creating a connection with your target audience is important when marketing medical supplies. In each of the other marketing materials I encountered, it was evident that the material was made for the intended reader. It wasn't just in the language of reffering to them, but it was also in the way that the information was given and what information was given to them .
For example, the ones with more advanced terminology are meant for those who are knowledgeable about medical equipment and terminology, like doctors. Devices that marketed comfort and quality are directed at patients and their families. Ads that talked about portability are for those with active lifestyles that can't let clunky medical equipment stop them. The only reason I was able to come to these conclusions was by placing myself in the shoes of whoever would feel the most comfortable reading the device. The more comfortable I felt in that mind that, the more effective I know that the marketing device was.

Helping 2013

Interviewee: Jaime Plascencia
Interview: April 20, 2012, 12:50 [approx.]
[Note: Normal= Interviewee, Bold= Interviewer]

[1] What ideas do you have for your senior project?

Well right now I’m just brain storming- I don’t have any ideas. I do have a few interests though that I’d like to somehow turn into [a] senior project. I like soccer, [and] I’m also very interested in weapons mechanics and stuff like that. Other than that, I’m not really sure exactly what I want to do, but I’ll probably come up with something over the summer. 

I’ve been playing soccer since I was like, in the 6^th grade. I used to do baseball, but I kind of let that go, and then I got into soccer. I’ve played a lot since then, and it’s just something that I really like, and… it should be really fun to make a project out of something I really enjoy.

When I was little my dad had guns, and we’d always used to go hunting in Mexico. We’d go up in the sierras- they’re like mountains in Spanish- and we’d go hunting quails. I always had to carry my dad’s one chamber rifle. It wasn’t like the strongest in the world, but it was fun. From there I just started exploring different weapons and it’s something I’m really interested in too.

I think both of those ideas can work out really well… I feel like I haven’t heard many weapons senior projects but I have heard a lot more soccer projects. The weapon idea seems like you have a little bit more of a personal connection to it.

Yeah, it does. I’d like to do that, but my only problem would be finding somebody. We’re supposed to have like a mentor or a professional in the field, right?  I don’t know any professionals in the field. I don’t have any connections other than what I already know and looked up.  I probably have to look around over the summer to find someone who’s experienced in that field.

[2] Yeah, that was actually my next question. What do you plan to do to complete those ten hours [over the summer]?

I could probably choose like a workshop if they have something. I just have to see who knows about this and then see what they do and hopefully they’ll let me volunteer with them. Honestly, I have no idea [what to do for the weapons, but] I’m  going to start on that.

If I were to do soccer- I referee soccer and I also play. The referee one would be easier for me to do, as far as the academic portion of it goes. When you play, you can talk to your coach but you can only [learn] so much [from] him then somebody who’s already been playing soccer for a long time like myself. I already know a lot about the sport. But refereeing- there’s always something to learn. The rules are changing every year. We have professional referees in the league- [the one I know is] FIFA accredited and everything so he can probably be my instructor and mentor for that. That would be a lot easier for me instead of the weapons one.

Soccer sounds like a really good idea. Weapons- you could probably look around, because I know that there are some shooting ranges and gun stores around the area. You could probably look around there for someone who’s accredited. 

[3] What do you hope to see or expect to see when watching the class of 2012 present their two hour presentations?

Well, I’ll go in hoping to learn something just [to get a] feel or just to see what to or not to do next year so that I don’t make the same mistakes. Or even better [if it was good], do the same thing they did. I actually want to see how effective it would be for them to grab people’s attention using very different methods- whether it be like a visual aid… or the activities. [I] just to see what grabs people’s attention; what are people interested in when the person or the teacher is up there doing their thing. I think [for the senior project] you can do all of the work in the world, but if you don’t grab people’s attention, [then] it’s pretty much all for nothing.

That’s pretty true. When you’re watching the two hour presentation, keep in mind that we’re presenting our research, so you should actually watch for if our sources are credible or not. That’s something you should use for your project too. Make sure that, whatever senior project you end up doing, all of your sources are credible enough because that’s what gives your project some value. Also, we have a thirty minute speaking requirement, so you could [try to] help us out by asking us a lot of questions. It might help us add something that we forgot to the information we planned to present.

[4] Do you have any questions for me about your senior project?

Well, not anything that comes to mind right now, but I guess while I’m watching these presentations, I’ll probably come up with something like because I have to see the presentation in order to understand it and in turn- be able to ask questions.

I see you have really good ideas right now, and you have a really good idea on what to do. The four interviews that you’re going to have to do are really, really valuable. Now, a lot of seniors are quoting them because of how useful they are, so make sure you take advantage of them and ask a lot of questions. Try and get your service learning person since you have to do ten hours over the summer, and you get that service learning done. Take advantage of whatever you do or learn in service learning. If there are any opportunities, take it.  Whatever happens, make sure you’ll be able to use whatever you learn throughout your entire life. I might not become a marketer, but at least I know how the process works and I now understand it. A lot of people use some of the stuff that they did now for future careers.

Yeah, that’s what I’m doing for this project. It’s stuff that I would be interested in doing all my life. It’s not just stuff to get me out of high school, but it’s actually something that I want to pursue.

Answer 3

EQ: What is most important when marketing medical supplies?
Answer 3:  Having a  basic understanding of the economy and the market for medical supplies.

Evidence:

• Millions of baby boomers are approaching retirement. Most of the consumers of medical supplies are these retirees, but they are not being marketed to as actively.
• The market for medical supplies is very challenging today due to the economy and the health care reforms being pushed.
• Some patients are not able to pay due to the financial situations and payment plans they are placed in. The relationship between the consumer and the company is at stake, depending on whether or not the company decides to take back the equipment.

Source:

• Independent Component 1- Intro to MicroEconomics (Fall 2011, Cal Poly Pomona)
• Ernie B. Ross, brandchannel.com "Targeting Seniors | Marketing to Older People"
• Fourth Interview- Maria Bonus

3-Column Chart

Three-Column Chart

Room Creativity

(1) How do you plan to address the room creativity expectation?

• If I can get permission to bring in a few of the medical supplies that are in the office, then I'm hoping that I could bring those in as a sample and spread across the room. I could also display various brochures and posters from my independent component 2 around the room.

(2) What activity ideas do you have for answer 1 or 2?
Answer 1 [Making sure that all of the consumers in the firm knows the marketing message]

• Give a mission statement to every other group, and give them a few minutes to study the material. Have them go the next group and see if they can relay the mission statement in a really short amount of time. See which groups communicated the message the best after having the missions statements passed around the room once

Answer 2 [Getting to know your client in order to make them feel more comfortable with you]:

• Interview- split the room into two halves, one person in each group will be the client/ patient. Give the Client a scrip and list of facts, then have the group engage in conversation with the person to learn the correct facts about the client that will help them predict what type of devices to sell to the client.

Answer 2

EQ: What is most important when marketing medical supplies?
Answer 2: Get to know your client and target audience by freely communicating with them.

Evidence:

• In target marketing, one of the many ways to conduct market research is to conduct surveys. For medical suppliers, this is easier because there is already a specific target audience.
• While getting to know your target audience, you learn about the roles that they play in other people's lives, and can offer something that will help them feel as normal as possible as they complete that role.
• The most important thing is that, despite the many social situations they are thrown into, the main focus should always be on the clients' wants. 

Source:

• Science Fair
• (24) "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Social Psychology" by Joni Johnston
• (19c)  "Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning: Building the Right Relationships with the Right Customers."

The Product

My product from the senior project is that I have gained a new found respect for both the medical and business field. Previously, I had no interest in either field before beginning this project. I could have cared less about hospitals and medical equipment, since I never found the relevance it had to my life, nor did I have an interest in business, because of its close relation to politics- something I could never see myself being involved with. Through this project, I found that I learn something about business through marketing without it seeming political, and I now have a better understanding about the distribution of medical supplies. I am now more aware of my sleeping habits, since I have learned that I have a risk of having sleep apnea. I am also aware of the fact that the basic skills behind marketing are skills that I've had for a while, but have not been able to fine tune until now.

Fourth Interview Questions

Interviewee: Mrs. Bonus, CEO of AEON Medical Equipment and Supplies Inc.

1. Why did you take on this job and this business?
2. Did anyone introduce you or help you out when you were first getting into this business? How did they do so?
3. Do you train other marketers, or do any sort of training? What do you teach them about?
4. How do you establish these relationships between other doctors, suppliers, and manufacturers?
5. Has there been any situations in which there relationships have benefited both the company and the client?
6. Why do you set up the prices that the way that they are, other than MAP resons?
7. What happens if there was a client that came by and couldn't pay for anything (for whatever reason possible.)
8. How do you determine which manufacturers to do business with?
9. How do you pick, from a variety of products that serve the same purpose, which one to receive from the manufacturer?
10. When is it appropriate to involve the family members of your client in the purchase?
11. Do you train your employees in regards as to how to treat you clients? What do you instruct them to do?
12. What is the most important role of a medical equipment and supply company?
13. Do you really need to have a marketing background to be able to market medical supplies? What kind of background or knowledge should you have when marketing medical supplies?
14. What kind of skills should a person in your field have in order to do an effective job?
15. When do you feel as if you've done your job properly?
16. Have there been any marketing tactics or strategies that you've tried, but they didn't work out?
17. Do you have a different way of marketing mobility supplies versus mobility supplies?
18. What do you think is most important when marketing medical supplies?
19. How much of a responsibility do you feel you have for your clients?
20. What is your goal when marketing medical supplies?

Independent Component 2 Plan Approval

CONTENT:
(1) Write a description of what you plan on doing for your independent study component.
(2) Describe in detail how you think your plan will meet the 30 hours work requirement.
(3) How does your independent study component relate to your EQ?

1. For my second independent study component, I will be analyzing the different ways sales people in the medical supplies business market their products: either from manufacturer to supplier, or supplier to doctor/hospital. I will be analyzing the materials used for these presentations and see what makes it an effective tool for them to market their product, as well as determine whether or not there can be something done to improve it.
2. Each meeting lasts about 45 minutes, and then I will take about 15 minutes asking questions and analyzing the presentation and materials given. I have already witnessed two of them, and will only need to watch at least 28 more. If I'm not at the office that day, and if someone comes by and they leave behind materials, then I will take half an hour to ask about the person and analyze the materials left behind. This should all be completed by the end of April.
3. What I am studying for this independent component is what happens when marketers/sales people market their medical supplies. In order to get word of their product out there, sales reps and marketers visit the places that they sell their product to and try to sell their product and make their consumers aware of their presence. This component will give me a chance to witness first-hand what happens when medical suplies are being marketed, and will hopefully give me a possible, more direct answer to my EQ.

Independent Component 1

Literal:
a) I, Stefanie Paz, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents thirty hours of work.
b) I enrolled in an "Introduction to MicroEconomics" class taught by Prof. Amrik Dua at Cal Poly Pomona, every Tuesday and Thursday, from 1-3PM. I have also completed all assignments and all (except one) extra credit assignment for the class, and all three test dates and the final for the class.
Calendar:


Assignments 1 and 2

Assignments 3 (original misplaced, scored 13/15) and 4

Extra Credit Assignments 1, 2 and 3

(Notebook used for class will be in senior project binder)

Interpretive:
Each two-hour class is spent reviewing and discussing the concepts of MicroEconomics- the basis of Economics. There are also homework assignments to be completed outside of the classroom, and I've taken an extra hour studying for a test or final. The twenty sessions alone represent approximately forty hours, and the twelve study sessions that  I'm recording have taken approximately fourteen hours, leading to a total of fifty-four hours.

Applied:
This class introduced me to the basic structure of economics, and helped me understand some of the logic behind profitable businesses. The knowledge that I've gained from this class has given me this answer for my Essential Question: What is most important when marketing medical supplies is understanding the market in that which the supplies are being sold.
In addition to following MAP policies set by the manufacturers, suppliers have to figure out if there is a demand of their product is in order to set their prices accordingly and attract business (law of demand). Since medical supplies are elastic goods, any price change will greatly affect the demand for the good. Based on what I have learned in the class, medical suppliers are what keep the distributors from becoming large monopolies.
Economics is the study of how people satisfy their wants by using their limited means to obtain whatever can give them the most satisfaction. Microeconomics is the branch of economics that focuses on the individual's financial choices. It also is one of the introductory classes for economics, as it is usually recommended that Microeconomics be taken before Macroeconomics (another economic introductory class that focuses on how countries and big groups make financial decisions). Because effective marketing targets a specific audience or type of individual, it is even more important for the supplier to understand the market that their consumer has become a part of and appeal to their needs.

Presentation 2 Rough Draft

Rough Draft for my 20-Minute Presentation on February 15, 2012.

EQ Change 1

Note:

Old EQ:

What is the most important factor in successfully marketing a good/service?

New EQ:

What is most important when marketing medical supplies?

[change made: 1/25]

Third Interview Questions- Revised

(because I now have service learning and a better EQ)

There are some bugs right now with the computers in the office, so I don't know if my main interviewee will be available. But I do have someone I can interview just in case.

1. What is important in marketing a product?
2. How do you define marketing?
3. How did you determine who your target audience is?
4. How important is your target audience?
5. Why does your company choose to specialize in mobility and respiratory supplies?
6. Who are the people that come in here once in a while? (referring to meetings during the week)
7. How exactly do you distribute medical supplies?
8. How do you choose your suppliers?
9. How do you market medical supplies?
10. What do the supplier representatives do to make sure that you remain their distributor?
11. How often to do communicate with your clients, and how do you communicate with them?
12. How important is communication and relationships to your company?

Answer 1

(1) To be able to market medical supplies, a marketer must understand what the needs of their client are and how they can fulfill those needs.
(2) What possible evidence do you have to support this answer? 

• It is important to understand what services your company can provide to any potential customer.
• Medical supplies have to appeal to the user and the doctor that will be most likely to use the products.
• Consumers buy based on the different groups (or target segments) they belong to, based on factors such as race, age, sex, ideals, etc.

(3) What source(s) did you find this evidence and/or answer?

• Service Learning- First Day Orientation
• Research 13c- Kotler, Philip, and Gary Armstrong. "Strategic Planning and the Marketing Process." Marketing: An Introduction. 4th ed.
• Research 19c-  Kotler, Philip, and Gary Armstrong. "Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning: Building the Right Relationships with the Right Customers." Principles of Marketing. 11th ed. 

Note: This answer is for my revised EQ. Current EQ will be changed. Disregard the EQ posted on the blog until changed.

Science Fair Proposal V.2

1. Hypothesis: If there is a situation in which an individual has to make a decision, they will be more likely to go with the decision of the group they are with.
2. Dependent Variables: The decision of the test subject during round three and five of the "economic" experiment.Independent Variables: The products shown, and  the decision of the confederates during round three and five.
   Control Variables: Rounds one, two, and four of the "economic" experiment
3. This project will help me answer my EQ because marketers today have to figure out the target audience of their product in order to market it effectively. They make these deductions based on a number of demographics gathered from research, such as age, sex, occupation, behavioral traits, etc. They mix and match these factors in order to make an effective marketing campaign.
4. Materials:  Three posters of similar products, forty people (to be divided into different sized groups, twelve of these people are the actual test subjects)
• Divide the twenty people as followed: Two pairs of friends/acquaintances, two pairs of individuals, two groups of three friends/acquaintances, two groups of three individuals, two groups of five friends/acquaintances, two groups of five individuals.
• Participants will be told that they are taking an economic experiment to test how easily the value of the product is determined by visual standards.
• There will be five rounds. In each round, participants will be shown three products, and will be asked one by one to evaluate which one is the most expensive. 
• First round will be notebooks, second round will be cake, third round will be cell phones, fourth round will be dresses, fifth round will be shoes. 
• In each round, it will be glaringly obvious as to what the most expensive product is. Participants cannot change their answer once it has been said.
• In each group, all but one of the participants will be shown the correct answers beforehand and instructed to give the incorrect answer in round three and five. The person who has not given the correct answer is the true test subject, and will be always to give the answer last. (Also, make sure that whoever the test subject may be does not see this blog post, or remember Asch's experiment from Strand's class.)
• Record the answers in all of the rounds, as well as the reaction of the test subject during round three and five.
5. This experiment will fall under the Behavioral/Social Science category.

Service Learning

• For my service learning, I intern at AEON Medical Equipment & Supplies in La Verne, CA.  This branch focuses on medical supplies for mobility and respiratory needs, renting and selling them to both doctors offices, insurance companies, and private parties.
• My contact is Maria Bonus and Susan Esquivel. Mrs. Bonus is the CEO/Owner that will go to the various doctor's offices and remind them of AEON's services. Mrs. Esquivel is the person that I work under on a day-to-day basis, and whom I am working with in this first project that I have been assigned. Both can be reached via the contact information that I have provided on the service learning contact sheet.
• For these first ten hours, I am helping organize AEON's Google Merchant Center account so that their products and website will show up first on Google search engine. I research their products by using Google search and looking through their catalogs in order to fill in any missing information, and categorize their products so that it will be easier to find.

Marketing Myself.

A running list of my service learning ventures. This will be updated frequently.

Contact = Initial contact made with person, whether via email or in person

Response = Decision made

• Westfield Mall, West Covina
• Contact- Oct 9, 2011
• Response- Oct 25, 2011 [Pushed back to holiday season]
  Jan 4, 2012 [Liability- not allowed.]
• Comment: Even though I was disappointed, I was not surprised. A gut feeling told me that there would be a liability issue; the mall is part of another huge organization. They wouldn't all them to give school credit to kids. They did say that they would implement an internship program, but that wouldn't be for another year.
• CGI Marketing, Diamond Bar
• Contact- Dec 2, 2011 [Chance meeting @ Diamond Bar Library]
• Response- Dec 9, 2011 [Hour-long meeting]
• Comment: It wouldn't have worked out, even if I agreed to coming in on Saturdays and do research every other day. I think it might have been a clash of ideals, because I left the meeting feeling completely lost and confused (along with a minor headache). It felt like an interrogation, and all of the answers that I felt sure about were "wrong". Even though I haven't been studying this field for relatively long, it didn't seem like they were made to be marketers (in my eyes). I was so lost that I began to doubt myself as to why I was doing this project in the first place. When I finally got my feelings sorted out, I felt that I wouldn't get what I wanted to get out of the office, and that I would have ended up hating my entire project had I done my service learning under the company.
• Poly Post, Pomona
• Contact- Jan 2, 2012
• Response- Jan 5, 2012 [Wait until spring quarter; busy with two interns this quarter]
• Comment: Will be following up with them right before the spring quarter starts. I heard a lot of good things about the Poly Post, so I hope their marketing office is good too.
• AEON Medical, La Verne
• Contact- Jan 6, 2012 [Morning]
• Response- Jan 6, 2012 [Evening]
• Start- Jan 9, 2012
• Comment: I know nothing about medial supplies, but I'm willing to learn about anything. Time to get into what marketing's all about: research.

ESLR Blog

So far in this Senior Project, I believe that I have been an Effective Communicator and an Effective iPoly citizen.

Going into this project, I knew that I was going to have to talk to a lot of people. I have been an Effective Communicator because of the many times that I've inquired with different people about service learning and set up meetings with all of them. I learned which contact info and numbers to look for when finding information, as well as setting up these meetings and being as polite as possible. It was sometimes difficult to explain service learning to all of the organizations I've come in to contact with, but I've been able to figure out what their understanding of my project is and clarify it for them as best as possible.

As for being an iPoly citizen, it applies both inside and out of iPoly. I have been meeting all of my deadlines so far, both academic and project-based. I always try my best to be polite to all of the people I have come in contact with. I know that I am also giving them an impression of what iPoly is like when I'm talking to them about my project. Even if they rejected me for service learning, I am still polite as I leave their office. Also, I believe that this is the most that I have ever been involved in iPoly, and I have been involved in the school for a long time. The motivation for this project has stemmed from my position in yearbook, and my work in this project has motivated me to try and excel for the yearbook.

Third Interview Questions

Interviewee: TBD once I find a service learning place that will take me in. 

1. What is important in marketing a product?
2. How do you define marketing?
3. Does bad press affect how you market a product?
4. How do you determine what demographic and target audience you need to market to?
5. How do you determine what methods of marketing would be most affective on said audience?
6. What would be considered a bad or an unsuccessful marketing campaign?
7. Are there any basic rules of marketing a product that I should follow/ am not already aware of?
8. What do you think about businesses that keep connected with their customers after their initial purchase?
9. Is it possible to keep customer relationships in a negative way, and does that affect the sales of the product?
10. Why is communicating with the different departments of what you are selling important? How important is it?