Reflection

Upon the completion of a course, or any milestone in life, a certain level of introspection is required to gauge if personal expectations or goals were achieved. This relates to this Marketing course because the end is here, and it is time to reflect on the past ten weeks. Throughout this paper two points will be discussed: The key concepts that made me a stronger candidate to enter the business world and how this course has affected my professional development as a student as well as encouraging me on my academic path. It is necessary to commence this essay stating my career goals. I am not a Marketing major and am enrolled in a business degree program in order to gain sufficient knowledge to one day inherit my family businesses and to start my own business. After graduation from Kaplan, my next step is the Chiropractic Physician program in Bridgeport, Connecticut. However, I am in the process of starting a school to train and license certified nurse’s aides in New York State, therefore particular knowledge gained in this course was beneficial to me. The key concepts that made me a stronger candidate to enter the business world were the different pricing strategies and the segment on Jordan’s furniture, which really opened my eyes to see a new potential for businesses. My mother has a daycare and my father owns several 99cent stores. Business is in my blood, which is why I am eager to open my school and once I complete the Chiropractic Physician program, open my private practice. Studying which type of pricing to employ is imperative because price is an important variable that will either lure or repel customers. In regards to pricing, schools are a very competitive business. There are some schools which offer the same programs I will be offering, but these competitors are not in any surrounding neighborhoods. In addition to that, these schools charge over a thousand dollars for tuition, and the duration of their courses is three to four months. Based on what I have learned in this course, if I offer a lower tuition for a less duration than my competitors initially, I should do fine. The segment on Jordan’s Furniture really and truly changed the way I look at business, and I am not just saying that. Before watching that video I have been telling my mother for years to think outside the box and implement new marketing strategies. This business will one day be mine and I want to see it flourish too. I suggested to her creating a mascot since no other daycare has one, and this will create the opening for merchandising. However, my mother has an “old school” train of thought and quickly dismissed my ideas. Once I watched the video, I showed it to her. I explained again that she needs to find an innovative way to operate her business, and now she is taking constructive criticism well. The main concept that she and I grasped is that business cannot be operated like every other business, because then no change will arise, meaning a full potential of revenue is not being reached. I will take this same newfound knowledge and implement it into my own business. This course has also affected my professional development as a student as well as encouraging me on my academic path. When I transferred into Kaplan, I only needed the business required courses to graduate, since I already possess a Nursing degree. This is my second semester and am expected to graduate early next year. Marketing helps provide a foundation for other business classes. During any other course, if any Marketing references are made, I would know what is being discussed and precede accordingly. To conclude, at the end of this Marketing course I have formulated certain thoughts regarding the key concepts that made me a stronger candidate to enter the business world, and how this course has affected my professional development as a student as well as encouraging me on my academic path. I am undoubtedly certain I possess the ability to strategically create successful businesses for my parents and myself. The key concepts discussed are beneficial in my professional and scholastic career and will be implemented throughout both.