The Fast Food Consumer

Yesterday we discussed government regulations on business. Some people argue
that consumers could regulate business with their dollars and save tax payers
millions. Read the following quote and answer the following questions in your
blog.

Nobody in the United States is forced to buy fast food. The firs step
toward meaningful change is by far the easiest:stop buying it. The executives
who run the fast food industry are not bad men. They are businessmen. They will
sell Free-range, organic, grass-fed hamburgers if you demand it. They will sell
whatever sells at a profit. The usefulness of the market, its effectiveness as a
tool, cuts both ways. The real power of the American consumer has not yet been
unleashed. The heads of Burger King, KFC, and McDonald's should feel daunted;
they're outnumbered. There are three of them and almost three hundred million of
you. A good boycott, a refusal to by, can speak much louder than words.
Sometimes the most irresistible force is the most mundane."

Source: Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001,
P.269

Answer the following questions in your blog

1. How could consumers use their economic power to create healthier
food?

2. Why do consumers continue to purchase fast foods that are so
unhealthy?

3. Do consumers have all of the information they need to make decisions
about fast food?

4. Choose an item that you like from a fast food restaurant. Use the web
to find the following info. Include a picture of the item.

• Calories
• Calories from fat
• Amount of Sugar

WSJ Quiz January 2007

The following questions are from the articles we have read in this months WSJ. Please create a post that shows the question and your answer in bold.

True or False

1. Ohio State's athletic budget is the biggest in the history of college sports.

2. Ohio State's general fund does not give any money to the athletic department and receives no money in return.

3. Nike is abandoning its focus on athletics to market its products to more artsy consumers.

Multiple Choice

4. Ohio State's 37 "nonrevenue" teams generate total revenue of about.

a. $250,000, b. $500,000 c. $1 million, d. $1.5 million, e. $2 million

5. What percentage increase in revenue have Nike officals promised to Wall Street by 2010?

a. 20% b. 30% c. 40% d. 50% e. 60%

6. In addition to Mr. Cartoon Nike has added low-profile celebrities from style-conscious art forms such as.

a. Graffiti, b. Murals, c. Industrial design, d. All of the above, c. none of the above.

7. Due to budget problems, Rutgers recently cancled six sports, but the athletic department increased spending for.

a. Football coaches' salaries b. The remaining nonrevenue sports c. Student-athlete scholarships

d. all of the above, e. None of the above.

Is Starbucks Losing Steam?

Is Starbucks growing too fast? The company has about 10,500 locations in the U.S.-an increase of more than 3,000 stores in less than two years. Analysts and investors are wondering whether Starbucks is close to market saturation.

Read the WSJ Article "Is Starbucks Losing Steam?" and answer the following questions.

1. How does Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz respond to investor concerns about his company's rapid expansion?

2. Why has Starbucks launched its first-ever TV-advertising campaign? How did it advertise its products in the past?

Define the Following Terms and add links to the definition.

A.) Cannibalization: (as it pertains to business, not eating people)

B.) Same-store sales:

C.) Saturated Market:

Sole Searching

Athletes might still rule at Nike, but its marketing game is changing. Nike's traditional endorsement strategy has taken a few hits, and the company is looking outside of sports to give consumers edgy and relevant products.



Read the WSJ article on page 8 and answer the following questions.

Make use of pictures and links in your post

1. How is Nike adapting to a changing consumer market?

2. Why are "influencers of influencers" important to Nike?

3. In the 1980s and '90s basketball star Michael Jordan defined Nike, and he was a key marketing asset before he even won an NBA championship. What made Mr. Jordan so special? Why has Nike been unable to create a similar buzz around a player, despite featuring athletes such as Tiger Woods and LeBron James? What do you think?

4. With the recent scandals mentioned in the article- affecting two Nike athletes, Michael Vick and Marion Jones- is it safer for marketing executives to support relationships with lesser-known or low-key celebrities? Why or not? How have Mr. Vick and Ms. Jones tarnished Nike's Reputation, or have they? Explain.

5. If you were starting a shoe company and you wanted to compete with Nike, what athletes, entertainers or artists would you hire to endorse your products and why? What would you use to market you shoe. Add a picture of your celebrity.

I Pity the fool that doesn't stack the chairs today

Thanks Mr. Herbert

Mega-Bucks

Ohio has one of the nation's highest home-foreclosure rates and two of the poorest U.S. cities. But in the center of the state is thriving Ohio State University, whose $109 million athletic budget is the biggest in college sports and a big spark for the local economy.

Read the "Maga Bucks" article in the January issue of the Wall Street Journal Classroom Addition, and answer the following questions in your blog. Use links and pictures to add depth to your post.

Your Post
1. How has Ohio State been able to build a self-sufficient athletic department?

2. How does Ohio State athletics support academic ventures by the university?

3. Define the following two terms and provide links to where you obtained your info. A.) Multiplier Effect B.) Opportunity Cost

4. With its large and self-sufficient budget, Ohio State's athletic department is run like a business. Should a college athletics program be a business? Why or why not?

5. Should college athletes be paid? why or why not.