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Showing posts from February, 2019

15A: Buyer Behavior

The first interviewee said they put price over everything else. When it comes to textbooks, the content is the same wherever you go, so the goal is to find these books as the lowest possible cost. This person said they usually buy from Amazon, and while this option can be more expensive sometimes, it is the most time-saving option, since most classes require textbook reading by the second week of class. This student charges their textbook costs to their tuition payments on the bursar website. This interviewee does not regret their purchase, as they can return the book at the end of the semester. They think the purchase is a good idea, since they are not paying full price for the book, and do not own it at the end of the semester. The second interviewee said the most important part for them is finding the correct textbook edition at the lowest possible price. Once they understand the average price point for the book edition they need from Amazon or the UF Bookstore, they then look at we

14A: Halfway Reflection

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1) Tenaciousness is a competency. What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course? Time management skills are extremely important in this course. Since the class is online, I have to set times for myself to watch lectures, do the assignments, and complete the peer reviews. Additionally, the entrepreneur mindset is important to have while completing these assignments, as it is a behavior that is totally different from what’s needed in a typical college course. 2) Tenaciousness is also about attitude. Talk about a moment or two when you felt like "giving up." What pulled you through? Do you feel like you've developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months? What experience or experiences most contributed to this? My freshman year, I experienced a lot of personal hardships, including the death of a family member. I was extremely depressed and had absolutely no motivation to keep completing assignment

13A: Reading Reflection

1) Over the last 4 weeks, I read “Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's” by Ray Kroc. What surprised you the most? Of course, the thing that surprised me the most about the story of McDonald’s was the fact that it was written by a man who originally sold the McDonald brothers a “multi-mixer,” not the McDonald brothers themselves. While some argue that he took advantage of the McDonalds for his own personal gain, you have to admire the fact that he turned a mom-and-pop shop into the biggest restaurant company in the world. What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? Ray Kroc is a hustler. The stories he tells of his life show how much he puts into his work and how much he wants to succeed. Kroc saw years of prosperity and decades of failure before even coming into contact with McDonalds, but he persevered and finally made it big in his 50s. He started out working for the Lily Paper Cup Company, in where he saw the country go into a depression, and even then, made his compan

12A: Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

For my segment, I picked low-income students who come to UF on a need-based scholarship.  In the three interviews I conducted, I found that all three first look in the UF bookstore to see how much they offer the books for. If the book is too expensive, they then look for their textbooks online, on Amazon or through other cheap rental or purchase websites. They do this once add/drop ends, and they know they will have to buy their books. One of the interviewees said they use Amazon as a baseline for what the book "should" cost, and look for options that cost less than that. Some also use Facebook textbook groups to buy, sell and trade books. When they search on Google, one said: "I usually search for the ISBN of the book." Another said, "I look for the title of the book, and click on the first page of results on Google. The last said, "I usually just search for the title of the book." None of the people I asked said they speak to family or friends abo

11A: Idea Napkin

1. I'm Federico Psevoznik, a third-year telecommunication student at the University of Florida. I have experience in graphic design, PR, social media, music production, and management. I aspire to work in the music industry, as an A&R, or as a manager. I can see this business as a side project, in where I help students save money on their textbooks. 2. I am offering a subscription service for all of their course textbooks. Many students spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on textbooks, on top of tuition, and an all-in-one subscription service can save them a lot of money. At the beginning of the semester, students would receive a notification asking if they would like to subscribe to the service, along with a list of the courses they are taking, and what books are required. 3. I am offering it to students in select colleges and courses that require expensive textbooks, specifically to lower-income students who would otherwise be unable to afford the textbooks.  4.

10A: Elevator Pitch

https://youtu.be/sLQGnW4gbGo

9A: Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

Opportunity: University of Florida teachers often cast an enormous burden on students by requiring expensive textbooks distributed by massive book publishing corporations. I want to create an annual subscription service for textbooks. Who: I did realize that in my interviews, there are people who fall outside of my boundaries. A large chunk of those who fall outside the boundary are those who torrent/pirate their textbooks online through huge online databases. Additionally, those who take courses where older textbook versions are allowed tend to use rental services, like Amazon Book Rental, or the UF Bookstore rental service. Additionally, some teachers are beginning to understand the rising costs of textbooks, and are stopping the use of these expensive books in exchange for photocopied excerpts posted on Canvas. What: The main problem with a subscription service is that it requires a large user base. While some general education classes require these expensive books, some upper level