Sixth Week of Summer Semester
(June 11 - 17)
Well folks, the clock is winding down on my time as a blogger for the Northeastern MBA program! I have just over two weeks left as a graduate student. Can you believe it?
That being said, Monday begins with my normal early start, followed by a day punctuated with meetings. My first meeting is of particular interest to me as it pertains to the pricing strategy of two new Craisins® packaging innovations. I relish the opportunity to closely look at our P&L statements (Profit and Loss). This really helps me understand all the elements that go into pricing our products. What is especially fascinating are line items such as cost of fruit and return per barrel as we are, after all, an agricultural cooperative.
Immediately after that session I venture into uncharted territory (the R&D department) for a meeting to discuss the status of several innovation projects (most of which pertain to Craisins®!). It was really neat to sit around a table with employees from quality control, packaging and more. I always like meeting new people and this meeting, more than anything, helped me put names to a faces.
After this session, my boss and I rush upstairs for a quickie meeting with the VP of Sales and Marketing. We need his weigh-in on several potential film options for a new Craisins® product. Each one boasts slight differences but much larger implications for consumer preference.
After that meeting, I sneak away to the atrium to take in the Asian Expo. It has absolutely everything I love in one location: essentially a huge exhibit of all the ways other countries in Asia use our Ocean Spray products (complete with samples - win!). I try fun cranberry-flavored sodas, cranberry chutney from India and a slew of cranberry cakes and dried nut combinations. I am in heaven and have to control myself from asking for samples of all the products.
The rest of my afternoon is spent meeting the Packaging Design and Graphics Manager to review a few things and partaking in an emergency meeting for two Craisins®packaging initiatives in light of a timeline that has been pushed forward dramatically.
In class tonight we discuss innovation at Progressive Insurance, most notably the precursor to the 'snapshot' device we see on television commercials today. I also meet with my group after class to discuss the status of our final project (due in just two weeks!).
Tuesday I have all glorious morning to catch up on work before my wall of meetings hits. Fortunately, before I face that wall I get the chance fuel up on the ever-so-addictive Cranberry Cafe salad bar during lunch with my Ocean Spray buddy. Per usual, we spend the time catching up and enjoying the outdoor patio.
Most of the rest of my afternoon is spent in meetings, starting with one to discuss the two Craisins® packaging initiatives which have just been moved up several months. We all pay particular attention to deliverables and drop-dead times and then scatter to try and get it all done.
Next, I get the pleasure of attending another intern training session; this one on Finance. It is particularly helpful to hear from the Corporate Controller himself as he explains Ocean Spray's sometimes confusing pool year accounting system. Loved it!
My day wraps up with a meeting on our "Make the Swap" Craisins® campaign. We discuss all sorts of cool, innovative programs we are implementing including large-scale sampling efforts, social media campaigns and more.
In my Consumer Behavior class tonight I was finally forced to turn in my Consumer Brand Audit where I was asked to focus on one role I 'play' in my daily life and the necessary tools of that role. I ended up choosing my 'traveler' self and focused on the REI backpack I use for my globe-trotting adventures. The project ended up being quite fun to complete but at this point in my MBA (with less than two weeks of class left) I have very little motivation to do anything at all.
Wednesday is a rare occurrence of a day where I don't have a single meeting on my schedule. With so much time there is no way I could be anything but productive as a get through assignment after assignment including helping to design a new universal header card for our Craisins® shippers, doing some deep-dive Nielsen data pulls and more.
I only break for lunch with a fellow Northeastern MBA blogger, a first year who is completing her corporate residency in the Finance department at Ocean Spray! NEU bloggers unite!
In my Marketing in the Service Sector class tonight we discuss the case of TL Contact - essentially a company that offers personalized web pages to hospital patients so that their friends/families can keep everyone posted on the health and progress of the patient.
Thursday is a big day, mainly because I have to present during my very first DMT (Decision Management Team) meeting. The DMT is a group of nearly all the senior leadership members at Ocean Spray that meets once a month to approve or deny continued work on new projects. Eeek!
However, before I can get to that, I have a busy morning that includes our weekly Marketing team huddle in the common area, my 1:1 with my boss (where I, of course, review my DMT deck with her one last time) and other such tasks.
But come 11:00 am I am already waiting outside the doors of the DMT conference room, trying to calm my nerves and practice my key points over and over in my head. Fortunately, the project that I was presenting a status update on was quickly approved and I didn't have to stand under fire for very long. I even got a nice compliment on my presentation from the Director of New Business Development. Phew!
After lunch I head over to the Ag building, a separate building on the Ocean Spray campus that was formerly used, as I understand it, for product testing. I have never been over there so I'm super excited. Plus, the meeting is to discuss the results of some amazing consumer research we had just completed, including ethnographies and video interviews with our 'heavy users'.
Once that two-hour presentation ends, I head back to the main building for another meeting on a new Craisins® product. Unfortunately, the meeting ends up being cancelled since the previous session ran a bit long. But not to worry, I have plenty of work to keep me busy before my next meeting to discuss some graphics changes to our Craisins® packaging.
That night in my Consumer Behavior class we discuss the controversy over a South African rugby team playing a song called De La Rey during a game. Apparently it is a song the promotes General de la Rey's battles, much to the contention of some ethnic groups in the country. The class discussion was particularly impactful because our professor lived in South Africa as a boy and one of my classmates is from the very area they were discussing in the case. How cool!
After this hectic week I am very grateful for my half day Fridays. Still, I'm in the office early to work on my mounting projects.
Also on Friday, I have called together my very first meeting for a project that I will lead! I have been put in charge of a seasonal foods item and have called together anyone I could think of who might be of assistance. I'm a bit nervous because, honestly, I am sure there are so many elements of bringing a product to market that I don't even know about (even one that has run in previous years). I just hope I don't mess anything up!
After I leave work that afternoon, I spent the rest of the day running errands and relaxing a bit before a weekend of library time.
Saturday morning I'm up early to run some errands before I eventually drag myself to Snell Library around noon. I have come under a serious case of senioritis but I have to keep my focus because my final presentation for Consumer Behavior is due next week. I spend the majority of the day doing my readings for the week and finalizing the paper and presentation for my Consumer Behavior final project on 'Health Conscious America'.
Sunday is slightly better because I start out my day with brunch at Thornton's with the library buddy and classmate. I load up on huevos rancheros for what will be another full day of final project work.
After a grueling 7 hours in the library my friend and I decide that, to keep our sanity, a reward of take out is necessary. I spend the rest of my Sunday evening indulging in Black Jack Pasta.
*The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Northeastern University, Ocean Spray Cranberries, either entity's staff or affiliates.
(June 11 - 17)
Well folks, the clock is winding down on my time as a blogger for the Northeastern MBA program! I have just over two weeks left as a graduate student. Can you believe it?
That being said, Monday begins with my normal early start, followed by a day punctuated with meetings. My first meeting is of particular interest to me as it pertains to the pricing strategy of two new Craisins® packaging innovations. I relish the opportunity to closely look at our P&L statements (Profit and Loss). This really helps me understand all the elements that go into pricing our products. What is especially fascinating are line items such as cost of fruit and return per barrel as we are, after all, an agricultural cooperative.
Immediately after that session I venture into uncharted territory (the R&D department) for a meeting to discuss the status of several innovation projects (most of which pertain to Craisins®!). It was really neat to sit around a table with employees from quality control, packaging and more. I always like meeting new people and this meeting, more than anything, helped me put names to a faces.
After this session, my boss and I rush upstairs for a quickie meeting with the VP of Sales and Marketing. We need his weigh-in on several potential film options for a new Craisins® product. Each one boasts slight differences but much larger implications for consumer preference.
After that meeting, I sneak away to the atrium to take in the Asian Expo. It has absolutely everything I love in one location: essentially a huge exhibit of all the ways other countries in Asia use our Ocean Spray products (complete with samples - win!). I try fun cranberry-flavored sodas, cranberry chutney from India and a slew of cranberry cakes and dried nut combinations. I am in heaven and have to control myself from asking for samples of all the products.
The rest of my afternoon is spent meeting the Packaging Design and Graphics Manager to review a few things and partaking in an emergency meeting for two Craisins®packaging initiatives in light of a timeline that has been pushed forward dramatically.
In class tonight we discuss innovation at Progressive Insurance, most notably the precursor to the 'snapshot' device we see on television commercials today. I also meet with my group after class to discuss the status of our final project (due in just two weeks!).
Tuesday I have all glorious morning to catch up on work before my wall of meetings hits. Fortunately, before I face that wall I get the chance fuel up on the ever-so-addictive Cranberry Cafe salad bar during lunch with my Ocean Spray buddy. Per usual, we spend the time catching up and enjoying the outdoor patio.
Most of the rest of my afternoon is spent in meetings, starting with one to discuss the two Craisins® packaging initiatives which have just been moved up several months. We all pay particular attention to deliverables and drop-dead times and then scatter to try and get it all done.
Next, I get the pleasure of attending another intern training session; this one on Finance. It is particularly helpful to hear from the Corporate Controller himself as he explains Ocean Spray's sometimes confusing pool year accounting system. Loved it!
My day wraps up with a meeting on our "Make the Swap" Craisins® campaign. We discuss all sorts of cool, innovative programs we are implementing including large-scale sampling efforts, social media campaigns and more.
In my Consumer Behavior class tonight I was finally forced to turn in my Consumer Brand Audit where I was asked to focus on one role I 'play' in my daily life and the necessary tools of that role. I ended up choosing my 'traveler' self and focused on the REI backpack I use for my globe-trotting adventures. The project ended up being quite fun to complete but at this point in my MBA (with less than two weeks of class left) I have very little motivation to do anything at all.
Wednesday is a rare occurrence of a day where I don't have a single meeting on my schedule. With so much time there is no way I could be anything but productive as a get through assignment after assignment including helping to design a new universal header card for our Craisins® shippers, doing some deep-dive Nielsen data pulls and more.
I only break for lunch with a fellow Northeastern MBA blogger, a first year who is completing her corporate residency in the Finance department at Ocean Spray! NEU bloggers unite!
In my Marketing in the Service Sector class tonight we discuss the case of TL Contact - essentially a company that offers personalized web pages to hospital patients so that their friends/families can keep everyone posted on the health and progress of the patient.
Thursday is a big day, mainly because I have to present during my very first DMT (Decision Management Team) meeting. The DMT is a group of nearly all the senior leadership members at Ocean Spray that meets once a month to approve or deny continued work on new projects. Eeek!
However, before I can get to that, I have a busy morning that includes our weekly Marketing team huddle in the common area, my 1:1 with my boss (where I, of course, review my DMT deck with her one last time) and other such tasks.
But come 11:00 am I am already waiting outside the doors of the DMT conference room, trying to calm my nerves and practice my key points over and over in my head. Fortunately, the project that I was presenting a status update on was quickly approved and I didn't have to stand under fire for very long. I even got a nice compliment on my presentation from the Director of New Business Development. Phew!
After lunch I head over to the Ag building, a separate building on the Ocean Spray campus that was formerly used, as I understand it, for product testing. I have never been over there so I'm super excited. Plus, the meeting is to discuss the results of some amazing consumer research we had just completed, including ethnographies and video interviews with our 'heavy users'.
Once that two-hour presentation ends, I head back to the main building for another meeting on a new Craisins® product. Unfortunately, the meeting ends up being cancelled since the previous session ran a bit long. But not to worry, I have plenty of work to keep me busy before my next meeting to discuss some graphics changes to our Craisins® packaging.
That night in my Consumer Behavior class we discuss the controversy over a South African rugby team playing a song called De La Rey during a game. Apparently it is a song the promotes General de la Rey's battles, much to the contention of some ethnic groups in the country. The class discussion was particularly impactful because our professor lived in South Africa as a boy and one of my classmates is from the very area they were discussing in the case. How cool!
After this hectic week I am very grateful for my half day Fridays. Still, I'm in the office early to work on my mounting projects.
Also on Friday, I have called together my very first meeting for a project that I will lead! I have been put in charge of a seasonal foods item and have called together anyone I could think of who might be of assistance. I'm a bit nervous because, honestly, I am sure there are so many elements of bringing a product to market that I don't even know about (even one that has run in previous years). I just hope I don't mess anything up!
After I leave work that afternoon, I spent the rest of the day running errands and relaxing a bit before a weekend of library time.
Saturday morning I'm up early to run some errands before I eventually drag myself to Snell Library around noon. I have come under a serious case of senioritis but I have to keep my focus because my final presentation for Consumer Behavior is due next week. I spend the majority of the day doing my readings for the week and finalizing the paper and presentation for my Consumer Behavior final project on 'Health Conscious America'.
 |
| Still missing my huevos rancheros at The Other Side Cafe; this version by Thornton's will have to do |
After a grueling 7 hours in the library my friend and I decide that, to keep our sanity, a reward of take out is necessary. I spend the rest of my Sunday evening indulging in Black Jack Pasta.
*The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Northeastern University, Ocean Spray Cranberries, either entity's staff or affiliates.
No comments:
Post a Comment