Dinner & the Concept of Time

A few weeks ago I read a book, The 24 Hour Customer by Adrian Ott, and since then I've been paying more attention to how the concept of time can be implemented into the marketing mix of the 4 Ps. While many companies have been seeking ways to market their product, price, place, or promotion, Ott proposes that time should also be considered and gives examples of numerous businesses starting to do this. While her examples are great, you'll have to read them for yourself to find out more about them. But in the meantime, I found an example of her concepts through my dinner the other night.

Due to work, class, or meeting with grad groups, my husband and I don't get home until about 7:30 or 8pm on most nights. Then, add in the an ample amount of graduate homework, house chores, a dog, and life outside my control, and it all adds up to me not making dinner...mostly because we just don't have the time or it's already late. So, in order to still receive some sort of sustenance for our stomachs, we'll either eat a quick salad or opt for pizza. This particular night we opted for pizza. And since it was after 8pm and we're on a bit of budget, we chose to go with what we know to be fast, easy, and actually tastes good.

Tulsa has many choices for the pizza lover. Our new favorite pizza shop that's fast and cheap - and tasty - is Little Caesars. But before they moved just a few miles from my house, we wouldn't think of eating there. The thoughts of "Pizza! Pizza!" were buried in my childhood memories, not to be turned over by possible new experiences of trekking across town to a sketchy area within a rundown looking retail store. Little Caesars had basically been written off by most pizza devourers in Tulsa. But now that they have launched multiple shops in better areas all over town, business is booming. Not only are they now just a few minutes from my house and offer pizzas for $5, the real beauty of what they have to offer is in the area of time.

While the $5 deal is super great, what's even better is that I can walk into their little pizza site and give them $5 (plus 43 cents for tax) and walk out with a pizza less than a minute later - all without calling ahead or ordering. Little Caesars is completely accessing the concept of time and are using it to sell pizzas. Don't want to call in and wait for your $13 pizza to be done? No problem - just come by and pick up a cheese or pepperoni pizza for $5. You want a $5 pizza but it's not Monday? Just swing by our place any day. Need a pizza after 9pm? We're open late. Don't want to cook for dinner? Come see us.

It's brilliant. Every time I go (which is just about once a week), there will be a line of people picking up pizzas. But I know my car will driving away just two minutes later. Fresh, hot, tasty pizza, all for $5 and ready when I am. Little Caesars has captured this market of offering a good product at a reasonable price while using time to drive more sales. And I am part of that market. It's good to see that my favorable childhood memories have been restored. To this I say, "Welcome back, Little Caesars. (I'll probably see you again in a week!)"

Remember to Live

This past weekend I was in California for my grandmother's memorial service. My grandmother was a special lady, full of prayer and love for family. I will miss her. I don't really know if I can really put all my thoughts into words, but here I'll try...

*Don't let yourself become so consumed with the cares of this world, that you forget to treasure those things that cannot be replaced - time with your family, making memories with friends, and conversations with loved ones.

*Be careful what you write down...one day another family member may read it (my grandma left many great memories down on paper and gobs of amazing black and white photographs).

*When it comes down to the things that matter most in life, there's really nothing better than the fellowship of family.

*Prayer is powerful and lasts forever.

*Life does not slow down, you'll blink and suddenly it's five or ten years later.

*Having a positive attitude really does make a difference.

*Love, God, and family are all you really need to be happy in this life.

*Leaving a legacy of love, prayer, and laughter is one of the best legacies there is.

Christmas is coming to ORU

I'm one of those people who is not ashamed to begin playing Christmas music the day after Halloween. For me, the months of November and December are some of the most enjoyable months - full of thankfulness, family, a break from school, and warm hearts. Why not celebrate the season as long as possible? Now, while I may love all things Christmas, I'm not like my parents' neighbors who put up their tree the day after Halloween...no, I save that for after Thanksgiving.

Anyway, all this to say that last night's Lighting of the Prayer Garden event on ORU's campus was full of Christmas joy. The Student Association provided some yummy hot cocoa and cookies with the Alumni Association giving out ornaments. Since the event was at 7pm, it was a great after-dinner gathering of hundreds of students who needed a fun study break before going back to the books. The honor of flipping the switch to turn on all 10,000 wondering lights was given to none other than the College of Business' long time professor, Dr. George Gillan. Christmas songs were sung and giddiness for Christmas abounded. This was the first year such an event has taken place on the campus and I hope this will become an annual tradition!

Fast Track Program

The past week I have been visiting several classes at ORU presenting information about our Fast Track program...something specific to undergraduate ORU students with at least 60 credit hours completed. I visit for a few reasons...1) it lets current students know of an opportunity they have to begin working on grad classes now, 2) I enjoy being able to share the information, and 3) I want them to know it's available.

When I was an undergraduate student holding two minors in business, I was never presented the information about the Fast Track program. During my last semester I only needed 9 credit hours to finish but wanted to stay full-time so I filled up my schedule with needless elective courses when I could have taken several grad classes and maybe finished earlier. It is from this experience as an undergraduate student that really gives me passion for speaking in the undergraduate courses. I want them to know that this is available for them, that they can begin adding value to the resume before they even finish a four-year degree, and that through this program a MBA degree can be completed in just two semester after completing an undergraduate degree.

Now for those students who are not from ORU or have already graduated, there is an excellerated 3 semester program that still allows students to finish faster than the traditional 4-semester program. Degree plans can be found online by clicking here.

(Just in case you're wondering, the picture is not me presenting at ORU, but rather in South Korea)

As the semester begins winding down and students begin contemplating next semester's courses, the Graduate School of Business always has options for classes that can be taken.