Reflection: Week 15

It is hard to believe that the last week of the semester has already approached. It feels like not long ago we were brainstorming bugs/ pain-points that would turn into our SMART projects. This week we did not cover any new material. Rather, we spent class time reviewing all we have learned this semester and preparing for the engineering exposition that took place on Thursday.

Tuesday:

Tuesday we were given the 4Ps assessment. The 4Ps assessment is meant to capture everything we have learned this semester. It is a one page case that details the current situation of a business. It is our job to state how the 4Ps relate to the given case and give suggestions as to how the business can improve their marketing campaign. In brief summary, here is what we have learned about the 4Ps throughout the semester: 

In addition to learning about the 4Ps, we also talked about the consumers, competition, and performance. These are all things we considered each time we watched a Shark Tank episode throughout the semester. They include things like: 

 

At the end of class on Tuesday, we were tasked with designing a mind map that reflects the entire semester. This map should include all course concepts discussed, all elements of the smart project, and the Shark Plan that we completed independently. This mind map was very challenging to create. Not only were we restricted to a particular sized paper, but we have learned so much throughout the semester that it was hard to prioritize what concepts should go into the mind map.

Wednesday:

Wednesday our group met to practice the pitch and finalize our ThermoWheel! 

Thursday: SHOW TIME!

Thursday we did not have class. Instead, we participated in the engineering exposition that took place in the HLC from 9:30 am to 11:30 am.The exposition was a rewarding experience because we were able to talk to the judges confidently about our product, which we spent all semester studying. Once the nerves of giving the pitch to various judges faded, our team had a lot of fun. We were able to answer more questions than we thought and impressed a lot of people with our knowledge of the market and technology. It was nice to see how our classmates' products turned out and how they delivered their pitch. Here is a picture of our set-up at the expo: 

In closing, this semester has taught me a lot. I have learned more marketing concepts than I thought was possible. Overall, I feel like a more well-rounded business student because of the concepts I have learned in this class. I am excited to see what I can accomplish with this newly found knowledge. Additionally, the SMART project has taught me how to work with people that think differently than I do. Engineers are technical, narrow-minded people and trying to get them to look at concepts in a broad scope was very difficult. I feel that this project has prepared me to work with different people in the future. Overall, thank you for a great semester, Dr. Spotts!