Kathryn Verboncoeur
Quick-Start to Business
LO1- Inquiry Paper
Zig Ziglar once said, “If you don't see yourself as a winner, then you cannot
perform as a winner.” According to the book, Marketing by Karl Moore and Nicketh
Pareek, the foundation of marketing is the “marketing concept, holds that companies
must determine the needs of their consumers, and offer products in a more efficient and
superior manner than the competition.” Marketing is all about consumer relationships and
networking. According to Moore and Pareek, the development of technologies, which
supports customer interaction, allow a more personalized relationship with each
individual customer. I explored other majors as well, for example the Hospitality and
Tourism Management major because that also involves the creative side of business but it
deals with a specific industry and I don’t want to limit myself to one side of business. I
also researched the Management major which incorporates entrepreneurship, “innovation
and technology management and human resource management,” according to the
Virginia Tech website. After researching these other majors within the college of
business, I feel most interested in Marketing because I am drawn to the fast-pace
changing elements of Marketing. According to the Virginia Tech Marketing website,
“Marketing is the multidisciplinary study of exchange among buyers and sellers.
Marketing plays a crucial role as well in managing the customer relationships central to
the exchange of goods and services from business to business.” Marketing is involved in
all stages of the product life cycle: research, development, advertising, and sales support.
I interviewed two seniors, Sara Mitchell and Justin Pettiroosi, who are both majoring in
Marketing. “I chose to major in marketing because I have always been interested in the
creative side of the business world. I like that marketing allows you to implement new,
innovative ideas, said Mitchell. “There are also endless possibilities with a marketing
degree. Almost every company has a marketing department, so there are many options
when choosing a major.” What attracted me to Marketing as a major is the fact that our
generation has grown up with social media and I feel that discipline can be incorporated
in the marketing plan in both private and public organizations. Comparing the Marketing
program at Virginia Tech to Indiana University’s Marketing department of the Kelley
School of Business, the Virginia Tech curriculum focuses more on the “importance of
innovation and technology for successful marketing initiatives and the potential for
marketing activities to advance social welfare, consumer well-being and quality-of-life,
and global economic development.” At Indiana University the focus is “teaching you
important marketing concepts and developing your communication, creative, and
analytical skills.” From talking to Justin Pettiroosi, I look forward to taking some of his
favorite classes, marketing communications and marketing research. Some tips that both
students shared with me was to get involved, “try and do as many internships as you can
during college and to get to know your professors.” Because I view Marketing as such an
important process in any successful business, I look forward to utilizing all the
opportunities available to me.
Websites used:
http://www.htm.pamplin.vt.edu/undergraduate/index.html (Virginia Tech Hospitality
Tourism and Management)
http://www.management.pamplin.vt.edu (Virginia Tech Management)
https://secure.hosting.vt.edu/www.marketing.pamplin.vt.edu/index.php?page=&id=
(Virginia Tech Marketing)
http://reader.eblib.com.ezproxy.lib.vt.edu:8080/(S(ahahrs3f24jlkop5x5gudvqy))/Reader.a
spx?p=465388&o=417&u=ygVDXuKbC4yGZLOs%2bCaOZw%3d%3d&t=1349117289
&h=BC74BDC98D2B68167BCD06D0F17795C8A061CC20&s=14194393&ut=1269&p
g=1&r=img&c=-1&pat=n#
pages 21-22 (Book: Marketing by: Karl Moore and Niketh Pareek, through Library
Website)
http://www.kelley.iu.edu/Marketing/Undergraduate/page10522.html (Indiana University
Marketing)
http://www.admiss.vt.edu/majors/index.php/majors/major/MKTG (Virginia Tech
Marketing)
Interview contact information:
Sara Mitchell (Senior, Marketing):
Phone number: (478) 957-3956
Email: saramm91@vt.edu
Justin Pettiroosi (Senior, Marketing):
Phone Number: (804) 239-0126
Email: hokie702@vt.edu