Week 12: Marketing

Our team has had a lot of ideas about marketing, but we've been a bit disorganized regarding who we will focus our attention on: tourists or locals? Tourists are more likely to eat out but will probably not return more than once. Locals have the potential to be repeat customers but they often cannot afford to eat out. This article describes ways to market towards customers.

It talks about the importance of social media and reviews. Rather than a small group of us marketing the restuarant, we should get the customers to market the restuarant. If we add a blurb like "Make sure to review us on Yelp!" we will firstly get customers aware of our Yelp page, but also get them to market for us. A way to increase spending could be telling them they get a free dessert every three times they visit. Whatever we do, we need to make sure people come and keep coming.

http://www.rewardsnetwork.com/blog/the-only-4-ways-to-increase-restaurant-sales/

Week 11: Business Model

I took an MIS class last semester and in it we learned about the need to constantly be looking at ways to change and improve your business while also keeping some things the same. Many companies are resistent to change due to a general feeling of "well, this is how we have always done it". However, in order for a company to be successful it needs to be adaptable. This article talks about what a business model is and how it is critical to a company's growth and success. A business model can strengthen a company's customer base, weaken competitor's advantages, and increase efficiency and profitability. A good business model is also one that is difficult to copy. Amazon, for examply, has spent so much money on it's infrastructure that it can deliver products faster to consumers much faster than its competitors. It would be very difficult for another company to pop up and build a similarly robust network of transporters and manufacturers. This concept can be applied to the restuarant: what makes it stick out and why would somebody want to it there instead of at a competitor's location? We will soon see.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2014/09/07/the-internal-economics-of-amazons-no-profits-growth-model/

Week 10: Service Project

I found a blog post by a tourist to South Africa. In it, she describes in detail her visit to Mzansi Restaurant, where I will be conducting my service project. She speaks about the warmth and authenticity of the people who run it. She also attests to the amazing food ;). I found the descriptions about the location insightful. The restuarant is located in a township, yet they describe seeing people drive by in Mercedes. Such a scene vividly illustrates the vast income inequality in South Africa. The owners have built this place up from scratch and their success also translates into the success of the community because they provide jobs and bring cash flow. I am very excited to visit and if our experience is anything like the blogger, we are in for a tasty South African treat!

http://www.awanderingsole.com/archives/cape-town-an-unforgettable-township-experience

Week 9: Top 10 Review

The Top 10 List contains a lot of very useful information. The power and privilege definitions help to distinguish nuances between commonly interchanged words such as racist and prejudiced. The Apartheid Timeline reveals just how recent Apartheid was; middle-aged South Africans will remember the era. Knowing the history can also help us understand why South Africa is where it is and what can be done to remedy historical problems. The "Not White Enough..." article informs us about Coloreds, a group most Americans are unaware of. Race is not a black and white issue, literally! Race is a complex issue and it is important to be aware of how different groups feel. This also applies to the LGBT community and women. Knowing what issues are important to South Africans will help us better understand their actions and beliefs and lead to more fruitful discussions with them. The Bucket List is obviously useful for discerning exactly where to visit on one's trip. Entering a foreign country with knowledge and preparedness is essential to avoid both culture shock and potentially awkward or dangerous situations. The Culture in South Africa article is helpful in this regard as is the Gangs, Race, and Poverty article. In particular, the wiki article talked about different types of universities in South Africa which is good info for us as we will be talking  class at UCT.

Week 8: Top 10

This week I provide my top 10 "need to read" items before visiting South Africa (in no particular order).

1. http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2013/03/18/ultimate-bucket-list-trip-south-africa/

    Bucket List for South Africa!

2. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/opinion/sunday/the-backlash-against-african-women.html?_r=1

    An article discussing attitudes towards women

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_South_Africa

     A basic overview of culture in South Africa

4. http://articles.latimes.com/2009/apr/19/opinion/oe-gevisser19

    An article about current South African president Jacob Zuma.

5. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738059309000935

     Discusses human rights, specifically the right to education

6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYbRZhymD5A

     A video about the white-only town of Orania

7. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2009/06/who-are-the-cape-coloureds-of-south-africa/#.VRnoDvnF-Sp

    Article discussing Cape Coloureds

8. http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/african-pride-1592944-Aug2014/

    Article on homosexuality in S. Africa

9.  http://www.academia.edu/211213/Becoming_African_Debating_Post-Apartheid_White_South_African_Identities

Whites in Post-Apartheid South Africa

10.  https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amsa.org%2FAMSA%2FLibraries%2FCommittee_Docs%2FPower_Privilege_Definitions.sflb.ashx&ei=Gs34VK_WK5L4yQTElIDgDg&usg=AFQjCNF0hKvK_MzO4IebtQwaX3Oe6f1Yzw&sig2=ppEWSi2IGwDBhP-CrmIScw

This link will download a list of power and privilege definitions

Week 7: More Research

This week I read Joshua Alvarez's "Power and Privilege Definitions". It had a lot of interesting definitions about commonly confused terms. It declared that prejudice is either based on ignorance or a disregard of facts. Thus, nobody can be simultaneously prejudiced and  accepting of facts. Therefore, it declared, prejudice can be unlearned. Later, it emphasized that race is imaginary and not rooted in biology. I remember once reading an article that stated that if one was to walk from sub-Saharan Africa to Northern Europe, they would not notice any physical difference between the inhabitants from one village to the next. This is because the racial transitions are gradual with no clear boundaries. Finally, it the list declared that racism can only be exhibited when it has institutional power behind it. Thus, even though minority targeted groups can be prejudiced, they cannot be racist.

I also read Joanna Windom's "The Backlash Against African Women". I felt it elucidated the attitudes of many men towards the changing status of women. There is not as much male resentment concerning where women are in comparison to where they are going. The growing egalitarianism of the modern age is clashing with many traditional values of male dominance that were taught to today's young men. However, despite what we would think, many African countries have made huge progress in regards to womens' rights, with Rwanda becoming the only country in the world where females outnumber males in the legislature.

Finally, I read Sarah Fisher's "The Complexity of Human Rights in Global Times: the case of the right to education in South Africa". It suggested that as much as we like to think our rights are god-given, rights are fought for and achieved; similarly, they can be abused or lost. I liked it because many people here in the West take K-12 education for granted and don't even appreciate that they can safely (in most cases) go to school and get a free education. However, as we saw with the kidnapping of the Nigerian schoolgirls, this right is not respected in all areas of the world.

Week 6: Research

                                            

Below is a trailer for Invictus. It chronicles the world cup win for the South African ruby team. It also shows the first few years of Mandela's presidency. The movie is really effective in highlighting the clashes and tensions that remained after the end of Apartheid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2isdUuHmFY

I was interested in learning more about South Africa's current president. This article, from his election in 2009, highlights his perceived flaws and incompetency. However, there are many he support him because he was somewhat of an underdog and comes from the party historically associated with black Africans.

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/apr/19/opinion/oe-gevisser19

The second article describes the recent tensions between South Africans and foreign business owners. South Africa's economy has been growing more slowly in recent years and many blame the influx of foreigners for taking South African jobs and outcompeting South African businesses. The article worries about what these tensions could mean for the "Rainbow nation". Even immigrants from African countries are the targets of anti-foreign attacks.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/foreign-businesses-face-backlash-in-south-africa-1425514688