Author: billd301s12

Managing Hollywood

Posted on by billd301s12

The Bachelorette, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and The Jersey Shore are names that have made it into our households throughout the years. I find it interesting that our (millennial) generation is fascinated with reality television. Do we enjoy people making fools out of themselves? Do we really believe that these are people that have it all and we should be idolizing them?

Recently I was watching a program and someone commented that being a celebrity today comes with a different status than it did ten years ago. Now we compare The Situation to Clint Eastwood, and looking at the amount of money that they are ranking in compared to one another. Every thirteen-eighteen year old girl that I have met has viciously defended The Kardashians. “They are smart businesswomen, they know how to make America happy,” one said to me. Do we need to start looking at Management differently? Our world is changing by the day, but does that mean that our management needs/focuses change as well? We see the glamorous lifestyle behind a celebrity, but is their any management skills that are needed? I’m asking this question to the class because I feel there are many opinions here. Kris Jenner has been praised by some with her superb management skills, ultimately bringing in over fifty million dollars for the Kardashian Empire in 2011. This is something that I can’t help but be jealous of? You sit around with your family, eating, drinking, and vacationing, and you become a millionaire. I was recently out to dinner with my parents and the Kardashians came up in conversation, my mother barely pronounced the name correctly. I look at my generation compared to theirs. Then again our lifestyles are different; they are focused on running and growing their businesses in the corporate field, while I am in school, learning how I will do that some day.

Managing a Celebrity could relate to managing a business. The Celebrity is the product, and you need to do whatever is necessary to make sure that everyone knows who that product is. Then the Celebrity could have endorsement deals, with fragrances. You would need to know the demand that would be needed so that the product is still being made. You need to control costs, travel, and expenses. If they are on a movie set then planning becomes a big part of the entertainment industry. It takes a specific amount of time to shoot each scene. Then you need to look at how many scenes are in the movie and accurately break up the amount of scenes with the amount of time that you have budgeted for each actor.

I’ve started to realize that celebrities are not just famous people who don’t work. Although I still think some of them are famous for no reason, they are a product from a business standpoint. Managing a product human or non, is difficult.

Am I correct on this, is it work to manage a celebrity, or is it an easy job?

Sharp Creates Biggest LED Television: Victory or Failure?

Posted on by billd301s12

Sharp is notorious for releasing products with groundbreaking technology that draw in the consumer. An example of this was when they released the “Aquos” technology that was supposed to be “crisp to the eye.” Catchy marketing and creative advertising has put Sharp back at the top of the Television market, making it one of the most competitive manufactures in the marketplace for TV’s.

 

Recently Sharp unveiled the first 90’’ LED Television. It stands at 4 feet tall and is 6 feet across. This new technology doesn’t come cheap either—at $10,999 a pop. Many are arguing if this was the right decision for Sharp. Very few consumers are able to afford or store a television with such high standards. In order for this to be successful, Sharp would have to forecast appropriately and make sure that the demographic of where the product is advertised will fit with the prospective buyers that are willing to invest in new technology. When any new product that is released, there are errors. Any consumer who purchases new technology knows that there is a possibility that the product will need to be tweaked and updates will need to be given to ensure customer satisfaction. A smart consumer will wait until the second version comes out to make sure that the product is functioning properly and no issues are seen—do we need to be reminded of the iPhone 4 release?

When reading this article, one thing jumped out at me. How did they plan for a product like this to be released? Obviously some type of planning software was used. The idea was first generated, then presented, then implemented and then it went through an excessive amount of testing. All of these things are essential to ensure the success of a product launch. When each of the tasks were broken down, they had to evaluate how much time would need to be allocated for each task. For example, say the construction of the machine took 4 months. The testing period would not start until the previous 4 month period would end. In addition to planning, forecasting has a large impact on the first launch of a product. This luxurious item will only be purchased by those who can afford it, meaning that demographics will play a major factor in where this product will be available. Initially the demand of the product will be high, because the newest technology is always desired. However, the amount that will be purchased will be different from the perceived demand that customers are giving.

One thing is for sure; Sharp is clearly making a new name for themselves and appealing to a new market—a wealthy market. Whether or not you believe this product will show immediate success, people will be in line to get the first viewing.

 

Source:
Gross, Doug. “Sharp Unveils ‘world’s Biggest’ LED TV – CNN.com.” CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 21 June 2012. <http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/19/tech/gaming-gadgets/largest-tv-sharp/index.html>.