SWOT Analysis

Posted on 08/11/2014 by hannibalzzz

Zhenzhi Zhang

1) The question you’re trying to solve:
How can MSU offer the current parking system more affordable, or even free for students?
2) Your idea for how to solve it:
Idea:
Free Parking Based on Every Seat Filled, >2.9 GPA/Perfect Attendance or Increasing More Online Courses
How it works:
Students live off-campus could find their neighborhoods with similar class schedules from their nearby leasing offices. Leasing offices in each neighborhood provide students name, their majors and MSU email addresses, which kind of protect students’ privacy. If they want every seat filled and get free parking, students need to contact by themselves. Otherwise, MSU would improve online information (their GPA and I Clicker’s score) and connect them to students’ ID cards. Students need to swipe their cards when entering to the parking spot to determine whether he/she meet the standard (>2.9 GPA/Perfect Attendance) Moreover, it is necessary to increase more online classes on required course in each fall/spring semester to avoid over crowed parking.

3) Evaluate your idea using SWOT analysis:
Strengths
Convenient because students won’t have to look for their money changes.
Students will save money to pay for other expenses.
Good chance for students to know each other better.
Time saving on finding parking.
Students may improve their GPA and study hard in order to win free passes.

Weaknesses
There would not be more parking spots.
Campus would lose funding from parking.
It would be tough to determine how successful the event was.
Couldn’t be significant changes to improve parking problems.
Freshmen/Sophomore with few credits may hard to access online courses.
Opportunities
Help students attend class more and pay attention to classes.
MSU would be raised its ranking in World of University if students put effort on studying.
Students who stop driving on a certain day would spend less money on gasoline.
Make classmates who you drive with to make social networking.
Eco-friendly because less gas emissions.

Threats
Hard to trust the person driving to be a safe driver.
Other campuses would try to create similar solutions on parking.
Could cause more car accidents as more people get driving.
Traffic congestions may happen because more people get driving.
CATA Bus would loss some kind of profits.

4) Revise your idea:

Every seat filled need to based on legal protections, which means whatever happens when carpooling, each passenger have the personal insurance. If letting >2.9GPA/perfect attendance get free parking make more people get driving, just increase its standard to >3.05GPA and perfect attendance. Lastly, I don’t think it is necessary to make revise on increasing more online courses.

5) Explain why your solution is unique (creative) and doable (will work):

Talking to the every seat filled to get a free parking. While, this makes classmates whom you drive with to make social networking, makes more eco-friendly and let student do each thing on time. Meanwhile, free passes based on higher GPA or perfect attendance that would increase each individual’s enthusiasm for study. This is creative idea because it would raise its ranking in World of University if students put effort on studying. Moreover, to increase more online classes each semester is a new perspective (differs from essentially restrict cars driving to school) to avoid over crowed parking and students will save money on parking and gasoline.

Creative Assignment#3

Posted on 08/10/2014 by hannibalzzz

Zhenzhi Zhang

Interview an ESTABLISHED inventor, artist, designer, writer, entrepreneur, or other creative person and write up a 300-word interview with them.

I interviewed my sister’s friend (a successful Ad man) this Saturday at Starbucks. I realized that one of the famous creative thinking concepts is still combining unrelated ideas in our daily life (same idea in CAS110). Two things that seem to have no connection can be connected to lead to a new discovery. Taking why he choose this path first, he was excited to tell me David Ogilvy inspired him at the beginning of his career and he is a big fan of Ogilvy. He had read all his novels, while the favorites is Confessions of Advertising Man. This book teaches him a lot in thinking ideas and knowing the advertising market. Talking to how to come up with creative ideas, he said the only way is product ideas. When he was trying to make ads famous he would create more than 30 ads. Only a few of those ads became persuasive. In other words, if you want to come up with creative ideas then you need to keep generating ideas. “If it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative” quote also by David Ogilvy motivates himself. Indeed, the job of advertising was to sell the product or service. He asked me to remember that if ads don’t sell well, they mush be lack of creativity. Advertising is a fine line between entertainment and annoyance. We need to think persuasive, good ad not ordinary thinking. “Read ads as much as possible, as well as think everywhere is helpful to you if you want to become a successful ad man ” said by him.

Brainstorming

Posted on 08/06/2014 by hannibalzzz

Zhenzhi Zhang

Question to solve
How can MSU offer the current parking system more affordable, or even free for students?

Divergent thinking
1. Free parking for every seat filled each day if students live near each other have similar class schedules.
2. Students get free passes based on higher GPA or perfect attendance.
3. Government could help MSU campus set up a donation and hold fundraisers.
4. Create a much closer commuter lot and have free carpooling services.
5. Do volunteer works for MSU to get free parking.
6. Let smaller cars instead of SUVs, or Pickups in order to make more space on parking spot.
7. Using outdoor stadiums for parking in case of parking difficulty.
8. Build more parking lots around campus.
9. Remove some grass areas, turns them into extra parking lots instead.
10. Build the monorail all over the campus.
11.Increase more online courses in each fall/spring semester to avoid over crowed parking.
12. Establish a bicycle program where you rent a bike for free and turn back to commuter lots near campus to pick up your cars.
13. Classroom could be held outside of the school.
14. Green, white or cars with green and white become priorities on parking lots.
15. Students are restricted to parking in certain times depending on their class schedules.
16. Park cars at roadside if roads are big and wide in rush hours.
17. Establish a valet parking system in school so someone would move your cars off campus if necessary.
18.Design advertisements to advertise public transits/ skateboards/ biking are safer and better options.
19. When MSU win sports games versus OSU, parking is free for students in next couple of months.
20. If you get a part-time job at university and get at least $500 monthly salaries, you are able to park anywhere for free.

Convergent thinking
Students will get free parking for every seat filled if they find someone lives near each other have similar class schedules and come to campus together. Otherwise, free passes based on higher GPA or perfect attendance. Moreover, it is necessary to increase more online courses in each fall/spring semester to avoid over crowed parking.

Evaluate an Image

Posted on 07/27/2014 by hannibalzzz

Yes, this is David Ogilvy’s ad! I guess every women love scents include
me. Bathing is essential part in our daily life. His creative ad “50 Years of
Dove” impressed me a lot indeed. For this ad, the points of entry is a
woman taking a bath in a bathtub, and talking to his husband on the
phone, said this was an extraordinary experience. We could confirm that
the women in the picture definitely enjoy this whole bath journey. (From
the bubbles on her body, her bright smiles and she may look forward her
husband come back to home, etc.) Meanwhile, the body of work from
this ad not only shows the evolution of Dove as a brand, but alos shows
how the attitudes of women and their role in society has changed in the
past 50 years. Dove shows the relationship with women and the
women’s relationship with the society. That is another point what I think
this ad is fantastic. Back to history in late 20th century, women’s role
changed variously after the World War II. Women were no longer working
slaveries, or became thoughtfully housewives at home. They had
freedom to pursue their happiness. Dove, this ad has maintained its
core messaging, while changing with cultural and generational
perceptions of beauty. “If nobody reads your advertisement or looks at
your commercial, it doesn’t do you much good to have the right
positioning.”, said by Ogilvy. In addition to having a creative idea, he
believed that“the most important decision is how to position your
product.” On his campaigns for Dove soap,“Dove Won’t Dry Your Skin
Like Soap Can”, “Dove is Good for Your Skin” or “Dove creams your skin
while you bathe” are still selling the brand today. These kinds of
campaigns indeed encourage consumers to buy Dove’s soap, even just
try it. Though, there are variety kinds of fantastic soaps in markets
nowadays; Dove is a famous brand and has a good name to consumers
thanks to David Ogilvy’s Dove ad.

Framing a Question

Posted on 07/27/2014 by hannibalzzz

Zhenzhi Zhang_CAS110

My Topic: Parking
Explanation of the Problem: Parking is the biggest gripe students have about
MSU. There aren’t nearly enough spaces on campus for the number of students.
Many students are frustrated by the one-hour time limit, as classes can run for
two to three hours.
Research:
Facts:
1. Approximately 49,300 total students.
(https://www.msu.edu/about/thisismsu/facts.html)
2. Approximately 4,700 faculty and academic staff.
(https://www.msu.edu/about/thisismsu/facts.html)
3. Approximately 6,400 Support staff employees
(https://www.msu.edu/about/thisismsu/facts.html)
4. Revenue from the parking system is used to support, maintain and improve
campus-parking facilities and improve traffic safety.
(http://police.msu.edu/regulations/student.pdf)
5. Online registration is available for MSU students who qualify for a
commuter; residence hall, University Apartment or graduate assistant decal
restrictions may apply.
(http://www.dpps.msu.edu/)
6. If you live on campus, you must be at least a second year freshman with 20
credits in order to register your vehicle.
(http://www.dpps.msu.edu/permits.asp)
7. About 80 percent of students whom commute.
(http://www.northjersey.com/news/technology-helps-stressed-msustudents-
locate-parking-1.595186)
8. There are over 650 meters on campus, many located in residence hall loops.
(http://www.police.msu.edu/visitorparking.asp)
9. Two-hour, four-hour and 24-hour visitor permits are available at the Visitor
Center, at the Parking Office.
(http://www.police.msu.edu/visitorparking.asp)
10. Visitor, employee and student permits may not be valid in the lots during
special events.
(http://www.police.msu.edu/visitorparking.asp)

Opinions:
1. Personally, I thought that this is an issue not only because parking passes
are expensive, but owning a pass doesn’t necessarily guarantee that parking
will be available.
2. “Off campus parking is great but parking on campus is stressful and hard to
find a place to park.” -Marielle Driskell, sophomore, (734)-395-2858 via
Facebook
3. “If you are attending classes, it is better to find a parking lot off-campus and
walk or take the bus to classes.” –Erica Guynn, junior, via Facebook
4. “Well, it looks like the worst time is game day” -Suzanne Courtemanche,
senior, via Facebook
5. If you live off of campus just take the bus; it is faster and easier and you
waste time looking for a parking spot. -Samantha Schwanz, sophomore, via
Facebook

Guesses:
1. It would cost the university a lot of land to expand the parking areas.
2. The university made enough money, while it may not want to solve the
parking issue.
3. Implement free parking would raise students’ tuition.
4. It is practicable to build more parking lots in campus.
5. Building more parking lots would also bring more vehicles in campus.

State a question:
How can the university offer more meters with free parking to each student?