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www.themaroontiger.com
November 10 - 16,2010
4 BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY
Christmas Sneaking Around the College Degrees That Aren’t
Corner Sooner Rather Than Later Worth Money Paid for Them
Kamille Shine
Contributing Writer
kshinel2@gmail.com
H olidays are saturated
with love, relatives, gift
giving, and shopping. Many
consumers have experienced
the last-minute shopping di
lemmas of purchasing an item
just because the store is at a
convenient location, or on the
contrary, not having enough
time to weigh their options;
so they make their selection
at random.
Major businesses and
wholesale distributors have
begun the Christmas season
earlier due to the high de
mands of marketers and ad
vertisers, who have analyzed
the discrepancies within the
shopping patterns of consum
ers. Marketers have examined
the increased uncertainty of
shoppers as the season adds
a great deal of time con
straint and various pressures
on their final purchases. With
an assortment of products to
choose from, businesses have
begun advertising earlier to
increase the demand of con
sumers and decrease their
last-minute worries.
Current television ads have
been flooded by the promo
tions of Kmart and their new
layaway plan for the Christ
mas season. Titled, "Plan for
a great holiday with Kmart
Layaway!” it encourages con
sumers to select items shortly
after Halloween and make
payments every two weeks
online or at any Kmart store.
Marketers feel this option
allows consumers to avoid
debt issues, stay within their
household budgets, and stra
tegically plan out their perfect
holiday for all of the wants
and joys of their families.
Various clothing companies
and electronic stores have
also increased their awareness
of consumer shopping trends.
Last year Best Buy started its
Christmas campaign on Nov.
11. but this year it introduced
its first holiday ads for 2010
on Monday, Nov. 1st. With
the heightened demand for the
latest technology, the masses
flock to stores earlier to gain
a head start with the increased
comparison in shopping.
From television ads to radio
segments the famous slogan
of "there’s going to be more
ways to save and more offers”
will be the highlight of the
season. Sears has introduced
"Black Friday,” JC Penny has
introduced "JCP ca$h - on the
spot 20% savings,” and Aber
crombie & Fitch has engaged
its customers early with
emails saying, “We're feeling
naughty and sneaking Christ
mas in early!” The race has
begun and the challenge is to
be top priority on customers
list of “Nice and the Price is
Right.”
Some retailers have taken
to the traditional aspects of
preparing early for the holi
day crowds. Well renowned
businesses such as Barneys
New York and Macy’s will
be unveiling their "Christmas
life themed window displays”
very soon for all to see. In
stead of feeling overjoyed,
consumers may feel over
whelmed and grow tired of all
the lights, Santas, and candy
canes galore.
On Nov. 21, Coca-Cola will
air its first commercial called
"Snow Globe” featuring its
new song "Shake Up Christ
mas.” Coca-Cola is viewed
as a pioneer in the “Christ
mas themed campaigning”
industry. Their studies have
indicated consumers gravitate
toward more themed settings
versus a variety of holiday
glitz and glamour. Coca-Cola
has been running campaigns
with holiday themes since the
1930s. Advertisers prefer for
you to stock up on toys rather
than Advil for the headaches
that follow large crowds and
last minute shopping.
So when you hear those
sleigh bells ringing early, just
know that the pressure is on
for you to head out and be a
wise shopper. Get ready for
the holidays!
Video Gaming Is A
Man’s World, or Is It?
Sescily R. Coney
Business and Tech Editor
sescilyrenee@gmail.com
V ideo games have been
a key factor within the
realm of masculinity. From
the dawn of Atari to the hype
of NBA 2K11. it is mostly a
discussion among men and
their colleagues. Yet when a
woman enters the conversa
tion and acknowledges her
intense passion for video
gaming, she is treated in one
of two ways; she is either hit
on or teased. This treatment
isn't only exercised through
a consumer's viewpoint, but
also within the video gaming
industry itself.
According to the Entertain
ment Software Association,
this year, 40 percent of all
video and online gamers are
female. This is a steady, but
slight increase from the 38
percent that was seen in 2006.
The video gaming world, in
its totality, has begun to em
brace its female admirers, but
within the walls of develop
ment. this embracing is ab
sent.
The quantity of women
as game developers is much
smaller than those who actu
ally buy and play the games.
According to a 2005 survey
conducted by the Internation
al Game Developers Associa
tion, only 11.5 percent of the
participants were women.
"Historically, the people
who play video games have
tended to be more male,"
Kathy Vrabeck, an executive
at Electronic Arts, said in a
2008 interview with the LA
Times. "So it's not surprising
that these boys grow up and
aspire to w'ork in the indus
try.”
Despite its overly frater
nal atmosphere accompanied
with recruiting parties featur
ing strippers, the video gam
ing industry blames its work
ing atmosphere for the low
amounts of women game de
velopers.
"When you sign on to a
game,” says former EA exec
Bing Gordon in his LA Times
interview, “that’s a two to
three year commitment, with
a crunch mode of about 12 to
26 weeks at the end of that.
It’s hard to be one of the top
10 leads on a team and not put
in the time. I know mothers in
key line positions, and they
have pretty difficult choices
to make every single day.”
The salaries of those wom
en who do remain within the
industry regardless of the
strenuous schedule fail to
equate to their male counter
parts. Women at all levels of
the field earned an average of
$64,643 last year, while men
earned $74,459, according to
a 2007 survey by Game De
veloper magazine.
“It's important for women
to be involved creatively be
cause we need to broaden the
reach of games,” said Simon
Carless, publisher of Game
Developer magazine. “They
should be a universal art
form.”
Others believe that the
compensation and schedule
really don't add to the recruit
ment and retention of women
in the gaming industry. Many
believe that these are predes
tined in elementary school.
“It goes back to school,
during those early years when
you had that teacher who ei
ther encouraged you in math
and science or didn't,” said
Gabrielle Toledano, execu
tive vice president of human
resources at EA.
“It's the same reason why
the statistics on women en
rolling in [college] com
puter science programs have
been way down. So, by the
time we go out and hire, the
pool of candidates is already
skewed."
Major video gaming com
panies are beginning to hire
more women as game devel
opers because it is their belief
that more women developers
increase the amount of wom
en consumers. The increase of
female consumption creates
an increase for marketing spe
cific for female gamers. With
women steadily playing as
many, or more, video games
than males, it’s plausible that
the industry will mold into a
different mindset and allot
women better opportunities.
Reginauld Williams
Assoc. Bus & Tech Editor
rwilliamsbla@gmail .com
T here was once a time in
society when a person
stood a good chance of mak
ing a career without complet
ing four years in college, let
alone high school. With the
introduction of standardized
testing to school systems, that
dream, for some, is slipping
further and further away. For
those fortunate enough to at
tend college with prices rag
ing higher than ever before,
the chance should not be tak
en for granted. Most schools
have a fantastic range of pro
grams for students, but there
are some degrees that won't
make nearly as much money
as it costs to attend the col
lege for a year.
Recently CNN released an
article in collaboration with
PayScale.com about the nine
degrees that make the least
amount of yearly income. The
top three majors that make the
least money are: culinary arts,
education and horticulture.
On average, culinary arts de
grees, from starting to mid
career, pay between $35,900
to $50,600. Education earns
between $35,100 to $54,900
and horticulture make be
tween $35,000 to $50,800.
The fields they focused on are
not out of the ordinary for this
generation to consider, but is
the love of work enough to
carry someone through this
tough economic time?
The middle tier of degrees
are religious studies, making
between $34,700 to $54,400,
interior design, which yields
$34,000 to $56,600. and art
$33,500 to $54,800. How
ever, theologists, designers,
and artists all have successful
careers and touch lives abroad
in ways most people cannot
imagine.
Recreation and leisure
($33,300 to $53,200), athletic
training ($32,800 to $45,700)
and social work ($31,800
to $44,900) have the low
est starting pay out of all the
college degrees researched.
Even though vast majorities
of people have issues related
to or involving these topics,
the number of employees
involved spreads the funds
abroad.
What do these majors mean
for students graduating from
HBCUs? The fields of study
open to students at these his
toric institutions may seem
more narrowed or focused on
a particular subject area and
culture, but it’s to inform the
students of the heritage they
come from and the legacy
they carry with them upon
matriculation. Majoring in
what is best for you is the key
to making the most expensive
piece of paper you will ever
buy, worth it. As students pre
pare to exit and enter the next
phase of their lives, remem
bering what type of wealth
you want (monetary, happi
ness, or both) can make all the
difference when choosing the
ventures ahead.
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