The Apprentice

The Apprentice Season Finale!

2005-05-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to remind everyone that the season finale is not this week, but rather next week. So the suspense lingers for another week. In addition, the season finale is live and an hour long! I hope you will be watching next Thursday night at 9pm on NBC! Let the battle begin!

Let's Go Tana!

You Can Be The Next Apprentice!

2005-05-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

I do not know if anyone was interested in applying to be the next apprentice, but I thought I would provide you with the chance to anyway. Here is a website that tells you what you must do to apply. I believe you have to send in a tape by June 23, 2005. Give it a shot! What do you have to loose? I am thinking about it.

Apply Now!

The Final Task

2005-05-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

I was surprised when last week's episode began the final task. I thought it would be a two hour special the following week. Regardless, the task was delivered to Kendra and Tana, of course with a twist. Trump gave Kendra the task of running the Best Buy Video Game World Championship tournament at Webster Hall. The video game that would be featured was EA's new Sports video game Fight Night Round 2. On the other hand, Tana was in charge of running the New York City 2012 Athlete Challenge at Chelsea Piers in New York City. It is a bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. However, the twist was that each candidate would receive some employees to help them throughout the task. Unfortunately, it was not going to be easy to work with these "new" employees. Six fired candidates walked into the boardroom and three of them were on Tana's team and the other three on Kendra's team. Obviously, part of this task was being able to manage and deal with people you may not always want to work with. These former candidates would decide their future.

Kendra and Tana began their task and both were equally off to a rough start. Their team members were sometimes incompetent, "scatter brains", or just did not care because it was not their butt on the line. It should be interesting to see who will win!

Don't forget to watch the season finale!

Interview for Success

2005-05-11T09:05:00.000-07:00

Wow! This episode hit close to home. The three remaining candidates had to go through a series of interviews with the CEO's of Trump's various organizations. Over spring break I had gone on a couple of interviews for an internship for this summer. However, my interview was no where near the intensity that these candidates endured. They got grilled question after question. The CEO executives gave them no chance to think the questions over, they truly had to think on their feet.

Throughout the various interviews it was obvious which candidate stood out from the rest. I think Kendra and Tana answered the questions honestly, intelligently and completely. However, Craig could have brushed up on his interview skills. He stuttered and never really answered the questions. He sort of went around them and would say something irrelevant.

When the CEO executives met with Donald Trump, all of them agreed that Craig talked a lot but his answers lacked substance. They did mention that Kendra was aggressive and her answers seemed a little bit rehearsed. However they did mention that Kendra has the potential to be a superstar. A majority of the executives felt Tana was a good candidate because of her entrepreneurial skills; while others felt she would not make it in a big city like New York. Inevitably, Donald Trump had to listen to his advice of his colleagues and he FIRED CRAIG! Whoo hoo!

Well the time is drawing near and two candidates are left, each are a representative from the original Book Smart (Kendra) and Street Smart (Tana) team.

What we can take back with us from this episode? Obviously, we are at the point in our lives where we are applying for internships or will be graduating and applying for jobs. Unfortunately, interviews are inevitable and we should prepare ourselves before embarking on one. Here are some great websites that provide sample questions, interview tips and much much more!

Monster Interview Center

Winning Interview Skills

UD's Campus Interview Program

Fair and Square

2005-05-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

I realized after reading my previous post that I was not fair to the other candidates because I did not provide any information about them and why I feel that they should not be the next apprentice. Therefore, I feel like I should be fair. So here it goes.

Kendra is a young and ambitious woman. She has established herself already at the age of 26 with being a highly successful real estate entrepreneur (right up Trump's ally). In fact, she has started her own real estate company. In reference to her performance during tasks and as projet manager, I think she has executed them quite well. Kendra definitely stands out from the rest of the candidates and I am happy that she is one of the remaining three. However, I think that her ambitious drive to excel and win is sometimes too overpowering and too aggressive. In comparison to Tana, Kendra does not have a good personality, nor is she approachable. In addition, I think she is young and still has a lot to experience before working for the Trump organization.

On the other hand, I have no idea how Craig has made it this far. He truly has fallen through the cracks! I think he has performed mediocre during tasks and as project manager. In addition, he is a nuisance when working with other group members, specifically Kendra. I have nothing left to say about him.

May the best candidate win!

Who's the Next Apprentice?

2005-05-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

I am rooting for Tana. I think she has charisma and has a wonderful personality matched by her competence in business strategies. She is 37 years old, and has more experience than Kendra and Craig. She has been able to balance her life as being a mother of two and an entrepreneur (She has the best of both worlds, something most individuals don't have). She is the owner of several start-up companies including an internet commerce business. Amazingly, she became business savvy at the early age of 9, when she sold telephone accessories door-to-door.

Tana worked for the Mary Kay Organization before coming on to the show. In fact, her aggressive techniques and competitive character made her one of the top sales associate in the organization. Tana is a diligent worker and demonstrates strong work ethics time and time again during her tasks.

In addition, Tana has proven on every task to be a team player and when she steps up to the plate to be a project manager she executes successfully. If I was Donald Trump, I would hire Tana as the next apprentice because she could bring a lot of admirable characteristics to his organization. She is the type of individual that is loyal, honest, and always wears a smile (even in the boardroom). Who wouldn't want an individual who possesses the ability to make you laugh and enjoy working hard at the same time? Go Tana!

Who do you think should be the next apprentice?

Final Four

2005-05-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

No, it is not the Final Four in the NCAA Championships, but the four candidates left on The Apprentice.

Who is going to win? The teams got shuffled once again, and Alex picked Tana to be on his team. This was strategically planned because Alex knew that Craig and Kendra do no get along and he would have an advantage over their inability to communicate to each other.

The task, I must say, was right up my ally. They got to work with two amazing designers:

Burton Morris and Romero Britto

. They had to design for Hanes a T-shirt commemorate for 50 years of T-shirt culture. Both teams had amazing designs and what was going to distinguish the winner in this task was the price point and marketing. Tana and Alex decided to price there men's T-shirt at $42.99 and their women's shirt at $44.99; they had a cumulated total of sales of $1,147.95. In contrast, Magna, once again, approached their strategy differently. Their short-sleeve shirts were $25 and long-sleeve shirts were $35. However, they were smart by tapping into the designer's fan club and inviting them to come down to the store to buy the Limited Edition T-shirts designed by their favorite artist.

Need I explain more; Magna won again! It was difficult to guess who would be fired in the boardroom because Tana made some big mistakes this task but overall has proven to be an effective project manager. On the other hand, Alex has been a decent project manager on previous tasks and did mention to Tana on this task that the marketing area was important. As the boardroom came to a close, Tana defended herself saying she has a better track record as being project manager, in fact she has been project manager three times and won twice, with one of those victories being over Alex. However, Alex miraculously seemed to forget his record, or at least reported to Trump a record better than reality. Trump was disgusted that Alex did not remember accurately his record and he said, "You're Fired!"

Alex fired. Three more contenders left.

Risky Business

2005-05-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

What does your desk look like at home or work? I don't know about you, but I cannot find my desk because it is covered with papers, books, pens, pencils, etc. It is harder and harder to remain organized in today's society that is restricted on time. However, Staples came to the rescue when they presented the candidates this episode to create an office product that would make life easier and less cluttered.

With Chris fired, Networth was composed of only Bren and Alex, while Magna had Kendra, Tana and Craig. Once again, Magna tapped into their target market to directly find out from office managers what is their biggest problem when it comes to a cluttered desk. They determined from the consumers and office personnel that "stackables" were extremely popular because they had individual compartments and saved space. Magna ran with the idea and created a rotating vertical stacker that had a total of four large stackables connected and individual compartments too.

However, Networth was running into some problems trying to get a focus group together and they decided to create an innovative desk on wheels with compartments and shelves. The main feature of their product was the table's clear top, which had to be lifted in order to gain access to two compartments underneath. Their theory behind the clear table top was that you can store work underneath the desk and not forget about it because you could still see it.

Which product do you think should have won?

Well, Networth took another loss because a focus group and Staples' Executives thought the idea of having to lift the table top everytime to get something underneath was irrational and a nuisance. Magna's idea was so widely accepted, that Staples actually has produced this product. In fact, I checked out Staples website and they are SOLD OUT of the: The Desk Apprentice.

Here is Magna's creation:

We must not forget the lessons learned in the boardroom this episode. In a nut shell, Bren and Alex remained civil in the boardroom, but Alex took the advantage when Bren admitted he was not a risk taker, although he is learning. Alex jumped in and stated that he is a risk taker, and has been one all his life. Trump wants someone who is at the level of taking risks and being an entrepreneur is associated with being a risk taker. Trump did not like Bren's attitude towards risks and he said "You're Fired!"

Trump really pointed out a good message for us, as we embark on our journey after college: in order to succed we should posess a degree of an entrepreneurial spirit.

Here are some cool websites that give advice and tips on how to be an entrepreneur:

Starting and Growing A Small Business

The Entrepreneur's Mind

Profile of an Entrepreneur

Bren Fired. Four more to go.

I Knew It! Told You So!

2005-05-01T05:58:00.000-07:00

Am I good or what? Did I not call it? Chris got fired finally! It was an interesting task because they got to work with the Pontiac Division of General Motors. They had to create a unique brochure for their newest upcoming car, The Pontiac Solstice. The task would entail each team to really understand the car and position it to the target market in a manner that would attract the customer's attention and needs. To refresh your memory, the teams now stand as: Chris, Bren, and Alex (Networth) and Tana, Kendra, and Craig (Magna). Networth approached the brochure as your typical brochure for a car: the rectangular shape and then the product information, features, interior, etc. However, Magna, manipulated the brochure to appeal to the customer's emotions. They designed the brochure to be a unique round design that was accented by a picture of the car's honeycomb grill as the cover. The theme for their brochure was "desire."

Evidently, Magna won because of their creative idea. No pun intended, but they really thought outside the box. In fact, Pontiac claims that they are going to actually use the brochure that Magna designed. Very impressive. As the three boys, Bren, Chris, and Alex realized their loss, they acted like mature men and they all went out for dinner because they knew tomorrow in the boardroom they would leave their friendship behind. It was an intense boardroom, but it was clear that Chris had to go. Trump mentioned that he had lost seven times in a row and said "You're Fired!" However, Chris could not hold back the tears and for the first time ever, a candidate cried while still in the boardroom. Trump broke tradition, and called Chris to come over and shake Trump's hand. The Donald gave Chris advice: stop chewing tobacco and work on controlling your temper. He also told Chris that he has potential to become extremely successful.

Chris Down. Five more candidates left.

Here is the link to see Pontiac's Latest Car: The Solstice

In addition, this episode really demonstrated to us that we must use creative thinking too, in order to come up with innovative and successful ideas.

Here is a good website on Creative Thinking: Virtual Salt's Introduction to Creative Thinking

I Don't Agree

2005-04-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

Well, first off, let me answer the question most of you have asked. The Apprentice, is every Thursday night on NBC @ 9:00pm.

I don't know if anyone has watched last week's episode, but I was totally shocked with Trump's decision to fire Angie. To fill you in, Angie and Chris have been on losing teams for about 6 weeks straight and they both have been repeatedly in the boardroom. It was obvious that when their team lost again, it would come down to those two and not Alex, who has been on a winning team until he met Angie and Chris. (In case you did not know, the teams have been mixed up because there was an uneven amount, so now the two teams have a mix of street smarts and book smarts).

During the task, which was to design technological clothing, for example, pants that have pockets to fit an Ipod, Chris was in charge of the finances and he lost a credit card. The team then lost time and their complete concentration on the task because they had to worry about finding the credit card at Best Buy. In addition, Angie was not fully prepared for the presentation because one of the models forgot the jacket they designed back at the studio, this flustered her, and she stuttered through her presentation. The question is: Who screwed up more? I think Trump bases his decision too much on the specific task at hand and not on the individual's performance throughout the various tasks. Unfortunately, Trump decided to fire Angie because he doesn't want anyone working for him who "chokes."

I do not agree with his decision. If you compared Angie's past performance with Chris's, it would be obvious to anyone that Chris should have been fired. Chris is not only irresponsible, but also has a bad temper that is inappropriate for any work environment. I know he will not be the next apprentice, but I am shocked he has made it this far. I understand that they both made big mistakes, but when you weigh their performance over time, there is a clear cut winner who has more potential, and in my opinion it was Angie.

So, Angie got fired because she cracked under pressure and her presentation skills were not as strong as they needed to be. I have included some links that give advice on how to make a memorable presentation. Basically, these are skills that we can apply to our everyday oral presentations that we not only make in class, but will make in our future careers.

Communication Skills: Making Oral Presenations

Big Dog's Leadership Page- Presentation Skills

Catch-Up

2005-03-14T09:10:00.000-08:00

I've decided that I should tell you what this season is about before I can discuss last week's episode. The theme for this season is College Graduates verse High School Graduates or commonly referred to as Book Smarts verse Street Smarts. The team name for Book Smarts is Magna and for Street Smarts is Networth. FYI: The high school graduates make 3 times more money than the college graduates (it makes me wonder why I am spending thousands of dollars on an education). Anyway, this season has had the usual drama that all reality shows have, however, this is the first season that I have felt that the women are stronger than the men. They have had some interesting tasks such as creating a commercial for Dove's newest product, creating a graffiti mural for Sony Playstation's new game Gran Turismo, and turning raunchy hotels in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, into acceptable hotels to lodge in. At this point, the show has eliminated the weak contestants and the creative and intelligent have survived Trump's boardroom. Stay tuned for an analysis on last week's episode.

Here Are Some Additional Links:

2005-02-28T08:55:00.000-08:00

NBC's Website for the Show (It's a Good Site!)

Missed an Episode? Click Here

One Word For You...WOW! (Gives a Report Card for Each Team's Performance)

Why This Topic?

2005-02-28T07:18:00.000-08:00

Hey, Guys! I wanted my first post to explain why I chose this topic and what you can expect from my blog. The t.v. show, The Apprentice, is not your average reality show because as marketing students, we can relate and learn from each episode. A lot of the shows demonstrate leadership responsibilities and how important it is to work well with others in groups. The episodes demonstrate important characteristics invididuals need to possess in order to be successful business leaders. In addition, the show works with some successful companies like Dove, Pepsi, and Sony.

As you you can see, I am an avid watcher, I never miss a show. What I intend to accomplish through m blog, is not just a summary of what happened during the last episode, but to write what we can learn from the successes and failures of each team's performance. What could they have done differently? What would you have done? I am positive that if you watch one episode, you will be hooked! So, tune in on Thursday nights, 9 pm on channel NBC.

I'm Not Sure If This Is Going To Work: Test #1

2005-02-21T09:27:00.000-08:00

Testing