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- All Subjects: Entrepreneurship
- Creators: Department of Management and Entrepreneurship
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
When examining the average college campus, it becomes obvious that students feel rushed from one place to another as they try to participate in class, clubs, and extracurricular activities. One way that students can feel more comfortable and relaxed around campus is to introduce the aspect of gaming. Studies show that “Moderate videogame play has been found to contribute to emotional stability” (Jones, 2014). This demonstrates that the stress of college can be mitigated by introducing the ability to interact with video games. This same concept has been applied in the workplace, where studies have shown that “Gaming principles such as challenges, competition, rewards and personalization keep employees engaged and learning” (Clark, 2020). This means that if we manage to gamify the college experience, students will be more engaged which will increase and stabilize the retention rate of colleges which utilize this type of experience. Gaming allows students to connect with their peers in a casual environment while also allowing them to find resources around campus and find new places to eat and relax. We plan to gamify the college experience by introducing augmented reality in the form of an app. Augmented reality is “. . . a technology that combines virtual information with the real world” (Chen, 2019). College students will be able to utilize the resources and amenities available to them on campus while completing quests that help them within the application. This demonstrates the ability for video games to engage students using artificial tasks but real actions and experiences which help them feel more connected to campus. Our Founders Lab team has developed and tested an AR application that can be used to connect students with their campus and the resources available to them.
Battered is a socially responsible bakery focused on providing prevention awareness, education, and donations to sexual violence awareness and aid. The bakery model will provide education resources within each order on the problem and current availability of aid and donations for local and national charities that assist in sexual violence aid and awareness. In order to assist in prevention and aid, Battered will create a safe environment and non-confrontational outlet for a taboo conversation; offering sweet treats in conjunction with aid and education of sexual violence awareness. Additionally, the company will donate 10% of all profits to local and national organizations that help victims of sexual violence.
We completed in depth secondary research, focusing on environmental trends (social, economic, technological, political/legal, and natural) that affect the business environment in America, as well as produced a current market analysis of the American restaurant industry. This market analysis includes the discovery and evaluation of the history of the American restaurant industry, its evolution, its forecasted trends, and more specifically, taking a closer look at the nearly visible presence German cuisine establishments currently represent in America’s marketplace. By uncovering forecasted trends and determining the important presence the restaurant industry holds in America’s economy, we confirmed that designing and opening a German inspired restaurant is a great investment in an industry that continues to grow and prosper.
Before settling on a concept, we tested three unique German inspired models. Option 1, Prost, uniquely resembles a bar. Prost is described as a very casual and spacious beer garden placing an emphasis on quality German beer and small shared plates or appetizers. In contrast, option 2, Geister Haus is described as an upscale sit down restaurant that not only provides a wide selection of beer, wine, and spirits, but also an extensive menu with traditional German plates. Geister Haus is meant to provide its consumers with the authentic German experience. Lastly, option 3, Das Good is a modern concept that creates a fusion of German and American culture by providing traditional German specialties with a twist.
After conducting a survey testing all three concepts, the feedback we received from our test subjects (41 individuals representing diverse demographics) confirmed that Das Good was the most interesting German inspired concept that they would most likely visit. However, Prost was a close second, and many respondents suggested a combination of the two concepts; that is how the finalized Das Good restaurant was formed. Das Good’s business plan includes:
Company mission and values centered around diversity, community, and celebration
Target consumer profile otherwise known as Jackson Nelson that represents the specific demographic and psychographic qualities of a potential consumer we intend to attract
Competitive analysis of three carefully selected primary competitors (The Yard at Culinary Dropout, Brat Haus, and Pedal Haus Brewery) located within the Valley
Beyond the details of our business plan, we placed an emphasis on the marketing campaigns and design aspects of Das Good. For example, we researched three specific locations in which we will consider to invest, and developed a full menu including item descriptions and prices. We focused on physical evidence of store blueprints including indoor seating and outdoor patio layout and explained the value of our community centered open floor plan. Finally, we crafted a two-fold marketing plan that integrates digital exposure via local influencers and customer engagement via prize-worthy games featured at music, arts, and food festivals.