Blue Ridge Quick Print Internship

  I would guess that the major extrinsic factor that impacts the business would be the location of the studio. It is tucked away behind a couple of buildings, which can cause confusion with customers trying to locate us. The city it is in is also pretty small, so it won't receive a lot of business compared to if it was located in a bigger city. However, we are one of the only local print shops around, so most people would come to us for convenience. This makes it to where there is always a little work for us, but sometimes we won't have a whole lot to do. Another benefit to being in a smaller town is word of mouth and connections, which serves as free advertising and helps promote our business.  Another external pressure would be technological advances and the accessibility everyone has to it. While the printers we have are fairly new, the fast advancements in technology could render our technology out of date fairly quickly. In addition, people are able to purchase and access...

  The main method of motivating employees to work harder and more effectively comes through the form of a positive work environment. Supporting employees by being constructive and appreciative helps foster the growth of workers and more effective work ethic. It can be too common for employers to be to harsh towards new hires or workers that make mistakes, but instead of strict criticism, my employer shows understanding towards mistakes and helps me to learn on the job and fix my errors. Another way that helps employees work more effectively is the system of client orders and sharing information with one another. It helps maintain a constant flow of employees helping one another and processing orders to be as effective as possible. My employers also promote breaks to avoid burnout and help regain focus. Free lunch is also a benefit that improves morale and helps workers feel appreciated.  Making people feel appreciated is a main method to improving morale. Making people feel go...

  In regards to marketing and raising awareness of the print shop, we mainly advertise through our website, business cards, and community / word of mouth. The website is utilized to give more information about the business itself, what services it provides, the history behind it, and how to contact us. It allows customers and clients to get a deeper view into the company. The business cards are effective at briefly introducing the company to potential customers, providing a short description and contact information. I was tasked with redesigning them a couple weeks back, but we haven't had an opportunity to settle on a design or begin printing them. Lastly, the community in our small town is it's own form of marketing, giving good impressions to customers and having them spread the word to others about our services. This is effective in a smaller town, and with only two printing businesses around, it keeps us in business. Connections are really important in the design industry,...

From working at the studio for a couple of weeks, I have begun to admire Mrs. Ronneburger as a mentor and designer. She is the one mostly running the business, which takes a lot of dedication and work ethic. The two main aspects of her character I admire greatly is her passion for design and perseverance through difficult times. She has been designing for a great chunk of her life, going so far as to teach design and digital media in high school for a long period of time, which is where I met her the first time. Now she owns her own printing studio, where she works to use her design skills to help the community. Her passion for design has fueled her entire career and life, which is something I hope to carry with me in my future job opportunities. Secondly, her perseverance through difficulties and trials is admirable to me. Even in just a short couple of weeks, I have seen her deal with demanding clients, faulty software, and technical issues that could drive anyone insane. Despite thi...