| Project | What do I do and when? | Which quarters | Contact |
| Client-based senior project | Before registration begins, contact Norinne Morris in the Marketing Office (03-403, nlmorris@calpoly.edu) to find out instructor and section number. | F, W, & S: These are one-quarter projects. | Norinne Morris nlmorris@calpoly.edu |
| Sales Development Program | Contact Lisa Simon either before fall or winter registrations for more information and to obtain a permission number. | F & W: This is a one-quarter project. Students sign up for either fall or winter. | Lisa Simon lsimon@calpoly.edu |
| Smart Students, Smart Choices | Recruits fall prior to the start of the project. Contact Lynn Metcalf during the spring or summer to apply and to obtain a permission number for fall and during October to apply and to obtain a permission number for Winter and Spring. | F: 2-3 students WS: 15 students are involved in campaign implementation and measurement. |
Lynn Metcalf lmetcalf@calpoly.edu |
| Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) | Recruits spring prior to the start of an academic year. Contact Norm Borin either winter or early spring to apply and to obtain a permission number. | FWS: Team members stay on the project for an academic year. Possibilities exist for students to join at other points during the year. | Norm Borin nborin@calpoly.edu |
| Wheelchair Foundation’s Gift of Mobility Benefit |
Recruits spring prior to the start of an academic year. Contact Lynn Metcalf either winter or early spring to apply and to obtain a permission number. | FWS: Team members stay on the project for an academic year. Accommodation can be made for fall study abroad. | Lynn Metcalf lmetcalf@calpoly.edu |
It is possible to participate in two of these projects, with one counting as an elective. For example, students taking the sales seminar may also want to participate in the Wheelchair Foundation.
Client-Based Senior Project
Teams work on industry-proposed projects, in this one-quarter long project. Students work with the client organization to define the set of challenges that will be addressed. Typical projects include determining market potential, characterizing and defining target markets, refining product concepts, and developing integrated marketing communications plans or marketing plans. Students produce a tangible deliverable that has real value to the client.
Sales Development Program
Explore the selling profession and develop selling skills. The core of the program is designed to enable students to practice their selling skills in preparation for the OCOB Sales Competition with the winner having the opportunity to travel, all expenses paid, to the National Collegiate Sales Competition in Atlanta, GA, February 26-28, 2009 (http://coles.kennesaw.edu/ncsc/). Both competitions provide the opportunity to gain valuable industry exposure and to win cash prizes in the process.
Smart Students, Smart Choices
Now in its fifth year, this team conducts research to test campaign awareness, to identify perceptions of alcohol usage among college students, and to discover behaviors regarding alcohol usage among Cal Poly students. Based on the research results, the team develops an advertising and promotional campaign. The campaign goal is to make measurable improvements in awareness, attitudes, and behaviors. Several students are needed in the fall to engage student groups on campus. Ideas developed by the prior year’s team are implemented during Winter and Spring quarters. During spring quarter, campaign results are measured and ideas are developed for the following year’s campaign.
Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE)
SIFE Cal Poly provides various opportunities to make a difference in the world, while developing strong leadership and communication skills. Students on the team design and implement projects that promote free enterprise. You’ll leverage knowledge and skills that you’ve acquired in your classes to start entrepreneurial enterprises and to educate other groups about how the free market works in the global economy. During the fall and winter quarters, you will develop and implement projects that you identify. At the end of winter, you will present your project in a regional competition against other colleges and universities. Winners move on to national and then international presentations. SIFE Cal Poly has won the regional competition every year it has participated, and then goes on to compete in the national competition, where students have the opportunity to meet and network with fortune 500 companies. To see the SIFE Cal Poly 2008 Annual report, click here.
Wheelchair Foundation, Gift of Mobility Benefit
The Wheelchair Foundation experience provides opportunities to partner with local and international community organizations, as well as on-campus organizations to make a difference in the world. The project builds marketing communications, event planning, and sales skills, as well as peer leadership and self presentation skills. The team raises money for people who need wheelchairs but cannot afford them. Now in its 8th year, the team has raised over $340, 000 and has sent 2900 wheelchairs to Argentina, Belize, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Malawi, Paraguay, Peru, and Thailand. As part of this project, you will plan and implement events that raise money, as well as partner with community and university organizations to raise awareness and funds. Over the years, the team has broadened its focus to include humanitarian endeavors such as clean water, education, and restoring eyesight through cataract surgeries. Each year the team chooses a country of focus, raises money through a series of events, and then travels to the country in the summer distribute wheelchairs and to participate in other humanitarian projects. To see a newsletter that profiles the team’s activities and accomplishments, click here.
