Week 11: Project 4 - (More research)

For this week, I decided to visit the Mzansi Restaurant website to gain a little more insight on what the restaurant was like. I probably should have done this last week, but unfortunately I was not aware that a website existed for the restaurant. That being said, I'd like to note a few things that I saw on the restaurants website that could be improved. Because ultimately what we are trying to do is better the restaurant and help it achieve its goals, I believe that focusing on the way it presents themselves to customers may be a good place to start.

The website is not bad, but it seems a little outdated. I think think that updating the website could give it a new, maybe more "fresh", look. My team and I discussed this, and we thought about maybe helping the owners develop a new website (or simply remodeling it a bit). Another thing that I noticed was that some parts of the website were not very customer-friendly. The menu, for example, was a video of a lady resting and describing the dishes the restaurant had to offer, which is not a bad way to present a menu (its sort of original if you ask me), but you are unable to forward or rewind the video, or choose exactly where to begin watching it (basically, you can only play and pause).

It's not much, but I though it may be something we can help the owners of the restaurant make better, if we could.

Week 10: Project 4 - Mzantsi Restaurant

The Mzantsi Restaurant project is a project that focuses on social, community, and economic development through the enhancement of marketing and its business model. Because the success of the restaurant relies on its customers, I though it would be helpful to understand how a business can benefit the most from both, locals and tourists.

I found a few articles regarding the impact of tourism on South Africa's economy and community. As of today, its been recorded that tourism contributes to 3% of South Africa's GDP and employs 4.4% of the overall labor force. Local entrepreneurs and other international marketeers associate benefiting from the tourism business by focusing on sustainable tourism.

Sustainable tourism is the concept of visiting a place as a tourist with the intentions on having a positive impact on its society, environment, and economy. According to articles such as, Responsible Tourism is About Ethics, not Marketing, tourist who visit South Africa are people who are looking for "meaningful and unique experiences" while attempting to have a positive impact on the place they visit. With this in mind, marketers insist that in order for business to continue benefiting from tourism is by granting tourist with a "rewarding experience."

1. http://mg.co.za/article/2015-04-15-africa-travel-week-focuses-on-sustainable-tourism

2. http://mg.co.za/article/2015-04-15-responsible-tourism-is-not-a-marketing-decision-but-an-ethical-one

3. http://traveltips.usatoday.com/meaning-sustainable-tourism-2297.html

Week 9: The Meaning of the Top Ten List

I was surprised by the number of findings we were able to make these past two weeks. Many of the information, articles, and videos we found were topics we had talk about in class, while others were topics we had never discussed. The importance of the top ten list is to be able to narrow the topics we found to be the most significant in terms of understanding. We believe that familiarizing ourselves with these topics (as well as those who are not in the list) can help us better understand our purpose and trip in South Africa.

Week 8: Top Ten Must Read

Two weeks ago, the class was asked to blog about articles regarding South Africa that could gives new insight on the country and our trip. This week, we have been asked to gather a top ten list out of all the articles. My list reads as follows:

1. South Africa's Post Apartheid Generation

2. Power And Privilege Definitions  

3. Not White Enough, Not Black Enough

4. Cape Town: Gangs, Race and Poverty 20 years after Apartheid

5. Culture of South Africa

6. History of Apartheid in South Africa 

7. Realizing Women's Human Rights in South Africa

8. Invictus trailer

9. South Africa Progressive on LGBT Rights but Gays Still Battle for Social Reform

10. Ultimate Bucket List: South Africa