Comprehensive Exams Are Done

Woo hoo indeed.

The Television Keeps Calling Me By Name

Whenever this iPhone commercial is playing in the background, it makes me jump when it says my name. It is just odd to have the television address you personally.

http://www.apple.com/iphone/gallery/ads/#voice-control-large

Michael Jackson: The Brand

In memory of the King of Pop, BNet has a collection of Michael Jackson's commercials through the years, beginning with the Jackson Five days. I had forgotten most of them.

View them here.

Best Comp Question Ever

I have been compiling as many sample comp questions as I can find, not only from past years at UNT, but also from other institutions. (Via "the Google").

This one, from Georgia State, takes the cake. This is the best question ever, for several reasons,

All marketing professors take an ocean cruise on the S.S. Titanic II. While on the cruise, the ship accidentally (we think) strikes a boat filled with accounting professors. Unfortunately, the Titanic begins to sink rapidly (the boat with the accounting professors is totally unscathed). There is only one good lifeboat on the Titanic II and it only seats 4 people.

1. Who among the thousands of marketing professors on the Titanic should be saved? Defend your choice by listing their specific contributions to the marketing literature.
2. Who would be the first four you would throw off the boat?

The first part is relatively easy. I can't think of anyone off the top of my head for Part B, other than a certain econ professor -- and I suppose he wouldn't count.

Another article accepted

An article was accepted last week for the International Journal of Electronic Marketing & Retailing special issue on "evolving the social Web." It has the distinction of being my first solo-authored publication.

For those who are counting, that's four journal publications, along with three conference papers.

I thought that was fairly impressive until I read AMA's "Who Went Where" survey results, which were released today. Although the mean and mode for publications when going to market is zero, which clearly I've exceeded, the max (which is always my target to beat) was nine(!!), and the max for conference papers was 12. I don't think I could afford to go to that many conferences even if I had all those acceptances.

Blockbuster CEO Steers Company Toward Cliff

I couldn't believe this story in today's Dallas Morning News:

Blockbuster Executive Emphasizes Brick-And-Mortar Stores

Blockbuster Inc. CEO Jim Keyes told shareholders Thursday that "there is life in the stores," and brick-and-mortar locations remain key to the company's growing multichannel pitch to customers.

It's analogous to the following headlines: "Blockbuster: Betamax Key To Our Success", "AOL: Dial-Up Internet Is The Future", "GM Bets On Horse and Buggy" or "Coal: The Fuel of Tomorrow" (oops, that one is really out there).

Right now, not only do I get unlimited Netflix movies in the mail for $15 a month (three rentals from Blockbuster), but through Fios on-demand I can watch new releases through my remote. And digital delivery is only going to grow in availability.

If I were a shareholder at that meeting, I would have bolted for the door and called my broker on the spot. Sell! Sell!

One Hurdle Down

It's official. I have now completed all my coursework toward my PhD. (And with a 4.0 GPA, no less.) In one sense, it seems that the past two years flew by, but on the other hand it seems like a really long two years.

Next are the qualifying exams in August, and then the dissertation. I plan to have completed my doctorate within the next 18-20 months. It feels good to be in control (for the most part) of my own destiny.