College Bars – An Alternative Way for Success?

In the previous article I suggested that there is a way for the bars to be successful and make some degree of profit. However, is this the only way? A simple lesson in business studies tells us that there are for vital ingredients to profitability; place, promotion, price and product. Get all four correct and success, in theory, is just around the corner.

Place is already provided by being on campus making it suitable for students, that much is obvious. Promotion is provided through society socials and college loyalty. Price, as seen in my previous article, could be altered to be more attractive, but what about product? It seems obvious to say that the bars will sell beverages of varying types and tastes, but one wonders whether or not the University has missed a masterstroke with what being available where.

In the current situation we have a vast number of largely generic bars. They all serve largely the same drinks and the same prices. An analogy can be seen with the demise of Woolworths. Woolworths was a very diverse chain selling anything from pick-a-mix to clothing. Almost everyone I talk to has different memories of Woolworths. Yet, it is this broadness that may be seen as one of the causes for its demise. Its desire to please a greater number of consumer groups moved it away from the quality available from competing high street stores.

At the moment the college bars are attempting to provide a variety of drinks to please all who enter. From traditional ale to vodka based fruit drinks. However, could it be said that the bars would be more successful if they were more selective in their drinks choice, possibly building a theme around their drinks menu. For example you could have one bar that focuses on its real ales, another which marketed itself as a wine bar and another being seen as more of a nightclub than a bar. There are a number of possibilities. Recreation of individuality among the bars may make them more appealing to students and help fight off the lure of town drinking. To maintain the business studies link, on economies of scale the bars would find themselves more successful as they would face less competition from each other due to the differences in personality.

This idea is by no means without flaw. Which college wants to have the non-alcoholic bar? Yet it does seem to provide a blue print for giving life back to the college bars that may see a much needed increase in unit sales. Individuality between the colleges is a key factor in a college system if they are not to be seen a glorified halls of residence. This individuality could begun with the bars.

People or Profit?

A lot has been made over the past few years regarding the campus bars. Questions have been raised regarding the price of a pint of beer, the imposition of unrealistic targets and the centralisation of bar management which we are currently seeing; one has to ask, what is the point of the bars? What is it that they set out to achieve?

It is this question that is the basis for all the bar debates over the past few years as there seems to be a clear differences between how the bars are seen by the student population when compared to how they are seen by the university management. It would seem fair to say that the average student sees the campus bars as the living room of the campus accommodation where they can hang out with their mates over a nice drink while they discuss the ups and downs of the day. The University, however, appears to see the bars as a money making institute, another way for them to reach into the pockets of students following the high rent prices already seen for on-campus accommodation.

Yet, which viewpoint is correct? Should the students be given a place where they can afford to socialise in close proximity to the campus accommodation, or should the university continue to charge high prices in attempts to reach their desired targets?

It is clear to see that the current pricing plan is not keeping people in the campus bars, with the lower prices offered by bars in the town centre representing a better deal. Though, is high prices’ the best way to meet profit margins? Would it not be fair to say that a reduction in prices may result to a greater amount of unit sales, thus resulting in an increase in the profit made by the bars as well? Such a move would appear to fit both the desires of the students and demands of the University management and may make the currently empty bars once again the focus of college social life.

NUS Crackdown on Initiation Ceremonies

The National Union of Students has announced a crackdown on sports team initiation ceremonies. The move has come after footage of a ceremony at the University of Gloucestershire was leaked to the BBC.

The footage showed students with plastic bags over their heads, drinking and vomiting, egged on by a student dressed in Nazi-style uniform. The students are seen vomiting onto the ground before being paraded through the streets. Such shocking footage, viewable on the BBC website, has triggered a knee jerk reaction from the NUS in which it calls for all ceremonies to be banned.

NUS president, Wes Streeting released a statement on behalf of the NUS stating: "We are totally opposed to student initiations. They put students at serious risk and exclude students who don't want to take part in that binge-drinking culture.”

It is fair to say that most initiation ceremonies may take on the form depicted in the video and that they usually result in humiliation and a hangover; it is believe that one in five involve some form physical abuse and there have been three deaths as a result of such ceremonies in recent years.

Whilst we have no official word on how these ceremonies take form within Lancaster University, though we believe they involve a vast amount of alcohol, it is clear to say there is a fine line between having a bit of fun and bullying the vulnerable. It is not clear how long initiation ceremonies have left, or if the NUS crackdown is going to have any effect. But the card is marked and it may be wise for any sports team considering performing any form of initiation ceremony to seek a different way to greet the newcomers to the club.