My Future Goals Essay Example for Free

My Future Goals Essay The purpose of this assignment is to look into my future and come up with achievable goals to be successful in my career, personal and academic endeavors. Napoleon Hill states, â€Å"The starting point of all achievement is desire. (Think and Grow Rich, 2005). So, your first step in goal setting and achieving your dreams is that youve got to really want to achieve the goal. My personal goal is to use my time management skills to keep organized in my class assignments. As a matter of fact, keeping organized will make my leisure time much more enjoyable. To achieve this goal I will use time management to make a schedule of all my classes. I have a very busy life and setting this goal will work in all areas of my life. Read more: My future plan essay In addition, my academic goals are to finish college with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Information Technology. My future career depends on the completion of this degree. In as little as 2 years I will complete my online degree and be able to confront my ultimate challenges and have a successful career. Equally as important writing down the goal, the plan and a timeline sets events in motion that may not have happened otherwise. Furthermore, my career goal goes hand in hand with my academic goal. I have to finish my degree in order for my professional and career goal to be achievable. I want to work in the IT field. I would like to find a company that offers internship programs for students while attending college. This will be a long road but will be worth it in the end. I do have the support of my family, friends, and academic advisors. With all this support I can achieve my future goals.

The GAP: PESTEL, SWOT and Porters Five Analysis

The GAP: PESTEL, SWOT and Porters Five Analysis Elements of Analysis: The GAP Case PESTEL Analysis Utilizing the PESTEL (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental Legal factors) model, the key drivers and areas of significant impact for the competitive advantage in the GAP case are (Johnson, Scholes Whittington 2005, pp. 65, 68): Political – This seems only to be a factor with regards to operational differences between geographic/geopolitical regions, i.e., the US vs. the UK, and social welfare policies that affect actual garment construction. Social – This is a major driver of success as â€Å"fashion† and â€Å"style† would likely fall under this auspice. Specifically, the ability of the firm to generate the perception that its products reflect the fleeting sense of a trend is central to being a leader in retail fashion. Technological – This is a significant factor as the lack of a fully function European e-commerce platform was an opportunity cost that can be measured in lost market share valued in the multi-million pound range. SWOT Analysis Strengths The Gap has existed marketing power and presence and has prime, established retail locations throughout the US and UK. Weaknesses The inability to establish e-commerce on the UK side has lost not only sales opportunities but likely tarnished the image of a company that wants to be seen a ‘hip and trendy’ in a digital age in which competitive parity is ‘bricks and clicks’. Opportunities Through existing resources and brand equity, the Gap has the opportunity to regain one of the top spots in the mind of the consumer for fashionable clothing. One of the chief means of doing so is to quickly replicate the success of the online presence of the US business in the UK. Threats Perhaps the biggest threat is that one of the smaller boutique venues will achieve sufficient success to legitimately chip away at the mindshare of the consumer that Gap currently has on a scale that will be very difficult to reclaim. Porter’s 5 Forces As with the PESTEL framework above, only the most salient factors are indicated (Porter 1980, p. 4): Potential Entrants –The rise of small-scale boutique firms allow profit-taking from firms that do not have the ‘overhead’ of a corporation such as The Gap. This allows for greater flexibility and speed in the delivery of fashion to market. The Threat of Substitute Goods – Similar to â€Å"potential entrants†, there are not only other products that perform the same function but, in times in which economics dictate allocation of scarce consumer resources amongst items that, to some extent, fall under the category of highly discretionary spending. Contrary to this, one might argue that ‘fashion will always be in style’ and thus in-demand, the attractiveness of the industry will attract more entrants. Eventually, a form of homeostasis will be achieved but only at the expense of the exit of some less profitable firms. Industry Rivalry – The combination of the above two factors creates what is arguably a hypercompetitive environment characterized by larger firms seeking to sustain competitive advantage through enduring presence while small, flexible and fast firms seek to take perhaps a temporal portion by capitalizing on that which is most trendy. The Four P’s (Price, Promotion, Place Product) The concept of the marketing mix or â€Å"the 4 P’s† gives tremendous strategic insight into how the firm goes to market with its portfolio of goods and services. Price – Pricey but not so much that they cannot be seen as â€Å"luxurious necessities† for those for whom being ‘cool’ or ‘sexy’ is a real or aspirant lifestyle. Promotion – Consistent with other aspects of the marketing mix, television advertisements feature hip and trendy music, often done by somewhat older (yet still cool) musicians with engaging music. These featuring dancing or at least, rhythmic maneuvers, in which one must assume the clothes worn are as much a part of the causative agent for such behavior as the apparent youthful attraction and attitude of the performance crew. Place – Sold only through Gap stores in mainstream retail locations such as shopping malls and through, at least in the US, Gap-branded online channels. Product – Positioned as perhaps something that could be labeled as [young] ‘sexy casual’, such an offering virtually defines its market as those who are young and view (or want to view) themselves as fashionable and trendy. Products include shirts, jeans, sweaters, accessories and more and all geared at generating such a â€Å"feel† or experience for the wearer. Overall Business Strategy In general, a firm can have one of two broad strategies: cost-leadership or differentiation. With regards to differentiation, a firm may choose to segment based upon the customer by focusing on a niche or specialty market or they may choose product differentiation as by innovation or similar pursuit (Porter 1980, p. 35). Using this general approach, the Gap clearly pursues a strategy of seeking competitive advantage by differentiating product offerings (what it does) to those for whom a sense of ‘urban/sub-urban-esque’ fashionable â€Å"personal style† is very relevant to their lifestyle (the target market) through a combination of exclusive retail locations and a corollary online venue (the where of it’s strategy). Corporate Social Responsibility The idea of corporate social responsibility is best expressed by the notion of, â€Å"†¦ the extent to which an organization exceeds the minimum obligations to stakeholders as specified through regulation and corporate governance† (Johnson, Scholes Whittington 2005, p. 191). With regards to the GAP case, such a perspective is evident when they actively seek to position themselves not simply as seeking to establish sustained competitive advantage but the advantages conferred to everyone through sustainable business. Specifically, through their alliance to support AIDS awareness and suffering, they achieve profits and good works. Antithetically, one critique would likely be to question not the outcome but the motive for doing so. The Resource-Based View The essence of the resource-based view of the view establishes the lens of the â€Å"VRIO framework†. That is, for a firm to achieve sustained competitive advantage, its resources must be valuable, rare, inimitable and organizational in nature (Barney 2007, p. 138). With this in mind, it seems to follow that the best sources of such are resources which are intangible rather than tangible. From this perspective, the ability of GAP to attract and retain designers who can consistently replicate and market what is or is about to become â€Å"fashionable† at competitive costs would meet such criteria. Strategic Recommendations The essence of the Gap to maintain/re-establish sustainable competitive advantage is to be able to be both â€Å"big† and â€Å"small† simultaneously. The competition seemingly enjoys the element of first-mover advantage with regards to their ability to operate under the radar only to appear with trendy products in the market that less insightful firms can then attempt to copy. Correspondingly, the ability of the boutique firm to mass-produce and distribute a successful product is far less than that of the Gap with it established manufacturers and well-oiled distribution channels. Thus, the Gap needs to adopt fast, flexible methods of getting fresh and accurate insights into production and into stores. In the classic business decision, the Gap has but two options: make or buy. That is, they can either allocate resources in the form of time, talent or treasure (aka, money) to acquire these abilities or they may choose to outsource these functions to other firms. Perhaps a hybridized solution is to form strategic alliances with such smaller firms that have these resources in abundance but lack the marketing and manufacturing power of the Gap. Such a solution would achieve the goal of the acquisition, even if temporary, that the Gap seems to lack as it seeks to create lasting sources of competitive advantage in the face of the hyper-competitive, mature yet dynamically fickle industry of upscale casual fashion apparel. Mature vs. Dynamic Firm The Gap competes in a arguably mature but changing and constanting renewing industry. A â€Å"mature† industry can be characterized by the following (Barney 2007, p. 94): Slowing growth in total industry demand. The development of experienced repeat customers. A slowdown in the increases in production capacity. A decrease in new product introductions. An increase in the level of international competition. An overall reduction in industry profitability. With these criteria, the retail fashion clothing industry is perhaps somewhat unique in that each year brings something of a second-chance to capture the market. Though the degree of competitiveness and production capacity indicate a mature industry, the new arrivals to the target customer segment in regards to age, affluence and attitudes provide a potentially rich new customer base. These factors lead to the classification of the industry as being â€Å"mature† but yet quite â€Å"dynamic† in the sense that technology and the preferred tastes of an ever-changing consumer segment create a need for the Gap to acquire marketing insights and speed and flexibility in production to bring such high-margin, high-risk products as fashion clothing to market. Key References Barney, J. (2007). Creating and Sustaining Competitive Advantage, 3rd edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice-Hall. Johnson, G., K. Scholes, and R. Whittington. (2005). Exploring Corporate Strategy, 7th edition. Harlow, England: Prentice-Hall. Porter, M. (1980). Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries Competitors. Boston, Massachusetts: The Free Press.

Exley Chemical Case Analysis Essay -- Business Analysis

Exley Chemical Case Analysis Introduction The purpose of this analysis is to offer insight into difficulties experienced by Exley Chemical Company. Case analysis will provide an objective view of the identified problems (both macro and micro), the causes, affected systems, alternatives and recommendations. In a collaborative effort, this report reflects multiple observations and opinions regarding the case analysis. Analysis I. Problems A. Macro • Lack of coordination within the companies operations • Decrease in sales and profits. • Operational conflicts within the major departments • This type of structure is inappropriate for this company • There is no uniformity of command B. Micro • The coordination between marketing and the new product development department was insufficient. • The Product development had problems with marketing. • The Product manager quarrels with the marketing department • Product manager was unsuccessful in coordinating the activities. • The company was having difficulties in producing a team concept within the departments. II. Causes: • Implementation of separate division to handle product development has disrupted the previous cohesive interaction between prior existing divisions. New product development division has taken on a life of its own, opting to market its new developments instead of passing the new products to the other divisions to handle their usual responsibilities. • In spite of its independence of other teams with regard to product development and marketing, the new division still need... ...the training and developments (Brown & Harvey, 2006). In this situation, every manager needs to have dialogue with the marketing department. This action, alone, will set into motion changes that would be expected to aid the sales and revenue of their respective products (Blanchard & Thacker, 2004). References Brown, D. & Harvey, D. (2006). An experiential approach to organization development. (seventh edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. McNamara, C. (1999). Business planning. Retrieved on 26 October 2006 from www.NonProfitOffice.com Dagmar & Oliver Recklies. (2006). Themanager.org. Retrieved on 26 October 2006, from http://www.themanager.org/Strategy/Change_Phases.htm Blanchard, P.N. & Thacker, J.W. (2004). Effective training: systems strategies and practices. (2nd Edition). Upper Saddle River NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Agent Orange :: Vietnam War Essays

Agent Orange In 1961, the United States began spraying herbicides in its military campaign to defoliate the jungles of southern Vietnam. Mimicking Smokey Bear, American pilots chuckled "Remember! Only you can prevent forests," as they dropped weed killers over target sites. But as research progressed, the true nature of the chemicals which they were spraying came to light. It is certainly no longer a laughing matter when it is realized that Agent Orange, a major herbicide used, could be as deadly to humans as it is to plants. The military research of herbicides dates back to World War II (1). Ineffectiveness prevented them from being used in the war. By the late 1950’s, however, herbicides developed could defoliate a large variety of plants. Naturally, they were thought to be a great weapon in combating jungle warfare. Applied to the Vietnam War, herbicides were used to defoliate the jungle and to destroy crops. Defoliation stripped the jungle of vegetation. Left barren, it no longer provided camouflage for the Viet Cong, their supply routes and base camps which would be more prone to aerial attacks. Crop destruction denied the communists of local food sources. This forced them to divert more resources to provide and transport foods other regions. But just as important, crop destruction also weakened enemy morale and forced villagers to move to cities where they could be more easily controlled. The program for spraying herbicides over Vietnam was code named Operation Trail Dust. It began in 1961 and peaked from 1967 to 1969 (2). Various methods were employed to systematically spray these chemicals. On ground, they were used by soldiers to clear the perimeters of their base camps. Riverboats were used to spray the riverbanks. Most damage to the jungle was done by air. The Air Force Operation Ranch Hand, as it was called, used C-123 cargo aircrafts and helicopters to drop the majority of the herbicides used. There were many types of herbicides used by the United States in Vietnam. Each was named after the color of the 4-inch band painted around the 55-gallon drums in which it was contained: Agent White, Purple, Blue, Green, Pink and Orange. In all, 19.4 million gallons of herbicides were used, 60% of which were Agent Orange (2). The effects of the sprayings on the jungle were immediately recognizable. Estimates show that six million acres or twenty percent of the entire land area of the Republic of South Viet Nam was covered with chemical poisons (3).

The Positive Impact of Legalizing Marijuana Essay -- Drugs Legalize Le

The Positive Impact of Legalizing Marijuana For many years, the United States government has prohibited drugs such as marijuana from sale in the marketplace. Yet, with prohibition, marijuana use has decreased only minimally. Because of prohibition, the media has publicized only the bad aspects of marijuana use. What many people do not realize are the many positive aspects of marijuana legalization, including new medical cures, cleaner and more efficient industry, and reduced marijuana usage. Marijuana, as most people commonly know it, is really a plant called hemp, or 'cannabis sativa'. There are other plants called hemp, but cannabis hemp is the most useful of these plants. 'Hemp' is any durable plant used since prehistory for many purposes. Cannabis is the most durable of the hemp plants, and it produces the toughest cloth, named 'canvass'. The cannabis plant also produces three other very important products that other plants do not (in usable form): seed, pulp, and medicine. To understand why hemp is illegal, it is necessar y that we take a look at the law prohibiting hemp today. The law that prohibits hemp is called the "Comprehensive Drug Abuse and Control Act of 1970". The Comprehensive Drug Abuse and Control Act of 1970 (Public Law 91-513) overhauled the nation's drug regulation apparatus. Title II of the law, known as the Controlled Substances Act, established criteria for determining which drugs should be controlled, mechanisms for reducing the availability of controlled drugs, and a structure of penalties for illegal distribution and possession of controlled drugs. Marijuana, hashish, and THC are listed in Schedule I, the most restrictive classification. We also have to understand the reasons why marijuana, the drug,... ...dystonia can also attest to benefits derived from smoking marijuana. In 1981, it was reported that patients with idiopathic dystonia improved when they smoked marijuana. This is a group of disorders characterized by abnormal movements and postures resulting from prolonged spasms or muscle contractions. Animal studies confirmed that cannabinoids might have antidysotonic properties, and scientists undertook another human experiment in 1986 that showed the same results. There are many uses for marijuana, and many are unexplored. Actually, some are explored in depth because of interest, and others are left behind. There are probably many other uses that have not been found because of the lack of experimentation on the drug as a whole. If the drug is legalized, there will be much more research done on the drug, and hopefully the drug will begin to be approved for use.

Eleanor Rigby and Life in 60s Essay

The Beatles, one of the most famous bands in the world, have many great songs. â€Å"Eleanor Rigby† is definitely one of them. The song was written primarily by Paul McCartney. There are only two characters mentioned in the song, and Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie, and the entire story happens in the church. Eleanor Rigby picks up rice after a wedding and wearing a face the she â€Å"keeps in a jar†. Father McKenzie always writes boring words at his sermon and darns his socks in the night, day and night to repeat. They all live in their own world. Finally Eleanor Rigby died in the church and nobody will remember her, Father McKenzie is the only guy who comes to her funeral and hosts the ceremony. Besides the great contributions on the music side, â€Å"Eleanor Rigby† also provides us a gate way to learn the life in 1960s, and those behaviors in 60s affect our modern society. First of all, from the song we can have general knowledge about the living conditions in the 60s. The song published on the Beatles 1966 album Revolver. At that time, people were under the post war depression of the World War II, the economics grew slowly and the unemployed rate was high [1]. The song was written under such circumstances, it reflects the people’s feelings and behaviors at that time. At the beginning and the end of the song ask the same question â€Å"All the lonely people, where do they all come from? All the lonely people, where do they all belong? † (The Beatles, Line 7, 8, 21 and 22). This kind of question is always asked by people in 50s or 60s generations, we call it the Beat Generations, the answer is they all live in our own world; they belong to them and them all â€Å"liv [ed] in a dream. † (The Beatles, Line 4). That’s why Eleanor has â€Å"a face that she keeps in a jar by the door. (The Beatles, Line 5). People wear a face do not let others to see the real side of them, so that they can hide their real emotions. And she â€Å"waits at the window† (The Beatles, Line 5). â€Å"Who is it for? † (The Beatles, Line 6). However, until Eleanor dead whoever she was waiting for never came, â€Å"Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name. Nobody came. † (The Beatles, Line 17 and 18). On the other hand, Father McKenzie, â€Å"writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear. No-one comes near. † (The Beatles, Line 9 and 10). Why won’t anyone hear Father McKenzie’s sermon? In that generation, people are tend to be religions skepticism, they suspect everything even themselves. So there is no one hear Father McKenzie’s sermon and no one near him. Also, no one came to the Eleanor Rigby’s funeral can illustrate that people not believe what they use to believe. Moreover, the lyric shows the apathetic of the people like Father McKenzie. He â€Å"wip[es] the dirt from his hand as he walks from the grave. †(The Beatles, Line 19) focus on the action â€Å"wiping the dirt from his hand† looks like Father McKenzie just did his job and there is no emotion involved he did not feel anything about the death of Eleanor Rigby. In the 60s people were tend to be like Father McKenzie, they were numb, they did not have any emotions among other people that is why they are all lonely people. On the other hand, those emotions from the song also affect people in today’s society. In 2008 the global financial crisis began, many government nearly bankrupted, and people start losing their jobs. As the results for that people were seeing things like there lost their house, their family broken up and things they work for years do not exist anymore. So the feeling of loneliness appears at that time. Just like people in 60s, they start ask question like where are they belong and where are the go. People start hides their real emotions just like Eleanor Rigby has â€Å"a face that she keeps in a jar by the door. † (The Beatles, line 5). Also, after so many years believed in god, the god did not actually help them went the crises happened, and people start suspect their beliefs, just like no one hear Father McKenzie’s sermon and â€Å"no one come near. † (The Beatles, line 12). Additionally, people like Father McKenzie who are apathetic, so many things happened to them so that they became numb in order to hide the emotions, they do not care about other people like Father McKenzie â€Å"wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave. † (The Beatles, line 19). In general, the song â€Å"Eleanor Rigby† mainly talks about loneliness thought the two characters, and the emotions thought out the loneliness such as stoicism, suspect and apathetic. Also the song uses the characters life and behavior to indicate the lives in 60s and has a great empathy to our modern life.

How is Gatsby introduced by Fitzgerald? Essay

Jay Gatsby is presented by Fitzgerald first in Chapter One during a fleeting encounter between the Narrator (Nick Carraway) and Gatsby. Whilst Nick is resting in his garden after a fatiguing evening with Tom and Daisy Buchanan, ‘fifty feet away a figure had emerged from the shadow’ and this is later revealed to be Jay Gatsby’s very first presence in the novel. Although he does not have any dialogue with any other characters and nor has he interacted with any other characters at this point, the reader can gain some insight into what his personality may entail. For instance, the fact that he ‘emerged from the shadow’ may allude to the possibility that he may have had a dark history and that there is something enigmatic about him. It is not a clandestine that Jay Gatsby lives a life of luxury as he possesses ‘more than forty acres of lawn and garden’ and his home is initially referred to as ‘Gatsby’s mansion’, implying that it is of a more than generous size. Furthermore, he holds a party once a week at his home and invites everyone- including Nick. This gives us a further insight into what Jay Gatsby is like. The fact that he holds a party once a week could be due to him wanting to keep his social status amongst his peers at a high level whilst it also acts as a constant reminder of his power and raises the question of whether he enjoys people being reminded of his power or whether he feels the need to remind himself. Moreover, in preparation for his parties, he has been known to waste ‘five crates of oranges and lemons’ during the weekend and every Monday they leave through ‘his back door in a pyramid of pulpless halves’. This is representative of the over-indulgence of the rich at the time and the fact that the wastage is taken out through the ‘back door’ resembles the era of prohibition in the 1920’s whereby many things were done in secret. This could show how Gatsby is attempting to keep his faà §ade of being ‘The Great Gatsby’ by trying to negate any bad qualities he may possess or any immoral actions that he may commit. In addition to this, during the party, ‘a tray of cocktails floated’ around and this reveals to the reader that Gatsby was evidently breaking the law by serving alcohol at his party in 1922 prohibition America. Also indicating that he has a very high level of influence to be able to hold a party with such a  large number of guests and not one of them doubts his motives for serving alcohol – which could be a ploy to attract more people to his parties. Likewise, the guests that attend his parties are little more than carbon copies of each other, where many woman appear to be wearing ‘yellow dresses’. This is symbolic of their attempt to be something that they are not and try to fit in and conform to society’s need to be in the elite or rather, living the American Dream. When the reader finally meets Jay Gatsby, they are already under the influence of many rumours regarding Gatsby that many minor characters mentioned, such as the fact that he is a ‘nephew of cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm’ or that he ‘killed a man’. However, when we meet him through the eyes of Nick Carraway, he gives him a ‘rare smile with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life’. This almost makes the reader forget about everything that Fitzgerald had informed us of because it appears as if we have just met the real Gatsby. From this we can infer that he is a person who has gone through a lot but is at least genuine and despite what he may have done, he is still ‘The Great Gatsby’. From my point of view, it seems that F. Scott Fitzgerald had spent the most part of the beginning of the novel building up an image of Gatsby that was someone who inherited their wealth, had possibly killed someone and was ambiguous. But I believe that this was so that the reader could be shown how the other characters in the novel viewed Gatsby before giving him a chance, and when we finally meet him, we are able to get to know him and slowly build up our own image that I believe will completely contradict the beliefs that the other people in the novel share of Jay Gatsby and by doing this we are able to view the many perspectives that people have of him, allowing us to create a better informed judgment on the controversial character.