Lauren Butler

Business Management 100: Fall 2014

Major: Business Management
Emphasis: Marketing

Career Aspirations: Manager, Direct Marketing at

Macys

Me in 30 Seconds
I am a very prepared young women and also very
hard working. I persevere to get any task given to me
completed with my best effort. I take pride in fulfilling
these tasks as perfectly as I can. I am very ambitious
and I hope to grow to become a successful
businesswomen.


Insights and Essays
1. Summary and Insights of A Steady, Upward Course By Henry B. Erying
In this talk, he targets his talk to the students and future students of BYUIdaho He talks about eh current events at the time that make the future seem
scary and uneasy living in this world and country. He discusses that there will be
change because of the university being established yet the Lord will be with us if
we change for the better are supportive of it. The cumulative effect of change
here will be to build testimony and accelerate true conversion. We can build
ourselves up as BYU-Idaho does at the same time. The changes will only help
and improve the campus. He discussed about how the spirit and inspiration that
takes place will be much more important than new buildings and equipment.
Those things are nice but BYU-Idaho didnt need much change. In our gospel
and church we are always taught to be humble and not flaunt what we have or
can have. We need to make do sometime with what is in front of our faces. We
can still be successful even with nothing much. We can be frugal and still be
proud of what BYU-Idaho will become and be. In Doctrine and Covenants 88:119
it says, Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a
house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of
learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God. This scripture is
usually based on how to establish a family but I think it really relates to this talk
and how we have and can more establish BYU-Idaho as a place that is
organized and a place that we can feel the spirit dwell in. We as students have to
help make it this way. It is our duty to organize ourselves with the gospel of
Christ.
2. Summary and Insights of Brigham Young University-Idaho: A Disciple
Preparation Center (DPC) By Elder David A. Bednar
In this talk to the students of BYU-Idaho for devotional he discusses how
this campus is preparing us to be Disciples of Christ. He talks about the
similarities of the campus to and MTC anywhere around the world. One of them
that really sticks out to me is that we have a temple right next to our campus. We
can see the temple from every spot on campus because the temple is at the
highest point of it all. We can see what we are trying to reach for everyday. It is
our reminder and our motivation to be able to go inside someday and make
promises and covenants with our Heavenly Father. We need to stay motivated
on the right path. If our path leads to the temple and Christ we will succeed in our
lives we will be able to become Disciples of Christ. This campus is called a
temple of learning because it takes a certain criteria to enter the campus as a
student like it does for the temple. We are held to a higher standard just like we
are for the temple. We are required to do or not do certain things to improve our
lives and experiences living on our own at college. The commitment is so
personal but it can increase our education experience so greatly. We will be able
to focus on the important things that will help us in our loves rather than the
worldly things. Elder Bednar quotes Doctrine and Covenants 19:23 and it reads,
Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you


shall have peace in me. This tells me that if we learn through him and with him
we will have peace in our lives through Christ.
3. Summary and Insights of Whole Soul as an Offering By Elder David A.
Bednar
In Elder Bednars talk he talks a lot about how we can be an average
student or being an outstanding student. An average student just does where
they are supposed to and required to do. These students focus on getting by with
a passing grade. They will ask if class was easy or what is needed to get the
good grade. They wont do any more then needed to. Elder Bednar talks about
how there is no way to get in touch with what the real world is like if we can just
get by. These experiences we are now having will help us after college. These
times will teach us many things such as tolerance and discipline. The mission
statement of Ricks College is discussed as well. The four parts to this are to build
testimonies of the restored gospel, to provide a quality education, to prepare
students for future employment and to be parents, and to maintain a wholesome
environment. We need to be educated in order to be happy and productive life
spiritually. Getting an education is for important in our lives. It is tough to do but
we need it. In a future spouse I want someone who has a good education. In the
end of Elder Bednars talk he quotes Elder Evans and discusses how we can
achieve all these things if we have the skills and the spiritual strength.
4. Summary and Insights of Making a Living and a Life By Elder Lynn G.
Robbins
In Elder Robbins talk he talks about pride and how it is competitive and
makes ever man their own adversary. The fact that we can feel like we are over
someone is the whole key to what pride actually is. Satan has a great way of
weaving himself into every part of life like in the workplace. We feel all the
feelings of pride when we do not even know it. He creeps into our lives without us
even realizing it. We feel jealousy, greed, anger, and covetousness. Satan forces
us to believe that all that matters is money. In this life we are not only learning
how to make a living but about making an honest living. Taking tests in the
testing center, professors at BYU-Idaho and seeing our progress of our
education we are getting a good feel for the real world and reality. The Lord is
always watching us and how we handle certain situations. The amount of money
we make doesnt even compare to what our Lord and Savior is testing us on. To
our Lord and Savior it is important for them to see if we are building His kingdom.
He also watched us to see if we are filling our lives with wholesome things. Elder
Robbins says, The motives that drive people are the hinges upon which major
outcomes swing. This could not be truer. This is evident in my life as I am
making decisions. I have and will make some decisions that are not always good
motivators but I know that I need to focus more on positive things to motivate me.


5. What matters most to me and why?
Loyalty is what matters most to me behind the obvious of faith and family.
Whether its being a loyal friend sister, daughter, girlfriend and many others I
always strive to be loyal. I have had many experiences in my life where I have
been given the chance to choose to be loyal or not to be. I made the choice to
treat that person, as I would have wanted to be treated. I have strived to be a
good friend to anyone and everyone. I give everyone the benefit of the doubt and
try to be there for him or her as much as I can. I tend to think of others before
myself more than often. I think that being loyal and true can make or break
someone. We need to be kind and caring to those that we love and care for.
Another form of loyalty can be to our faith and what we know to be true. I have
always been told that I should be prepared to fight and die for what I know to be
right. In the gospel we are always told to be loyal to the gospel and obedient. We
can be loyal by attending our church meetings, saying our prayers, and reading
our scriptures. There are so many things to prove and show our loyalty in the
gospel. We can prove it by here on earth. We can overcome the evil, which
makes us become not loyal. We need to stay true and strong to the iron rod. We
will have so many blessings that I know to be true in the eternities. Another
important aspect of being loyal is being loyal to us. We need to be who we are,
not anyone else. We are our own human beings. We need to be ourselves and
listen to or heart. We can be loyal to ourselves by being honest with ourselves. If
we feel like something is not right we need to listen to ourselves and fix the
problem or remove ourselves. We should want the best for ourselves. President
Hinckley once said, I think of loyalty in terms of being true to us. I think of it in
terms of being absolutely faithful to our chosen companions. I think of it in terms
of being absolutely loyal to the Church and its many facets of activity. I think of it
in terms of being unequivocally true to the God of heaven, our Eternal Father,
and His Beloved Son, our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ.
6. What does disciple leadership mean to me and what am I doing to
continue the process of becoming a disciple leader?
Disciple leadership to me means that they are worthy and able to be an
example to others. They understand the gospel and what it takes. They have
been through real-life trials that have made them who they are today. They
understand others. They know and believe the teachings to be true. They are
good role models to all and they do so humbly. I am able to easier trust and
relate to someone if they have been through similar things in their lives and I can
easily relate to them. I have met some great disciple leaders in my lifetime and I
know that they have been through the process to get there. It is not an easy path
but it is worth it. We can all become disciple leaders through the gospel. In my
life I am seeking to become a disciple leader by trying to involve the Lords work
in everything that I do. I know that if we can engulf ourselves in his gospel that
we will reach the point of a disciple leader. We are not all perfect but being a
disciple leader is really and truly working for his glory. If I can even come close to
doing these things I will be happy. I want to go above and beyond though. I know
that I can be so great. I just need to get there eventually. I will get there by doing


the simple things like going to church and saying my prayers. Without these
basic items, we wont progress to our goal of discipleship.
7. What are my three most substantial accomplishments and why do I view
them as such?
My three most substantial accomplishments in my life were winning state
championship for dance team in high school, earning my young woman
recognition award, and becoming so close with my family. In high school I was
given the chance to participate four all four years on my high school dance team.
My junior we went to state finals and we won first place. Then senior year I
became captain and we went to state again. We had won the state championship
for the second year in a row! This is so very important in my life because it
showed me that I could be a team leader. It showed me that I could be very
successful as I lead a group of people. I am always going to be proud of this
accomplishment because without my insights and ideas our dance and
movement would not have won first place. It showed me how important my ideas
were in the whole outcome. I have the ability to be successful with hard work. My
team and I worked day in and day out to perfect our routine in order to
accomplish what we really wanted. Our top goal was to win state and we were
able achieve so with hard work and perseverance. My second accomplishment is
my young women recognition award. This is so very dear to my heart because all
my sisters, my mom, my aunts, and my cousins received this reward. I spent a lot
of time and effort planning, preparing and doing the projects that are required to
receive this reward. I spent one whole night reading the book of Mormon in order
to receive the pass on the project. I made sacrifices in my own life to receive this
award. I was able to learn many important things about being a young women
through the projects that I will always remember. My last accomplishment in my
life that I treasure is that my family is so close. We are all friends even though our
family has grown and is spread out through the country. We all manage to stay in
touch and talk at least every week. We grew up with the goal that we would be
able to all love each other and our spouses. We made a pact that our kids had to
be friends as well. I will always be thankful for my parents advice and example to
keep your siblings and parents as your best friends. They always told me that
even if I had no friends at school that I always had my siblings.


8. Return: key insights on the chapters assigned
In this book I learned so much that I felt was very similar to my life in
different ways. I was also able to take things from this book that I can apply to my
own life. In chapter one, it talks about how we need to be ready and prepared
just in case of an emergency. In this book Elder Hales gave an example with his
stories from the Air Force and how it relates to the journey we are taking here on
earth. It was so cool to think about this relation and how this can be related to my
life. Elder Hales tells us about the different Decades. These decades are
preparation, decision, serving, pressing forward, and serving and enduring to the
end. In this life we are really getting ready to meet out maker. We need to
prepare for this time and prepare for eternity. We want to be able to return with
honor. Elder Hales tells us that in order to return with honor we need to know
who we are, which in tells what we believe in and what gives meaning in our own
lives. If we know and believe that we are children of God and remember how
great our worth is we will be able to make decisions that will lead us back to our
maker. We all go through trials in our lives but if we make it through and come
even closer to Christ we will be in the direction we want to be in. We need to
forgive and forget. We need to forgive others and ourselves and then we need to
let go of the past. Elder Hales shared a story about when he was England and he
got the prompting to visit the lady he home taught. We can get caught up in our
own lives and busy schedules but if we take the time to help others and not focus
on ourselves we will be able to more readily hear what the spirit is trying to tell
us. Elder Hales also talked about the light and the darkness. We need to do the
work in order to keep his light or we will be led into Satans darkness. If I keep
moving forward I can keep the light in my life easily. In one chapter he talked
about Daughters of God. It talked about how women can still gain an education
and apply it their lives even if they dont ever end up in the workforce. Serving a
mission can be such a great thing, but Elder Hales tells us that if we dont serve
one as women we will not be any less faithful, dedicated, and more concrete. He
tells us to think of an eternal perspective when we make a decision with study,
prayer, and counsel from others, and taking control of our own destiny. As we
keep moving forward in lives we cannot give up and we need to remember that
the Lord and Savior will help us if we ask him to. We dont take our Lord fro
granted enough. We need to remember that we will always have him even if we
feel alone at all. In a certain chapter, he discuses a financial foundation. This
relates to my life and how my parents have been helping me to control my own
finances. They have always taught me to make wise decisions about needs and
wants. I know that if I dont spend more then what I actually have I will be able to
remain out of debt. I will be so much more grateful in the future when I am not
paying off bills still. From this book and these chapters I was able to gain an even
stronger testimony that our Lord and Savior will always be the person that can be
there for us whenever. I can become closer to him with honor if I give effort and
ask for his helping hand.


9. Career Leader Summary
Even though these assessments took me some time, I was able to learn
more about my self in all three different tests. It says my key interest is creative
production, which means bringing something entirely original to the table. This
can be through a product or a marketing plan. I was excited to see it talked about
marketing, since that is what I plan to major and work in through business. In my
interest results it says creative production, and managing people and teams. This
is so great to me because these both sound so exciting and what would make
me excited in my work. It says I enjoy brainstorming ideas and also leading
teams. Personally, I feel that these are both my strong suits. I have a random
and fun imagination but I also love being in charge and being a leader or role
model.
My key motivators showed as lifestyle as one because if I was to work
when I am married I would want to make sure that I could have time for a family
to be involved in it all. I hope that I can either stay home with my kids or work a
very flexible job so that I can be able to be in my kids lives one hundred percent.
This has and always will be very important in life because I remember as a little
girl my mom stayed home and was able to send us off to school everyday and be
there when we got home. I want this for my family. My second key motivator is
security, which means that I would be secure with a job that pays well. After
having my mom home for a while as I grew up, she had to go back to work for
more money and she was able t provide partly for my family. It was such a
blessing for our family to have her stability in her job. As women we need to be
prepared to get a job at any moment. If something happens to the man, the sole
provider, we need to step up. We need a stable job with a good salary. This is
why it is so important to me because I saw my mom do this same exact thing.
In my skills category my top results are interpersonal effectiveness, power
and influence, analysis and strategic decision making, and bringing management
structure. I am good with working with people and motivating them. I can also
persuade others and build relationships with others. I can identify and analyze
business situations. I can also make goals and accomplish these goals. I would
say that most of these are pretty true. I am a very firmly and outgoing people
person. I can relate well with others very easily as well. I am creative so I can
think of solutions, goals and ideas very well. My key skills are sociability, which
is so true because I can talk with anyone. I can make any awkward situation light
and fun. Another one is oral communication, which are things like public
speaking. The thing is I would love to speak to tons of people but I do get a little
stage fright. I need to work on overcoming the nervousness of it all. My last key
skill is empathy which means I can easily see others points of view, which is also
true because I am not usually the fighter but the mediator.
My career match is marketing and marketing management. This is such
good news to me as it is what I am exactly thinking about doing as a career. I
think that all my skills, interests, and motivators can only help my way in a job
with this match. I see myself in the marketing field and maybe being on the
management side of it. I am excited to see where the business brings me in my
career.


Company Analysis
Macys
Corporate headquarters: Cincinnati, Ohio
Employees: 172,500
Top Competition: Dillards, Inc., J.C. PENNEY CORPORATION, INC.,
SAKS INCORPORATED
Brands: private brands
Key Products: clothing, footwear, accessories, bedding, furniture, jewelry,
and beauty products
Created: 1858
One year employee growth: -1.80%
Key Financials
Fiscal Year-End
January
2014 Sales
27.93B
1- Year Sales Growth
1.4%
2014 Net Income
217,000,000 USD
1- Year Net Income Growth
23%
Total Assets
8.69B
Market Value
$21.44B
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Name recognition
Economies of scale
Strong management
Loyal customers
Brand name is important
Opportunities
Online market offers new
opportunities
Retail innovation could help grow
International expansion
Utility consolidation

Weaknesses
No foreign market
High debt has risks
Domestic market potential
Department store popularity
Threats
Bad economy and consumer
spending
Intense retail competition

Board Members:
Stephen F. Bollenbach, Deirdre P. Connelly, Meyer Feldber, Sara Levinson,
Terry J. Lundgren, Joseph Neubauer, Joyce M. Roche, Paul C. Varga, Craig E.
Weatherup, Marna C. Whittington, Annie Young-Scrivner
Trends Impacting Macys
Private Label Brands Benefits Both Consumers and Retailers
Private label brands are clothing lines that design, produce and distribute with the
retailer. This is a positive thing because they have control over the quality and
the fabrication of garments under those lined so they are able to control the cost
of the good as well. Since they are produced and sold directly to the consumer,


private brands are usually less expensive than brands from third-party
companies.
Credit Card Losses Mitigated Through Partnership With Citigroup
In 2007 it became more difficult for someone to get financing through a method
like borrowing against your home so customers have resorted to their credit
cards to make purchases. This means that their balances are rising on their
credit card bills. Macys is okay though because it shares profits and losses with
Citibank so they dont suffer the full blow with an unpaid credit balance.
Increases in Commodity Prices Will Raise Clothing Retailer Prices
Cotton consumption exceeded cotton production for the fifth year in a row so the
prices increased a lot. The natural disasters that have happened in places with
crop and cotton producer countries such as China, India, and Pakistan mean
they cant export as much cotton. The limited supply has made prices rise with
cotton in them. Retailers have reformed their clothing to have less and less
cotton.

Marissa Belize
Boutique Owner
A La Mode
Is this industry stable, growing, declining? The boutique business is always
in a constant fluctuation with the economy, but is still stable with the everchanging economy by adapting to recessions.
Are there new developments? We definitely see the trends of these times
changing and our boutique is changing with it according to whats hot.
What are the key challenges? The key challenges in most small businesss to
running a boutique are money management and operation mediocrity. Having
poor accounting counts for many owners and managers to loose track of what is
going on inside your business. Marketing is a key in operations to sustain a
growing business.
When and how did they get involved in this line of work? With small
businesses a start cost is the first step in starting your business.
What training/background does one need? On hand experience is a very
good way to see how a business is run. With on the job training individuals learn
how a business is run. Also business classes and/or a degree are a big asset in
understanding the business world.
What do you like most about your job? Owning your own business has its
own advantages with choosing your own hours and being your own boss.
What do you like least? Some days are more stressful than others but having
a constant responsibility on your shoulders has a great strain on many business
owners. Responsibility ranges from operation responsibility to employee
responsibility.
If you were to hire someone to do your job, what qualifications would you
look for? Having an individual with experience and an education has a big
step ahead of their competition. Also individuals who are hardworking, openschedule, dedicated, focused, organized, and puts work above other things.
What opportunities exist for advancement in terms of money,
responsibility, or personal growth? With many different jobs comes different
responsibilities and pay associated with raises, bonuses, and/or job title.
Knowing what you do now, would you approach this career (or job) in the


same way? If not, what would you do differently, and why? Approaching
the job as I have by having experience and always wanting to learn with
schooling will provide successes through all of your endeavors.

Kay Probeyahn
Cosmetic Consultant
Macys
Is this industry stable, growing, declining? This industry is stable.
Are there new developments? There are not really any recently new
developments that he can think of.
What are the key challenges? There are many challenges to running a
cosmetic counter. She thinks the biggest challenge might be just keeping track of
everything that is going on at once.
When and how did they get involved in this line of work? She loved the
makeup Macys sold and new a little bit about the product so she decided to sell
it.
What training/background does one need? A college degree of some sort.
What do you like most about your job? Because she is the set consultant for
that line of cosmetics she has to work while Macys is open.
What do you like least? It is very stressful and it is a lot of hard work. You are
responsible for, and are in charge of your whole section.
If you were to hire someone to do your job, what qualifications would you
look for? She would look for someone who is hardworking, dedicated,
focused, organized, and knows about cosmetics.
What opportunities exist for advancement in terms of money,
responsibility, or personal growth? You can become senior area manager
and get a lot of bonuses.
Knowing what you do now, would you approach this career (or job) in the
same way? If not, what would you do differently, and why? Yes she would
do things the same because she enjoys working at Macys and finds it very
rewarding and satisfying.

Alan Butler
Entrepreneur
You Look Green
Is this industry stable, growing, declining? This industry fluctuates of
growing and declining.
Are there new developments? There are always new developments and
advances in the technology for green products to help the Earth.
What are the key challenges? The biggest challenge would have to be to
keep the customers coming for more. These items can be expensive which is
hard to draw anyone into.
When and how did they get involved in this line of work? He had the idea
for a while to star a business for go green products to help the Earth so he
made his dream a reality one day.
What training/background does one need? A college degree in business
and entrepreneurship.
What do you like most about your job? It is all online so he can choose
when he works online.
What do you like least? It can be stressful making sure the site is always
working and running properly.
If you were to hire someone to do your job, what qualifications would you
look for? He would look for someone who is hard working loves the business
more than he does.
What opportunities exist for advancement in terms of money,
responsibility, or personal growth? There isnt much growth within your own
company.
Knowing what you do now, would you approach this career (or job) in the
same way? If not, what would you do differently, and why? He would have
taken more business classes and entrepreneurship classes to give him more
knowledge.