Required Writing Placement Test

As of the Spring 2003 semester, the College of Management instituted a WRITING PLACEMENT TEST (WPT) for ALL students. The assessment of this test will determine whether a student will be placed in ACM299 or ACM298. Both courses address the integration of critical analysis and communication for managers. ACM298 is a more intensive preparation for the challenges of ACM299. Correct placement will improve your success in your CM courses and enable you to progress more rapidly toward your degree.

It is highly recommend that you take this test as soon as possible. ACM299 is a prerequisite for many of the upper management courses so the results of this test will help your advisor assist you with your long-term schedule .

YOU MUST SIGN UP FOR THE TEST IN ADVANCE. If you have questions or want to sign up for a test, please contact: Basye Hendrix, CM Writing Coordinator at basye.hendrix@umb.edu

NO STUDENT WILL BE PERMITTED TO TAKE ACM 299 WITHOUT HAVING TAKEN THE WPT AND HAVING BEEN PLACED INTO ACM 299!

Outline of the Writing Placement Test (WPT)

• The WPT will be given on the computer (unless the student requests alternative arrangements in advance) and will last two hours.

•No materials will be provided in advance of the test, but sample passages, questions, and essays will be available on the College of Management website and in the College of Management Welcome Center.

• Students may only bring a dictionary.

• Students will be given a short (3-5 page) passage on an aspect of business, either an article or a case, with a question attached. The student is expected to answer the question in approximately two double-spaced pages.

• The WPT is designed to test the following:

-ability to understand the case or article
-ability to analyze the material in response to the question posed
-ability to select and cite evidence from the passage to support the argument
made in the essay
-ability to organize thoughts into clear paragraphs and a logical overall
structure
-ability to express ideas in grammatically correct English
-ability to employ language precisely in a clear, concise style

• The WPT will be graded by faculty members in the College of Management. Via assessment, students will be placed in either ACM299 or ACM298 depending on their writing and analysis needs.

Tips for Takers of the College of Management Writing Placement Test (WPT)

BEFORE THE TEST:
• Read the materials discussing the test (attached) and on the CM website:

-Overview of the WPT
-Grading standards
-Sample case
-Sample essays: ACM 299, ACM 298

• Review the reference guides available on the CM website (http://www.management.umb.edu/undergrad/undergrad_writing.php): “Style Guide”, “Using Quotations”, and “Textual Citations” are the most relevant.

• Think about your own strengths and weaknesses as a writer—talk to a professor, a writing tutor, or the Writing Coordinator about the steps you can take to improve your writing now and in the future.

DURING THE TEST:
• Read the question at the end of the case and make sure you understand what it asks. As you read the case, think about what you read in relation to what the question asks you. The first part of your task in the WPT is to comprehend what you are reading in light of the question.

• Read the case very carefully! Take notes and/or underline important facts, ideas, and aspects of the passage. Focus on those aspects of the case that provide evidence for responding to the question. Your score will be partly determined by how well you are able to analyze the information and the question.

• Make an outline of your essay before you begin writing. Think deeply about what evidence from the case you will use to support the points that you make. Organization is vital!

• Make sure that your essay contains clear, related paragraphs, with a main idea for each, and that every part of your essay responds directly to the question you have been asked.

• Pay close attention to your use of proper grammar, your word choice, and your use of evidence. Use proper citations as well.

• Leave yourself enough time (at least 10 minutes!) at the end of the test—not only to read over your essay and correct mistakes, but also to think about how the parts of your essay connect to each other and serve to reply to the question. Change or remove anything that is too wordy or does not apply to your main idea.

• Focus on quality, not quantity! Long, poorly written essays will not receive as high a score as shorter, carefully written, deeply analytical ones will.

SAMPLE CASE—GAP.COM (2000)

Long before other clothing companies were even considering on-line sales, Gap began developing its on-line strategy, re-examining its structure, and building up key areas that would support its e-venture. While Gap recognized the opportunity the Web offered to make use of customers’ familiarity with and loyalty to its brand, maintaining the value of the brand was Gap's biggest concern as it developed its on-line strategy. Gap launched its first web site, which was purely informational, in December 1996. In November 1997, however, Gap opened an on-line store at www.gap.com, and in 1998, GapKids and BabyGap went on-line, followed, in 1999, by BananaRepublic.com and oldnavy.com.
Staying ahead of industry trends had long been a key to Gap’s success; the company reinvented itself several times, introducing new brands and becoming synonymous with high-value, casual style. While it had seen downturns, Gap had largely escaped the typical cycles of the fashion industry, and had grown faster than the industry itself. In the first years of Gap’s on-line expansion, analysts estimated that it sold more on the Web than did any other clothing retailer.

COMPANY BACKGROUND
In 1969, Don Fisher, a 41-year-old real estate developer, and his wife Doris opened the first Gap store in San Francisco. The company took its name from the "generation gap" and targeted the late-teen customer. Fisher sought to build his brand around a single product – Levi's jeans – which he offered in more styles and sizes than consumers could get elsewhere. The Levi's strategy was an early hit, and the Fishers expanded – by the end of 1970, there were six Gap stores. Six years later, with 204 units, Gap went public.
In 1974, Gap introduced private-label (“Gap”) clothing brands to avoid price-based competition with larger retailers. Private-label clothing gave Gap control over the entire supply chain; it owned or oversaw product development from concept to customer and could control its prices and thus compete on product and brand image rather than price.

In 1983, Millard (Mickey) Drexler joined the company as president of Gap Stores. He extended Gap’s reach by acquiring Banana Republic in 1983 and opening the first GapKids store, in 1986. In 1987 Gap opened its first international store, in London. In 1989, GapKids launched the BabyGap line of infant and toddler clothing. In 1991, Gap stopped selling Levi’s (which represented less than 2% of sales at the time) and moved to private-label-only products. In 1994, Gap introduced the Old Navy brand. Drexler sought to reposition Gap as a global brand, rather than just a retailer.

With its multiple brands, Gap sought to divide the market; each brand represented a unique image and aimed for a distinct demographic. Casual, basic styles were aimed at the middle market. Although Gap’s main focus was still the college-age customer (more female than male), it also targeted teens and 25–to-35 year-olds. Banana Republic offered more stylized products to an older, wealthier consumer. Old Navy targeted families, and offered fashionable, value-oriented clothing to the bargain-minded consumer. In April 2000, the Gap Inc. divisions had 3,145 stores, and Gap Inc. accounted for approximately 5% of all clothing dollars spent in the U.S. Although same-store sales growth slowed at Gap stores in 1999, as a result, some analysts believed, of Old Navy's success, most analysts were confident that Gap’s aggressive plans for new stores, the successful Old Navy format, and Drexler’s consistent ability to reinvent Gap, would continue the company’s historical success. Thirty years after entering the retailing industry, Gap had an established, prominent position in the specialized retail clothing industry, and consistently achieved among the highest margins in the industry.

ON-LINE APPAREL SALES IN 1999
Although, by the end of 1999, on-line apparel sales had not grown as quickly as on-line sales of books or CDs, they were rising steadily. Sales estimates for 1998 on-line apparel sales ranged from $330 million to $460 million, and expectations for 1999 sales ranged from $642 million to $1.4 billion and for $20 billion by 2003 (7% of total apparel sales). While analysts expected e-commerce to shift rather than expand overall sales, individual companies hoped that effective web selling would attract new customers and steal market share from competitors.

In addition to potentially gaining market share, retailers believed that the Internet could let them solidify their brands, improve customer relationships, serve markets that could not support a store, and cut costs. Bricks and mortar [traditional retail] companies could use the web to cut costs in several ways. The typical department store could use the Internet as a distribution channel to reduce costs in selling and support services, service and operations, and property and equipment. Although the Internet might lower cost for traditional retailers, those with on-line stores as well appeared to have advantages over pure Internet retailers. Retailers could sell more it they reached consumers through multiple channels — 50% of consumers who bought from the same company on-line and in stores spent more than when they shopped only at stores. Surveys indicated that many on-line users were afraid to make a purchase on the Web. These fears were reduced when off-line brands had an advantage as they went on-line because consumers already trusted these brands. Moreover, traditional retailers could satisfy this need, whereas Internet-only competitors could not.

FOR EVERY GENERATION, THERE’S A GAP
Gap began to consider the appropriate e-commerce initiative in 1996. Gap introduced its individual brands' web sites over time: gap.com was introduced with e-commerce capabilities in 1997; the other brands followed over the next two years. By early 2000 only oldnavy.com was not e-commerce functional. For Old Navy, Gap did not launch a sales-based site until after the 1999 holiday season because Gap wanted to ensure that the Old Navy web site met its high standards. Gap designed each brand’s web site to look and feel like the brand’s retail locations. The on-line stores offered customers more sizes and products than most retail locations did. The web site also offered products that were available only in select retail locations (e.g., GapBody). Prices on-line were comparable to bricks and mortar stores (though without sales tax), and customers could return products to stores.

Gap web sites used technology to enhance the customer experience - for example, customers could easily compare sizes for different cuts and styles and there were multiple ways to navigate; customers could also create “wish lists”. This technology gave Gap extensive customer data, including where customers lived, when they accessed the site, how long and how often they visited the site, what products they selected, and how much they spent – data that Gap had never been able to get through its stores.

PROMOTING GAP.COM
Gap geared promotions for its web sites, both on-line and off, to drive customer registration and collect e-mail addresses. As incentives it often offered discounts and contests. Cash registers at Gap and Banana Republic promoted the on-line store and ran promotions that allowed customers to register by filling out a form at one of its stores. Gap used this contact information to send customized e-mails to registered users promoting new arrivals, specials, and other promotional events, as well as offering a birthday and gift reminder service. The e-mail promotions increased on-line sales. Out of its 1998 advertising budget of $400M (4.4% of total sales), Gap spent approximately 3M on gap.com ads on the Web, and many offline Gap promotions included the gap.com URL to further awareness. In addition to using the formidable offline Gap marketing power, the company began pursuing distribution partnerships with major web brands. In 1999, Gap aggressively stepped up Web partnership efforts: in August, a three-year deal was signed with AOL to promote the Gap brands; in November a joint marketing promotion between gap.com and e-toys, as well as a partnership with CD Now, began.

CLICKS AND MORTAR
Gap executives believed that clothing was a product uniquely suitable to benefit from a multi-channel strategy. Gap saw its stores not as an obstacle, as many Internet sellers claimed, but as a key asset that it could use to give consumers a complete shopping experience. Consumers benefited in several ways when an established bricks and mortar retailer pursued a multi-channel strategy:
• ?Return Policy: Whereas with Internet-only companies customers had to mail back products that didn’t fit, they could return products to any Gap store if they bought through Gap on-line.
• ?Alterations: Consumers could bring anything they bought at the Banana Republic web site or catalog to any Banana Republic store for free alterations.
• ?Trusted Brand: Customers were more comfortable buying Gap’s well-established brand and reputation on-line. Traditional merchants’ customer retention rates were also 10 to 20 percentage points higher than those of on-line-only competitors.
• ?Pre-Shopping: Many customers liked to research products on the Web, and then buy at a bricks and mortar store.
• ?In-store promotions: Gap used several strategies to utilize its stores to increase website traffic, including Gap’s ‘surf.shop.click’ posters and Web lounges in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Aspen.

SUPPORTING THE NEW CHANNEL
Initially, the on-line unit was set up as a sub-unit of the Gap division, but in third quarter 1998, the company made the decision to break out a new division, Gap Inc. Direct. Its responsibilities included the on-line properties for Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy and the new catalog business that began with the return of the Banana Republic catalog in Fall ’99 and was to be followed with catalogs for Old Navy and Gap. Analysts estimated that in the first 24 months, a traditional retailer’s Web initiative could easily cost more than $30 million. Since Gap’s existing distribution system was set up to ship large quantities of merchandise to retail locations, it had to develop a pick, pack, and ship operation to ship individual items directly to customers. Gap initially set up the on-line distribution operations within existing distribution centers, but, shortly after the launch of the Gap web site, it established separate warehouses for the on-line unit. Gap also needed to develop customer support operations. Before the Internet, Gap had dealt with customers and handled problems exclusively in its retail stores. To support its on-line unit, Gap launched its first 800-number and staffed a full-scale call center.

RESULTS
While Gap did not report on-line sales and overall brand sales separately, analysts estimated that gap.com sales for the year ending September 1, 1999 fell between $80 and $100 million. These figures were a significant jump from the $20 million that analysts estimated Gap sold on-line in 1998. Gap.com captured between 7 and 15 percent of total Internet clothing sales, in addition to the already formidable 5 percent of store-based sales that Gap controlled. Industry observers wondered whether Gap’s on-line strategy would be a source of sustainable competitive advantage. In some ways, Gap seemed particularly well positioned to pursue a “clicks and mortar” strategy. For example, while many apparel retailers were concerned about high numbers of product returns from their on-line operations, Gap claimed that returns on its on-line sales were approximately the same as for store purchases. Most people knew their size for Gap clothes, and the casual clothes that Gap sold were less size-sensitive than higher-end brands. Moreover, Gap owned its retail outlets and felt that it could manage conflict between its on-line and offline channels. Would this give Gap an advantage over manufacturers who did not have their own retail distribution channels?

1. According to the case above, which factors have had the greatest impact on the success of Gap’s on-line sales strategy? Support your answer with analysis, examples and evidence from the case.

Sample “ACM 299” Essay

1. According to the case above, which factors have had the greatest impact on the success of Gap’s on-line sales strategy? Support your answer with analysis, examples and evidence from the case.

The Gap has had a lot of success in selling things over the Internet. Probably the fact that Gap is a famous brand is the most important reason why, although many other factors—good management, good planning, and good marketing—they have helped.

The Gap was founded in 1969 in San Francisco, its name refers to the “generation gap”, the differences between older or younger people. The company have expanded greatly since then. Now Gap includes other stores, to, like Banana Republic and Old Navy, plus GapKids and BabyGap. Now the company had 3,145 stores. Because the company turns out high-quality products at reasonable prices, it has became very popular especially for college women and teenager. Having different brands makes it easy to sell to different kinds of people: “With its multiple brands, Gap sought to divide the market; each brand represented a unique image and aimed for a distinct demographic.” (Page 1). Gap now makes 5% of all clothing sales in the United States and sells clothes in others countries.

This factor is important because people have to trust when they buy thins off the Internet. The article says that trust for on-line buying, it is a difficult thing for companys to develop. Which is something Gap has done well. When a person always shops at a particular store they start to trust the store, the name, the products. This is partly how Gap has been able to sell so many clothes: “Gap.com captured between 7 and 15 percent of total Internet clothing sales.” (Page 4). My family, we always shop at the Gap for Christmas, since we know we will always get good clothings and stuff there. I like to go to Old Navy, too. I would certainly buy things online from Gap.com, too, because I trust the name.

And because people trust the name, they pay attention for things about the Internet that they find in the real stores, too. The article says that the stores make a lot of advertisings for the website, which helps customers to go to the website and to buy products, That is one good result of having a good name. People buy more from the website and stores together then they will buy if there wasn’t an Internet store also: “50% of consumers who bought from the same company on-line and in stores spent more than when they shopped only at stores.” (Page 2) So if people like the products and go to the stores, the website business increases, too.

In conclusion, the case about Gap.com shows us how important it is to have many customers and a good reputation. When a company already has those things and then the company tries to sell things on the website. People like Gap products, there are many different Gap brands, people trust the company, and they find out a lots of thing about gap.com in Gap stores. That is why Gap.com has make so much money.

Commentary:
This essay is logically and clearly organized, but the writer goes “off track” at points. Citations from the case are perhaps too sparing and not properly cited. The writer’s analysis is a bit superficial at times, not always clearly answering the question “why” and focusing on only one factor (although the question asks for more than one). The writing style is at times too informal. The grammar of this essay is weak at times, displaying problems with subject-verb agreement, tense, singular/plural usage, and clause construction.

Sample “ACM 298” Essay

1. According to the case above, which factors have had the greatest impact on the success of Gap’s on-line sales strategy? Support your answer with analysis, examples and evidence from the case.

Gap is a famous store. Many peoples shops there. I think that the case above, it tells us muchly about why Gap can sold so many clothings in Internet.

One reason, it has a well-know name. Gap stores are everywhere and people see commercial for Gap, Old Navy. This stores makes a lot of money. Everybody that I know own somethings buying at Gap. The case says that there are very many Gap stores, there are 3145 Gap stores in 2000. Such as, Gap, Old Navy, Banna Republic, GapKids, BabyGap. That is why people know the name.

But I think that they really don’t have the right cloths. If you are looking for something fancy for a party you won’t get at Gap. People will go to internet for party clothes maybe but won’t buy from Gap. People won’t buy things on the internet that they don’t want either. So Gap will have this problem.

Another reason, Gap has many brand. They can sell to many differents kind people. Because every groups of people, they can buy this clothes. Most of people know the Gap, even people outside of USA know Gap. This is true because of many different brands.

Another reason, Gap uses many promotions to make people to know about the Internet. In all of stores, they give informations and discounts and special offers with website of Gap. So many person goes to Gap.com, buys stuffs, and makes Gap rich. The company, they sold 80-100 million dollars of clothes on the web. This is a sign that they did good.

In conclusion, Gap has good name, Gap has many brand, and Gap has many promotions. These factors, they make Gap.com very succeed as a business.

Commentary:
This essay displays some clear organization, but the writer does not stay focused on the topic. There is little separation between ideas and little attempt to understand the question as a coherent whole. The author has not analyzed either the case or the question in any depth and does not use any citations from the passage. The grammar of this essay is exceptionally poor, displaying consistent problems with subject-verb agreement, tense, singular/plural usage, parallel structure, parts of speech, verb forms, and clause construction. The language used is simplistic and repetitive.

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