Graduation Speech: Its Been Fun :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Hello students, faculty, members of the school board, Superintendent, and parents. When I was first told that I was going to be the speaker for graduation, I was overcome. I was overcome with pride and excitement, as I'm sure we all are today as we close this chapter on our lives, but most of all, I was overcome with a feeling. A feeling that I have fooled you all into electing a Canadian to speak on this very important occasion. (Canadian Accent) I bet about now, you are all finally realizing just what it is you've done, eh? But it's too late, eh? I can't be stopped.... (Drape Canadian flag over top of podium) The rich history of Canada is a very long and interesting one. One that begins in the early years of. ...(Trail off and give a moment of thought)" **remove flag" or better yet have someone do it for you.) Seriously though, after I got over my initial reaction, I realized that this was going to be a very difficult undertaking. So I did what any teen-age boy would do in a similar situation. I turn to my friends! I received two pieces of advice that not only helped me with the situation at hand, but I feel will be the predominant source of motivation for the next big step in my life and everything that follows thereafter. These two pieces of advice were. (Hold up palms with numbers inked on them) No. 1: Don't Screw up! No. 2: Be Funny! Obviously after these two gems of advice, I was prepared to write a stunning and powerful speech that will remain with every one of us till the day we die. Or at least until one of the real speakers come up here and says something meaningful. It's hard to believe that we'll all be leaving this place finally. It is even harder to believe that from now on, we're going to pretty much have to fend for ourselves. I think that whether we know it or not, we've gained a lot of the tools that we'll need to make it out there, right here at Welch. Personally, I've learned some of the most important messages of my life within these hallowed halls. I've learned that it's important to walk the road less traveled, because after a while, running down freshman in the packed hallways just loses some of its appeal.

Nordstrom Essay

The economic crisis that started in 2007 affected the business of upscale department stores countrywide. Upscale department stores understand that the items they sell are considered discretionary items, so when there is an economic downturn, they are one of the first industries to be hit. When looking over the Nordstrom Annual Reports from the last few years, there are two things evident: this company has a lasting strategy and they work hard to continuously evolve this strategy. Their strategy includes constantly evaluating risks in the market such as economic conditions, competitive market forces, availability of merchandise, and growth. With an incredible sense to stay ahead of the trends, minimize turnover time, and serve their customers with an uncanny ability, they have easily become one of the top department stores in the country. Nordstrom’s core strength revolves around their customer-first attitude, customer loyalty and their aptitude for merchandising. Going forward we want to be more than just customer focused. Instead, we’re working to become a truly customer-driven organization. †[1] One way Nordstrom is working to become more customer-driven is by building upon their multi-channel system. This multi-channel network, known as Nordstrom Direct, is made up of their online site, and catalog. Over the past three years, Nordstrom has made great strides to ensure that they are fulfilling the needs and desires of all customers. â€Å"We believe online and ecommerce represent our next big opportunities. Within two years more customers will access the Internet via their phone than their computers. We’re responding†[2] All of the effort put into the improvement of the system is showing clear results in the financials. The economic recession was felt all over the U. S. including Nordstrom, however they were able to experience an 8. 4% increase in Nordstrom Direct sales during the 2008 fiscal year. [3] Along with improving Nordstrom Direct, an immense amount of effort is being devoted to both the full-line stores and the Nordstrom Rack. Not only has the number of stores expanded over the last few years with a growth of sixteen new stores in 2009 and twenty in 2010, they are capitalizing on their merchandising. Nordstrom takes immense pride in their buyers and the work that these buyers have done over the last few years at the core of the company. They ensure that they are maximizing merchandise flexibility to maintain trends and to evolve with the customers and their ever-changing wants. Merchandise is now as current as it’s ever been, and there is a steady, fresh flow of fashion in and out of the store with a quick turnover system that has been set in place. Customer loyalty is one of the top ways Nordstrom keeps their customers coming back. The relationship with a Nordstrom employee and the customer is a two-way street. The company makes their priorities known and their customers are loyal to them because of it, responding in a very positive way to the services provided. Employees pride themselves on their relationships with customers and ability to provide them with an enjoyable shopping experience. Nordstrom was fortunate to maintain themselves as a company through the 2008 crisis, with a maximum decline of 12. % in sales and a quick rebound. By 2010 they had increased in-store sales by 8. 1% and set a record-breaking sales number at $9. 31 billion. The right strategy and actions performed in the right circumstances will produce growth, and this is what Nordstrom continues to experience with their customer service strategies. â€Å"We plan to keep a steady focus on our customers. We follow, first and foremost, a customer strategy at Nordstrom — not a price, brand, technology or any other corporate strategy. †

The Starbucks Effect Essay

The Starbucks Brand Example in Academic Works Starbucks is among the brands that everyone recognizes easily. And as every huge and successful brand, Starbucks has its interesting and unique story. Students often get the task to write an essay, research or a case study on the Starbucks effect and its impact not only on competitors and the coffee market but also on the economic aspect of the housing market in American neighborhoods. Below is an example of how an essay about the Starbucks effect should look like. The Starbucks Effect: How a Successful Brand Can Turn Everything Around Starbucks is without a doubt the most popular coffeehouse in the world. This brand has come a long way from a small coffee shop to the global chain where every person can try the delicious premium coffee. The history of this beyond successful coffee production business started in the US in 1971 with a somehow literature collaboration. Firstly, the founders were two teachers and a writer, and secondly, the brand was called after one of the characters in the famous novel Moby Dick. Starbucks was the captain assistant and the sea wolf. By the way, the brand’s logo is connected to the sea, too – it shows a beautiful siren capable of putting deadly charms on sailors. The sea theme was intended to highlight the fact that coffee is brought from the far lands. The business was growing step by step, and more and more coffeehouses were opened. In 1987, the former employee bought the chain, and in a year, the company began its marketing campaign by sending catalogs to people. This helped to increase the chain to 33 coffeehouses in different states. In 1996 the first international Starbucks was opened in Japan. Now the company claims to be a coffeehouse chain of quick service. Customers can also order breakfasts and lunches. People can just relax in one of the coffeehouses, work in a cozy atmosphere or have a meeting with business partners in an informal place. Visitors can order some music among more than 200 tracks and even buy a CD with the songs they liked. The cost of such a service is $9. Starbucks also arranges tastings in nursing homes and hospitals, buys coffee from the third world countries for market prices and helps farmers implement eco-friendly technologies. Having decided that coffee business is not enough, the owners went further and initiated a number of other products: Offering coffee at the United Airlines planes; Selling premium quality tea through their affiliate company Tazo Tea; Using the Internet to offer their customers order coffee online; Making coffee ice-cream with the Dreyer Company; Supplying ground coffee and coffee beans at supermarkets such as Wal-Mart, etc. The Starbucks Effect All those and more things have brought Starbucks to being the number one coffee place and increased their sales big time. The demand curve for more Starbucks stores opened close people’s homes is. Real estate specialists Spencer Rascoff and Stan Humphries have even found the connection between a house price and the nearness of a Starbucks store.   They claim   that if there is a Starbucks store in the neighborhood, the prices tend to go higher. So, if there is a Starbucks in a neighborhood, expect the costs to be higher just because (when the market is in equilibrium, of course). So, Starbucks is a great example of a big successful business that gained its popularity mostly by word of mouth. It seems to get more popular every year, and its sales haven’t decreased since the beginning (apart from the recession periods). Now it’s a place in every good neighborhood where you can see businessmen get espresso, hipsters drink their mourning cappuccino, yoga instructors have an after training latte and freelancers take their unhealthy quantity of drinks in a row. You can see people of different age, social status, and behavior here. It’s a place that has come from marginal profits to shops selling coffee and different goods in 55 countries serving more than 20 millions of consumers every week. This example shows that hard work and good marketing recourses can result in something so big and successful, even with curves in a road to triumph.