Research Paper on:
Gap Inc. and Increasing Its Share of the Market

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
an intense but relatively simple business until several decades ago, but it has been growing in its complexity throughout the last half of the 20th century. Increasing competition has  been a primary factor for that increase in complexity, forcing all types of businesses to consistently reduce any margin of error in marketing they may have enjoyed in the past.  Recently, Gap sales in the US have been down in all three sectors of the company. Sales at Gap are down 9 percent, Old Navys are down 14  percent. Banana Republic has lost less ground, but even its sales are down 3 percent. Recent History At Gap, Inc., business  has been slow for some time and some investment analysts are worried that the slowdown heralds a general decline. Others look at Gaps historic performance, current focus and the  state of the industry to conclude that Gap still holds attractiveness for investors. On consecutive business days in July 2000, one analysts downgraded Gap to Hold and forecast a  stock drop to $36, while another upgraded Gap to Buy, predicting stock price gains to a target of $52 (Recent News). It appears  that Gap management understands the need for refocusing its primary brand. It seeks now to be not only a haven for upper-middle-class teens, but also for their parents more  interested in business casual apparel. Gap appears to be embracing both segments as being equally important to its success - teens in the stores, parents online.  Gap sales have declined in recent years, and many investors and analysts alike are fleeing. Gaps performance is still in line with that of its