The primary purpose of writing these case study analyzes of The Gap, Inc. is to identify and isolate the key issues and their underlying implications and to offer practical solutions and plans for implementing those solutions. This will be done by highlighting the social influences that influence Gap, Inc.'s marketing strategy, segmentation strategies with respect to distinct retail markets, and positioning strategies that can be used or modified in a retail context, as required in the course assignment (as mentioned in the course module). History, Development and Growth In 1969, Don Fisher opened the first Gap store in direct response to the frustrations he felt as an inconvenient customer. His goal was to provide a classic line of clothing in a wide variety of fits and styles and to make the shopping experience easy and convenient for the customer. (www.gapinc.com). Its unprecedented growth is the direct result of conquering a niche in the apparel market, at a time when The Gap was well positioned to meet the new demands of this "business-casual" trend, introducing other chains to expand its reach. its customer base and aggressive expansion into the global market. Today, Gap, inc. is recognized as one of the largest specialty retailers in the world. It. operates four of the most famous clothing brands on the planet: Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Forth & Towne. (www.gapinc.com). Internal Strengths and Weaknesses The Gap was destined for success from the beginning because the utility of its product mix (Etzel, Stanton, Walker, 2004) was perfect for a specific market segment. The Gap offered a classic line of khaki pants and cotton button-down shirts (p.200), perfect for the new "business-casual" look, and gained a great bra...... middle of paper ..... .Gap needs to carefully examine its expenses and where they occur. It should stop thinking about expansion and focus on its employees and customers. Given the facts surrounding this case and the underlying implications, the Gap could do just these few things and see dramatic improvements. It needs to regain its core market and make better use of its current resources. This will solve most of the problems defined in this particular case. Keep it simple, make it fun! It works in education, business and life! I'm sure it would work for Gap too. Resources: Etzel, M., Stanton, W., & Walker, B. Marketing. 13th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2004. Richardson, J. Marketing. Ed. John E. Richardson. 27th ed. Annual edition. Iowa: McGraw-Hill, 2004. Stone, Brad. "Back to basics." Newsweek: Online publication. 142 August 4, 2003. 36-38. October 8. 2005 .