Environmental Analysis

Camp Fire USA Environmental Analysis

Jenna Hill

University of Phoenix

MBA/580

Tom Shepherd

December 4, 2007

Camp Fire USA was founded in 1910 as the first nonsectarian, interracial organization for girl in the United States. Through looking at the future and forecasting the future Camp Fire has been able to effectively develop programs that have allowed them to change to adapt to new strategies for almost 100 years. In 1975 Camp Fire recognized the needs of boys to be included in the program and became Camp Fire Boys and Girls. Today 46% of the children served by Camp Fire are boys. Through monitoring and analyzing these types issues Camp Fire has been able to evolve into the organization it is today. By continuing to monitor the forces and trends that shape today's world Camp Fire will be able to be proactive in developing programs that will fit the needs of the changing world of which we operate.

Refine the analysis of the forces and trends

Economic Forces and Trends in the Camping Industry

When performing an environmental scan on Camp Fire three environments that be considered in order to develop a rounded view; the entire remote, or global environment, the industry in which the organization competes, and the internal environment within the organization. "The remote environment comprises factors that originate beyond, and usually irrespective of, any single firm's operating situation: (1) economic, (2) social, (3) political, (4) technological, and (5) ecological factors," (Pearce and Robinson, 2007, p 79).

As a not for profit organization Camp Fire constantly struggles with the areas of economic factors and social changes when it comes to trends as economic health determines the amount of disposable income that is available to spend on leisure activities, and social trends determines the need for programs that are offered. According to the University of Phoenix (2007), the importance of economic indicators to the strategic planning process is through the ability to benchmark economic conditions that contribute to improving profitability and growth, declining profitability and losses in market share, and the production of economic losses.

Because consumption patterns are affected by the relative affluence of various market segments, each firm must consider economic trends in the segments that affect its industry. On both the national and international level, managers must consider the general availability of credit, the level of disposable income, and the propensity of people to spend. Prime interest rates, inflation rates, and trends in the growth of the gross national product are other economic factors they should monitor. (Pearce and Robinson, 2007, p 79)

As the price of oil continues to raise the cost of many other goods and services also rise, which leads to a decrease in the amount of disposable income. The Us Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis states that for the first quarter of 2004, personal disposable income increased by 5.8%, 6% in the second quarter, 4.2 in the third quarter with a jump to 11.2 in the fourth quarter while the first quarter of 2005 showed only a .9% increase. The Commerce Department recently reported "in 2005 Americas' personal savings rate was a whopping -0.5%. The average American spent all of their disposable income (the money left after paying taxes) and had to increase their borrowing or dip into previous savings," (Hanson, 2006). When a family experiences a decrease in disposable income the willingness to buy (spend) on leisure activities decreases. In order to continue to compete for the shrinking percentage of disposable income available to families The Heart of the Hawkeye Council of Camp Fire must be able to not only provide quality programs, but be able to help the public understand the value of camping programs. Through determining how and why camping programs make a difference in people's lives and articulating the results and outcomes of camping programs camping experiences will become viewed as a necessity rather than a luxury.

Social Forces and Trends in the Camping Industry

Since the 1950's there has been a change in social attitudes which have allowed women to join the working force in record numbers. During the 1970's and 80's the percentage of women who joined the workforce was phenomenal. According to the US Department of Labor, Women's Bureau in 2006, Of the 118 million women age 16 years and over in the U.S., 70 million (almost 60%) were labor force participantsÐ'--working or looking for work. It was also noted that Women comprised 46% of the total U.S. labor force and are projected to account for 47% of the labor force in 2014.

This trend has provided both opportunities and threats to the Camp Fire organization. As more women have joined the workforce there has been an increase in the demand for before and after school programs as well as programs for children when there is no school.

One of the most profound social changes in recent years has been the entry of large numbers of women into the labor market. This has not only affected the hiring and compensation policies and the resource capabilities of their employers; it has also created or greatly expanded the demand for a wide range of products and services necessitated by their absence from the home. (Pearce and Robinson, 2004, p. 80)

On the other hand this has created a threat to the available club programming as mothers join the workforce the time available to volunteer to lead groups has decreased. Though we have many children who are interested in being in groups there are simply not enough adults willing to volunteer their time to lead a group.

This trend has shown up in the camping industry in relationship to the number of children attending day camps during the summer, in the last ten years the Heart of the Hawkeye Council has opened eleven new day cap sites throughout the Des Moines and have offered transportation to the original two day camp sites in Boone and Ames. "Twenty and thirty years ago parents were more comfortable letting kids roam the neighborhood from morning until dinner. Today they want their kids supervised, and preferably supervised in a learning environment," (Ronan, 2007)

Camp Fire is in a prime position to offer parents more than a day care setting for their children. Through offering enriching before and after school programs as well as programs that are offered when school is not in session Camp Fire will