Andrea Jung Research Paper

How Andrea Jung Became Successful

At your request, I have prepared an informal report about Andrea Jung, who has become a very successful business woman. I was surprised to find out how much I identified with her and found myself wondering how far in my career I would have been had I followed my parents’ advice. Andrea Jung was born in 1959 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her parents moved to Massachusetts after her dad was offered a teaching job at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and that’s where she grew up. Her parents are both Chinese immigrants that moved their children with the dream of providing them with a better education. Both her parents are very educated people and they set high standards for Jung and expected her to work hard for what she wanted and to achieve as much as possible without losing sight of her heritage and values.
She has always stated that she was not a very good student growing up, but her parents would offer something in return for her earning straight A’s.1 Every time she wanted something she knew she would have to study really hard to get it and it’s because of this that she credits her parents with furthering her resolve and ambition.1 While in high school she got involved in extra-curricular activities, especially the student body, she served as class secretary and then president.
After high school, Jung attended Princeton University and earned a BA degree in English Literature. She decided to take a break from school and hoped to attend law school afterwards, but she enjoyed her job so much that she decided that perhaps that was her
calling.1 Jung attended a college career fair and she was hired by Bloomingdale’s for a management-training program. She had at first figured the experience would come in helpful once she started working on her law degree, but she realized that she really enjoyed working in retail. Her parents didn’t agree with her decision of working in the retail business and they saw her choice of career as a waste of a good college education. Jung made a smart move along the way and chose a mentor. Having a mentor was good for Jung as she was very successful and had become the company’s first female vice president. Jung knew she could learn a lot from her and she did. Jung learned that men didn’t see women executives as strong but weak beings and found that the majority of women in the workplace didn’t support other women and it was a tough environment. “Some people just wait for someone to take them under their wing,” she said. “I’ve always advised that they shouldn’t wait. They should find someone’s wings to grab onto.”3 Jung made it a point to become successful and she worked hard at it and didn’t let any misconceptions or put downs get in her way or set her back.3 Jung had other jobs and as she moved she worked her way up the chain. Jung’s outgoing personality was helpful and she made friends and networked with many people in the industry along the way. After Bloomindales’s she worked at I. Magnin, then she went on to work at Neiman Marcus as the executive vice president in charge of merchandizing.1 She learned a lot along the way, especially the importance of a good self image. If she wanted to be successful she had to look successful and she knew how important it was to have a good image. She really enjoyed her work but she was also hungry for a challenge and she found it when she started working as a consultant for Avon. The company’s executives really liked Jung’s ideas as a consultant so they decided to hire her as president of product marketing group for U.S. operations.1 The company found themselves needing a CEO and Jung and three other women thought that they had a good chance of getting picked as they had all worked for the company for quite some time. Unfortunately Avon decided to hire someone from the outside and this was a disappointment because this was a man whom they saw as having no experience in the industry. Not long after though, Mr. Perrin, the current CEO, resigned and opened the door for Jung to step right in. She became Avon’s ninth president and CEO.2 Avon has gone through many changes since Jung came onboard, the products have definitely become more updated and they now target a wide variety of customers. You can see anything from dresses, shoes, purses, items targeting children, and of course beauty products. They have products targeting women of all ages and the prices easily beat prices on high stores.2 One thing that has attracted me to Avon lately is the different campaigns that support important causes. Breast Cancer is one of them, Jung’s grandmother died of breast cancer at the age of 63.2 This was a deep loss for Jung, who recalled, “It was the early Seventies, and the C-word was forbidden in our house. She didn’t want us around her in case it was contagious. There was fear about the subject” (London Times, June 29, 2002).2 The other cause is called, “Empower Women Campaign”, this is an important cause because it fights to end violence against women. Jung has worked hard to get to where she is. She was brought up with good family values and has always made sure her family was not affected by the numerous meetings and business trips she has had to attend. Her family is very important and she has said that she has missed some of her children’s events, but not the important ones.1 Jung was featured in the October 2010 issue of Fortune Magazine and was ranked number 5 among the “50 Most Powerful Women.” She is a great woman and someone I can certainly say I have learned a lot from.