Dollar General Corporation Essay Example for Free

Dollar General Corporation Essay Abstract Dollar General Corporation is United States largest small-box discount retailer headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee [1]. Dollar General offers both name brand products and generic merchandise [2]. Its competitors include Family Dollar, Dollar Tree which also operate in deep discount segment of US retailing. The following case study discusses about the various political, economic, social and technological forces that Dollar General have faced and their impact on the company. The report also talks about the critical success factors of Dollar General. The report is concluded by summary of key learning’s from the case study. PEST Analysis for Dollar General Political: In the year of 2006, Janet Calvert, a former store manager, filed a complaint that she was paid less than the male storage managers because of her gender, in violation of the Equal Pay Act and title VII of Civil Rights act of 1964. There were other plaintiffs which were added to this case. This case resulted in Dollar General reaching a settlement in principle, by which it would pay $15.5 million to the plaintiffs and their legal charges costing around $3.25 million. The company was expected to receive reimbursement of $15.9 million from its Employment Practices Liability Insurance if these payments were approved by the court. This case did impact Dollar General Approach towards pay setting policies and procedures for new store managers [3]. Economic: During the recession period from 2007-2009, the customers of Dollar stores suffered from unemployment and lower purchasing power. And even the people from higher income brackets started purchasing the dollar store products fo r seeking larger bargains. This led to the increase in the customer traffic and larger sales for Dollar stores. Dollar general  captivated upon this scenario and continually reviewed its merchandise mix, and adjusted it accordingly. It expanded its offerings of consumable goods to serve customers’ needs and increased its sales [3]. Dollar General captured trade-down shoppers who came from middle and higher level of incomes (who generally had not shopped at dollar stores for all these years, but came during the recession to find bargains). Over the time the company adjusted its pricing strategy for items by pricing it from $1 to no more than $10. And managers of this company also believed that the company’s ability to attract customers of varying economic status depends on offering both national and store brands [3]. This way Dollar General was able to satisfy the customers of varying economic status, which resulted in more sales and profit for the company. Social: Consumer psychology during the recession period was to get the products at a lower price and the store to be available at a convenient distance (not too far). During this time Dollar General varied its price from $1 to no more than $10 and offered consumable goods at a very reasonable price. And it has also opened new stores within the reach of 3 to 5 miles, so that every customer is able to get easy access to their neighbourhood store [3]. This resulted in satisfying customer’s need as well as increasing company’s sales. Technology: During the year 2008 when the cost of the fuel increased, the Dollar General’s distribution costs went up and the company’s gross profit was affected. In order to mitigate this problem, the company completed the installation of a voice pick system by the year 2010 in all the distribution centres, so that the employees in the distribution centres can communicate with warehouse software systems by speech recognition [3]. This was a good strategic move by the company as its use is expected to increase rapidly over the next few years with evolving technological advancements. The company also installed new analytical and monitoring tools to assist with inventory shrinkage reduction efforts [3], which was a major part of company’s effort to increase gross margin. CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS’s for Dollar General In this case for instance, good leadership and management was a CSF for Dollar General. As we can see that, there was major expansion of business activities and stores with the entry of David Perdue (the company’s new  general manager) in the year 2003. In addition, the company through his leadership also initiated Project Alpha, which was based on extensive analysis of performance of each store and the company’s inventory management model. Few of the structural changes that company undergone during this project include shutting down over 400 underperforming stores and writing off old inventory. These strategic alignments have been the major part of company’s CSF, as it was able to focus more on most viable stores and new inventories which have led the company into high effectiveness in their business activities [4]. Moreover, the company specialized in low, middle and fixed income families as their major customers. This has been used as the company’s CS F, as this group forms the largest proportion in the market. Even though the purchasing power of this category is low when compared to the higher segments in U.S. but their huge population is a contributory factor for success of the company [4]. Dollar General Social responsibility Rick Dreiling, Chairman and CEO of Dollar General, explained the company’s commitment towards literacy through the Dollar General Literacy Foundation program. The company actively engages customers in a way: â€Å"At each and every cash register of a Dollar General store, customers get to learn about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation program through brochures with a postage-paid reply card that can be mailed in for a referral to a local organization that offers exclusively free literacy services. Further, they also have the opportunity to donate money to this worthy cause. In 2012, Dollar General Customers donated more than $10 million to directly benefit the Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s efforts in helping people learn how to read, speak English or get their General Education Diploma (GED) [5].† Key learning’s from the case From this case one can clearly understand that Dollar General played its cards right. When there was recession, the company retained its regular customers and attracted new customers by adjusting sales mix in order to drive more customer traffic and larger purchases. It expanded its stores by taking the advantage of weak real estate market to lower its operating costs for future years. Careful management of merchandise categories had allowed  Dollar General to increase its same-store sales. Private label brands during recession helped increase the growth of the company. These all strategic moves which were made under efficient leadership and management transformed the company into a leader in the dollar store retail sector with sales of more than $13 billion by 2011 [3]. References [1] Dollar General, Retrieved October 11 2014, http://www2.dollargeneral.com/About-Us/pages/Index.aspx [2] Dollar General, Retrieved October 11 2014, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_General [3] Parnell, John A. (2014). Strategic Management: Theory and Practice. 4th edition. SAGE Publications. [4] Dollar General Case Memo Marketing Essay, Retrieved October 11 2014, http://www.ukessays.com/essays/marketing/dollar-general-case-memo-marketing-essay.php [5] Amway, GM, and Dollar General among corporations making ‘Good’ A Goal, Retrieved October 10 2014, http://www.forbes.com/sites/devinthorpe/2013/08/29/amway-gm-and-dollar-general-among-corporations-making-good-a-goal/2/

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Global Warming Global warming has become on of the most controversial issues in the media today. While most of the Western world countries have generally accepted the premise that man's chemical emissions in the atmosphere can and are affected by the world’s climate patterns, in the United States, the issue has become so politicized with many republicans challenging the science behind the theory. Global warming is a greenhouse effect whereby gases are trapped on the earth’s surface causing it to heat up (Maslin 14). It is based on the worldwide temperature records that have been maintained by human beings through their activities since the 1880,s. In addition, global warming is not only caused by human activities only but also through climate changes in solar radiance. The problem is that, humans continue to contribute to the global warming phenomenon. All citizens should work in reducing human activities that cause global warming and also support the development of nuclear power. S cientists deem that, global warming is mainly caused by human activities which accelerate the natural process by creating greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Human activities have become a great contribution to the greenhouse effect and this means that climate changes are inevitable. They further argue that, if these activities continue and are not reduced, it will lead to more trapping of energy radiated from the earth and this will likely lead to extreme weather and global warming. Global warming should be at reduced levels or else, it will be catastrophic. Climatologists are scientist who study climate. The global warming debate has created tension between climate scientist and meteorologists especially weather forecasters on television. Climatolo... ...tarts producing more heat than the cooling system is able to cool, the entire power system can fail. Media coverage of such cases have made the public less comfortable with the idea of moving further towards nuclear power and they only opt for reducing human activities to reduce global warming. It is true that there have been some notable disasters involving nuclear power, but compared to other power systems, nuclear power has an impressive track record. First, it is less harmful and second, it will be able to cater for the growing world population. Nuclear power produces clean energy and it delivers it at a cost that is competitive in the energy market (Patterson). According to the US Energy Information Administration, there are currently 65 such plants in the Unite States (National Research Council). They produce 19 percent of the total US energy generation.

My Little Pony Essay

There has been a recent social development concerning a very well-known series of toys, and a cartoon that has been airing for decades; namely, My Little Pony. Hasbro has marketed the line of toys since the early 1980s and along with that, created a cartoon, targeted toward toddlers and young girls. The cartoon has aired many different generations and adaptations of the show from 1984 to present. Since then, My Little Pony has been popular among the younger female audiences. (Bellis 1) A following has emerged with the creation of a new adaptation of the cartoon, called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The following originated from the internet; in particular, on internet forums where people discuss cartoons. The following figure shows the amount of threads per days posted between just October 2010 and February 2011. However, these posts have not been made from young girls, like the supposed target audience Hasbro has aimed for, but from older men and women, ranging from young adults to full-grown adults. Male fans of the show have begun to call themselves ‘bronies’ as a name that combines the word ‘bro’ and ‘pony’. Females have picked up the term ‘pegasisters’ as a more female term to describe a fan of the new series. There are many people that have noticed the increase in popularity of the show through media like news channels and internet articles. These people exert differing perspectives on why exactly older audiences have decided to create a massive subculture in the realm of My Little Pony. The first perspective comes from the perception begun by people who aren’t fans of the new My Little Pony series. ‘Looking in’ from ‘outside’ the following, they view it as juvenile, and as they notice the increase of male fans of the show, quickly gather the opinion that male fans of My Little Pony are using the show to suppress homosexual thoughts due to the feminine qualities of the show. A second perspective, made by males and females, usually ones who are fans of the cartoon, claim that they legitimately enjoy it because they find it clever, witty, funny, and cute. A relevant third perspective is that the cultural reemergence has come from the irony built into the juxtaposition of a show that has primarily targeted towards young females, and the unexpected older male following. The viewpoint that fans of the show are juvenile and that male fans are homosexual is to be expected. In a society where the term ‘gay’ was once popularly considered to mean ‘un-cool’, or ‘stupid’, there’s no doubt that there would be an attack on something that combined a male and a subject that is targeted toward females. Chuck D. Finley puts this viewpoint into an easy-to-read perspective in his article entitled: The My Little Pony Abomination: What is a Bronie and Why They Make God Cry. In this article, he states: â€Å"The sad fact is that many fathers today wish to spend time with their children, they will sit down to watch the cartoon with their daughters. And that is when they have got you. † Other statements in his article include name-calling and blatant hate for anything regarding following of the cartoon. Not only does this article ridicule the following for My Little Pony, but it radicalizes a level of dislike towards others who enjoy the show. Another viewpoint comes from the fans and their love for the cartoon. Of course, they are aware of themselves and of how popular the show is becoming. To contrast from a wide belief held by people who hold the previous perspective, this perspective doesn’t only include male fans. It also includes females. Nor does this perspective hold a gender stereotype upon itself on the reason why an older audience adores the new My Little Pony series. The viewpoint is rather simple, they like the cartoon because they enjoy it. People who watch the cartoon find the characters funny, clever, and relatable. (SquadSix)The creator of the current generation of My Little Pony, Lauren Faust, helped to support this claim in a general message. She was asked by someone â€Å"What do you think about the weird cult of manchildren [again, in reference to the first perspective, specifying male fans] called ‘bronies’ that worship you? † Her response was as follows: Hi [Constitutional], In general, I am still inspired by bronies. As a group, they have not succumbed to society’s pressure that young men must hold contempt on anything feminine no matter what. They’ve been able to see beyond the preconceived notions that they were most likely raised with to judge something for it’s merit. (Faust) So, Lauren Faust has shown support for the following of this series, no matter what age or what gender it may include. She explains an opposing side of the aforementioned perspective that being a fan of My Little Pony is ridiculous. That side includes the fact that the strains and expectations of gender stereotypes are loosened in favour of a more general approach where attraction to the show is independent of other perspectives. A more abstract viewpoint for why there is a large cultural following is that it’s ironic. Some people think that an older audience enjoying the show is somewhat of a counterculture. And therefore, by that logic, going against society’s norms of gender and age will promote an evolution of culture, where social norms are essentially broken. This type of mass following ignites something new and different in one’s understanding for what ‘culture’ is. This perspective holds that these broken reigns of social norms may be part of the excitement for fans that enjoy the cartoon. Through these few perspectives we can see that there are different reasons that people have given as to why there is an emergence of the popularity of My Little Pony, specifically, the new tv series, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. There are some who hate the following of the show and think that the male fans are watching it for suppression of homosexuality. Then there are the fans who like the show simply because they think it’s a good show to watch. And then there are others who hold the perspective that the following is a collective attempt at creating a counterculture through the previously mentioned ironic qualities. These different perspectives help to create a flourishing exploration on why such a cultural phenomenon has appeared.

Student Financial Aid For Students - 950 Words

Staring from the 1940s, Student financial aid began to play a significant role in prompting student access, persistence and completion rate of American Higher Education. Since students can be regarded as the output of the education, student financial aid also contributes to the social mobility and the improvement of economics. Federal government, state governments and institutions jointly provide the funding to certain groups of students. Among all types of financial aid, need-based aid and merit-based aid are most important financial aid for students. Higher Education Act of 1965 is a milestone of the development of need-based aid. The Law was intended to â€Å"strengthen the educational resources of our colleges and universities and to provide financial assistance for students in postsecondary and higher education.† Specifically, the Pell Grant is the foundation of the federal financial aid system. While the social turbulence of the 1960s may have been the impetus behind the Pell program, the groundwork for broad-based aid programs is more appropriately attributed to the GI Bill. After 1965, the Higher Education Act of 1965 was reauthorized several times to achieve the goals. Need-based aid is essential for college access and success. According to Turner’s research (2013), every $1000 decrease of tuition price will lead to 4% of increase in college attendance. Evidence suggests that reducing college costs can increase college entry and persistence (Dynarski Clayton,Show MoreRelatedThe Free Application For Federal Student Aid1606 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction During week two, we were tasked to conduct a financial analysis of the Johnson family and assess their ability to independently fund the college educations of their three children. 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