CEO's Letter: A Content Analysis

(Target.com) According to executive vice president of Property Development, John Griffith says “Our focus is on ensuring the Target shopping experience is available when, where and how guests want it." In addition, CityTarget is another small store format ranging in size from 80,000-160,000 square feet, and is focused on urban customers. CityTarget offers customized assortments and services to meet the needs of urban living customers. The edited assortments include smaller pack sizes and items that can be instantly consumed. As a result, CityTarget locations bring the highest traffic in the company. Target has plans to further continue to explore new ways to meet their customer’s needs with convenient small format locations. Along with TargetExpress and CityTarget, the company will continue to innovate its general merchandising stores by testing new layouts and merchandise assortments to provide customers with easy, convenient, and personalized shopping options. () Hence, Target will invest in three distinct store formats that will further enhance and customize their customer’s

The purpose of this paper is to discuss Target’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This paper will also talk about how Porter’s Five affects Target’s business decisions.

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) is the leading large-format general merchandise and discount retailer in the U.S., challenging Wal-Mart in electronics, toys and apparel while also seeking to differentiate with higher-end fashions and products for an upscale audience. As of the close of their latest fiscal year (FY2011), Target operated approximately 1,760 stores encompassing 233,000 square feet in 49 states and the District of Columbia. The company is divided into the retail and credit card divisions and moves the majority of its products through a highly integrated network of 37 different distribution centers, which include four food distribution centers. Target is one of the most well-entrenched large format retailers in the U.S., has the ability to manage their pricing strategies at a level of accuracy and precision that is comparable to Wal-Mart (Henderson, 2001). Unlike Wal-Mart, Target concentrates on a value-based message that concentrates on quality and price differentiation to sustain their gross margins while Wal-Mart concentrates on supply chain efficiency and a continual reduction of supplier and transaction costs (Krishnamurthi, 2001).

The aim of this paper is to highlight the strategic position of the company with an overview of its internal and external environment. The study of its strategy, design and other forces, one can easily gauge why and how target has managed to become the retail giant it is today.

Wal-Mart and Target are both great retail stores to go and find a good bang for your buck shopping experience. After researching both companies, it appears they have the same ideas as a mission, saving the customer money. Wal-Mart Mission statement reads;

As a CEO or a member of the management team it is important to have a very clear understanding of all the financial documents that are available to them. It is not only their duty but their responsibility to know these documents and finances extremely well because

Wal-Mart and Target are both discount BIG BOX retailers which have made the most of their strengths and have drawn upon the differences in their customer bases, product mix and business strategy. Even though both

Target Corporation is known worldwide as a large retail chain that brings in millions of dollars each fiscal year. The ability to remain competitive in a saturated industry could prove difficult to some retailers, but Target remains one of the leaders in the retail market. With success comes risk. Target Corporation competes against online retailers as well as “big box” stores to remain competitive.

One of Targets biggest competitors is Wal-Mart and surprisingly they have a different type of organizational structure. “…our new structure will align three very successful operating divisions – Logistics, Real Estate and Store Operations under a unified leadership team. We will organize into three distinctive geographic business units (GBUs) – Walmart West, Walmart South and Walmart North”("Wal-Mart", 2014). Unlike Target, Wal-Marts stores and distribution centers are broken into three sectors not four. This is very surprising because Wal-Mart has over 4,000 stores in the United States and Target has only 1,797. Even though the mission of these two stores is extremely similar, providing a wide arrangement of quality products at reasonable prices, they are managed very differently.

Costco is a recognized and successful retail chain including several locations, glowing feedback, and a wonderful overall reputation. Known by several audiences to be considered a “big-box” store, Costco offers various products in its stores at low, discounted prices, accompanying a membership card. Before and after researching this company, the author of this paper has heard exceptional feedback regarding the company for its initiative to keep prices low, employee morale high, and customer satisfaction to be one of its top priorities. Within this body of work, the author will dissect and discuss some of Costco’s stakeholder perspectives and how some of the perceived initiatives may help aid the company within its

This report examines Target Corporation’s performance in a detailed strategic audit. The audit includes an external, internal and strategic analysis as well as a recommended course of action. The findings of the audit recommend a robust on-line/mobile presence to complement in-store sales, and to increase future earnings to remain competitive by building upon physical assets, brand value and logistical capabilities.

Target Corporation has recognized itself as one of the top retailers in the United States market on the basis of excellent service quality, customer experiences, operational excellence, strong financial position, and a wide array of product offerings. Through its high degree of service orientation at physical outlets and adoption of fair business practices, Target Corporation has become the most distinctive retailer in the eyes of its potential customers. Being one of the top-notch retailers in the United States, Target Corporation has to carefully strategize on its business operations and marketing tactics so as to keep itself in the row of competitive brands of the industry.

Target Corporation is a well-known American discount retailing company, founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the U.S. (Walmart being the largest) (Target, 2014). Target’s analysis will provide an insight into the corporation and its working. It look at and evaluate it in terms of terms of its effectiveness in each of these areas, such as: the structure, goals, agendas, boundaries, control, culture, politics, and decision-making processes. Based on the evaluation, this paper will help to provide suggestions for improvements within the different areas, if the need arises.

Best Buy, a familiar retailer in the technology world, is struggling to stay on top. Online and mass stores have cornered the market in terms of convenience, customer service and price matching. The recent closing of over two hundred stores alongside falling sales has experts predicting that the giant won’t be in business long. Using a results-only work environment (ROWE), Best Buy has removed the customer from the equation and forced many employees out. A marketing disaster, Best Buy must change its marketing strategy from sales-based to a customer-based to stay afloat.

The success of companies in today's market place is a process that involves the way business practitioners manage its workers and the financial resources and structures. The management of employees, structures, and financial resources includes the development and establishment of effective compensation strategy. Actually, the lack of a sound compensation system has negative impacts on the company's ability to recruit and retain competent and best-qualified employees. Consequently, compensating workers represents an important practice of a company's human resource management (Martocchio, 2013). Wal-Mart is not only a cultural but also a business phenomenon that operates in a competitive environment that is very unique. The company has grown steadily since its inception to an extent that it has become the number one ranked firm on Fortune 500 for four consecutive years. The success of the company is attributed to sound business practices and strategies throughout the years. Currently, the firm has over 1.3 million employees in America, making it the largest employer in the United States. In addition to being the biggest corporation worldwide, Wal-Mart's ability to attract and retain qualified employees is based on its compensation strategy.