Serving the low-income consumer in a rich economy: Dollar General racks up sales

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Glyn Atwal ◽  
Douglas Bryson
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa

Purpose The conceptualization of the Base of Pyramid (BOP) proposes that low-income markets can lead to profitable opportunities for businesses. The purpose of this study is to identify key success factors of a BOP business strategy based on a case study of the discount retailer, Dollar General, in the USA. Design/methodology/approach The research design used in this research is an in-depth case study of Dollar General in the USA. Qualitative methods are applied in both the primary and secondary data collection and during the follow-on data analysis of Dollar General. Findings Dollar General’s strategic profile is achieved through the combination of the following four actions which are tailored to compete effectively at the BOP in the USA: creating the neighborhood discounter, raising aspirational appeal, reducing service and eliminating internationalization. Research limitations/implications The case is specific to Dollar General in a US cultural context. Practical implications The case of Dollar General demonstrates how a discounter retailer should not only follow a low-cost strategy to compete at the BOP. Its ability to craft a distinctive strategy is coherent with meeting the logistical, rational and emotional needs of the low-income consumer in the USA. Social implications Many businesses have neglected rural areas of the USA as being unprofitable. The ability for businesses such as Dollar General to serve the BOP segment can foster the socio-economic well-being of communities. Originality/value The overwhelming body of the BOP literature is based on emerging markets. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the few studies to investigate BOP business strategy in the USA.

Enhancing competitiveness through MNC-local firms co-opetitive relationships

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (8) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Audrey Catherine Depeige ◽  
Stavros Sindakis
Keyword(s):  
Market Share ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Strategy Management ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Competitive Intelligence ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

Subject area The case study reflects issues and challenges in the fields of strategy, management, competitive intelligence and new organizational designs. Study level/applicability The case study is recommended for MBA and postgraduate courses in strategy, management, competitive intelligence and new organizational designs. The case can also be used in executive development programs focusing on business strategy and innovation. Case overview It is 2009. LK Company has newly been established as lighting products manufacturer. Based in Thailand, the firm commences its business operations with an aggressive pricing strategy (low-cost products). At the time of the establishment and launch of operation activities, the market leader [an international multinational company (MNC)] has above 35 per cent market share, leaving LK with an initial 2 per cent market share. While the share of LK grew from 2 to 10 per cent in the past five years, competition in the industry nevertheless remains harsh. Companies are confronted with pressures to invest in the development of new energy-saving lamps, and in this context, LK's company executive board needs to make a strategic decision on which way to follow to sustain the business: shall this be with or without foreign MNCs. Expected learning outcomes Students will be able to better understand; analyze and assess the importance of resource management in highly competitive environments, as well as the importance of designing alternative growth strategies by identifying and assessing changes in the market/environment. They are introduced to characteristics of co-opetition strategies, advantages and disadvantages of co-opetitive business structures and impact of the choice of business partners over time. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.

scholarly journals Delivering open innovation promises through social media

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Jean Barlatier ◽  
Emmanuel Josserand
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Open Innovation ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper aims to explore how social media can be used strategically for delivering the promises of open innovation and examines the types of structure that can foster the integration of these new tools with more classic top-down innovation approaches. Design/methodology/approach A single case study of, ALPHA (pseudonym), a multinational company that combined an integrated strategy and the creation of a lean structure with the full potential of social media. Findings To take on the challenges of energy transition, ALPHA has implemented a low-cost approach allowing it to harness the promises of open innovation. This combined the introduction of a lean structure, two social media platforms and processes that ensured the integration of open innovation activities with existing departments. Research limitations/implications The research is based on a single case study. Further research should be conducted to establish the generalization of the results. Practical implications This paper highlights the key success factors in making such a light approach successful, namely, controlling cost and disruption of open innovation; integration matters; leveraging complementarities with existing social media initiatives; and bottom-up adoption. Originality/value The research provides a unique approach that can be practically implemented to leverage social media to deliver the promises of open innovation and offers an original way of integrating social media lead innovation and open innovation strategies with more classic R&D activities.

Luxury consumption moves East

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omera Khan
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Luxury Consumption ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supply Chain Strategy ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The literature contains relatively little prescriptive guidance for establishing supply chain strategies in the luxury fashion marketplace. The focus has been on fashion rather than luxury fashion and the purpose of this paper is to identify and explore the critical supply chain success factors to consider when entering the Chinese luxury fashion marketplace. Design/methodology/approach – Given the lack of research in this area an exploratory and in-depth case study was conducted with a niche UK textile manufacturer. Findings – Findings from the case study suggest there are four critical success factors to consider when developing a business strategy to enter the Chinese luxury fashion marketplace. Practical implications – The findings could guide managers that are developing a business case for entering the Chinese luxury fashion marketplace. Originality/value – This case study provides novel insights to transformations in global supply chain strategy as luxury consumption is moving towards the east, which creates new challenges and demands for European manufacturers to respond, to sustaining a competitive advantage.

Broadband adoption in urban and suburban California: information-based outreach programs ineffective at closing the digital divide

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 431-459
Author(s):  
Lloyd Levine
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Program Effectiveness ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Vast Number ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Low Income Households

Purpose The digital divide has persisted in California and the USA as a whole at approximately the same level for the past decade. This is despite multiple programs being created and billions of dollars being spent to close it. This paper examines why the efforts to date have been ineffective and to offers policy alternatives that might be more successful. Design/methodology/approach Using data from three, variable constrained projects in California, this paper examines the effectiveness of information-based outreach efforts at closing the digital divide. The projects tested various outreach and enrollment methods to see which, if any, could increase broadband adoption in low-income households. Findings This project found that providing low-income households’ information about low-cost broadband offerings was ineffective at closing the digital divide. The findings in this paper were similar to those of two other works that examined the federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grants under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Practical implications The findings of this paper along with the works cited that evaluated the BTOP program should be enough to change public policy. For the past ten years, efforts to close the digital divide have focused on providing information to low-income households. However, two independent surveys show broadband adoption has remained virtually flat during that period. Social implications The digital divide brings concomitant economic and education harms and challenges that plague those unable to access information, services, educational and employment opportunities with the same ease, speed and sufficiency as their connected peers and neighbors. Those harms exacerbate the already existing education and income divides. This paper shows that without a change in strategy, those harms will persist. Originality/value This paper breaks new ground and addresses one of the weaknesses identified in existing research. To the best of author’s knowledge, this is the first paper of its type to use programs designed to generate data that can be empirically evaluated for effectiveness. Prior studies attempted to assess program effectiveness by using data generated from fully implemented government programs. However, those programs contained a vast number of unidentified variables and insufficient data collection. They were not designed to facilitate academic evaluation, and as such made a true effectiveness evaluation challenging.

The chopsticks debacle: how brand hate flattened Dolce & Gabbana in China

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Glyn Atwal ◽  
Douglas Bryson ◽  
Maya Kaiser
Keyword(s):  
Business Strategy ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proactive Approach ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Brand Hate

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the development of brand hate based on the case of Italian luxury fashion house Dolce & Gabbana in China. Design/methodology/approach The strategy adopted in this study is a single in-depth case study. Qualitative methods are applied in both the data collection and analysis. Findings The findings identified six distinct stages through which brand hate can develop: awareness, anger, amplification, antagonism, action and apathy. Research limitations/implications The case is specific to a luxury brand and the Chinese cultural context. Practical implications Practitioners need to consider how business strategies can be adapted to manage the six stages of the manifestation of brand hate. A “proactive” approach is needed to avoid arousing brand hate, while a “reactive” approach is needed to manage its potential ramifications. Originality/value There has been a paucity of anti-consumption research within the business strategy literature. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the focus on China makes this the first study to investigate brand hate within a Chinese cultural context.

Using Lean Six Sigma in small and medium-sized enterprises for low-cost/high-effect improvement initiatives: a case study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolaos A. Panayiotou ◽  
Konstantinos E. Stergiou ◽  
Nikolaos Panagiotou
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Effect ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is the implementation of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in a manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) in Greece in order to understand the contribution of LSS in its process improvement and to identify the parameters playing a crucial role in LSS adoption by SMEs. The ability to achieve high-effect improvements without cost investment is also examined to cope with low investment margin that is a characteristic of SMEs.Design/methodology/approachThis case study is based on the combination of Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC) phases with the Yin's method for case studies for a complete and efficient implementation and presentation of the project.FindingsThe analysis of this case study revealed that by accomplishing specific critical success factors for the fulfillment of the LSS project, the company attained important benefits by utilizing only the working hours of employees. It was also found that the improvements of LSS projects can be measured using other metrics which can indirectly be translated into monetary terms.Practical implicationsThe paper can be a useful guide of how SMEs can achieve high-impact improvements with low or no investment cost utilizing LSS initiatives in small-scale projects.Originality/valueAccording to the literature, there is a need for more case studies concerning LSS implementation in SMEs. Examples of how low-cost/high-effect improvement initiatives can be implemented have not been adequately presented before. The assessment of the impact of improvement initiatives with non-monetary measures is also innovative.

scholarly journals ‘Menstrual blood is bad and should be cleaned’: A qualitative case study on traditional menstrual practices and contextual factors in the rural communities of far-western Nepal

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 205031211985040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subash Thapa ◽  
Shivani Bhattarai ◽  
Arja R Aro
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Community Based Interventions

Objective: Unhealthy menstrual practices and the contexts surrounding them should be explored and clearly understood; this information could be useful while developing and implementing interventions to increase hygienic practices during menstruation and consequently increase health and well-being of women. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore traditional menstrual practices and the contextual factors surrounding the practices in the rural communities of far-western Nepal. Methods: This was a qualitative case study conducted in the Achham district of Nepal. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among four women, three men and two female community health volunteers to collect data and thematic analysis was performed to analyze the data. Results: We found two commonly reported menstrual practices: seclusion practice (Chhaupadi) and separation practice. In the Chhaupadi practice, women are secluded to stay in a small shed away from the house and restricted to wash or take a bath in public water sources for 5–7 days of the periods, whereas in the separation practice, women can stay in the house, but they still have several restrictions. The contextual factors that were reported to influence the cultural practices are as follows: cultural beliefs that symbolize menstruation as impure, menstrual stigma, poverty, illiteracy, the influence of traditional healers and family members, and limited effect of Chhaupadi elimination interventions. We also found that some development in the reduction of cultural myths and practices is happening, but the rate of change is rather slow. Conclusion: Most of the Nepalese women, especially in the rural areas of far-western Nepal, are forced to follow the harmful menstrual practices because of the socio-cultural context surrounding their lives. We believe the findings of this study would be relevant in terms of developing and implementing further menstrual health-related, community-based interventions that will be responsive to the local cultural context, beliefs, and practices.

Successful leadership in a rural, high-poverty school: the case of County Line Middle School

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans W. Klar ◽  
Curtis A. Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
Leadership Strategies ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Principalship ◽  
Successful School

Purpose – In this paper, the authors present a case study of successful school leadership at County Line Middle School. The purpose of the paper is to identify how particular leadership practices and beliefs were adapted to increase student achievement in this rural, high-poverty school in the southeastern USA. Design/methodology/approach – After purposefully selecting this school, the authors adapted interview protocols, questionnaires, and analysis frameworks from the International Successful School Principalship Project to develop a multi-perspective case study of principal leadership practices at the school. Findings – The findings illustrate the practices which led to students at this school, previously the lowest-performing in the district, achieving significantly higher on state standardized tests, getting along “like a family,” and regularly participating in service learning activities and charity events. A particularly interesting finding was how the principal confronted the school's negative self-image and adapted common leadership practices to implement a school-wide reform that suited its unique context. Research limitations/implications – While the findings of the study explicate the specific ways the principal adapted leadership strategies to enhance student learning, this study also highlights the need to understand how principals become familiar with their community's needs, cultures, norms, and values, and exercise leadership in accordance with them. Practical implications – The case offers an example of the need for context-responsive leadership in schools. In particular, it illustrates how this principal enacted leadership strategies that successfully negotiated what Woods (2006) referred to as the changing politics of the rural. To realize this success, the principal utilized his understanding of this low income, rural community to guide his leadership practices. Critically, part of this understanding included the ways the community was connected to and isolated from dominant sub-urban and urban societies, and how to build enthusiasm and capacity through appeals to local values. Originality/value – While it is widely acknowledged that school leaders need to consider their school and community contexts when making leadership decisions, less research has focussed on understanding how this can be achieved. This case provides rich examples of how this was accomplished in a rural, high-poverty middle school.

Measuring the Impact of a Full Service Grocery Store in a Food Desert

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-176
Author(s):  
Kellie Schneider ◽  
Diana Cuy Castellanos ◽  
Felix Fernando ◽  
Jeanne A. Holcomb
Keyword(s):  
Systems Engineering ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Food Deserts ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Grocery Store ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

Food deserts, areas in which it is difficult to obtain affordable, nutritious food, are especially problematic in low-income neighbourhoods. One model for addressing food hardship and unemployment issues within low-income food deserts is a cooperative grocery store. Through the cooperative model, the grocery store can serve as a cornerstone to address socio-economic marginalisation of low-income neighbourhoods and improve the health and well-being of its residents. It is important for communities and policymakers to be able to assess the effectiveness of these types of endeavours beyond traditional economic factors such as profitability. This article uses a systems engineering approach to develop a framework for measuring the holistic impact of a cooperative grocery store on community health and well-being. This framework encompasses values that characterise the relationship between food retail, economic viability and social equality. We develop a dashboard to display the key metrics for measuring the economic, social and environmental indicators that reflect a grocery store’s social impact. We demonstrate the usefulness of the framework through a case study of a full-service cooperative grocery store that is planned within the city of Dayton, OH.

Asset recovery in corruption cases

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Leasure
Keyword(s):  
Vice President ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Asset Recovery ◽  
The Us ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Republic

Purpose – Asset recovery proceedings increasingly target corrupt foreign officials who acquire lavish assets as a result of capital gained through criminal acts. One extremely difficult issue arising in asset recovery proceedings is whether the capital used to acquire the assets can be traced to a criminal act. The purpose of this paper is to critique US tracing procedure through comparative analysis. Design/methodology/approach – A prominent series of cases brought by the USA and France against assets owned by Teodoro “Teodorín” Nguema Obiang, second Vice President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, produced mixed results on the tracing element. This paper utilizes a qualitative comparative case analysis to examine the US and French cases. Findings – The US results reflect serious weaknesses in the US law as compared to more effective French asset recovery procedure. Originality/value – Though this paper is certainly a comparative case study analysis, nearly identical facts and two different jurisdictions reaching separate conclusions bring us in the legal community as close as we can realistically come to quasi-experimental research. Comparative research in this area is severely lacking and sorely needed. The mechanisms identified in the French system clearly show flaws that are present in the US system.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document