Family Dollar Case Study

1. TIME CONTEXT: (2009)

1. VIEWPOINT: Howard Levine, CEO of Dollar Family Stores, Inc.

1. V-M-V Statement

Vision

• To be the best small-format convenience and value retailer serving the needs of families on neighborhoods.
• To provide a wide array of items to our customers and give them the best value at competitive prices.

Mission

        Family Dollar Stores, Inc. is committed:

• To continue to strive in implementing new and improved technologies to stores to meet and satisfy the needs of our customer.
• To constantly use competitive technology and efficiency to maintain and expand a competitive position among discount stores.
• To provide affordable basic customer goods to families in all income levels.
• To pursue steady continued growth to meet the needs of our customer and maximize returns to investors.

Values

Family Dollar Stores, Inc. promote the following values within the company:

• Delivering a culture of customer service and building strong teams is the cornerstone of being a compelling place to work.
• Supporting the non-profit organizations that seek to improve the quality of life for our customers, team members, and aims to give back to organizations that help local families in need.
• Providing value and convenience to customers with a family focus.

1. CURRENT OPERATIONAL PLANS

Management

• Howard R. Levine is the current CEO of Family Dollar Stores, Inc.
• Leon Levine after retiring in 2003 he became the chairman and CEO.

          Marketing

• Family Dollar Stores, Inc. offers wide varieties of low scale merchandises and staying true to its roots.
• Offer cheaper price of branded items compared to traditional supermarkets.
• Emphasizes convenience for costumers allowing easy-to-shop neighborhood locations.

Operations

• The company pursues small stores as a way to open new stores in rural areas and large urban neighborhood.
• Allocate parking lot near to stores to provide easy access to buying customers.
• Provide smaller stores for convenience of customers and short walk which can’t be matched by some larger store chains.

Finance

• Generate revenues from consumable, home products, apparel and accessories, and seasonal and electronics.
• Continue to provide quarterly dividends to its shareholders.

Human Resource

• 15% of the company’s top 41 executives are women.
• Store managers worked 60-70 hours a week and had no power to hire and fire staff members.
• Some employees do work that is not related to the job description they applied for.

1. SOCOIAL RESPONSIBILITY APPLICATIONS

• The Family Dollar Store, Inc. recognize and respect all the cultural and legal environments in the location they operate.
• The company obligate to certify their agreement to abide by all anti-bribery and foreign corrupt practices acts.
• Insure safe and healthy working conditions and protect the rights of the workers in the factories.

1. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

“How Family Dollar Store, Inc. can prevent over working and maintain the job description given employees.”

1. STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

Long Term

1. To increase revenue earned from selling cheap merchandise.
2. To maintain dividends to shareholders
3. To build more stores and expand throughout the country
4. To preserve the tag line “My family. My family dollar.”

      Short Term

1. To improve and implement new technologies
2. Increase the productivity of employees.
3. Continue to provide new service or product to stores.

1. SWOT ANALYSIS

1. ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION (ACA)

1. Implement new rules on allowing interns to work in their stores, to prevent overworking in employees.

1. Provide further training and seminars to Store Managers in the company.

1. Provide additional hardworking employees in the lower working class.

1. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVE

1. Implement a new regulation on allowing Interns to work in their stores, to prevent overworking in employees and reduce cost.

Advantages

1. Allowing interns in the company may provide enthusiasm and new perspective in the workplace.
2. It lowers the cost of the company because interns are cheaper rather than hiring an employee.
3. You can develop your Interns to be loyal to the company and hire them in the future.

Disadvantages

1. It can make the productivity of the company low because you have to train each interns that comes to the company.
2. You cannot guarantee good quality of job because you only get what you pay for.

1. Provide further training and seminars to store managers in the company.

Advantages

1. Training your staff can result in better customer service, better work safety practices and productivity improvements.
2. They acquire new skills, increasing their contribution to the business and building their self-esteem.
3. They’re upskilled to do new and different tasks, which keeps them motivated and fresh.

Disadvantages

1. It can increase the expenses of the company on conducting training.
2. Improper training may cost improper results that can have negative impacts in the company.

1. Provide additional hardworking employees in the lower working class to increase productivity.

Advantages

1. More workers mean more money can enter and allowing the company to grow more.
2. New employees may bring new skills and ideas that can be helpful to the company.
3. It can make the company more efficient by cutting the time needed in finishing one job and it can increase the productivity.

Disadvantages

1. Hiring new employee may cost time and money because you have to train them.
2. They can decrease the efficiency in the company because they lacked on skill and discipline in following rules and regulation implemented by the company.

1. DECISION CRITERIA

Each of the aforementioned alternatives can be evaluated using the following decision criteria (listed in order of importance and 10 being the highest):