Business Problem Target

Business Problem Target

Running head:   BUSINESS PROBLEM PAPER: TARGET CORPORATION






Business Problem Paper: Target Corporation
University of Phoenix
MBA/510 Managerial Decision Making

Introduction
Target Corporation operates over 1500 stores in 47 states as well as locations in India (Target, 2008). In an effort to decrease operating costs and lower the environmental impact of Target, Team C   proposes an initiative that will include increasing the energy efficiency of Target stores and reducing the waste created by operating the stores. The following paper provides secondary data that supports the proposal and suggests a method of obtaining primary research data that provide further analysis of marketing such an initiative to Target’s environmentally conscious consumers. Team C will also provide a benchmark of Wal-Mart, a company that developed a similar imitative and reported energy savings of over $100,000 per store annually.
This is an important issue for Target to address. As consumers become more acutely aware of the impact that corporations have on the environment they may make purchasing decisions based on corporations environmental policies. Wal-Mart has created a very extensive initiative that has resulted in a push for sustainability. They have also proven that such an effort can make fiscal sense by reducing their operating expenses.
"Sustainability" refers to a company's ability to make a profit without sacrificing the resources of its people, the community and the planet,” (Fox, 2008, pp. 45). In today’s business environment, sustainability has not only become an increasingly popular avenue for reducing energy consummation and operating costs but also in such areas as improving public opinion, improving customer relations and attracting and retaining talent (Fox, 2008). Observations of sustainability conscious companies have indicated a trend leading to higher profitability. “According to a 2008 Economist Intelligence Unit report, global companies...