Final Project Business Research Tools And Methods Essay

Final Project
Jessica
BUS 642

Final Project
Several years ago I worked at a very well known and popular retailer, Target. The first Target store opened in Roseville, Minnesota, in 1962. Today, Target is a major US retail chain that operates nearly 1,770 stores in 49 states. My hypothesis is that Target's sales of goods are successful because they offer a wide variety that is chosen specifically by location of their many stores.
In order to begin proving my hypothesis I must decide how I will go about trying to prove it. I intend to prove my hypothesis with research into Target's histories. My plan is to research Target’s history in order to find out why they are successful.
In 1902, George Dayton (1857-1938) was the landlord of the Goodfellows dry-goods store in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The next year, the company hit hard times, and Dayton took over the business, renaming it the Dayton Dry Goods Company, then later shortening the name to the Dayton Company. Dayton's, Hudson's, and Marshall Field's were not direct competitors; they were regional stores that dominated their home cities and slowly spread out into the surrounding areas. But the stores did have local competition, and each tried to set high standards for service and merchandise. Each store also tried to offer customers unique touches. In its main store, Hudson's had five restaurants where customers could eat and relax. Marshall Field's was known for its Frango mints, chocolate candies sold nowhere else. In Minnesota, Dayton's stood for high fashion and community service. Starting in 1946, Dayton began donating 5 percent of its annual profits to local charities. This tradition continues today with the Target Corporation.
After World War II (1939-45), more Americans began living and working in the suburbs of cities such as Detroit, Chicago, and Minneapolis. Families still made trips to the big department stores, but Dayton's and Hudson's saw that to keep growing, they needed to expand beyond...