BUSINESS RESEARCH EVENT
Rankin Chapter/Hinds Community College
Jane Foreman
Amanda Grieco
144 Chotard Ave.
Pearl, MS 39208
April 21, 2012
SECTION 1 - Executive Summary
A. Bass Pro Shops, the World’s Greatest Outdoor Store, is more than just a well-known and loved retailer.
Their mission is “to be the leading merchant of outdoor recreational products, inspiring people to love,
enjoy, and conserve the great outdoors”. The Pearl, Mississippi location has been a major location for
the last six years. Almost half of Bass Pro Shops’ customers travel 50+ miles to be part of the retail
experience, making “Mississippi” the Pearl location’s “local” community. The community consists of
2,941,991 people with a median income of $47,031 per family. The target market consists primarily of
males of any age, and with the enhancement to their corporate social responsibility program, the
target market can increase to women and other individuals not reached by the retail aspect of the
store. The primary goal/objective of the proposed enhancement is a children’s campground, built with
“going green” ethics, where the proceeds will be donated to local charities to benefit children and the
community. Bass Pro Shops will cover many aspects of corporate social responsibility including (but not
limited to) monetary donations and aid to local organizations, advocating the preservation, restoration,
and improvements of the environment with a “green” facility and camper’s educational classes, and
building skills and long-term relationships with the children and residents of the local community.
Based on research conducted, it concluded that there is a need, want, and desire for this children’s
campground; the community and the company would both be behind and benefit 100% from the
strategic move of implementing this camp. In order to maintain interest in the campground, the
construction and completion is set to finalize within one year of its’ approval. There is an estimated
budget of $-------- to complete the campground. A metric called SROI, or Social Return on Investment,
will be used to calculate the effectiveness of this enhancement. This six-step metric would be the most
accurate to calculate the return on investment of the campground because it implies that the return in
SROI is a form a value rather than just a monetary figure, and this campground will be valuable to the
company and, most importantly, to the community.
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SECTION 2 – Introduction
A. Bass Pro Shops, serving over 75 million sportsmen and women a year, is more than just fishing tackle
and boats. This retailer is the World’s leader in the outdoor industry, with its stores including hunting,
fishing, camping, nature gifts, outdoor cooking, clothing, footwear, firearms, archery, and game
licenses. Each store is also unique with taxidermy,
aquariums, waterfalls, educational classes, repair
services, restaurants, game rooms, and much
more. Bass Pro Shops not only sells a broad
spectrum of merchandise in each of its categories,
it produces its’ own brands to ensure the highest
quality of merchandise is available to its
customers at an affordable price. Their mission
statement is “to be the leading merchant of
outdoor recreational products, inspiring people to
love, enjoy, and conserve the great outdoors”.
Bass Pro Shops is not only a retail store; it is widely known for its conservation efforts and strong
support of many organizations. According to Bassproshops.com, “The company's philanthropic efforts are
primarily directed toward not-for-profit organizations that support conservation of fish and wildlife, especially those
which exhibit a strong emphasis on youth development in these areas.”
The individual location of Pearl,
Mississippi, has provided the state’s capital with a major shopping and tourist stop for the last six
years.
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B. With 40-45% of Bass Pro’s customers traveling 50+ miles to be part of the retail experience, the
following are figures based on the state of Mississippi as the “local community”.
MISSISSIPPI CHARACTERISTICS
Characteristic
TOTAL POPULATION
Male
Female
RACE
White
Black
American Indian
Asian
Islander
Two+
AGE
Under 18
18+
EMPLOYMENT STATUS
In labor force
Unemployed
INCOME
Total Households
Median Income
Families
Median Income
HOUSEHOLDS
With Families
Nonfamily
MARITAL STATUS (age 15+)
Never Married
Now Married
Separated
Widowed
Divorced
EDUCATION
Age 3+ enrolled in school
High School Grad/GED
Associates Degree
Bachelor’s Degree
Grad/Pro Degree
NOT A U.S. CITIZEN
LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME
English
Other
Estimate
Percentage
2,941,991
1,427,843
1,514,148
48.5
51.5
1,761,910
1,088,270
13,610
24,691
636
29,446
59.9
37.0
0.5
0.8
0.0
1.0
757,375
2,184,616
25.7
74.3
1,358,952
129,104
59.8
5.7
1,081,052
$37,881
749,274
$47,031
1,081,052
749,274
331,778
69.3
30.7
729,707
1,083,651
70,802
170,263
263,455
31.6
46.9
3.0
7.2
11.4
800,133
579,428
142,904
236,987
128,172
43,042
2,629,581
103,919
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010
C. Bass Pro Shop’s current target market is primarily males of any age, living within the state of the store’s
site and that is interested in the outdoors. The products offered range from beginner to advanced/pro,
therefore suited for any age/skill level. With the inclusion of this program, the target market will
increase to include the women and children of the same community. This will meet all possibilities of
target market coverage for Bass Pro Shops.
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SECTION 3 – Research Methods Used in the Study
A. Methodologies used to research for the children’s camp were internet research, surveying the local
community, and interviews with Bass Pro Shop’s corporate office. Internet research was used because
of the endless amount of resources and information available while maintaining cost efficiency and
time restraints. Surveying the local community was used because of the location, the need, and the
target market of the camp itself. Interviews with individuals at the corporate office were used to
identify the probability of implementing the camp and to adjust the strategies to match the company’s
vision.
B. Internet research was conducted through search sites such as Google.com, Yahoo.com, and
Bassproshops.com. Surveys were conducted at the local community college, through email forwarding,
and at the local Bass Pro Shops Pearl store. Interviews were conducted over the phone.
SECTION 4 – Findings and Conclusions of the Study
A. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, children are not benefitting from technology.
The results of decreased interaction/awareness of the environment, being referred to as
“disconnected” from nature, are leading to high obesity rates, lower school achievement, attention
deficit disorder, poor health (hypertension, poor diet, and diabetes – to name a few), less selfdiscipline, and reduced cognitive, creative, and problem solving capabilities. According to Parents &
Kids Magazine, a local magazine, there are only 4 locations offering a summer camp to get children in
tune with nature in the state of Mississippi, only one of which is within a reasonable distance from the
location of Bass Pro in Pearl, and all options are on a weekly camping term. According to the Better
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Business Bureau and Charity-Charities.com, there are over 20 accredited and private charity
organizations that support the local children of Mississippi that are in need of funds.
After compiling the survey results, they had an astonishing result of 100% interest in a children’s camp
in the local tri-county area, primary interest of a Rankin County location. Majority ruled that a nonprofit, green facility was preferred.
Interest in Camp
Location
Hinds
YES
Rankin
NO
Non-Profit
Madison
"Green" Facility
YES
YES
NO
NO
B. In conclusion, the findings from the research methods concluded that there is a need, want, and desire
for this children’s campground. The community and the company would be behind the strategic move
of implementing this camp 100% and would both benefit 100%.
SECTION 5 – Proposed Strategic Plan
A. The primary goal/objective is for Bass Pro Shops to enhance its corporate social responsibility program
with the addition of a children’s campground. The facility will be built with “going green” ethics and the
proceeds will benefit local charities, such as Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital. This campground will
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have many benefits. Short-term benefits include awareness for the retail store from advertising and
publicity of the campground and increased jobs within the community for construction of the camp.
Long-term benefits include increase in jobs and tourism in the community, increased customer loyalty,
brand awareness, and sales for Bass Pro, ability to reach new markets, company expansion/growth,
educating and motivating our youth, building relationships with the community, and addition of other
camp sites to benefit additional communities in the future. Philanthropy is the most common approach
of corporate social responsibility programs, and with the introduction of this children’s campground,
Bass Pro Shops will cover many aspects of corporate social responsibility including (but not limited to)
monetary donations and aid to local organizations, advocating the preservation, restoration, and
improvements of the environment with a “green” facility and camper’s educational classes, and
building skills and long-term relationships with the children and residents of the local community.
B.
Activities and Timeline
Based on the timeline in the chart on the right, the
proposed strategic plan of opening the children’s
campground will be completed within 9 months from the
introduction and approval of corporate office. This will
ensure enough time to set up a state-of-the-art facility,
but will also keep the community interested with its’
completion being within a reasonable time frame. The
more excitement and interest built for this camp, the
Activity
Corporate Approval
Obtain Permits
Obtain Insurance
Purchase Land
Complete Blueprints
Set Up Construction
Create Web-Site and
Marketing Materials
Set Up Camp Activities
Complete Construction
Recruit “Campers”
Hire Staff
Train Staff
Grand Opening
Advertising/Publicity
Complete
Within
1 mo.
1 mo.
1 mo.
1 mo.
60 days
90 days
6 mos.
9 mos.
10 mos.
9-12 mos.
1 year
1 year
1 year
Throughout
more value created by this program and monies
distributed to charities.
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C. The budget chart below is based on research figures from . These figures will decrease with any
additional donations and grants from the government and community, along with the use of recycled
materials in construction and activities of the campground.
D. The return on investment will be measured by a metric/concept called SROI, or social return on
investment. According to the SROI Network’s “A Guide to Social Return on Investment”, “Social Return
on Investment (SROI) is a framework for measuring and accounting for this much broader concept of
value; it seeks to reduce inequality and environmental degradation and improve wellbeing by
incorporating social, environmental and economic costs and benefits. Both large and small businesses
can use SROI to assess risks and opportunities arising from the impact of their products and services on
their stakeholders e.g. employees, suppliers, customers, the environment and their local
communities.” This metric is done is five stages, with an optional sixth stage. The process is simplified
as: STAGE 1: Establishing Scope and Identifying Stakeholders, STAGE 2: Mapping Outcomes, STAGE 3:
Evidencing Outcomes and Giving Them a Value, STAGE 4: Establishing Impact, STAGE 5: Calculating the
SROI, STAGE 6: Reporting, Using, and Embedding. A sample of calculations can be found in the
appendix. This metric would be the most accurate to calculate the return on investment of the
campground because it implies that the return in SROI is a form a value rather than just a monetary
figure.
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SECTION 6 – Bibliography
McMaken, Kyle. (23 Feb. 2009) Bass Pro Shops Review and Recommendations. Retrieved from:
http://voices.yahoo.com/bass-pro-shop-review-reccomendations-2691206.html?cat=35
Bass Pro Shops. (5 April 2012) Nature Conservation Organizations. Retrieved from:
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPageC?storeId=10151&catalog
Id=10051&langId=-1&pageID=235
Bass Pro Shops. (5 April 2012) News Room. Retrieved From:
http://www.onlinepressroom.net/basspro/
Rankin First. (5 April 2012). Demographics. Retrieved From:
http://www.rankinfirst.com/index.php/demographics
Melone, Sarah. (6 April 2012). How to Start a Campground. Retrieved From:
http://www.ehow.com/how_6592497_start-campground.html
ACA. (6 April 2012). How to Start a Campground: General Guidelines. Retrieved From:
http://www.acacamps.org/startacamp
Meryn, Richard. (28 Nov. 2011). Commercial Buildings are Going Green. Retrieved From:
http://www.industryleadersmagazine.com/commercial-buildings-are-going-green/
Unknown. (28 March 2012). Green Building. Retrieved From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building
U.S. Census Bureau. (2010) Social Characteristics. Retrieved From:
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk
U.S. Census Bureau. (2010) Economic Characteristics. Retrieved From:
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=
U.S. Census Bureau.(2010) Demographic Characteristics. Retrieved From:
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/28000lk.html
Alaska Department of Fish and Game. (11 April 2012) Camps & Skills Clinic. Retrieved From:
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=outdooreducation.foryouth
BBB. (11 April 2012) List of Local Accredited Charities. Retrieved From:
http://ms.bbb.org/list-of-local-accredited-charities/
The SROI Network. (11 Jan 2012) A Guide for Social Return on Investment. Retrieved From:
http://www.thesroinetwork.org/publications-uk/doc_details/241-a-guide-to-social-return-oninvestment-2012
Suttel, Robin. (3 April 2006). The True Costs of Building Green. Retrieve from:
http://www.buildings.com/tabid/3334/ArticleID/3029/Default.aspx#top
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