Question

Hershey's primary operations and markets are in the United States. The percentage of total Hershey net sales outside of the US was 17.5 percent for 2014, 16.6 percent for 2013, and 16.2 percent for 2012. The percentage of total consolidated assets outside of the U.S. was 35.4 percent as of December 31, 2014, and 19.4 percent as of December 31, 2013. Although Hershey does not report sales and income by product category, the company keeps internal records by three product segments: Chocolate, Sweets and Refreshments, and Snacks and Adjacencies. The Chocolate category consists of fancier options such as acquired Cadbury, traditional products such as Mr. Goodbar and Hershey's Kisses, and Dagoba organic chocolates. Twizzlers, Jolly Rancher, PayDay, and others are included under the Confectionery Products umbrella. Breath Savors, Bubble Yum, and Icebreakers fall under Sweets and Refreshments, and Hershey's baking chocolates and syrups are included under Snacks and Adjacencies. Hershey also offers a full line of sugar-free products. Many Hershey products are naturally gluten-free and kosher in nature. Hershey's sales and income by geographic region are given in Exhibit 2. North America accounted for 85.6, 86.8, and 87.5 percent of the company's sales in 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively. Note in Exhibit 2 that Hershey's income from outside North America has declined steadily. All sales and income from Hershey stores are included in the International and Other segment. EXHIBIT 2: Hershey's Net Sales and Income (in millions) 2014 2013 2012 Sales North America $6,352.7 $6,200.1 $5,812.7 International and Other 1069.1 946.0 831.6 Total 7,421.8 7,146.1 6,644.3 Income North America 1,916.2 1,816.6 1,656.1 International and Other 40.0 44.6 51.4 Total $1,956.2 $1,907.2 $1,707.5 Source: Based on Hershey's 2014 Form 10K, p.25 from Fred. R. David and Forest R. David, Strategic Management Concepts: A Competitive Advantage Approach, 16th ed., pp.28--29 Flag this Question Question 11 pts Based on the downward trajectory of the figures in the "International and Other" income row, the authors conclude that "Hershey's income from outside North American has declined steadily" from 2012--14. However, they also note that "All sales and income from Hershey stores are included in the International and Other segment." What would you need to know in order to tell whether or not the authors' conclusion is truly justified? Group of answer choices

Answer 1

The following information may be added to the author's research paper so that the conclusion can be truly justified.

1. Which are the actual other segments across the globe where Hershey has a segment-wise sales figure from 2012-2015 and also the earning figure in the same years

2. Let fit all these data with astatistical tool like Chi sqare teat or t-test or regression analysis to reach in a conclusion that the author's views are justified.