The General Environment

The general environment is made of six segments: demographic, economic, political/legal, sociocultural, technological, and global. Hershey's demographic and global segments are connected since their geographic distribution is huge, serving more than 90 countries worldwide.

Hershey's economic segment increases every year. Its Net Sales were $4.9 billion in 2007 and have grown since. Earnings per share have also been consistently increasing. The EPS was $1.88 in 2008, and increased to $2.17 in 2009. On February 16, 2010, is was reported in the news that "Hershey Reaffirms Financial Goals and Announces collaborative Initiative with Key Retailers to Drive Confectionery Growth." This article articulated that the Hershey is beginning its Insights Driven Performance, IDP, to obtain this growth. The IDP collaborates with key retail customers to make Hershey more knowledgeable of consumer behavior and shopper preferences.

Their political/legal segment competes for attention and resources by focusing on building sustainable supply chains that benefit producers, growers, workers, the environment, and other stakeholders. This is accomplished by supporting efforts in cocoa growing regions and by connecting with industry, government, and non-governmental organizations.

The sociocultural segment is guided by Hershey's values. They contribute to local and global communities through health care and human services, education, diversity, and by supporting cocoa communities. They also have assisted United Way and the Children's Miracle Network.

The last segment is technology. Hershey is an innovative company that is constantly seeking new ways to do things. They want to satisfy customers so much that on their website, they have an area where anyone can submit their own ideas for new technology, products, and packaging.