July 5, 1984

In these days of carefully honed corporate strategic plans, Dillard Department Stores has a simpler plan than most. ''We'll go wherever business opportunities present themselves,'' said William Dillard, the 69-year-old founder, chairman and chief executive, in a recent interview. ''We've never had a specific plan in our company. Of course, we will continue our expansion, so maybe that is a plan.''

A driver who was indicted for manslaughter after his concrete-mixer truck crashed into a parked car and killed a woman and her two children last year in Manhattan has been permitted to plead guilty to reduced charges with a promise of no prison term. The plea was accepted by Acting Justice Luis M. Neco of State Supreme Court after another acting justice, Harold J. Rothwax, refused to do so. Court officials said it was rare for a judge to deny a plea arrangement between the prosecution and the defense. Justice Rothwax maintained that the defendant, who had been accused of driving while impaired by marijuana, should serve a prison term if found guilty.

THURSDAY, JULY 5, 1984 Markets The persistent strength of the dollar upsets the predictions of many economists who did not foresee rising interest rates. Traders seem to ignore the nation's huge trade and current-account deficits and focus instead on its rapid economic growth and low inflation. Many analysts now say the dollar will remain strong at least through the rest of 1984. (Page D1.) The dollar continued to rise against most European currencies. (D5.)

Changes in a U.S.-Honduran accord will be sought by Honduras in an effort to win more economic and military benefits, according to Honduras military officials. They said a Honduran commission was studying the 1954 military agreement and would ask Washington for such changes as preferential trade arrangements and increased Honduran control over United States military personnel. (Page A1, Column 3.) English-speaking Caribbean leaders opened their first meeting since the United States-led invasion of Grenada last October and raised the question whether their 12-year-old regional organization can survive. Four of the 13 member countries opposed the invasion and others are at odds over economic policies. (A3:1-3.)

Orders for steel, which plummeted in the second quarter, are expected to rise in the next few months. But they are expected to remain below the robust levels of early this year. Steel orders represented 92 percent of capacity in February and fell to 56 percent in June, according to Charles A. Bradford, an analyst with Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. Industry economists and analysts predict, however, that the order rate will soon climb back over the 60 percent level. ''Order entry has declined rather sharply in the past six to eight weeks,'' said John M. Workman, manager of market research for the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. ''We would expect orders to begin improving by August.''