This report discusses the evaluation of Wal-Mart’s strategic planning process. The purpose of this evaluation is to compare and analyze the performance to help better measure our operation and financial conditions as well as enable us to accomplish our future objectives and to continue growth. Key Concepts: Strategic Plan Definition - A company’s strategic plan lays out its future direction and business purpose, performance, targets and strategy. Strategic Management Definition - consists of the analysis, decisions, and actions an organization undertakes in order to create and sustain competitive advantages. This definition captures two main elements that go to the heart of the field of strategic management. Mission Statement: Wal-Mart’s mission statement is simple and to the point “We save people money so they can live better” Environmental Scanning: Definition - Careful monitoring of an organization’s internal and external environments for detecting early signs of opportunities and threats that may influence its current and future plans. In comparison, surveillance is confined to a specific objective or a narrow sector. Strengths Wal-Mart has a competitive advantage that helps set them apart from the others. They operate under economies of scale. Competition has a hard time matching superstores on price because they typical lack volume to negotiate better deals With the development of its own distribution center and scale of operations, Wal-Mart is able to order in larger quantity at lower prices and passed on the savings to its customers. This generates store traffic and supports a one-stop shopping experience. Wal-Mart’s collaboration with Cisco Systems allows suppliers to log onto Wal-Mart’s database for real-time ... ... middle of paper ... ...bama. "Outstanding article on the WalMartization of America by Harold Meyerson at The American Prospect." Daily Kos. N.p., 3 Dec 2013. Web. 1 Jul 2014. Duryee, Tricia . "Walmart’s shopping spree continues as its online sales grow faster than Amazon’s." Geek Wire. N.p., 6 May 2014. Web. 1 Jul 2014. Hiltzik, Michael. "Wal-Mart's dependence on food stamps, revealed." LA Times. N.p., 24 Mar 2014. Web. 1 Jul 2014. Grant, Robert M. . "Wal-Mart Stores’ Operations and Activities." Contemporary Strategy - Inkling. Wiley. Web. 1 Jul 2014. Samakow, GrantPaul . "Suing Wal-Mart: Bad business practices lead to litigation ." Washington Times. Wiley, 2 Jun 2013. Web. 1 Jul 2014. Olssen, Karen. "Up Against Wal-Mart." Mother Jones. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Jul 2014. Bose, Nandita . "Wal-Mart's China syndrome a symptom of international woes." Reuters. N.p., 21 Feb 2014. Web. 1 Jul 2014.
Wal-Mart represents the sickness of capitalism at its almost fully evolved state. As Jim Hightower said, "Why single out Wal-Mart? Because it's a hog. Despite the homespun image it cultivates in its ads, it operates with an arrogance and avarice that would make Enron blush and John D. Rockefeller envious. It's the world's biggest retail corporation and America's largest private employer; Sam Robson Walton, a member of the ruling family, is one of the richest people on earth. Wal-Mart and the Waltons got to the top the old-fashioned way: by roughing people up. Their low, low prices are the product of two ruthless commandments: Extract the last penny possible from human toil and squeeze the last dime from its thousands of suppliers, who are left with no profit margin unless they adopt the Wal-Mart model of using nonunion labor and shipping production to low-wage hellholes abroad." (The Nation, March 4th 2002 www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020304&s=hightower).
Dukes v. Wal-Mart, Inc. (2004). Class Certification Status Decision, United States District Court, Northern California. Retrieved July 15, 2005 from http://www.walmartclass.com/public-home.html.
Walmart is one of the most successful franchises of all time and continues to take fire from multiple angles, whether it’s about the costing of jobs, the wages, the health insurance, the small business destruction, or the environmental impact, but can always back itself up by negating those claims with facts that proves that it is beneficial to the community.
Ford, Glen. "Wal-Mart: Evil At Any Price." Black Agenda Report. 12 Dec. 2007. Black Agenda Radio. 7 May 2008 .
Fishman, Charles. The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World's Most Powerful Company Really Works-- and How It's Transforming the American Economy. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.
The top two reasons for such success in ranking first in retail store market, is because Wal-Mart is convenient globally and so are there prices in the competitive market . Wal-Mart has three segments which are superstores, discount stores, and Sam's Club stores, all of these are scattered in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Brazil, and Asia. One downfall was from Sam's club because too many were opening all over internationally it decreased the number of customers per location. Overall despite the company's decline on Sam's club sales, the Corporations did well over all with the figures brought in and conditions.
Wal -Marts' major competitors are the Kroger co. #2 in annual sales, Albertsons' Inc. #3, Safeway,Inc. #4, and Costco Wholesale Group #5. Now even though Wal- Mart is leading the way in total sales the #2 and #3 businesses lead in way with total # of stores. The Kroger Co. has 3,302 with Albertsons at 2,476 stores nationwide. Wal-Marts total sales for that year alone was beating its 2nd place competition alone by more than 80 billion dolla...
Walmart is one of the largest supermarket chains in America. They have mastered the technique of how to get customers to buy their products once in their store. Walmart has an abundance of products ranging from groceries to gardening to automotive. Walmart’s easy flow and strategic placement of an abundance of products entices customers to buy more than the customer anticipated.
Quinn, Bill. How Walmart Is Destroying America (and the world), And What You Can Do About It. Third Edition. Ten Speed Press, 2005. Print.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is in the discount, variety stores industry. It was founded in 1945, Bentonville in Arkansas which is also the headquarters of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart operates locally as well as worldwide. It operated 1209 discount stores, 1980 super centers, and 567 Sam’s Club by January 31, 2006. It has also extended its operations to many international countries. It runs its retail stores in two forms: Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart Stores. The Sam’s Club sells assorted product lines such as hardwares, electronics, jewelry, and to mention a few. The Wal-Mart stores also offer similar products in addition to the following: health and beauty products, apparel for women, men and children, household appliances etc (www.yahoo.finance.com). The Vision Statement, Mission Statement, Values and Code of Conduct, Corporate Governance: Directors, Executive Management, Committees and Stakeholder will be the key elements that will discussed in this report as it relates to Wal-Mart. In addition to that, the major trends in the general/macro environment and industry will be analyzed.
Bianco, Anthony and Zellner, Wendy. (October 6, 2003). Is Wal-Mart too Powerful? Low Prices are Great. But Wal-Mart’s Dominance Creates Problems for Suppliers, Workers, Communities, and even American Culture. Retrieved on March 30, 2011 from http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/03_40/b3852001_mz001.htm.
One thing affecting the Political environment of Wal-Mart is the firm’s decision to support specific political candidates. In 2006, Walmart gave California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, over $20,000 and funded $200,000 for initiatives he supported. California receives more money from Walmart for politics than any other state; the company has donated $300,000 to its GOP and local politicians. It’s been noted that the firm progressively increased its “contributions to…politicians, just as such politicians have been taking on bigger roles in deciding key issues concerning the company's operations, from the local minimum wage and required health-care benefits to zoning for big-box retailers.” Sam Walton stated that politics should be ignored by the firm because customers weren’t benefited by its involvement in political matters—but this is no longer the case for the firm. “Today, Wal-Mart has become one of the most active corporations in the U.S. At the federal level, Wal-Mart is already the No. 1 corporate political contributor, giving $943,455 in the 2006 election cycle” (Gogoi, 2006).
Wal-Mart is known to beone of the best supply chain companies in the world. Throughout the years Wal-Mart has adapted strategies that keep up to their name. Unlike many retailers, Wal-Mart purchases goods directly from manufacturers, skipping a few steps of the supply chain cycle. Buyers use advanced negotiation skills to make sure they are receiving the best price on purchases. Wal-Mart also has their own trucks picking up from warehouses, reducing the price significantly on transportation. Long term relationships with vendors are extremely emphasized to understand prices and cost structure. These practices build Wal-Mart to its name and keeps low prices for retail customers all over the world. Supply Chain studies have shown that in 1998, Wal-Mart would fill up stock in 2 days compared to their competitors which would complete it in 5. Part of the reason Wal-Mart would replenish so
Wal-mart has a reputation for caring for its customers, of course their employees, and for the prospective public. So Wal-Mart can be an industrial leader for the world of shoppers with an eye for lower affordable prices, company decision makers would continue it's systematic strategies that it's founder and president established years ago. Sam Walton believed in three guiding principles in his strategy planning they were to provide the customer with good value and service, to have a good relationship with its associates, and to be involved with the community.