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Walmart business strategy
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Wal-mart case study strategic management
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Scope of International Operations of Bally's Total Fitness and Wal-Mart
International operations for Bally's Total Fitness and Wal-Mart are responsible for a significant amount of growth as well as profitability. Bally's is the largest, and only nationwide, commercial operator of fitness centers, with approximately four million members and nearly 430 facilities located in 29 states, Canada, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean. As of June 30, 2005, Bally's opened fitness centers in over 45 major metropolitan areas representing 63 percent of the United States population and over 16 percent of the Canadian population. The Company introduced its first international Bally's facility in Nassau, Bahamas through a franchise agreement with Doctor's Hospital, the leading for-profit medical institution in the Caribbean region. Bally's also has a joint venture agreement with China Sports Industry Co. (CSI), the largest publicly traded company related to sports and fitness in China. The joint venture includes opening Bally's in major cities such as: Beijing, Shanghai, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. This joint venture with CSI took place in June 2002 estimating 50 to100 Bally's to be opened in Asia over the next five years. Along with CSI, Bally's has a joint venture with Holmes Place, the leading operator of premium health and fitness clubs in Europe. This will help to expand the Bally Total Fitness name brand in Western Europe and bring the Holmes Place brand name to the United States. Korea is one of Bally's strong franchising successes. "Growing the brand through international franchising efforts is a strategy that ensures we maximize our growth while incurring no capital costs for the company," said Paul Toback, president and chief executive officer, Bally Total Fitness. "By offering high-quality, affordable fitness solutions to the ever growing health and fitness needs of the South East Asia population, Bally's can continue to solidify its position as a true global leader in fitness products and services." Bally's has international operations setup in Asia, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean. These are four major countries as far as population and economy goes. While rapid growth is a key part of the company's strategy, Bally's was intent on preserving value during the expansion process. When it comes to value, Bally's makes sure that any new store to open will contain state-of-the-art fitness equipment, as well as more than 120 group exercise classes, personal training, retail stores, rehabilitation centers, massage services and childcare centers. A problem Bally's runs into when opening up overseas is the international currency rates.
Target Corporation is among one of the largest retailers in US with its headquarter located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company is recognized within the top 500 most valuable brands as of 2012 as well as the top 25 retail brands in 2012 (Target Corporation SWOT Analysis, 2013). Target took birth on May1, 1962 as a “new idea in discount stores”. Gregg W. Steinhafel is the current chairman, president and CEO of Target (www.corporate.target.com). The company has a vast product offerings such as- household essentials, including pharmacy, beauty, personal care, baby care, cleaning, and paper products; hardlines comprising music, movies, books, computer software, sporting goods, and toys, as well as electronics that consist of video game hardware and software; apparel and accessories, such as apparel for women, men, boys, girls, toddlers, infants, and newborns, as well as intimate apparel, jewelry, accessories, and shoes. It also provides food and pet supplies, including dry grocery, dairy, frozen food, beverages, candy, snacks, deli, bakery, meat, produce, and pet supplies; and home furnishings and décor, such as furniture, lighting, kitchenware, small appliances, home décor, bed and bath, home improvement, automotive, and seasonal merchandise comprising patio furniture and holiday décor (www.finance.yahoo.com). It has 1,921 stores with an approximated labor force of 361,000 fulltime and part-time employees. Target reported revenue for 2012 was $73,301 million with a 6.1% increase in total sales (www.investor.target.com). Targets global expansion limits to India and Canada for now with 37 distribution centers. It is also aggressively penetrating the online market via offering its products and services on the official website. (www....
Gary and Diane Heavin opened their first Curves in the United States in 1992. The two designed a thirty minute workout for women, and created a comfortable; women only, place to exercise. Franchising of Curves started in 1995, and within ten years it became the world’s largest fitness franchise and the tenth largest of all franchise companies in the world. There are over 10,000 locations in 44 countries and most of the success was through word of mouth (“Curves Weight Loss Plan”).
The strategy of WFM, co founder Mackey, is to continue offering healthier options for its customers. The movement into Canada and the UK in the last few years, lays the footprint for additional global expansion. Mackey intends to increase WFM to 1000 stores. The question is whether it will happen through acquisitions or new store locations. The answer based on their history is a combination of both. The store in Canada opened in 2002. Since brand recognition is not as strong, the store struggled somewhat in the beginning; however, the expectation is that it will grow to one billion in the next ten years (Patton, 2013). The stores in UK, which are in the greater London area, have received mixed receptions, and some stores are selling well while other locations are not. However, Mackey is not deterred and believes that longevity will produce the desired results.
Wal-Mart is one of the world's greatest assets to most people. It provides consumer's a place they can go to virtually get anything they need from, car repairs, to groceries, prescription's, even the latest toys and electronics. With all that said, this paper relates to the different forces in business that affects business: competitive, economic, political + legal + regulatory, technological, cultural + social, demographic, and natural forces. Although there are technically seven we are going to focus on competitive, political, technological, and natural forces.
Wal-Mart’s competitive environment is quite unique. Although Wal-Mart’s primary competition comes from general merchandise retailers, warehouse clubs and supermarket retailers also present competitive pressure. The discount retail industry is substantial in size and is constantly experiencing growth and change. The top competitors compete both nationally and internationally. There is extensive competition on pricing, location, store size, layout and environment, merchandise mix, technology and innovation, and overall image. The market is definitely characterized by economies of scale. Top retailers vertically integrate many functions, such as purchasing, manufacturing, advertising, and shipping. Large scale functions such as these give the top competitors a significant cost advantage over small-scale competition.
In the 1960s through the 1970s, companies realized strong engineering, design, and manufacturing functions were strong market strategy keys to create and capture customer loyalty. As the demand for new products rose in the 1980s, these market requirements were to increase their flexibility and responsiveness to adapt existing products and processes or to develop new ones in order to meet customer needs. As manufacturing improved in the 1990s, managers began noticing material and service inputs involving suppliers and their major impact on an organization’s ability to meet customer needs. As a result of these changes, organizations now find that it difficult to manage their own organizations. First, they must be involved in the management of their network of all upstream firms that provide directly or indirectly, as well as the network of downstream firms, which are responsible for delivery and market service of the product to the end customer. In order to succeed, managers have to realize that they cannot do it alone and they must work together on a daily basis with the whole organizations in their supply chains. Because supply chain management involves all functions within an organization, managers need to know what a supply chain is, why it is important, and the impact of supply chain management on the success and profitability of their organization. Today, Wal-Mart topped the list of the America’s biggest companies on the Fortune 500 list, “with sales of almost $345 billion — more than a quarter of a trillion dollars” (Forbs). Wal-Mart’s supply chain management is becoming recognized as a core competitive strategy.
Walmart a name known globally they are a true empire. They are known as one of the largest company in the world. Sam Walton founded Walmart opening the first store in 1952 and Arkansas since then in has grown. According to Snyder Walmart is located in over 27 counties they have over a 11,000 stores and over two million employees. Walmart stands by the mission statement “We save people money so they can live better.” Walmart is known for is super low prices, and they compete with anyone who tries to enter their market. Walmart has a very formal and bureaucratic structure. There is a very clear hierarchy and commands come from the top and flows to the bottom. Although Walmart is so successful they have received lots of backlash due to some
Brookshire’s Grocery Company is a privately held Texas based retail food chain that operates in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. The company’s corporate office and headquarters are located in Tyler, Texas at the Tyler distribution center. Brookshire’s operates under three distinct banners: Brookshire’s food stores which are full service supermarkets, Super 1 Foods stores which are upscale warehouse style stores, and FRESH by Brookshire’s which is a concept store. Brookshire’s Grocery is rated #193 on the Forbes America’s Largest Private Company List with revenues of 2.4 billion as of December of 2013 (Forbes, 2013).
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.
The purpose of this presentation is to provide a comparative analysis of business activities of two well-known representatives of the US retail industry, Target and Walmart. My research is focused on a business strategy of these largest and most experienced American merchandising companies; particularly, on their activities in Canada. Based on the data collected from the various sources, I would like to detect, analyze, and demonstrate the obvious causes that have lead to a catastrophic failure of Target in its unsuccessful attempt to win a Canadian market.
"LA Fitness grew out of three clubs, each owned by one of the founders. In 1990 Fred Turock, Jeremy Taylor and David Turner decided to get together to jointly manage these clubs, with the aim of building up a network of gyms with first class facilities. In 1996 they created the LA Fitness brand and the following year they joined the top ten health and fitness club operators, catering to a wide variety of people of all shapes and sizes and with a huge range of goals. In 1999 the growth and success of the LA Fitness group led to a listing on the London Stock Exchange. In 2005 the team decided they needed more control - they wanted to make sure LA Fitness could continue to provide affordable membership and a fun environment for its growing band of members. LA Fitness now has more than 88 clubs and over a quarter of a million members all over the United Kingdom" (LA Fitness, 2007).
Summarize and discuss the core issue in the case. Do not repeat the entire case details but only pertinent information at the heart of the case.
The Wal-Mart stores had six different environmental analyses that are been given in this case study. They are some other major facts that are listed and can be listed under this general environment analysis. The first factor is economic factors Wal-Mart are having different economic conditions in tim...
From a food and beverage manager's perspective - What are the important characteristics and procedures of a food and beverage establishment in relation to its size, type, market, design, planning and organization?
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is a renowned retail goods superstore that sits atop the Fortune list at number one. It would be very difficult to find an individual who is unaware of Walmart’s position as the largest brick-and-mortar retail chain in the world. The company has thrived over the past few years and is continuing to grow by effectively managing its store operations and distribution strategies. One of the major contributors to the business consistently meeting market expectations is directly attributable to their management approach. Walmart has revolutionized the way retail companies manage their supply chains in more ways than one. But, perhaps the most revolutionary was the practice of unprecedented coordination with suppliers (Chekwa,