Walmart Stores, Inc.
Strategic Initiative
Preston Burrell, Sue Ford, Ketia Francois, Chris Hiniker, George Lance
FIN370
July 29, 2013
Laura Haase
Walmart’s Strategic Initiative Strategic planning is a goal of most if not all companies that exist. Some may use this form of planning on a small scale and meet about things such as improving satisfaction ratings or improving the company’s website. Others meet about larger goals that can change and improve the image and branding of a company. That is the case with Walmart. According to Walmart (2013), the company has been issuing a Global Responsibility Report since 2005. This report covers many areas of importance to Walmart such as talent development, healthier foods,
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The company has created SVN networks to get feedback from internal and external stakeholders. They come together to develop solutions and deliver tangible results that made a difference for the business. According to “Walmart, 2013”, “Those suppliers who partner with us in building a responsible supply chain will be the suppliers who will grow with us” (Sustainability Index).
Walmart’s strategic planning initiatives ensure a vast influence of their financial planning. Though Walmart places a massive significance on valuing its goods at very low-slung prices, this also marks their extra actions to be well-organized in a particular mode to exploit on the general earnings (“Walmart”, 2009). The company’s pricing policy has prepared employers in to be the marketplace forerunner in the United States. The tactical preparation creativities of the organization rely an outcome based on its values and total trades. This company consumes segment growth that can be exposed to different supplies that will broaden Walmart’s current stores, and alter the locations of the company distribution centers. In this case it creates a panel that requires a large amount of sum of principal. The high cost load for the extension of their stores has to be less; these initiatives have proven to be highly active on a complete foundation (“Walmart”, 2009). Though this might not build a short-range
The generic strategy that Wal-Mart employs is mainly a low-cost leader. This is evident by the company’s purpose: “saving people money so they can live better”. Wal-Mart believes that having a lower price matters to their customers. They continuously seek to reduce costs throughout their company, which will in turn reduce costs for
Since Wal-Mart opened its doors in the early 1960’s profit as with any corporation has been a main focus. Achieving and succeeding in this however is easier said than done, development and success of a company relies on efficiency in current practices and improvements in those practices to insure the future of the company. A strong sustainability strategy which is closely followed will allow for such growth and success; bringing profits to the organization.
It is said that “The only social responsibility that there is, is to obey laws and pay taxes,” but according to Milton Friedman, “social responsibility is to increase profits.” This kind of responsibility also a form of giving back. Many people believe that the future of Wal-Mart is sustainability. Wal-Mart Stakeholders are the associates, otherwise known as employees, the suppliers, and the investors of this company. I believe that Wal-Mart is doing enough to become more sustainable both locally and globally by the resources, its key stakeholders.
Ferguson (2016) explains that Walmart’s vision statement, the Corporation traces its success to the principles of its founder, Sam Walton. Further, the principles are highlighted in Walmart’s vision statement: “To be the best retailer in the hearts and minds of consumers and employees. ” The author added that Walmart initial aim was to attain a top position in the retail industry – given its present situation, the company has already achieved the best retailer aspect of the vision. In addition, Walmart’s vision statement speaks to the minds and hearts of those that matter most to the Corporation, that is - consumers and employees. Walmart has convincingly swayed the minds of shoppers and workers on the premise of financial benefits. The writer stated that staffs earn wages, whilst shoppers save money via Walmart’s economical prices. Still, the heart element of the vision statement remains to be proven (Ferguson, 2016).
Lee Scott's Founding Vision takes the point of view from the zenith of the association as Walmart's CEO, Lee Scott, creates and verbalizes his vision of what Walmart plans to accomplish by seeking after a forceful sustainability system. This case investigates the weights that drove Scott to report the organization's goal-oriented sustainability objectives: accomplishing zero waste, 100% renewable energy, and offering sustainable items. It additionally investigates the decisions made when characterizing and imparting the extent of
There are many environmental forces that can affect an organizations. One particular organization that has been affected by these environmental forces is Walmart. Some organizations such as Walmart believe in saving people money so they can live better. Walmart first store open in 1962 in Arkansas and now fifty three years later operates all over the world, deals with over 245 million customers, has 11,000 stores in 28 countries, and employee’s 2.2 million employees worldwide. Walmart believes in being innovative and demonstrate leadership through the service they offer customers and communities. Walmart is best known for their low prices and is considered by most the one stop shopping experience. In the following paragraphs we will look
Competitive advantage can be defined as a means by which a firm manages to keep making money, add value by providing distinct products and sustain its position against its competitors. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is one of such companies in the retail sector that has achieved sustainable competitive advantage over a period of time. ¬This report focuses on how Wal-Mart has achieved competitive advantage by adopting cost leadership strategy and providing consumer goods at lower prices. The report also discusses how Wal-Mart is taking lead on environmental sustainability by investing in solar power plants, offering environment friendly products in its various stores and encouraging recycling of different products. Wal-Mart’s strategies
Is Wal-Mart a socially responsible corporation? Discuss using Hall’s article as your starting point and the different views of corporate responsibility presented in class. (This essay should argue to a definitive conclusion).
One of the major shortcomings of the report is that some of Walmart statements regarding its CSR and sustainability activities differs greatly from what some outside advocacy groups and activists are saying about the company’s CSR efforts. The Food Chain Workers Alliance on June 4th , 2015 published a 120 page report about Walmart called “Walmart at the Crossroads, the Environmental and Labor Impact of Its Food Supply” where it questions a lot of Walmart’s practices. The Food Chain Workers Alliance is an advocacy group with more than 300,000 members who work in all-different stages of the food chain from the farm to the restaurant. Its goal is to develop a more sustainable food system while at the same time fight for the rights of workers.
Before the economic downturn Wal-Mart implemented strategies to increase profits. In 2005, Walmart implemented a plan to target wealthier consumers with a more modern marketing campaign (Kabel, 2006). Walmart began stocking more high-end merchandise to cater to this group of consumers (Kabel, 2006). The ability to stay in business relies on a company’s ability to increase business during good economic times as well as bad. The two strategies Walmart used (targeting wealthier customer base and eliminating health coverage) proved that Walmart knows how to adapt to changing markets. Walmart has an awareness of the strategies to implement during economic upswings as well as downturns.
Walmart has taken maintainability strategy for being a greener organization to address its natural partners. The
Wal-Mart performs strongly in a specific area of social responsibility. Wal-Mart is the most powerful business in America not only in America it has gone through many different countries. Wal-Mart is the most leading discount store making it more favorable to consumers. Wal-Mart has everything that you need in one store at the cheapest price. This company has an amazing strategy of making things seem cheap. Wal-Mart’s exchange of goods at low prices brings more high quality to consumers, which is why more consumers chose to shop there. The Pew Research study found that, 24% of Americans think the company is bad for the economy, and 31% had an unfavorable view of it. Still Wal-Mart has lot of social responsibility such as giving money for
Successful corporations in today’s business world must be able to employ different levels of planning in order to achieve goals put in place by senior management. Wal-Mart has many different levels of management planning in place to follow through on its goals and objectives. There are many factors that influence Wal-Mart’s strategic, tactical, operational and contingency planning. Although Wal-Mart has been a very successful corporation throughout its existence, it has had to absorb the impact of legal issues, ethics, and corporate responsibility in its management planning.
Wal-Mart’s supply chain is obsessed with cost and is facilitated by a low implied demand uncertainty, their impressive logistics system and their management information systems. Their supply chain is able to respond quickly to fill a wide variety of products to keep merchandise on Wal-Mart’s shelves. Wal-Mart’s level of coordination along the supply chain is excellent; it would
The establishment of big business within the United States also alters the social impact through the developments which take place. There are a variety of positive and negative variables which directly alter the social and cultural associations with products and services. Wal - Mart, one of the largest multinational corporations, often known as a big box retailer, offers a variety of products in it's store and is noted as one of the largest corporations in America. While the influence of the store continues to create demands, there are both positive and negative associations with the influences of the corporation and it's development.