Although Wal-Mart, the world's largest company by revenue, was into its 9th year of operations in China, its stores were still losing money. It had created a miracle in the U.S. retail industry by revolutionizing the sector's business model and successfully implementing its model through innovative practices that enabled it to sell national brands at "Every Day Low Prices". The challenge Wal-Mart faced was whether it could transport its successful model to win in a market with many differing characteristics which threatened its low-cost structure and which could nullify its competitive advantage. Concerned with the application of established domestic business models in international expansion. Also sheds light on other globalization issues such as market entry strategy, localization vs. standardization, the effect of regulation changes on the competitive landscape, and firm performance.
Learning Objective: (Taken From Harvard's site)
To address competitive advantage and its sources (differentiation and cost leadership); debate standardization and localization in international expansion and strategy formation--the fit between firm strategies and external environments; provide students with a basic understanding of the concept of competitive advantage and its sources through a discussion of Wal-Mart's success in the U.S.; discuss the challenges of replicating a successful domestic strategy in a different market environment; explore whether a firm is able to transport its competitive advantage from one market to another using the example of Wal-Mart's entry into China; and think about potential strategies that Wal-Mart China should consider going forward.
Subjects Covered: (Taken From Harvard's site)
Competitive strategy, Global strategy, Consumer behavior, Industry standards, Standardization, Competitive advantage, Expansion, Consumer goods, Department stores, Retail stores, Retailers, Retailing, Business & government,