IRN: 9020050249
MGT/521 Management
The company that is listed as number one on the Fortune 500 list is Wal-Mart. This company has much strength that makes it very interesting for investment. Wal-Mart was founded by Sam Walton in the 1950’s and faced competition among many regional discount stores. In 1962 Wal-Mart officially began with its first store in Rogers, Arkansas. Wal-Mart now has over 600 discount stores in the United States and stores located in 28 countries. No matter the size of the company its purpose has not changed over the years. Mr. Sam Walton said, “If we work together, we’ll lower the cost of living for everyone... we’ll give the world an opportunity to see what it’s like to save and have a better life.”(1) Wal-Mart is probably one of the most recognizable company’s in the world. As stated earlier there are over 600 Wal-Mart discount stores in the United States. Wal-Mart has over 3,000 supercenters in the United States. They have a combination of these two styles of stores in over 28 countries around the world. Stores that are located outside of the United States operate under a different banner, but still have the same goal as their sister stores in the United States: Save people money, so they can live better. (1) Not only is the name Wal-Mart very recognizable, but each store offers the community it is located in the possibility of having a lower unemployment rate. Each discount store employs around 225 employees, where as a supercenter employs around 350 employees. Not only does Wal-Mart employ numerous employees in the United States, but outside of the United States Wal-Mart has employed over 740,000 employees in over 5,000 stores. This puts Wal-Mart as a strong player in the global business world with representation in so many countries throughout the world. Wal-Mart has become a strong business throughout the world because it offers products to people at a reasonable price. All of these stores would not have been