Walmart 2014 Annual Report Analysis
Shayna Bram
BA 2196 Section 21/Professor Teresa Gill Cirillo
Writing Assignment: Analyzing the Annual Report
Walmart’s 2014 annual report differs from most other company’s annual reports; as most annual reports are targeted to shareholders or future investors, Walmart focuses its annual report on shareholders, associates, and customers. What is also unique about Walmart’s annual report is that it includes information and data of its subsidiary, Sam’s Club. In its 2014 annual report, Walmart uses many strategies to effectively communicate its current success and future goals to its investors, customers, and associates. First, Walmart’s annual report features affirmative language paired with photographs of happy associates emphasizing employee satisfaction and dedication to the company and to customers; second, the report uses infinitive verbs on page headers and titles to emphasize Walmart’s confidence in its current success and future goals; and third, Walmart demonstrates its accelerated growth through its innovative e-commerce integration by using bold images and quotes along with graphically highlighted facts.
Walmart’s 2014 annual report highlights its associates satisfaction and dedication to the company by using positive language paired with images of happy employees. For example, the second page of Walmart’s annual report shows a photograph of a happily working employee and boldly states next to it that 80 percent of 2.2 million associates worldwide are proud to work for Walmart. Also, below that photograph and statement, the report positioned a photo of a smiling associate servicing a customer between two graphically highlighted statements in which say that three-hundred thousand U.S. employees have ten or more years of service to Walmart and over 190,000 of U.S. store and Sam’s Club associates were promoted in the fiscal year of 2014. These statements and images reinforce the commitment and satisfaction Walmart’s associates’ have with the company.
BA 2196 Section 21/Professor Teresa Gill Cirillo
Writing Assignment: Analyzing the Annual Report
Walmart’s 2014 annual report differs from most other company’s annual reports; as most annual reports are targeted to shareholders or future investors, Walmart focuses its annual report on shareholders, associates, and customers. What is also unique about Walmart’s annual report is that it includes information and data of its subsidiary, Sam’s Club. In its 2014 annual report, Walmart uses many strategies to effectively communicate its current success and future goals to its investors, customers, and associates. First, Walmart’s annual report features affirmative language paired with photographs of happy associates emphasizing employee satisfaction and dedication to the company and to customers; second, the report uses infinitive verbs on page headers and titles to emphasize Walmart’s confidence in its current success and future goals; and third, Walmart demonstrates its accelerated growth through its innovative e-commerce integration by using bold images and quotes along with graphically highlighted facts.
Walmart’s 2014 annual report highlights its associates satisfaction and dedication to the company by using positive language paired with images of happy employees. For example, the second page of Walmart’s annual report shows a photograph of a happily working employee and boldly states next to it that 80 percent of 2.2 million associates worldwide are proud to work for Walmart. Also, below that photograph and statement, the report positioned a photo of a smiling associate servicing a customer between two graphically highlighted statements in which say that three-hundred thousand U.S. employees have ten or more years of service to Walmart and over 190,000 of U.S. store and Sam’s Club associates were promoted in the fiscal year of 2014. These statements and images reinforce the commitment and satisfaction Walmart’s associates’ have with the company.