Reflection Paper # 1 – Is Wal-Mart Good for America? Brandon A. Grossberg University of Redlands School of Business “The secret of successful retailing is to give your customers what they want. And really‚ if you think about it from your point of view as a customer‚ you want everything: a wide assortment of good-quality merchandise; the lowest possible prices; guaranteed satisfaction with what you buy; friendly knowledgeable service; convenient hours; free
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Wal-Mart case study questions Student Name: 1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of Wal-Mart’s fashion brands‚ George and Metro 7? Strengths (think about the Marketing Mix (4 Ps)) • Product – Wal-Mart is one of the largest retailers in the world that is a “one stop shop”. You can find every/anything that you need there with good style‚ selections and quality all for a great everyday low price. • Price – Low prices for fair quality items made Wal-Mart a celebrity for the millions of
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The first Wal-Mart store was opened on July 2nd 1962 in Rogers‚ Arkansas by Sam Walton‚ who believed that the future of retailing lay in discounting. To avoid competing head on with companies like Sears and Woolworths which dominated big cities‚ Walton opened stores in less populated areas that was ignored by other retailers. The stores aimed to serve customers who‚ up until then‚ had to travel long distances to save money‚ and to purchase daily household goods. Now they could buy the same goods
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wal The value wedges illustrated above depict differences between willingness to pay and costs amongst Wal-Mart and its major competitors‚ K-Mart and Target. One product was observed with three different prices from the companies in order to grasp a better understanding and comparison of the different value wedges. An actual comparison of Colgate Cavity Protection Twin Pack Toothpaste emphasizes value captured. Prices were found as follows: Target $6‚ Kmart $5.49‚ and Wal-Mart $3.38. Wal-Mart’s
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Wal-Mart’s exponential buying power is forcing smaller‚ local rivals out of business and is driving factories out of America. This results in job loss and the destruction of established business communities stunting the economic development of the retail sector. According to Smith’s “Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of the Nations” (1776)‚ free competition is the only regulator that allows the individual’s pursuit of self interest to be directed towards the total benefit of society
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critical success factors for operating in retail business (using the example of Wal-Mart’s success as a template) are: · Financial resources · Operational management · Retail network Walmart Porter’s 5 Forces Analysis Potential Competitors: Medium pressure · Wal-Mart has an technologically superior distribution systems‚ lowest possible costing‚ brand name‚ and management expertise to fend off competitors. · Wal-mart is perceived by the customers to offer lowest prices and we can say brand loyalty
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US based Wal-Mart ranked first in the global Fortune 500 list in the financial year 2001-02 earning revenues of $219.81 billion. Wal-Mart is one of the largest retailing companies in the world. The company has grown larger then than its competitors‚ such as Target‚ Sears‚ K-Mart‚ and many more. Now‚ Wal-Mart operate more than 3‚500 discount stores‚ Sam’s Clubs and supercenters in the US and more than 1‚170 stores in all major countries across the world. So‚ one has to wonder‚ how do Wal-Mart’s supply
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Wal-Mart definitely is not in a monopolistic market as there are other firms that are competing for market share and profits. A monopolistic firms generally reaps both short term and long term profits from the market by charging high prices for the products that it offers. Wal-Mart does exactly the opposite where it ensures that it’s prices are the lowest in the market. This indicates an oligopolistic behavior of firms like Wal-Mart whose focus is to drive other competing firms out of the market
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“Outsourcing‚ China and Wal-Mart” Wal-Mart‚ an American corporation boasting “Everyday Low Prices” has expanded and outsourced to include the employment of foreign labor and suppliers to meet their corporation’s demands. In doing this‚ there are several benefits to utilizing cheap Chinese labor. By using Chinese factory labor‚ the Wal-Mart Corporation is able to provide goods at low prices‚ increasing their appeal to the consumer. Also‚ by using cheap labor in other countries‚ Wal-Mart expands their corporation
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Wal-Mart Strategy Analysis What are the key activities that Wal-Mart uses to create competitive advantage over its competitors? * Merchandising – Wal-Mart tailored merchandise offering to local markets through traiting to track product movements and focus on selling products that are higher in demand. Store managers were also given more latitude in setting prices to meet local market conditions. * Store Operations – Wal-Mart chose to build a store at a location where it could be expanded
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