...Week Four - Business Analysis Part I Before we conduct a SWOT analysis on Walmart, I want to give a brief history of the company. Walmart was founded in 1962 in Bentonville, Arkansas. Sam Walton’s vision was to achieve high volume of sales by maintaining sales price lower than competitors, which meant he had to reduce his profit margins. This multinational organization has been an example of growth, stability, profitability, and leadership in the retail business. The company is the second largest public corporation in America on the list of Fortune 500 in 2012 with 446,950 million dollars in revenue and $15,669 million dollars in profit (CNN Money, 2012). SWOT Analysis Strengths * The biggest private employer in the world (CNN Money, 2012). * Low price leader in the market since the beginning. * Second America’s largest corporation in 2012 (CNN Money, 2012). * One stop shop. Wide range of products under one roof. * Worldwide presence with more than 10,000 stores in 27 countries (Duke, 2012). * Leverage in the marketplace because of high purchasing volume. Weaknesses * Criticized of low paying jobs to its employees. * Limited grow opportunities to its employees. * Deficiency in the upscale market. * Adverse effects on small business in local community * Suppliers have to cut margins to sell their merchandise. * Monopolistic business. Opportunities * Pursue new international markets, especially in Asia and...
Words: 1302 - Pages: 6
...second largest of all the United States department stores. The nearly thousand stores are dispersed around the United States and even in Puerto Rico and Mexico. J.C. Penny has been around for over 100 years. According to International Directory of Company Histories, “James Cash Penney started his first retail store in 1902 in Kemmerer, Wyoming, a small mining town.” (Grant, 1997) The store has since transformed to more of fashion-oriented retail store instead of a wide variety of goods. Since their refocus of the company, JCPenny’s has been able to compete in the very harsh market with a lot of competitors such as Sears, Walmart and Kmart. The internet shopping options provided by JCPenny has been showing great growth for the company. In fact the company is so well known because of its ability to adapt to the new forms of sales such as online. JCPenny SWOT Analysis Strengths: * JCPenny has a long history in the business * Brand Recognition * Locations nationwide that are in nearly every mall * Exclusive popular brand names that are not available other places Weaknesses: * Decline in comparable store sales * Decrease in popularity due to competitors * Changing business strategies a little too often * Lack of coupons Opportunities: * Growing internet sales * Exploring specific markets such as maternity and/or big & tall * Attracting new customers through new business models * Complete renovation of marketing strategies...
Words: 995 - Pages: 4
...Running head: Five Year Marketing Five Year Marketing Plan Walmart Sherry Smith Baker College Table of Contents I. Title Page 1 II. Table of Contents 2-3 III. Executive Summary 4 IV. Company Description 4-5 V. Strategic Focus and Plan 5 a) Mission Statement (Current) 5 b) New or Revised Mission Statement 5 i. Vision Statement (Current) 5 ii. New or Revised Vision Statement 5-6 c) Goals 6 1) Non-financial Goals 6 2) Financial Goals 6 d) Core Competency and Sustainable Competitive Advantage 6 VI. Situation Analysis 7 a) SWOT Analysis 7 b) Industry Analysis 7-8 c) Competitors 8 d) Company Analysis 8-9 e) Customer Analysis 9 VII. Market Product Focus 9 a) Marketing and Product Objectives 10-11 b) Target Markets 11 c) Points of Difference 11 d) Positioning 11-12 VIII. Marketing Program 12 a) Product Strategy 12 i. Product Line 12 ii. Unique Product Quality 12-13 iii. Packaging 13 b) Price Strategy 13 c) Promotion Strategy 13-14 d) Place (Distribution) Strategy 14 IX. Financial Data and Projections 14 a) Past Sales Revenues...
Words: 4175 - Pages: 17
...Walmart in Japan I. Problem identification phase Introduction Walmart is an American international retail company that is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. The company began operations in 1962 after being founded by Sam Walton and incorporated in 1969. The present brand name—Walmart—came about in 2008 and before that it was referred to as Wal-Mart. The company is famous for operating chains of large discount departmental stores and warehouse stores. Presently, the company is the 18th public corporation in terms of size and the biggest in terms of revenue, private employment, and retailer (Walmart 2011 Annual report). Furthermore, the largest shareholders are the Walton’s with 48% shares; hence they control the company. The company has approximately 9000 stores in over 15 countries all operating under different names. For instance, in Mexico it is called Walmex, in UK Asda, and in Japan Seiyu. This article analyses Walmart in Japan through three phases. The three phases are: problem identification, analysis, and solution phases. Background Walmart bought 6.2% of Seiyu in May 2002 (Holstein 73). The shares of the company increased over time and in 2005 December, Walmart was the majority shareholder of 50.9%. In 2008, Seiyu was entirely owned by Walmart whose headquarters are in Tokyo. The company has 419 retail units that are inclusive of: Seiyu Hypermarket, Seiyu Supermarket, Wakana, and Seiyu General Merchendise. Setting operations in Japan was not an easy feat...
Words: 2606 - Pages: 11
...primary intent of this paper is to compare the current strategy and operational approaches for two pharmacy retail stores such as Walmart and Walgreens chain stores. A SWOT analysis for both companies is bellow in table. My understanding after the initial study / investigation is that Walgreens has chosen to be conservative with their strategy in increasing their customer reach, market and base by a more organic growth than Walmart which growth approach is to rapidly build small and large supercenters on major neighborhoods in the United States and key cities around the world. The main strategy reporting evidence that reflect these two companies operational growth is mainly reflected in each financial statement that shows profit and loses for each company and their reinvestment percentage into each one. The financial analyses display the result of each company decisions to their market growth approach and impact on investment. Because of their more conservative stand and minimum risk taken by Walgreen’s, their operations model seems more solid and better prepare to accept their rate of growth in contrast to Walmart aggressive scheduled and heavy investment direction. Two different and what appear to be very effective approaches despite their very recent and impressive operations growth for each company. SWOT Analysis Walmart Weakness * Walmart approach to go with large space stores has little penetration in urban stores, plus as it continue to open in larger cities...
Words: 3182 - Pages: 13
...One of the largest companies in the Fortune 500 is Walmart. This company is able to offer a wide selection of goods at a strong competitive price. Their size allows them to gain discounts from suppliers and pass those savings onto the customers. Their expansion into other countries and partnership formations have made them a more profitable organization. They have opened up thousands of job opportunities globally. They can continue to expand into convenient stores or open up an internet base store that does home delivery. The possibilities are endless with an organization that has strong management. Unfortunately their shortcomings are due to the large size organization. It is hard maintaining and managing all employees to see the same vision as the top management. The suppliers are always fluctuating their prices and their ability to supply when necessary. Even though Walmart offers satisfaction guaranteed, it is difficult to control the quality of the products because of their low prices. Small vendors and the local competition do everything they can to oppose the building of Walmart within their community. Walmart is a huge store and therefore must be built further outside the city than the smaller convenience stores. They can be affected by gas price increases because fewer people want to expense the travel costs. Like any company that is successful they are open to criticism and ethical mentality, such as lower salaries and poor work conditions, and suppliers coming from...
Words: 1292 - Pages: 6
...Organizational Strategies Prepared by: Brian = AMGT4110 ABSTRACT When starting a new company, what better way to find a business strategy then to study those companies that are around you? These businesses have gone through the bad times and have made strides to continue growth into the future. After reviewing strategies from to large retail corporations, do their strategies have anything to offer to the new entrepreneur starting their first business? Wal-Mart Corporation has been part of most communities for many years being the stable for everyday shopping. They carry everything from home goods to a full grocery store and most even have some type of medical office (optician to wellness center), making Wal-Mart a one stop shop for every consumer. Based on my own personal experience, Wal-Mart has been the store I chosen when something was needed during odd hours, in a rush, or when they have a special sale. One thing I have always noticed is the wide diversity of its work force and it’s cliental. From old to young, from every race on earth, Wal-Mart tries to make everyone fell welcome once you enter the store. The Target Corporation has been around since 1962 opening its first store in Roseville, MN. While I do most of my shopping here, I have found that when one of the retail companies makes a change, the other is soon to follow. In the area I live, both companies are very close...
Words: 1302 - Pages: 6
...1-Wal-Mart history and Introduction The first Wal-Mart was opened in Rogers, Arkansas, in 1962. By 1969 it was incorporated into Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and in 1972 went public on the New York Stock Exchange. The company grew steadily across the United States, and by 1990 was the nation's largest retailer. In 1991 and 1994, Wal-Mart moved into Mexico and Canada respectively. By 1997 it was incorporated into the Dow Jones Industrial Average. As of 2005, Wal-Mart has stores in the United Kingdom, and Puerto Rico, and brings in revenue of close to 300 billion dollars a year. In 2006, Wal-Mart invaded the China and India's markets. During the last two decades, Wal-Mart has been able to take advantage of the rise of information technology and the explosion of the global economy to change the balance of power in the business world (Wikipedia, 2006). Today Wal-Mart continues to grow and their success is not only from their sound strategic management planning but also from its implementation of those strategic plans. In other words operational planning has been an important key to their success. 2-Wal-Mart Strategy Once plans have been developed, an organization must address how management will be accomplishing be those plans. This involves operational plans that must flow from strategy; specify resource, time issues, and commitment of human resources. Operational plans at the lower - levels of the organization, have a shorter time horizon, and are narrower in scope (Bateman...
Words: 2018 - Pages: 9
...will research the history of Wal-Mart and perform a SWOT analysis. The SWOT analysis will analyze Wal-Marts strength, weaknesses, the opportunities and threats the company faces. Wal-Mart History Sam Walton was a man who believed in leadership through service. After gaining experience in retail through his own small variety store Sam Walton open the first Wal-Mart in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas (Walmart, 2012). Within five years Sam Walton and his wife owned 24 stores, ringing up $12.7 million in sales (Walmart, 2012). Two years later the Walmart stores Inc was officially incorporated. In 1970 Walmart became a publicly traded company, 1971 the first distribution center was opened, and in 1972 Walmart was listed on the New York Stock Exchange with 51 stores and sales of $78 million (Walmart, 2012). In the 80s the first Sam’s Club opened, the first Walmart super center opened, cash registers were replaced with computerized point–of–sale systems, and the company installed the largest private satellite communication system in the United States, linking the company's operations through voice, data, and video communication (Walmart, 2012). In the 90s Walmart reaches $1 billion dollar a week in sales and expands internationally to Mexico City, Canada, China, and the United Kingdom. In 2002 Walmart topped the Fortune 500 ranking of America's largest companies and entered the Japanese market (Walmart, 2012). In 2005 Walmart contributes relief in the form of products and...
Words: 1178 - Pages: 5
...Since San Walton opened his first store in 1962, Walmart has grown into a global retailer with more than 4,000 store in the United States and more than 6,000 internationally. Walmart is comprised of three business segments, Walmart US, Walmart International and Sam’s Club. Walmart Global eCommerce works across all three segments. Walmart’s mission statement “We save people money so they can live better”, is not indicative of where its strategic focus areas are, but it does sound good for the average customer who has a limited budget. This mission statement leads directly into Walmart Global eCommerce goals which include combining online, social innovations with physical stores to give consumers “anywhere, anytime shopping experience” in addition to its organizational sustainability goal of creating zero waste, using only sustainable energy and selling products that sustain the environment which is important to all of Walmart’s segments including eCommerce. Walmart’s overall objective is to deliver shareholder value by increasing earnings per share, returns and maintaining strong stable returns on investment. According to Walmart CEO, Mike Duke, Walmart’s strategic focus areas are: •Making sure the company has the best retail talent at every level of the organization by recruiting, developing and retaining the best associates; •Delivering on the productivity loop that enables Walmart to operate for less so the company can drive prices even lower for its customers ...
Words: 3940 - Pages: 16
...I. INTRODUCTION The mission statement for Walmart is a simple statement to focus on consumer needs. “We save people money so they can live better. If we work together, we’ll lower the cost of living for everyone we’ll give the world an opportunity to see what it is like to save and have a better life”(Walton S.) Walmart’s company culture includes a list of values and beliefs it establishes through its management and employee relations. The company’s marketing efforts are to establish awareness that they are the price leaders in their market. In recent times, the company has focus on becoming involved more in local communities by charity and service. With the general instability of the global economy, corporations like to play it safe; Walmart is an example of a multinational which is making a bold move. Acquiring South African grocery chain Massmart offered Walmart a safe foothold to prepare for the next step, which is continental expansion. South Africa is arguably the most westernized country in Africa. Western companies in general perceive it as easier to do business there than in other African nations. II. SWOT ANALYSIS The SWOT analysis of Walmart shows that the company can have higher long-term success potential through aggressive global expansion, especially in retail markets in developing countries. Strengths: Walmart’s strengths are all related to the size of its business. These strengths enable the company to withstand threats despite its weaknesses. Walmart’s...
Words: 3069 - Pages: 13
...how you can improve to become better than your competitor. For example, "Target may compare itself to Wal-Mart to see what, if anything, Wal-Mart does better. Target will then try to improve its practices or processes to become even better than Wal-Mart" (Nickels & McHugh, 2012). So if Wal-Mart were to be better at shipping items than Target, Target would evaluate that process to see how they could be better at shipping than Wal-Mart. In conducting a benchmark analysis this week between Sam’s Club and Costco, it is observed that Sam’s Club has a very evolved supply chain management system, making use of technology such as radio frequency identification chips. Costco, which carries far fewer items than Sam’s Club or Walmart, might be able to adapt this...
Words: 1244 - Pages: 5
...Strengths 1. Core competency/Cost Leadership- Walmart is known for their “everyday low prices.” This sets them aside from their major competitors such as Target. Walmart strives for "saving people money so they can live better." With the cost leadership strategy in effect, Walmart is ensured a steady and returning flow of customers to their stores. That understood, Walmart has a comparative advantage over their competition. Consumers are able to feel better about their purchases knowing they are at a discounted price. Walmart is therefore given a rating of 4 and weighted score of 1.0 in this category. 2. Economies of Scale- Walmart is rated a 3 with a weighted score of 0.3 in this particular category. Being the giant that Walmart is, they have a very large scale of operations. This therefore gives them strong supplier purchasing power and the opportunity to reduce prices. With their vast amount of products they can spread their fixed costs out lowering the price of the products. “Higher economies of scale results in lower prices that are passed to consumers” (http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/swot-analyses/walmart-swot-analysis.html) 3. Wide Range of Products- Walmart has one of the largest ranges of products providing ease for their customers. Customers are able to have that “one-stop-shopping” experience they so desire. Consumers certainly like this aspect for the convenience it entails. Although Walmart’s discount stores do in fact provide...
Words: 1689 - Pages: 7
...aims to improve the Walmart shopping experience and increase sales. Time Context According to the Project’s rollout schedule 70% of U.S stores will undergo an upgrade by the end of 2012; the remaining renovations will wrap up in 2014. Problem statement SWOT Analysis Strength: The strength of Wal-Mart is the popularity. The company is known worldwide. The company's strength is the brand name which is very strong. The mark strength is what returns the company, its products and services popular. In addition the company's strength is its ability to make strategic adjustments every time you need . The company ensures that whenever changes occur in the industry have plans alternative to it. The strength of the company is the supply chain system where the company has products in a locked place until needed in a certain branch. To end a force Wal-Mart is its Web site that is easy to use, attractive, and instructive. This Web site encourages customers to visit the store and use the company's products. Weakness: W The main weakness of Wal-Mart is criticism to the company. Criticism affects not only the image of the company, but its position in the supply chain. This criticism affects the relationships between suppliers and the company that talks of this fact effects outputs in the supply chain of the company. Another weakness of Wal-Mart is the notion that the company will lose its charm. This means that the company so everyone has problems in their reports with customers. To end...
Words: 538 - Pages: 3
...Maryland; University College Professor Christian Berger November 22, 2011 Table of Contents Company Background 3 Vision & Mission Statement 3 Industry Analysis 4 Competitive Analysis 5 Financial Analysis 6 SWOT & QSPM Analysis 6 Strategy Recommendation 7 Action Plan 9 Conclusion 10 Appendix One- External Factor Evaluation Matrix for Walmart 11 Appendix Two- Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix for Walmart 12 Appendix Three- Walmart’s Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM) 13 Appendix Four- Financial Ratios 2010 Fiscal Year 14 Appendix Five- Walmart SWOT Matrix 15 Appendix Six- Porter Five Forces Model 16 Appendix Seven-Action Plan 17 References 18 Company Background Wal-Mart was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton with the first store opening in Rogers, Arkansas. Incorporated on October 31, 1969 and became publicly traded in 1972. What Sam Walton set out to accomplish when opening the first Wal-Mart store in 1962 was to save people money and to help them live better. Wal-Mart serves customers more than 200 million times per week at over 9,800 retail outlets located in 28 countries (Walmart, 2011). Retail outlets offer a wide variety of products, with stores having over 30 departments of general merchandise and full service grocery outlets. This has made Wal-Mart a leader in the general merchandise industry as well as a top competitor in the grocery...
Words: 3764 - Pages: 16
