...Organizational Structure Paper MGT/230 May 19, 2014 University of Phoenix Organizational Structure Many corporations around the world makes use and recognizes the effectiveness of using an organizational structure within their organizations. Organizational structure gives a reflection of how an organization positions their jobs and their employees that gives an end result of accomplishing the company’s direction and goals. In larger companies they benefit more due to the multiple task that they present as for smaller companies may not have many task or find it unnecessary for company. Due to this, plans of action need to be set into place so that they can establish and tackle responsibilities for the many different functions that are used by the organization. Typically, and organization is responsible for creating or establishing the skills that the employees have, hoe their duties are preformed, and who those employees need to report to. Different factors play a huge role in what type of organizational structure and organization makes use of. Few factors include; what kind of work the company performs, how big or small the company is, geographic location of the company, the various products the company has, and even what kind of revenue dose the company manage to produce. In this paper, it will discuss the organizational structure for Wal-Mart. The comparison and contrast of different types of organizational structures that differs from Wal-Mart’s type....
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...Wal- Mart Jose Vasquez MGT 230 MAY 20, 2014 Melanie Behunin Wal- Mart In a variety of business environments around the world, four management functions are usually found. The four functions of management are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Planning occurs within these functions of a business, and it helps to deliver strategic value. Organizing will build a dynamic organization and leading will mobilize people. Controlling is part of learning and changing as the organization grows. All four functions of management are the key concept to effective management. Internal and external factors influence the decision-making process that affects management. The competitive landscape is constantly changing; therefore, managers must consider people and businesses around the world. These are used from top-level management to frontline or organizational management. Globalization, technology, innovation, diversity and ethics are factors that affect these business functions. One can examine almost any organization and find this to be true. Wal-Mart is one of the leading retail organizations in the world whose management functions are affected by these factors. Opening its doors in Rogers, Arkansas, Wal-Mart started a profitable business in 1962. The founder, Sam Walton, could never have envisioned where his company would be in the present. Earning approximately $30,000 in 1962, Wal-Mart has evolved into a multi-billion dollar company earning over $15 billion in 2011...
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...Organizational Structure of Wal-Mart Timothy Frost MGT230 May 24, 2012 Howard Kersey Abstract Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, can be viewed as a model of success upon reviewing the internal structure of its organization from within. Comparing the various types of organization structures gives an insight regarding the type of structure Wal-Mart is composed of. As we take a closer look at this company’s structure it enables us to understand better the management functions and elements of control and coordination in place to achieve strategic planning and goals and to implement those into specific actions. We will also explore how this structure affects the relationships among the various departments. I will discuss three objectives throughout this paper. First, I will describe Wal-Mart’s organizational structure and make a comparison to that of other organizational structures used today so as to clarify differences and similarities. Second, I will evaluate how the organizational functions influence and determine its structure. Third, I will explain how organizational design helps determine the best structure. Organizational Structure of Wal-Mart Wal-Mart operates under three divisions, which are Wal-Mart US, Sam’s Club, and Wal-Mart International. Its global operations expands over several continents with numerous subsidiaries geographically located in several countries. These subsidiaries operate under different business names to include ASDA,...
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...Strategic Plan To validate the organizational vision, mission, and values statements of Wal-Mart, the strategic management process will be examined. The strategic management activities are different for each business but the basic components within the strategic management model are very parallel when looking at the strategic management operations. Some components of the strategic management model include company mission, external environment, and internal analysis. The mission of a company is the unique purpose that sets it apart from other companies of its type and identifies the scope of its operations (Pearce & Robinson, II, 2011). The company mission exemplifies the company’s product, market, and technological areas of emphasis that mirror the values and priorities of the strategic decision makers. Social responsibility is a critical consideration for a company’s strategic decision makers because the mission statement must express how the company intends to contribute to the societies that sustain it (Pearce & Robinson, II, 2011). Therefore a business has to set social responsibility objectives. The first Wal-Mart store was opened in 1962 in Rogers, AR. Wal-Mart was opened and mostly financed by Sam Walton. The mission statement and purpose of Wal-Mart is “We save people money so they can live better.” Wal-Mart’s founder Sam Walton originally defined the company purpose which is “ If we work together, we’ll lower the cost of living for everyone…we’ll give the world...
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...function of management helps the managers and employees to stay focused on getting the task done correctly. Planning In October 2005, Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott committed the company to three ambitious goals: To be supplied 100% by renewable energy; to create zero waste; and to sell products that sustain Wal-Mart's resources and the environment (Plambeck, 2007). The managerial staff decided to assign a marketing team to perform a strategic study in an attempt to resolve the decrease in market sales. This analysis will give Wal-Mart a forecast of what the organization needs to do in efforts to become the most competitive and innovative company in the world. Wal-Mart’s goal is to; “save people money so they can live better” (Wal-Mart, purpose, 2008). An example of the way this company save consumers money is to purchase products in large quantities. Having a good relationship with other organizations is another way this company can keep the cost at a minimum. Wal-Mart's main objective is to be aggressive and creative to increase continually capital gain. Organizing Organizing is the process of dividing employees into teams in which they will work towards a common goal. "In organizing, managers establish a structure of work relationships that determines how members of an organization will cooperate and act jointly to achieve organizational goals" (George & Jones, 2012). Many...
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...Organizational Culture Analysis Organizational culture is the shared meaning and values held by associates in their organization. It members create and maintain a shared sense of reality (Baack, 2012). This reality shapes the values they share and understand. Different organizations have different organizational realties. This is because of the actions performed by the associates of an organization are interpreted differently depending on the organization (Baack, 2012). Different organizations use different symbols. Common symbols in the workplace are physical, behavior, and verbal symbols (Baack, 2012). Physical symbols are material objects such as logos, design, décor, and even buildings. Behavior symbols consist of rewards and punishments, rituals, traditions, ceremonies, and customs. Finally, verbal symbols are jargon, names and nicknames, stories, history, and metaphors. Organizational culture is the behavior of its associates with the organization and the meaning that people attach to those behaviors (Baack, 2012). Organizational culture includes the emotional and psychological climate which may involve employee morale, attitudes, and levels of productivity (Baack, 2012). Organizational culture includes all the symbols (action, routines, and conversations) and the meaning that people attach to them. Values inform associates of an organization on what is important to that specific organization. Values are derived from the core values of the organization...
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...A Research Paper on Wal-Mart Management, Leadership and Organizational Culture I. Differentiate Between Management and Leadership At Wal-Mart, management is a mixture of controls and standards with a certain degree of freedom for everyone to be able to test on new things and continue to innovate for improvement. The company has excellent controls and they make the company good. Management strategy is built on teams and the leaders go through the process of working with their team members. Leaders go with the group and after every major operation, they all sit down together to analyze the strengths and improve on the weaknesses of the endeavor. Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, introduced some of the basic concepts of management which were popular with employees until the present. He offered stock options and store discounts to his employees. Walton believed that teams will always do better than individuals hence; he has always tried his best to make his employees happy since happy employees make happy customers and more sales. Another reason is that he believes that the employees would care about the company more when they are a part of it and their success is dependent on the company's success. At Wal-Mart, management encourages their employees to be open to talk and air out their concerns and problems. This is what they call the "open door policy" management style. "Leadership is an organizational role involving establishing a clear vision, communicating...
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...A Research Paper on Wal-Mart Management, Leadership and Organizational Culture I. Differentiate Between Management and Leadership At Wal-Mart, management is a mixture of controls and standards with a certain degree of freedom for everyone to be able to test on new things and continue to innovate for improvement. The company has excellent controls and they make the company good. Management strategy is built on teams and the leaders go through the process of working with their team members. Leaders go with the group and after every major operation, they all sit down together to analyze the strengths and improve on the weaknesses of the endeavor. Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, introduced some of the basic concepts of management which were popular with employees until the present. He offered stock options and store discounts to his employees. Walton believed that teams will always do better than individuals hence; he has always tried his best to make his employees happy since happy employees make happy customers and more sales. Another reason is that he believes that the employees would care about the company more when they are a part of it and their success is dependent on the company's success. At Wal-Mart, management encourages their employees to be open to talk and air out their concerns and problems. This is what they call the "open door policy" management style. "Leadership is an organizational role involving establishing a clear vision, communicating...
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...Supply Chain Management – Assignment (Wal-Mart & IKEA) Are they involved in strategic alliances with major trading partners? If so, how and for what purpose? Strategic Alliances Definition of Strategic Alliance: Strategic alliances are inter-firm collaborative business models that allow firms to create value by sharing resources, obtaining market influence or access novel markets. Simply put, strategic alliance allows for projects where companies can share their resources and risks for an agreed period or project. Resources such as distribution chains, development of products, technologies or services become communal amongst alliances. In recent times, the potential positive effects of alliances are highly regarded by firms, thus, leading to an increasing trend in entering into strategic alliances with the aim of constructing stable collaborations. While the successes of alliances are plentiful, there is also evidence of many undesirable business outcomes. This section of the research paper will discuss and analyze the applications of strategic alliance for global giants in the retail business: IKEA and Wal-Mart. IKEA’s Strategic Alliances: IKEA aims to provide consumers with low-price products through fostering long-lasting business relationships and networks with its main suppliers. These relationships are a pivotal part of the development of IKEA’s products and technologies. IKEA tends to push interactions with their suppliers as far upstream as...
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...Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT Organizational Assessment Sherry Crowe MGT416 Operations Management A02 Dr. Carson March 19, 2014 Argosy University The Wal-Mart Corporation On May 9, 1950, Sam Walton opened up Walton’s 5&10 in Bentonville, Arkansas. The first store with the Wal-Mart name, opened in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962 and was financed 95% by Sam Walton himself. Since its beginning in Arkansas, Walmart has helped millions to save money and live better. Walmart has changed from being a retail store accessible with set hours to be available anytime and anywhere for their 245 million customers. Walmart offer its 245 million customers retail shopping in 11,000 stores under 69 banners in 27 countries and e-commerce websites in 10 countries (Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 2013). The company is considered one of the largest employers in the world; Walmart employs 2.2 million associates worldwide. In the U. S., Walmart Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam's Club warehouses comprise the choices of Walmart stores to which customers have access (Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 2013). As Walmart continues growing successfully the corporation has experienced global success, which has led the corporation to be in constant of change of strategies that provide that the corporation continues fulfilling its mission while offering new products, bettering the human resource management and developing its personnel, and expanding its social responsibility by helping the different...
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...BUSM3194 Organizational Theory (Individual Assignment) Part B Question: How do the perspectives in Part A assist us to better understand the power of Wal-Mart? In preparing your answer you need to consider Wal-Mart’s relationship with its organizational environment. The list of a variety of successful multinational corporations recorded in the pages of history is unending and in part B of this assignment, one of the world’s most successful corporations, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will take centre-stage in the discussion of a corporation’s relationship with its organizational environment. The chosen perspectives of Modernism and Post-Modernism discussed earlier in part A will be elaborated further, with respect to Wal-Mart. Subsequently, a brief discussion on how Wal-Mart exercises power and authority and experiences resistance and obedience from its employees and partners will be carried out. From since the humble beginnings of a five-and-dime store in 1962 henceforth, Sam Walton’s Wal-Mart has transformed into one of the most successful retailers in the pages of history and in the world today. Wal-Mart is by far the world’s largest corporation today and it is a company that has become a household name that most Americans are familiar with, a company with stores that offer everything a person could need at low or discounted prices. (The global 500 2002; Belsie 2002) The success of Wal-Mart’s can be critically attributed to the corporation’s ambitions and objectives in helping...
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...Wal Mart A Proposal on How Wal-Mart Can Reduce High Employee Turnover Tiffanie Jenkins GM 591 Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. branded as Wal-Mart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000 list, and the largest public corporation when ranked by revenue. It is also the biggest private employer in the world with over 2 million employees. The company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962, incorporated on October 31, 1969, and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972. It is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. Wal-Mart is also the largest grocery retailer in the United States. In 2009, it generated 51% of its US$258 billion sales in the U.S. from grocery business. It also owns and operates the Sam's Club retail warehouses in North America. Wal-Mart has 8,500 stores in 15 countries, under 55 different names. The company operates under its own name in the United States, including the 50 states and Puerto Rico. Walton was extremely successful in running the store in Newport, far exceeding expectations. However, when the lease came up for renewal, Walton could neither come to agreement on the existing store's lease renewal nor find a new location in Newport. Instead, he opened a new Ben Franklin franchise in Bentonville, Arkansas, but called it "Walton's Five...
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...INB400 – International Organization and Management Term paper Wal-Mart’s culturally and institutionally flawed entry into the German retail market Joakim Holsten Leren s105710 Julianne Øien s106222 Mirko Wichmann s145433 Lara-Caterina Buggert s145400 Eloise De Bont s145611 22 pages Table of Contents Introduction 2 Case presentation 2 The Wal-Mart concept 3 Institutional challenges [to be deleted] 4 Cultural challenges [to be deleted] 4 German market 5 Theoretical Background 5 The cultural perspective 6 The institutional perspective 9 Case Analysis 12 The cultural perspective 12 The institutional perspective 15 Recommendations 19 Cultural 19 Institutional 20 Limitations 22 Cultural 22 Institutional 22 Conclusion 23 References: 25 Introduction The purpose of this paper is to address and analyze the challenges Wal-Mart faced during its entrance into the German market in the late 1990s. We have analyzed this with the following problem in mind: “Which aspects, both cultural and institutional, led to Wal-Mart’s failure in Germany and what should they have done instead?” We will approach this problem by outlining theoretical frameworks for analyzing cultural and institutional aspects of a company. We will then employ said theories in order to analyze the case of Wal-Mart’s failure in Germany. Finally, we will come to a conclusion concerning what they should have done as they entered into the German market...
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...education. As one enters the workforce the values of the organization must then be evaluated. Do the values of the organization measure up to the individual’s values? Does the culture of the business cause one to go against the principles of which he or she lives by? Team C has chosen to evaluate the values of Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, to the values incorporated in this company and its organizational plan to find whether or not the values are in alignment. Origin and Subsequent The origins and subsequent evolution of personal and workplace values within Wal-Mart are truly important to the structure of this organization. Wal-Mart has developed there business structure back in 1962 on these three basic beliefs: respect the individual, service the customer and strive for excellence. The origin reflects in the original beliefs that Sam Walton instilled in the company from day one are subsequently the same values that have evolved over the years. They may have not evolved in the since where they have changed but they have evolved where they are strictly and continuously enforced by all stores, in all locations, for all customers. Wal-Mart expands from there three basic beliefs and honor there open door policy which allows there to be open communication with management and associates, the sun down rule which focuses on addressing any customer service issues in which may arise by end of business day the best way they can. Then they encourage the grass root...
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...Wal-Mart Control Mechanisms Pricing, Marketing Image, and Technological Control Mechanisms Negative and Positives Control mechanisms are ways “to seek compliance with established plans, standards, quality criteria, and in conformance with organizational goals and values. Control mechanisms are both enabling…and constraining.” (Malhotra, 1997). http://www.cheathouse.com/essay/essay_view.php?p_essay_id=121675#ixzz0fh0sE03w People have become accustomed to stores where you can find everything and anything on its premises. Now in days we can almost say good bye to smaller retail stores for the exception of maybe a few. In todays fast pace era time is precious and the evolution of big stores is what is on the rise. In today’s world you will find super center structures e.g. Mall’s, and superstores Like Wal-Mart, Target, Costco, and K-Mart just to give an idea. Every customer loves finding a store full of bargains, low prices, and good deals. That being said Wal-Mart believes that having someone greets you and making you feel welcome when you walk through one of their stores isn’t a bad idea. Having information of missing children on their bulletin boards creates a powerful image for the company, and to the community it looks great. Many ask the question, whether or not Wal-Mart is a bad thing or a good thing. Despite all of this, Wal-Mart keeps bringing in billions in revenues. Adopting local standards of whatever community they build their stores in lies part of Wal-Mart’s...
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