Strategic analysis of the Wal-Mart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic analysis of the Wal-Mart - Essay Example The intention of this study is Wal-Mart as one of the largest and formidable players in the global retail industry. Since its establishment by Rogers Ark in the year 1962, the company has grown by leaps and bounds with a presence in about 28 nations with about 9759 stores across the globe. The company provides direct and indirect employment to 2.1 million individuals globally. Wal-Mart is also listed on the bourses of the New York stock exchange where its stocks are being actively traded. It has been consistently ranked among the top brands by leading agencies like Fortune and Forbes. The company derives its competitive edge on the basis of its famous EDLP (Every Day Low Price) strategy and has a cost leadership approach towards generating competitive advantage in the market. A successful logistics and supply chain management strategy of the company using ERP is the backbone behind the successful recipe of success of the company. Michael Porter stated three generic strategies that ca n also shape up positioning of a product or a brand in the market. Positioning is defined as the image of a product or service in the minds of the target market audience. The three strategic alternatives given by Porter include focus, differentiation and cost based leadership. Firms undertaking a focus strategy generate competitive advantage on the basis of concentrating on a single product line or a specified customer segment. A differentiation strategy involves competing in the market on the basis of differentiation in products and services that involves providing a product or service that is unique in the industry and deriving competitive advantage from the aspect. ... Background Wal-Mart is one of the largest and formidable players in the global retail industry. Since its establishment by Rogers Ark in the year 1962, the company has grown by leaps and bounds with a presence in about 28 nations with about 9759 stores across the globe. The company provides direct and indirect employment to 2.1 million individuals globally. Wal-Mart is also listed on the bourses of the New York stock exchange where its stocks are being actively traded. It has been consistently ranked among the top brands by leading agencies like Fortune and Forbes. The company derives its competitive edge on the basis of its famous EDLP (Every Day Low Price) strategy and has a cost leadership approach towards generating competitive advantage in the market. A successful logistics and supply chain management strategy of the company using ERP is the backbone behind the successful recipe of success of the company (Wal-Mart, 2011). Strategic Positioning Michael Porter stated three generic strategies that can also shape up positioning of a product or a brand in the market. Positioning is defined as the image of a product or service in the minds of the target market audience. The three strategic alternatives given by Porter include focus, differentiation and cost based leadership. Firms undertaking a focus strategy generate competitive advantage on the basis of concentrating on a single product line or a specified customer segment. A differentiation strategy involves competing in the market on the basis of differentiation in products and services that involves providing a product or service that is unique in the industry and deriving competitive advantage from the aspect. Cost based differentiation includes a strategy under

Things That Garbage Can Reveal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Things That Garbage Can Reveal - Essay Example The garbage from the trash bin depicts variety and the corresponding quantity of materials in regard to distinct socioeconomic discrepancy amidst the underlying activities and prevailing eating habits of every property(Pellow, 34-156).Cheap and widely available foods such as grains, fruits, nuts, local fish, chicken eggs and corresponding lentils depict relatively lower socioeconomic class since they are of minimal cost. Conversely, expensive meat and corresponding remains of salted fish depict the high socioeconomic class of household. Moreover, the waste from the neighboring drains that turned up less of a diversity of foods depicted immersed socioeconomic discrepancy amidst neighbors. Garbage also reveals the economic status of the household in regard to the quantity packages they buy that is relatively lower income families purchase products in smaller packages whilst corresponding upper-income families purchase massive economy-size substances. A larger packet of pizza, sausages, burger, crisps, ice cream and soft drinks reveals that the underlying family had relatively higher income(Pellow, 34-156). Larger quantities also reveal that the families were large whilst few packets depict relatively smaller family. In sum, the kind of garbage normally depicts the socioeconomic class of the underlying household, the number of persons within the household, economic welfare and culture. Moreover, archaeologists largely depend on garbage in determining of the culture of a family and consequently neighborhood.