Analysis and Recommendations

Strengths Of Wal-Mart

Management

Wal-Mart solicits feedback from all their employees, annually, regarding their opinions of their work experience and the company’s implementation of Wal-Mart’s basic beliefs and values. They provide training on working with people, leadership skills, equal employment opportunities, diversity and sexual harassment.

Marketing

Wal-Mart marketing is in its Everyday Low Price Campaign and the Rollback Campaign. When consumers shop, they are always looking for the best deal. Since Wal-Mart already offers low prices, when the roll back prices, they are able to out put all their competition.

The most important marketing aspect of Wal-Mart is they try and create the ideal one stop shopping experience. Wal-Mart stores contain groceries, clothes, healthcare products, toys, electronics, bedding and automotive etc.

Finance/ Accounting 

Since 2000, Wal-Mart revenue has constantly increased. In 2000, they had revenue of $165,013 billion and in 2002 their revenue had increased 24% to $217,799 billion.

Production/ Operations

The strongest aspect of Wal-Mart is in its access to distribution networks. They continuously delivering goods to warehouses where they are sorted and distributed to their stores within a day. This enables Wal-Mart to take advantage of economies of scale with shipping trucks with full loads. This allows Wal-Mart the ability to increase the speed of deliveries, a fast response to market demands and low inventory.

Computer Information System

Wal-Mart information is a strong in the aspect of productivity. The information allows Wal-Mart to manage their inventory in the most efficiency way.  It allows to Wal-Mart to fulfill employee’s needs and customer and have strong customer service. 

Weakness of Wal-Mart

Management

Wal-Mart does not have a formal mission statement. They have core values; they do not tell their consumers what their business is. This does not provide direction or definition but gives a company a statement on which to rely on to stay strong.

 Wal-Mart also lacks in Unions. Wal-Mart does not have any Unions involvement, which is a problem because of the perception of treating employees poorly. 

Marketing

Wal-Mart trying to expand into new markets. There are thousands of towns across the U.S that tried to block the introduction of Wal-Mart because of the economies impact that it has on small town stores and shop. It “forces” them out of business. 

Production/Operations

With the increase rate of Wal-Mart consumers, the slowing speed of checkout lines. This is a problem because it can and will cause people to choose other stores that are less congested. This causes Wal-Mart to lose sales (profit).

Research/ Development

They do not engage in any research and development. They approach local government and just build. 

Computer information System

There are rarely in any weakness in Wal-Mart computer information system. They keep up with the latest software and technologies. 

Recommendations 

Wal-Mart has plenty of strength as a company but it also has it weakness. Where there is weakness can always be improvement. Recommendations that I can offer 

Come up a system that will speed up checkout lines, have more telxons available in the store, get involve with research and development so they can find the best location for their stores.   Also Wal-Mart should be sensitive where they put their stores so small shop and store wont go out of business, their image associated with how they treat their employees needs to improve (have a better PR).