Walmart Globalization Case Study
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An organizations culture is based on internal factors of management (Bateman, 2007). The culture of an organization explains the goals and practices that display the origination through members. An organization needs to focus on the internal functions of management, planning, organizing, leading, and controlling to be successful. It is important for managers and employees to focus on the internal functions of the organization they work for to ensure success and smooth running operations.
Walmart is one of the largest retailers in the world. One factor that affects Walmart internally is training of the employees. Managers must use their skills to make sure that employees complete their jobs properly and to make sure that they are trained right to ensure knowledge and skill levels, which help the organization succeed. Managers must use the skills of planning, organization, leading, and controlling to ensure that training is successful. If employees do their job right, they in turn are examples and representative the standard of quality that their organization stands behind and requires. Becoming and maintaining a high level of success is a representation of the management skills and functions in place throughout an organization. Walmart has steadily grown and proven that they are a successful organization.
When a customer walks into Walmart, he or she is greeted by a friendly person, expects the aisles to be organized, expects to receive help if needed to find an item, and for the item he or she is looking for to be on the shelf. These are examples of how Walmart shows their internal factors to the customer. Walmart is one of the largest and rapid growing corporations in the world.
With the expansion of Walmart the corporation has faced external factors that have affected functions of management. There are also general economic factors that affect both domestic and international sales that affect the financial performance of Walmart. In difficult economic times sales may reduce, which affect overhead and could mean possible layoffs staff members. Another external factor is the inability to attract or retrain qualified sales associates and executive staff members. Competition is also a big external factor that can affect the organization. Legal proceeds such as lawsuits can also affect Walmart adversely.
Factors that Affect Management
Walmart is a leader in the global market of retail chain stores. It has 6,689 stores in 15 countries and also employs more than 1.3 million workers worldwide. Its popularity as the place to shop and its global status one as one of the worlds largest retail chain stores has impacted workers, businesses, and communities around the world. Walmart uses its status as a mega -retailer to lower costs for their customers and as a way to help with human and labor rights issues.
Walmart is good at using the four fundamentals of management planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Planning has a big role concerning technology. Walmart strives for finding technology that will make it easier on their employees, customers, and inventory management. The use of technology helps keep their overhead expenses down with better management of staff and inventory. An example of a type of technology currently used by Walmart is the software that manages their pharmacies. Walmart recently implemented software designed to maximize the capabilities of their technicians and allow the pharmacists to have more time to spend with their customers. After a customer drops of his or her prescription; the technician scans the prescription into the computer, the software assigns a priority level based on information stored in the (e.g., numbers of refill, type of medicine, etc.,). This establishes a timeframe and manages the workflow to prioritize and fill the prescription as prescribed by the customers physician.
In 2007, Walmart looked at their fleet trucks and proceeds with trying to find an innovated way to make their fleet of trucks more fuel-efficient. Some of the improvements to their fleet have help with fuel efficiency, which included creating tractor-trailer side skirts to reduce wind resistance. They installed fuel-efficient dual tires, and a tag axel system lighter weight than the axel they were using before. All of these changes were made to help Walmart reach its goal of a more energy efficient fleet by 2015. By becoming more energy and fuel efficient, Walmart will keep 26 billion pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air until 2020. This innovative thinking is saving not only Walmart money but also Walmart passes those savings down to their customers and helps the environment at the same time.
Walmart uses organization to help manage their supplier diversity program. Walmart created their supplier diversity program in 1994 to ensure minority and women-owned businesses become a major part of their supplier network. The Global Womens Economic Empowerment Initiative is the title of the program. This program provides training and career opportunities to about 60,000 women working in factories and farms that currently supply Walmart with merchandise. The program also provides continuing education and training opportunities to more than 200,000 women in the United States.
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