Wal-Mart and the Information AgeJoin now to read essay Wal-Mart and the Information AgeWal-Mart and the Information AgeSince it was founded in the early 1960s, Wal-Mart has been committed to being a successful retailer in the United States. Throughout the years, Wal-Mart has changed its business practices to take advantage of the ever-changing global digital economy. By introducing several uses of information technology and information systems, the company started a track which would lead them into becoming one of the nation’s largest and most profitable companies. Wal-Mart’s past, present, and future have all been affected by the deployment and integration of information technology.
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When Wal-Mart began its development, the information age was very new to the business community. The company did extensive research and education on the topic, learned a much greater amount about the implications of the technology and its application around the world, and finally took a chance to present the company with it, giving it access to the industry’s best data science experts. These experts will deliver the key innovations of Wal-Mart, including the digital shift, the rise of the information age, and its transition to a new era of information technologies. Today, Wal-Mart has added new employees, has expanded customer experiences, and more, which will have to be used to make the switch to the information age, not only for a larger number of customers, but also for the millions of Americans who have lost their job due to the technology change. In addition to the changes which will allow customers to enjoy the new information technology, Wal-Mart is also giving its best and fastest ways to connect with the world around them. As a company, Wal-Mart offers its best service to our customers, bringing together a growing number of dedicated and loyal employees from across the United States and around the globe.
Wal-Mart has been working hard continuously to make the information age easier for our customers and our customers for many years. Now, our decision making about the type of products and systems to make use of the information technology needs to come together as clearly as possible. One of our best ideas while on the subject of what kind and how are we going to take advantage of this technology shift was to provide customer service information. The goal is to ensure that our customers have the best and best experience at any time, be it when they purchase a product, service, or a service. This can allow us to help our customers be more productive when they use a product or service to interact with our team, and more knowledgeable when using a service. The data we provide for our customers directly to use as a service as well has also been designed to accommodate the changing demands of the information age so that their customers can use what we provide as part of their daily lives, with no distractions, at any time in the future. It is really gratifying to see Wal-Mart, and the Information Age on the horizon as an opportunity to give consumers who use the information age a direct experience just like it is for us as consumers for their entire lives to make the changes which will make the information age possible.
When Wal-Mart began its development, the information age was very new to the business community. The company did extensive research and education on the topic, learned a much greater amount about the implications of the technology and its application around the world, and finally took a chance to present the company with it, giving it access to the industry’s best data science experts. These experts will deliver the key innovations of Wal-Mart, including the digital shift, the rise of the information age, and its transition to a new era of information technologies. Today, Wal-Mart has added new employees, has expanded customer experiences, and more, which will have to be used to make the switch to the information age, not only for a larger number of customers, but also for the millions of Americans who have lost their job due to the technology change. In addition to the changes which will allow customers to enjoy the new information technology, Wal-Mart is also giving its best and fastest ways to connect with the world around them. As a company, Wal-Mart offers its best service to our customers, bringing together a growing number of dedicated and loyal employees from across the United States and around the globe.
Wal-Mart has been working hard continuously to make the information age easier for our customers and our customers for many years. Now, our decision making about the type of products and systems to make use of the information technology needs to come together as clearly as possible. One of our best ideas while on the subject of what kind and how are we going to take advantage of this technology shift was to provide customer service information. The goal is to ensure that our customers have the best and best experience at any time, be it when they purchase a product, service, or a service. This can allow us to help our customers be more productive when they use a product or service to interact with our team, and more knowledgeable when using a service. The data we provide for our customers directly to use as a service as well has also been designed to accommodate the changing demands of the information age so that their customers can use what we provide as part of their daily lives, with no distractions, at any time in the future. It is really gratifying to see Wal-Mart, and the Information Age on the horizon as an opportunity to give consumers who use the information age a direct experience just like it is for us as consumers for their entire lives to make the changes which will make the information age possible.
When Wal-Mart began its development, the information age was very new to the business community. The company did extensive research and education on the topic, learned a much greater amount about the implications of the technology and its application around the world, and finally took a chance to present the company with it, giving it access to the industry’s best data science experts. These experts will deliver the key innovations of Wal-Mart, including the digital shift, the rise of the information age, and its transition to a new era of information technologies. Today, Wal-Mart has added new employees, has expanded customer experiences, and more, which will have to be used to make the switch to the information age, not only for a larger number of customers, but also for the millions of Americans who have lost their job due to the technology change. In addition to the changes which will allow customers to enjoy the new information technology, Wal-Mart is also giving its best and fastest ways to connect with the world around them. As a company, Wal-Mart offers its best service to our customers, bringing together a growing number of dedicated and loyal employees from across the United States and around the globe.
Wal-Mart has been working hard continuously to make the information age easier for our customers and our customers for many years. Now, our decision making about the type of products and systems to make use of the information technology needs to come together as clearly as possible. One of our best ideas while on the subject of what kind and how are we going to take advantage of this technology shift was to provide customer service information. The goal is to ensure that our customers have the best and best experience at any time, be it when they purchase a product, service, or a service. This can allow us to help our customers be more productive when they use a product or service to interact with our team, and more knowledgeable when using a service. The data we provide for our customers directly to use as a service as well has also been designed to accommodate the changing demands of the information age so that their customers can use what we provide as part of their daily lives, with no distractions, at any time in the future. It is really gratifying to see Wal-Mart, and the Information Age on the horizon as an opportunity to give consumers who use the information age a direct experience just like it is for us as consumers for their entire lives to make the changes which will make the information age possible.
During Wal-Mart’s early years, the use of technology was very limited, which restricted growth and profit. In 1962, Wal-Mart was founded by Sam Walton in the small town of Rogers, Arkansas, and by 1970 thirty stores were in operation (13). Wal-Mart was built upon the philosophy of providing value for the customer and empowering employees (4). By implementing this belief, by 1979, Wal-Mart reached the level of one billion dollars in annual sales faster than any other company (13). Throughout the 1970s, David Glass, who would succeed Sam Walton, insisted that the company invest in more advanced merchandise-tracking and distribution systems in order to handle the increase in sales as the number of stores increased (7). These systems would be needed for Wal-Mart to go beyond its localized stores in the South and Midwest. By 1988, ninety percent of Wal-Mart stores had barcode scanning capability, which aided in tracking of merchandise (13). While this new system reduced costs, employees who used to stamp items by hand were displaced, and there were several occasions in which the bar code scanners did not accurately scan the price of items (4). By the late 1980s, with the development of “supercenters” that combined a supermarket with general merchandise, it was clear that Wal-Mart had the need for connectivity among their information systems in order to improve their effectiveness and efficiency (7).
Starting in the early 1990s, Wal-Mart aggressively developed advanced information technology systems that have improved efficiency and increased profits. According to BuisnessWeek Magazine, “Wal-Mart’s aggressive adoption of information technology to improve logistics and back-office efficiency has also been a major driver of productivity” (8). For example, every Wal-Mart store is connected via a secure private network to the company’s headquarters in Arkansas. Through this, the company is able to track the sales volume of each item at each store, and then reorder to replenish the inventory for that item at Wal-Mart stores across the country (3). Instead of having to manually track items, information technology has allowed this process to be quicker and less expensive. Wal-Mart shares its sales data with its suppliers, and has recently implemented a web-based product, Retail Link, that allows the company and the suppliers to monitor what products are selling and where they are selling (10). In this way suppliers are able to anticipate Wal-Mart’s restocking needs. Wal-Mart uses these telecommunications techniques to allow Wal-Mart and its suppliers to stay connected and communicate electronically. Wal-Mart also uses computerized techniques in their warehouses to ship items faster, as many goods arrive and leave without ever sitting on a shelf (4). On a smaller scale, Wal-Mart uses information systems to make sure that in any given store, the number of staff matches the current needs in the store (6). By utilizing these systems, Wal-Mart has been able to collect, transform, and distribute information within the company.
Wal-Mart utilizes a global information infrastructure in order to provide a framework for new services and activities based on information acquired worldwide. With over 1,270 stores outside of the United States, Wal-Mart has proven itself as an international company (14). With the development new stores overseas, Wal-Mart moved to increase its investment in logistics capabilities. Wal-Mart uses globally the same technology it has deployed in the United States (5). The following table demonstrates the effect of Wal-Mart internationally:
International Facts (14)International Numbers(as of March, 2003) (1)In 1991 Wal-Mart became an international companyIn 1993 Wal-Mart International was created. It monitors growing opportunities for the company across the worldThere are over 1,270 Wal-Mart stores overseas40% of those stores are in MexicoInternational sales make up 17% of the company’s total income