Swot Analysis of Walmart Essay Example For Students

Swot Analysis of Walmart Essay Wal-Mart Company Strategy This section will examine Wal-Marts company strategy in several sections. Three elements of successful strategy formulation and a fourth element, which exemplifies the implementation process of company strategy, will be looked at. Followed by this, an analysis of key factors contributing to this strategy will be detailed. These include looking at Wal-Marts competitive strategy, the CEOs leadership, and company strategy strengths and weakness assessment. The material used to analyze Wal-Mart strategy consists of the companys annual reports, its Fact Sheets and other information found on the company Internet site. Other information is obtained from outside sources such as Fortune Magazine, and from outside groups who are critical of the corporation. The focus of this analysis will be placed on identifying the resources of the firm, its weaknesses and strengths in terms of its competitive environment. The sections examined will highlight the leadership style of Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott, who inherited the corporate legacy of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. Other elements such as the culture, the corporate organization and values of the company come to play. 1. We will write a custom essay on Swot Analysis of Walmart specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Strategic Goals This section looks at three successful elements of strategy formulation and a fourth element, where the strategy is implemented successfully. These are as follows: Dominate the Retail Market wherever Wal-Mart has a presence. Growth by expansion in the US and Internationally. Create widespread name recognition and customer satisfaction with the Wal-Mart brand, and associate the retailer with the reputation of offering the best prices. Branching out into new sectors of retailing such as pharmacies, automotive repair, and grocery sales. a. Dominate the Retail Market Everywhere A key strategy of Wal-Mart is to dominate the retail market. Company founder Sam Walton put in place a retail philosophy the company still follows. Wal-Mart is primarily a discount retailer because they sell their products at the lowest possible prices. By selling at the lowest price. Walton outlines that the essence of successful discount retailing to cut the price on an item as much as possible, lowering the markup, and earn profit on the increased volume of sales. (Wal-Mart pricing philosophy document, www. walmart.com). Another subset of this strategy is the competitiveness of every unit. Each store is encouraged to ferociously compete against all other stores in its customer base until the Wal-Mart store gains dominance over its local competitors (Quinn, 2, 115). Wal-Mart is currently ranked as the worlds number one retailer and the number one company in the world in terms of sales (over $200 billion) on the Fortune 500 list (www.walmart. com) (www.fortune.com) The key strategy is to dominate a market. Using its size and volume buying power, the company effectively implements its strategy. b. Growth by expansion in the US and Internationally. A strategic goal of Wal-Mart is to expand. It has done so successfully. Looking at the facts and figures clearly shows the corporations dominance and power. Currently the corporation employs over 1.3 million employees, one million in the US alone. The company owns over 4000 stores worldwide. Over 1,200 units (stores) are in operation internationally. Domestically, Wal-Mart is the largest US retailer, employing around 1 million people. It has over 3,000 stores and outlets, and 77 distribution centers. The company serves more than 100 million customers weekly in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and several nations around the world. (www.walmart. com, Fact Sheet Wal-Mart at a Glance, 2002). Internationally, the retailer operates in Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, China, Korea, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Its expansion strategy internationally has been aggressive and powerful. The latest expansion strategy is for the company to gain entry into a nation by corporate takeover of a national retailer. Once the company is bought, Wal-Mart converts the stores into Wal-Mart stores. Three countries, all with no previous Wal-Mart stores, became part of the corporations international presence when domestic retail chains were overtaken. .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8 , .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8 .postImageUrl , .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8 , .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8:hover , .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8:visited , .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8:active { border:0!important; } .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8:active , .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8 .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud8312be085df4e16334959c2f552f8e8:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Upstarts Assault Essay In 1994, Wal-Mart bought 122 Woolco stores in Canada; today there are 196 units in Canada. In 1998 Wal-Mart bought the Wertkauf store with 21 units, now there are 94 Wal-Marts in Germany. In 1999, Wal-Mart acquired the ASDA chain with 229 units in the UK. Today, the UK has 252 Wal-Mart stores. (www.walmart. com, Fact Sheet on International Operations, .

Longest Day of the Year in Different Cities

Longest Day of the Year in Different Cities In the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year will always be on or around June 21. On this date, the rays of the sun will be perpendicular to the Tropic of Cancer at 23Â °30 North latitude. This day is the summer solstice for all locations north of the equator. On this day, the earths circle of illumination will be from the Arctic Circle on the far side of the earth (in relation to the sun) to the Antarctic Circle on the near side of the earth. The equator receives twelve hours of daylight, there are 24 hours of daylight at the North Pole and areas north of 66Â °30 N, and there are 24 hours of darkness at the South Pole and areas south of 66Â °30 S. June 20 to 21 is the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere but simultaneously the start of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. Its also the longest day of sunlight for places in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest day for cities south of the equator. However, June 20 to 21 is not the day when the sun rises earliest in the morning nor when it sets the latest at night. As well see, the date of the earliest sunrise or sunset varies from location to location. Well start our tour of the solstice in the north, with Anchorage, Alaska and head south in the U.S. and then move on to international cities. Its interesting to compare the difference in sunrise and sunset in various locales around the globe. In the information below, the date ranges for the longest day have been rounded to the nearest minute. If we were to round to the second, the solstice on the 20th or 21st would always be the longest day. Anchorage, Alaska Earliest Sunrise: 4:20 a.m. from June 17th through June 19thLatest Sunset: 11:42 p.m. from June 18th to June 25thLongest Days: June 18th to June 22ndHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 19 hours and 21 minutes Seattle, Washington Earliest Sunrise: 5:11 a.m. from June 11th through June 20th.Latest Sunset: 9:11 p.m. from June 19th to June 30thLongest Days: June 16th to June 24thHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 15 hours and 59 minutes Portland, Oregon Earliest Sunrise: 5:21 a.m. from June 12th through June 17th.Latest Sunset: 9:04 p.m. from June 23rd to June 27thLongest Days: June 16th to June June 24thHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 15 hours and 41 minutes New York City, New York Earliest Sunrise: 5:24 a.m. from June 11th through June 17th.Latest Sunset: 8:31 p.m. from June 20th to July 3rdLongest Days: June 18th to June June 22ndHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 15 hours and 6 minutes Sacramento, California Earliest Sunrise: 5:41 a.m. from June 8th through June 18th.Latest Sunset: 8:34 p.m. from June 20th to July 4thLongest Days: June 17th to June June 23rdHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 14 hours and 52 minutes Los Angeles, California Earliest Sunrise: 5:41 a.m. from June 6th through June 17th.Latest Sunset: 8:08 p.m. from June 20th to July 6thLongest Days: June 19th to June 21stHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 14 hours and 26 minutes Miami, Florida Earliest Sunrise: 6:29 a.m. from May 31st through June 17th.Latest Sunset: 8:16 p.m. from June 23rd to July 6thLongest Days: June 15th to June 25thHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 13 hours and 45 minutes Honolulu, Hawaii Earliest Sunrise: 5:49 a.m. from May 28th through June 16th.Latest Sunset: 7:18 p.m. from June 30th to July 7thLongest Days: June 15th to June 25thHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 13 hours and 26 minutes Because it is closer to the equator than any of the other U.S. cities profiled here, Honolulu has the shortest length of daylight on the summer solstice. The city also has far less variation in daylight throughout the year, so even winter days have close to 11 hours of sunlight. Next, well learn about international cities and how they are affected by the solstice. Reykjavik, Iceland Earliest Sunrise: 2:55 a.m. from June 18th through June 21stLatest Sunset: 12:04 a.m. from June 21st to June 24thLongest Days: June 18th to June 22ndHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 21 hours and 8 minutes If Reykjavik were just a few degrees further to the north, it would fall within the Arctic Circle and experience 24 hours of daylight on the summer solstice. London, United Kingdom Earliest Sunrise: 4:43 a.m. from June 11th through June 22ndLatest Sunset: 9:22 p.m. from June 21st to June 27thLongest Days: June 17th to June 24thHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 16 hours and 38 minutes Tokyo, Japan Earliest Sunrise: 4:25 a.m. from June 6th through June 20th.Latest Sunset: 7:01 p.m. from June 22nd to July 5thLongest Days: June 19th to June 23ndHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 14 hours and 35 minutes Mexico City, Mexico Earliest Sunrise: 6:57 a.m. from June 3rd through June 7th.Latest Sunset: 8:19 p.m. from June 27th to June 12thLongest Days: June 13th to June 28thHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 13 hours and 18 minutes Nairobi, Kenya Earliest Sunrise: 6:11 a.m. from November 3rd through November 7th.Latest Sunset: 6:52 p.m. from February 4th to June 14thLongest Days: December 2nd to January 10thHours of Daylight on Longest Day: 12 hours and 12 minutes Nairobi, which is merely 1Â °17 south of the equator, has exactly 12 hours of sunlight on June 21 when the sun rises at 6:33 a.m. and sets at 6:33 p.m. Because the city is in the Southern Hemisphere, it experiences its longest day on December 21. Nairobis shortest days, in mid-June, are just 10 minutes shorter than the longest days in December. The lack of diversity in Nairobis sunrise and sunset throughout the year provides a clear example of why lower latitudes dont need Daylight Saving Time - sunrise and sunset are almost at the same time year-round. Edited by Allen Grove