Strategic Management of Walmart Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Management of Walmart - Case Study Example The company has its operations in multiple countries including Mexico, UK, Japan, Argentina, Germany, South Korea, China, Canada and Puerto Rico. However in order to operate in international markets the company has changed its name for some of the international markets. As a result company operates as ASDA in UK, Seiyu in Japan and Walmex in Mexico. The case of the Wal-Mart Stores Inc is cited often for the CRM technology that they have in place for managing customer relations, the innovative JIT based zero inventory management system they have for their stock management and the business model of the company which allows it to benefit from economies of scale while keeping its costs to a minimum resulting in the provision of a large variety of products under one roof to its customers at the lowest prices in the market. The political environment for the Wal-Mart Stores Inc in the United States is relatively stable as compared to its other regions of operations. However the company has significantly contributed to the political environment as well by providing a practice of standardization in the retail industry with fair packaging and labelling as early as 1970. Aside from this the regularised retail industry through bills from the political front enable the company to operate in a relatively easy market. The economic environment for the company has been very volatile. The company itself has contributed in a large way to the GDP of the United States through successful and profitable business and growth in the part years. However the recent financial crisis has effected the Wal-Mart Stores Inc forcing it to reduce its expenses, shut down its below average profit bearing operations and to lay of workers in the United States as well as in the International market to sustain itself through the current economic crisis. However this effect has not been focused on Wal-Mart alone all business and companies operating in the retail sector have been effected similarly by the volatile economic environment. The social environment for the company takes the form of a diverse customer base as well as human right groups and consumer action groups that directly effects the operations of the company. The company has often been criticized for its practices of leveraging male employees over the female employees in the company. Human right activities and feminist consumer action groups have filed lawsuits as well as launched protests against the company in this regard forcing the company to change its management practices to avoid any preferential treatment for the male employees or the practice of an established glass ceiling for female employees. Aside from this the company itself has been providing support to the communities' specific to its regions of operations by providing technological, service based as well as infrastructural development support and by providing a large number of jobs to decrease the unemployment rate in the region of its operations. The technological environment that surrounds the operations