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Analysis of Walmart and strategic recommendations for the next five years. (Memo format)

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Analysis of Walmart and strategic recommendations for the next five years. (Memo format)
AnalyTo: H. Lee Scott - CEO Company: Wal-MartExecutive Summary: First of all, I would like to thank you for giving me the honour to analyse you're dominant and successful organisation. In this memo, I am going to discuss the strategic factors facing Wal-Mart, the current strategies that the organisation has been following, and give a clear understanding and analysis on Wal-Mart's own resources and objectives. In addition I will examine the external factors to the organisation and its impacts. Ultimately I will demonstrate my recommendations and opinions on how the organisation can sustain success into the future.

My report begins with a SWOT analysis to examine the strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats of Wal-Mart in order to identify the way the organisation is operating correctly, what it needs to work on and the strategic options it may be recommended to succeed in the market.

Strengths•Largest retailer in the US with several operating divisions. Wal-Mart Stores Division, Wal-Mart Discount Stores, Wal-Mart Supercentre, Wal-Mart Neighbourhood Market and Sam's Club.

•Wal-Mart is the largest employer in the United States and the company is one of the few places left for people to get a decent job without a college education.

•They attribute to large amount of sales in the world to the fact that they have stores all over the world.

•One of Wal-Mart's competitive advantages is their remarkable logistics system. They are able to ship merchandise from any of their numerous distribution centres in order to provide the cheapest and most efficient route.

•Technology involvement, has allowed for increased sales domestically and globally. This not only provides convenience for customers, but with a logistics system like the one Wal-Mart has in place, online orders have become a breeze to fill.

•Strong strategic planning attributes with the ability on identifying, knowing, and understanding what exactly customers want from a retailer.

•They are paying


Bibliography: Suzy Jagger, The Times: Profit warning by retail giants as Americans feel the squeeze, August 15 2007•Seeking Alpha: Now Is 'Wal-Mart Time ' Despite Dismal Retail Forecast by: Money Morning, November 30, 2008. http://seekingalpha.com/article/108435-now-is-wal-mart-time-despite-dismal-retail-forecast,•Datamonitor: Wal-Mart to focus on expanding outside the US, Published: 30 Oct 2008•Philippe Lasserre, Neil Jones, Management Today - Wal-Mart in asia, The retailing colossus now strides the earth, http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/search/article/548129/wal-mart-asia-retailing-colossus-strides-earth/•Wal-Mart.Watch: California attorney general would like to kind remind you to check your receipt, http://walmartwatch.com/blog/tags/tag/legal+issues/,•Wal-Mart.Watch: Labor issues in Canada plague Wal-Mart, http://walmartwatch.com/blog/tags/tag/legal+issues/,•John L Thompson, 2001: Strategic Management Fourth Edition, Pages 520-521•Kraft Foods, http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Kraft_Foods_(KFT),•BusinessWeek: Salad Days For Web Grocers http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/09/0904_btw/4.htm,•More Consumers Turning to Online Grocery Shopping, September 12th, 2008, http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/more-consumers-turning-to-online-grocery-shopping/,•Wal-Mart: Wal-Mart Issues 2008 Annual Report & Proxy to Shareholders: http://walmartstores.com/FactsNews/NewsRoom/8224.aspx,•Reuters: Walmart.com says not in online grocery delivery, http://uk.reuters.com/article/governmentFilingsNews/idUKN0640787720071106,•The online investor: Wal-Mart, http://www.theonlineinvestor.com/conservative_investors/wal-mart_wmt/,•Wal-Mart: Suppliers, http://walmartstores.com/Suppliers/248.aspx,•MSNBC: Wal-Mart struggling with rising theft, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19211630/,
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