Walmart

1) Supply-Chain Management

2) Global Environment

3) Staffing

Supply Chain Management

Wal-Mart is the first company to tell suppliers what price they want and these suppliers must meet this price if they want Wal-Mart to sell their product. This puts pressure on their suppliers to meet these prices while still bringing in a profit. Suppliers often describe their relationship as "tough, but fair." Twenty thousand companies supply Wal-Mart with over 60,000 items. The process of events that takes place from getting the products to Wal-Mart stores is extremely efficient, and the demanded low prices force their suppliers to be efficient as well. They purchase directly from the company, eliminating any intermediary stops or costs. In addition, Wal-Mart's computer system allows suppliers to know exactly when they need more of a product. This rapid communication is an excellent part of Wal-Mart's supply chain management. Mutual agreement on goals and trust is crucial to an effective and efficient supply chain.

Global Environment

Wal-Mart's global strategy yields competitive advantage. Because many of their products are made outside the U.S. it cuts costs and helps deliver low prices. For example, Charles Fishman mentioned how Wal-Mart gets its apples from China. There are many apple farms in our country but it saves both the store and customer money to get them overseas. Wal-Mart also has stores internationally and has ran them successfully. They realize that when expanding internationally you cannot duplicate the store, but rather must adapt to the cultural and ethical issues. Many people despise Wal-Mart because of their dominant use of international facilities to obtain their products, however, this concept was developed before