Wal-mart

MARK 4330.90L
Dr. Arturo Vasquez-Parraga
November 17, 2007

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Wal-Mart in the Global Market
3. Wal-Mart and the Global Economy
4. Wal-Mart and the Global Economy
5. Political and Regulatory Climate
6. Global Competition
7. Global Market Participation
8. Global Marketing Programs
9. The Global Marketing Effort/Conclusion

Introduction
In this case report we will discuss several important aspects relating to the marketing strategies, opportunities and issues that giant retailer Wal-Mart is being faced with as they strive to continue their dominance of the retailing sector of the United States and their great presence around the world. Our case report will cover several aspects of their marketing efforts inan attempt to illustrate items covered in each chapter of our text book by using Wal-Mart marketing approaches as an example. We have collected information from several on-line sources as well as articles; in addition we conducted a brief interview with a local Wal-Mart Store’s Assistant Manager who provided us with an insider view of their operations, marketing strategies and everyday life as amember of their management team. Our local economy looks at Wal-Mart as an inexpensive option for consumer goods; their main competitor in the food and perishable goods is H.E.B. which lacks many of the goods and services provided by Wal-Mart stores. The fact that our local economy is always looking at Wal-Mart as their retailer of choice aroused our interest in this company for our case report.When Sam Walton created Wal-Mart in 1962, he declared that three policy goals would define his business: respect for the individual, service to customers, and striving for excellence (www.walmart.com), as these main principles are still in place much as changed over the years for this retailing giant. Wal-Mart became so effective and successful that they quickly grew exponentially as a result theyput thousands of local supermarkets and retailers out of business; this is the main reason why Wal-Mart is seen as a controversial firm that takes local business and destroys it. Another side of Wal-Mart that is frowned upon is their purchasing methods, being such a big retailer they have gotten to a point in which they take all the power away from suppliers, and are able to dictate their ownprices and if a supplier is not willing to accept they have a waiting line of around fifty more to take their place.
Wal-Mart in the Global Market
In chapter one of our textbook we are presented with an introduction to the global market and how a global approach will represent opportunities and threats to the firms looking to expand and become a global firm. Wal-Mart as a MNC conducts severalactivities around the world, rather than concentrating on a global marketing campaign Wal-Mart approaches global expansion with a regionalized marketing campaign. In addition Wal-Mart focuses its international activities into looking for and finding low cost products around the world to import and then distribute in the American market which represents most of his business. Predominantly the suppliersare Chinese firms which translate into another controversy point in Wal-Mart’s activities since there is still thousands of Americans unwilling to purchase Wal-Mart products due to their origin in a communist country, aside from their views of them as lower quality when compared to American made goods.
The need for global expansion is emphasized in the first chapter of the book; this is whatmost firms such as Wal-Mart pursue. The way the world is becoming more and more leaned towards a global mindset and multinational operations firms nowadays have to become internationally involved in order to retain and pursue cost advantages against their competition. Wal-Mart is not an exemption to this rule since it has developed close ties with the Chinese government and Chinese firms Wal-Mart...