This 20 page paper examines the company Wal-Mart using a SWOT analysis Porter five forces and looks at is strategic positioning. However, the emphasis in not on the major US operations, but on the UK operations where the company acquired the Asda supermarket chain. The bibliography cites 21 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: TS14_TEwalasd.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
to its core competences. In looking at a well known company such as Wal-Mart the company may be analysed in terms of history, core competences, the macro environment, using
tools such as a SWOT analysis Porters five forces. For this paper the company chosen is Wal-Mart, however, as this is a global brand when looking at markets in more
detail the UK market and the UK arm of Wal-Mart; Asda will be considered. To undertake this analysis the first stage will be to look at the development of the
company and its culture, this will give an indication of the core competences and culture as well as the position. The paper is limited in both time ansd space,
therefore all information will be gained from printed secondary sources as well as using information already gained and applying theory to the situation to gain a deeper understanding of the
company and this in turn will help with consideration of the future. 2. Background Wal-Mart is known today as one of the
largest discount retailers both inside and outside the United States, but like any company the way it has grown to the current size and position is one that can be
seen as a combination of purposeful strategy and emergent strategy, taking opportunities of circumstances as they emerge. This has included entering into international markets such as the UK and Germany.
Wal-Mart started in 1962 when the first store was opened by Sam Walton, the man who was to be the driving force
behind the success and culture of the company. The company that has now grown the over 3,000 stores in the United States and over 1,000 internationally (Wal-mart.com, 2001). For example