Research Paper on:
Wal-Mart; SWOT and Critical Success Factors

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
who was to be the driving force behind the success and culture of the company, a company that has now grown the over 3,000 stores in the United States and  over 1,000 internationally. Today the Wal-Mart groups includes Sams Wholesale Clubs and Neighborhood Markets as well as the Wal-Mart brand with Walton  the founder of the company had the aim of giving the customers the very best the way this was to be achieved was by putting associates (employees) first, feeling  that if they were treated well they would want the company to do well and be the cause of success for Wal-Mart. The second objective is to offer the lowest  possible price with a high level of quality. The initial strategy was similar to that of J C Penny, opening small stores in downtown main street areas. This strategy was  to change later with the big box format stores, but the pricing strategy remained the same. A main policy has been that of aggressive growth, based on core competences  the evolved due to the necessity present in an undercapitalised company (Berry and Seiders, 1993). These included the creation of a distribution and communication system to make sure of timely  deliveries. There was also a high degree of careful budgeting to save money (Berry and Seiders, 1993). 2. SWOT In this sections we will look at the strengths weaknesses opportunities and  threats in a clear concise manner that will allow for transfer into a grid similar to this below Strengths Weaknesses * Consistent profit levels at 3% or above *  First mover advantages * Inventory control system * Acquisitions as a core competency * Spread of risk over several markets * Diseconomies of scale * Loss of some competitive