Introduction “Save Money. Live Better” (Wal-Mart Stores Inc., 2015), is the slogan of the retail company, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (also referred to as Wal-Mart), that will be the emphasis of my proposal. The company website is www.walmart.com, which links to the corporate website, www.corporate.walmart.com. The focal point of this proposal is to discuss the history and a business problem that Wal-Mart, as a retail company is currently facing. Analysis of the problem with an introduction of a solution will be addressed. Establishment of a plan to include a scheduled implementation and a timeline is based on the research. It is my view that the solution proposed will resolve the problem. Company History Wal-Mart Stores Inc., (2016) …show more content…
In the beginning, Sam Walton paid his associates minimum wage and he believed payroll was a big part of overhead, having control of payroll would affect his profit margin (Ortega, 1999). It was not until he had a store in Mexico, Missouri where a union getting support from his workers that he realized that his philosophy needed to change (Ortega, 1999). He was against unions and discovered that there were ways to stop his workers unionizing, Sam Walton wanted to “Wal-Martize” his associates, to make them feel that they were part of the company, if the company profited the associates would profit (Ortega, 1999. p. 86). He started to believe: The more you share profits with your associates-whether it’s in salaries or incentives or bonuses or stock discounts-the more profit will accrue to the company…because the way management treats the associates is exactly how the associates will then treat the customers (Ortega, 1991, p.87). Sam Walton died in 1992, and some of his principles on how he wanted his associates treated got lost in the growth of Walmart. Business Problem Identified The business problem analyzed is how Wal-Mart’s high employee turnover rate affects how associates treat customers, which ultimately lowers Walmart’s customer satisfaction rating. Maultbay (2014) stated that, “Turnover at Wal-Mart is 44% a year.” This may be less than half of the employees hired per year; however, it is
Sam Walton like many business owner hired people from the community, who supported his vision and goals for building a small business to give back to the people that meant the most. That was his family, friends and neighbors. Sam Walton placed people over profit. The most successful start-up companies know that people are first process is second and product is third. With such concept a company can expand and grow in record time. Once employees feel valued for the work they do they will go the extra mile to see that the company succeeds because of the dependably of being a quality based, morally drove organization. The qualities that guide the choices and his administration are his 3 Basic Beliefs: Respect for the Individual; Service to the Customers; Striving for Excellence
When Sam Walton died in 1992, the company was taken over with the same cheapness in mind. Only, the new leaders at Wal-Mart didn’t show the employees that they were still important.
Wal-Mart evolved from Sam Walton’s purpose for great price and great consumer service. “Mr. Sam,” as he was known, believed in management through service. The principle that true leadership depends on willing service was the standard on which Wal-Mart was built, and drove the choices the business has made for the past 50 years. So much of Wal-Mart’s past is attached to the story of Sam Walton himself, and so much of our future will be deep-rooted in Mr. Sam’s principles. Sam's rivals thought his plan for a thriving business couldn’t be built around low prices and great service. As it happened, the company's achievement went beyond even Sam's hopes. The company went public in 1970, and the profits funded a steady growth of the business. Sam recognized the rapid increase of Wal-Mart not just to the low prices that fascinated consumers, but also to his staff of workers. He depended on them to give customers the great buying experience that would
It almost seems ridiculous now because Walmart is one of, if not the number one, retail department store, but at one time people could not believe it would be successful at all. Though by 1970 Walmart was expanding and others were beginning to realize the potential Walmart had. Sam himself was shocked that what he had created was now booming. Sam was quick to credit not only himself but his loyal associates who were pleasing and meeting customer expectations. The relationship
Wal-Mart was founded by Sam Walton; his belief was to provide “leadership through service.” This is the principle on which Wal-Mart was built on; Sam Walton’s intentions were to sell quality products at low prices with an exceptional customer service. Sam Walton was born in 1918, and at 24 years of age he joined the Military. He was married to Helen Thompson in 1943. After
Concerning Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., this organization is for-profit with a mission to “save people money so they can live better." It was founded in 1950 by Sam and Helen Walton as a 5 & 10 store in Bentonville, Arkansas. In 1962, Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart in Rogers, Arkansas and became incorporated in 1969 as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. As Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton (1992) stated during his Presidential Medal of Freedom speech, “If we work together, we'll lower the cost of living for everyone...we'll give the world an opportunity to see what it's like to save and have a better life”(Walton, 1992). Sam Walton passed away in 1992, a few months after his speech but, his legacy lives on and in 2000, Walmart.com was founded. As of today,
Walmart is the number one producer of jobs for the people in America and all around the world. Walmart creates many jobs for people in America, some of them who like the job and some of them that don’t. Sam Walton believes that if you want to take care of the customers then you have to make sure that you are taking care of the employees in the store as well. If you make the employees happy and get them to like their job then the employees will be respectful and treat the customers good as well. Many people like Walmart because of their low prices, but there are many people who don’t like Walmart because of the way the employees treat them and the way that the whole organization works.
Sam Walton understood people and knew how to choose excellent employees. Walton successively acquired valuable managers and personnel to operate his new stores. “Of course, I needed somebody to run my new store, and I didn’t have much money, so I did something I would do for the rest of my run in the retail business without any shame or embarrassment whatsoever: nose around other people’s stores searching for good talent.” (Walton, 1992, pg. 35) Sam Walton knew acquiring employees with good teamwork skills and strong work ethics would decrease employee turnover. Low employee turnover ultimately equated to lower hiring costs and fewer instances of Wal-Mart employee termination requiring severance payments at financial loss to the company. Furthermore,
In 1962 Wal-Mart Inc. was founded by Sam Walton in Rogers, Arkansas. Mr. Walton desire was that “true leadership depends on willing service” which became the foundation that Walmart was built upon. Not to mention how that is main reason why the business has been successful in the past fifty years. Having a business which sold products that were lower in price and offered great services was the advantage point of why Walmart has been so widespread. One special reason why Mr. Walton had a difference perspective in running Walmart was that he depended upon his associates and the relationship he created with them shaped much of the achievement in the business. He started building Walmart in small towns not considering what other people told him
Wal-Mart is a general merchandise discount retailer, which was incorporated in 1962. Wal-Mart’s history is based on one man, Sam Walton, who changed the course of retailing forever. Sam Walton first entered retailing when he was a management trainee at J.C. Penny Co. in 1940 in Des Moines, Iowa. After serving in the Army in World War II, Walton acquired a Ben Franklin variety store franchise with his brother James Walton in Newport Arkansas, until they lost the lease to the store in 1950. By 1962, when the first Wal-Mart Discount City was opened in Rogers Arkansas, both Walton’s were operating fifteen stores under the “Walton 5 & 10” name, and were the largest Ben Franklin franchisee in the
In the late 1940s, a man named Sam Walton was franchising Ben Franklin’s store located in Newport, Arkansas. As a retailer, Walton continuously was in search of suppliers with best deals on merchandise. Usually, if a retailer was able to get a deal from a wholesaler they would leave their store prices at the regular price and pocket the excess money. Being the innovator he was, Walton decided to pass the savings on to the consumer and make his money through the increased volume of sales. This understanding would become the foundation of Walton’s business strategy when he developed Walmart in 1962.
In 1963, Sam Walton had a vision. A vision, that he could bring what the consumers needed, to them, at the lowest price possible. Mr. Walton believed that a company could not be run by just one person, it had to take team work. With Mr. Walton relying on his associates at the lowest level possible, he created the retail empire known today as Walmart. Mr. Sam, as he was referred to, would visit each and every store to learn about its culture. He would sit down with each and every associate and get ideas, comments, concerns, and anything that the associates wanted to talk to him about. This practice allowed for Walmart to create a culture of its own. A culture where each person makes a difference, no matter what your background or life style. The cultural synergy remains the same today. This philosophy is the basis for Walmart’s slogan, “Every person makes a difference.” Sam Walton knew that in order to be successful he needed to hear from everyone, to make everyone a spokesperson for the company. Many of the ideas that have been put into play have come from the lower level associates who never thought they could make a difference. Each associate comes from a different walk of life and background. This leads to the diverse workforce that Walmart has today. Sam’s practices have been instilled in today’s current CEO, Doug McMillion.
Throughout the history of America, there have been many businesses that come and go. Success is not guaranteed to everyone. But in the case of Sam Walton, it was different. Sam Walton was the founder the most controversial supermarket chain in existence: Wal-Mart. From the buyer's perspective, Wal-Mart is just a generous business chain which has extremely low prices. But upon closer inspection, the wickedness of Wal-Mart and the company practices become apparent. I think Wal-Mart has a negative impact on society. Wal-Mart mistreats employees, follows unfair business practices, and hurts small businesses.
Walmart’s history dates back in 1945 when Sam Walton bought an outlet of the Ben Franklin retail stores with the aim of selling products at a relatively low cost, so as to generate huge sale volumes and make profits at a low margin. Although this portrayed the purchased outlet as a crusade for most consumers,
Sam Walton 's first venture as a milk boy is when he understood the value of a dollar and the knowledge of how far a dollar could take one in life. From Sam 's first five and dime stores in the 1950 's to his opening of the first Wal-Mart in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962, no one could have predicted the enormous success of this small-town merchant. Today, fourteen years after his death, Wal-Mart continues to grow and leadership of this company continues to rely on many of the traditional goals and philosophies that Mr. Walton left behind. In keeping one step