Verified Document

Control Mechanism Wal-Mart: Price Pricing Controls -- Essay

¶ … control mechanism Wal-Mart: Price Pricing controls -- Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart advertises itself as a company that provides the lowest prices, all of the time, in comparison to its generic and specialty-store competitors. It is able to deploy this low price model in a successful manner by selling at a high volume. It is also dependent upon cheaper and exploited labor in foreign nations, where many of its products are manufactured. For example, employees in China not only receive low wages but are "housed in dismal dormitories; they may choose to live elsewhere, but still have to pay the dorm rent. In Bangladesh…working hours are 8 a.m. To 10 p.m., seven days a week, for 13 to 17 cents an hour" (Gates 2011). By limiting the benefits of all of its employees, in the United States as well as abroad, and depending upon a relatively low-wage, part-time...

Wal-Mart employee's average annual income is under $14,000 and the health insurance available is so expensive most of its workers cannot afford to participate in the program. According to the documentary, Wal-Mart: The high cost of low price, company representatives openly recommend Wal-Mart employees make use of government-aid programs such as Medicare or food stamps to make up for a lack of adequate wages and benefits instead.
Instead of offering sales and discounts on specific goods, Wal-Mart advertises that it offers the lowest prices all of the time, allowing consumers to engage in one-stop shopping. Changing its business model and offering more competitive wages, Wal-Mart has alleged to its critics, would require a higher-wage model. Ethics comes at a price. Its consistency of its brand is one reason why the…

Sources used in this document:
References

Gates, Anita. (2005, November 24). Review of Wal-Mart: The high cost of low price The New

York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2011 at http://www.walmartmovie.com/reviews_nytimes.php

Manners, Tim. (2005). Wal-Mart vs. Costco. Fast Company.

Retrieved April 25, 2011 at http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/tim-manners/shop-talk/wal-mart-vs.-costco
Database. Retrieved April 25, 2011 at http://tbmdb.blogspot.com/2009/03/control-mechanisms-in-business-models.html
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Costco Case Costco: A Case Analysis Costco
Words: 4468 Length: 15 Document Type: Essay

Costco Case Costco: A Case Analysis Costco has long been a retailer of lower-priced goods. Now, the company is moving toward services like insurance, credit cards, phone plans, printing, and other options that could be accessed with a specific membership level. That level would cost users $100 per year, but testing of the options has been very positive in the majority of cases. Still, Costco has much to consider when it comes

Costco Warehouse Clubs Costco Wholesale Vs. Sam's
Words: 1778 Length: 5 Document Type: Case Study

Costco Warehouse Clubs Costco Wholesale vs. Sam's Club vs. BJ's Wholesale The main strategic issue that is faced by Costco (and by Sam's Club to a lesser extent) is the fact that it is having trouble competing with BJ's Wholesale on some key factors of customer service. Costco is a warehouse-style retailer, just like the other two companies. Typically, these companies offer lower prices, but consumers who shop there also need to

Costco Strategy
Words: 1260 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Costco The case notes that Costco's mission is "bringing the highest quality goods at the lowest possible prices while providing excellent customer service and adhering to a strict code of ethics…" and then the mission outlines the code of ethics. The company's operations clearly stick to this mission statement. This is possible because the mission statement is clear, and it specifically relates to what the company does. It hits upon a

Costco Wholesale Corporation Is One of the
Words: 1586 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Costco Wholesale Corporation is one of the membership warehouse chain operators across the globe. Costco Wholesale Corporation operates under the influence of the standards and regulations of the Wholesale Club Industry. The organization focuses on the distribution of the products with reference to fresh food, soft-lines, and ancillary as well as hard-line products. Costco implements various elements of marketing model with the aim of addressing the needs and preferences of

Costco's Business Model Is to Undertake a
Words: 4377 Length: 15 Document Type: Essay

Costco's business model is to undertake a cost leadership strategy. The company operates with a warehouse store concept. The warehouse store concept focuses on offering large volumes of goods at low prices. A typical Costco warehouse has a relatively low number of SKUs available, and any given product is usually only available in a single SKU. Consumers are attracted to the low prices associated with volume buying. Each store has

Costco Competes in the 120
Words: 1927 Length: 7 Document Type: Case Study

Buyer power is high. Consumers are well informed and have a number of discount and warehouse options from which to choose. As such, there is a high risk of substitution or switching, lending the buyer high power on aggregate. There are high barriers to entry. Tremendous economies of scale are required in order to adequately compete in the low cost sector. Infrastructure buildout costs are high for any firm

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now