The singling out of underperformers for the week helps in the problem identification process. By bringing different store and regional managers together (between 400 and 600 each week), Wal-Mart also eliminates the possibility that problems can arise independently in different stores. Instead, problems are identified and rectified while they are still minor is scope.
The Saturday Morning Meetings also have several long-term impacts on Wal-Mart's organizational effectiveness. One of their most important roles is to reinforce the organizational culture. The culture of Wal-Mart is essential to its cost leadership strategy and its ability to deliver a high level of customer service despite the focus on cost reduction. The meetings also reinforce key messages regarding strategy. One component of the Saturday Morning Meeting is the use of media presentations regarding merchandising. These presentations in part represent short-term, week-to-week, merchandising lessons, but they also represent a consistent pattern of knowledge transfer. Each manager becomes stronger with regards to their knowledge of the business and this knowledge is then disseminated throughout the company.
The real times sales data is used to support many short-term tactics. It supports the purchasing process at the store level, by providing manager's with on the spot knowledge of what is moving, what isn't. This feedback can be used to evaluate different managerial initiatives as well, such as a recent alteration to the store's layout. At Wal-Mart the store level ordering system also supports the company's inventory reduction initiatives. Wal-Mart has consistently derived competitive advantage from its high inventory turnover and low inventory costs relative to its competitors. The real-time sales data supports this by providing managers the tools needed to make inventory and merchandising decisions in real time.
The real time sales data also functions as a long-term support mechanism for organizational effectiveness. Long-term trend analysis can be used to make major shifts in product mix, product placement and other merchandising decisions. The purchasing department uses the data for long-range planning and supplier negotiation. The company also uses this data for long-range planning of seasonal product requirements. Additionally, the real time sales data supports the organizational culture in that it focuses attention on the minutiae of merchandising and cost reduction, key tenets of...
Wal-Mart faces an industry that is generally challenging, but its strength in the industry results in the industry being favorable. Wal-Mart's success is predicated on excellence execution of key components of the discount retail value chain -- procurement, logistics and merchandising. Wal-Mart has numerous strengths, but as befits the world's largest company it has relatively few weaknesses. In its intensely competitive businesses, Wal-Mart sees many threats, but there are still
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
The weaknesses of the company are first that it relies on just a few top customers for the majority of its revenue growth and its lack of product quality have at times led to recalls. Opportunities include the growing level of health consciousness in globally, higher levels of product demand in Latin America nations that today have relatively low levels of adoption today and the potential to grow through
Abstract E-commerce is not only web-based shopping and trading; rather, it incorporates holistic business efficacy at all operational levels. The term ‘supply chain management’ (SCM) is used to denote coordination, scheduling and control of product/service procurement, manufacture, deliveries and inventories. It forms the mainstay of e-commerce. A supply chain is considered efficient if it has the right services/products at the right time and place for reducing costs or saving money and
Business Ethics Palmeri, C&Rupp, L 2013, May 3, Disney Bangladesh Exit Pressure on Clothes makers Who Stay, Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-03/disney-bangladesh-exit-puts-pressure-on-those-who-may-stay-1-.html The work of Palmeri and Rupp (2013) is focused on highlighting the issues faced by the multinational organizations while operating in developing markets. It is highly likely for large organizations to develop their overseas presence. However the economically developing markets a number of issues including environmental, infrastructural, and compliance with health and
For example, recent innovations in knowledge management systems software has been praised because it enables users to do more than search for information and store and provide access data. Knowledge management software is a tool of empowerment because it allows users "to create and share expert profiles and submit questions to be answered by the pros. Knowledge management systems have to be continually updated. Expertise management software is inherently
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