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Wal-Mart, Mexico, And NAFTA Was NAFTA The Essay

Wal-Mart, Mexico, and NAFTA Was NAFTA the reason for Wal-Mart's success in Mexico or was it Wal-Mart's new competitive strategy? Wal-Mart's generic competitive strategy is clearly that of a 'low price' model in all nations where the retailer is located. It sells a seemingly infinite amount of goods and services in an undifferentiated fashion. The main reason that consumers go to Wal-Mart is because of its prices. Wal-Mart claims to offer one-stop shopping with the lowest prices a consumer can find in the area. Without offering such low prices, the store has little traction in the market, given that other retailers offer a more expansive product line of specific items, offer specific special deals, and offer greater prestige to the customer in terms of store name. NAFTA (The North American Free Trade Agreement) marked a watershed in Wal-Mart's relationship with Mexico. Today, Wal-Mart is the largest private employer in Mexico and claims 55% of that nation's retail market.

It is true that Wal-Mart has undeniably created certain advantages for itself not directly bestowed by NAFTA. It has taken advantage of Mexico's lower labor and operational costs by...

The latter is linked to Mexican participation in GATT rather than NAFTA.
However, the critical aspect of Wal-Mart's success is still linked to the fact that after the passage of NAFTA and subsequent tariff reductions, Mexican retailers could offer more American consumer imports at a cheaper price to Mexican consumers. Greater bargaining between suppliers drove down costs, and because of its ability to operate on an economy of scale, Wal-Mart, unlike smaller Mexican retailers, could pass these savings on to the consumer.

Cost is often king when it comes to selling virtually any and every item to consumers, other than specifically 'luxury'-branded goods or highly specialized items (such as gluten-free bread for consumers with celiac disease, or specially designed shoes for serious athletes). Wal-Mart was, because of NAFTA's impact on the competition between suppliers and its sheer size, was finally able to provide Mexican…

Sources used in this document:
Zimbabwe did not sign the Kimberley Accords, an agreement used to introduce ethical mining practices to the diamond industry. Combined with his policy of land seizure, President Mugabe is using the nation's diamond supply to support his rule and hold onto his position of power within the nation, after decades of bloody rule.

Lieberman, Rachel. (2008, September 9). Majority stake in Williamson diamond mine acquired by Petra. Israeli Diamond News. Retrieved January 28, 2011 at http://www.israelidiamond.co.il/english/News.aspx?boneID=918&objID=4031

In Tanzania, one of the nation's largest diamond mines was acquired in 2008 by Petra, which is based in Jersey (United Kingdom). This adds Petra's global diamond portfolio. The exchange was for a cash interest of $10 million bestowed to the Tanzanian government, illustrating the willingness of the African nation to do business with corporations of former colonial powers of the region.
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