OPERATION MANAGEMENT: WAL-MART

Operation Management- Wal-Mart

[Name of the Institute]Table of Contents

Operation Management- Wal-Mart3

Introduction3

Background to the Company3

Current Situation: Image, Positioning and Differentiation3

Vision and Mission.5

Respect of the individual5

Service to the Customers5

Achieving Excellence6

Competitive Advantage6

The General Model of Operations Management6

Transformed Resources6

Transforming Resources7

The Fundamental Processes8

Major Outputs8

4V analysis9

Volume9

Variety10

Visibility.11

Operational Competitive Advantage11

Speed11

Dependability12

Flexibility.12

Cost12

Key Operational Competitive Advantage of Wal-Mart.13

Competitive Advantage and Mission.14

Manufacturing Process Type.14

Process Type and the Variety and Volume Profile.14

Recommendations.14

Summary and Conclusion15

References17

Operation Management- Wal-Mart

Introduction

The paper discusses the operations management at Wal-Mart. The focus is on the current positioning, the processes, competitive advantage, value analysis and operational competitive advantage.

Background to the Company

Current Situation: Image, Positioning and Differentiation

The major strengths of Wal-Mart are on your age and confidence, which focus on having a good service to its customers and its marketing focus on the customer always find what you want at low prices (Berry,Cooper,1999,163-178). Despite these strengths, Wal-Mart has many others that help it stay as a power of its kind. Such as:

It is continually updated

It is original in its marketing.

It is recognized internationally.

Effective use of logistics techniques

They have scholarships for high school students, help children's hospitals hosting a telethon, and helps nonprofit organizations. The company has a rule in which any employee that is within 10 feet of a customer to say hello and ask where they can help. Based on local analysis and external strategies, it can be said that the company is determined to develop their stores in markets that will become successful in the different markets that determine these patterns. To this are added managerial strategies that have been tested by industry and the company itself which in itself are the guidelines that are used by competitors as "benchmarking" (Berry,Cooper,1999,163-178).

The development has allowed them to diversify and collaborative ventures with other business firms. As an example, according to the website "reforma.com", Author Eldridge Earle indicates that Wal-Mart starts a new venture with Asbury Automotive in which start with the name of Price 1 to sell vehicles in the vicinity of their stores. This is a new measure of development of the company in which you join a partner who is successful in their field to improve the flow of customers to their stores as the company diversifies. Despite being a company that barely meets difficulties and that their strengths are more than double its weaknesses, as in all Wal-Mart has aspects that should improve (Slack,2004,16-27).

From the web site, "transnationale.org", means that employees and suppliers of this giant company are abused by this chain. Suppliers are forced to allow Wal-Mart examine your finances to take advantage and demand cost reductions "unnecessary", the press and intimidating to maintain a pattern of cost reduction. On the labor front is mentioned that The Federal Equal Employment Opportunity has fined Wal-Mart for discrimination against the disabled, and Maine have found over 1,400 violations of laws prohibiting employment of minors (Chase,Aquilano,2001,96-111).

The employee to "full time" only works 28 hours and not 40 which mean they earn less than $ 11,000 a year. The health plan is so expensive that only 38% of employees ...