Custom «Major Corporation: (Wal-Mart)» Essay Paper Sample

Introduction: Wal-Mart is one of the major corporations not just in the US but also globally. It was started in 1945 by Sam Walton and is based in Bentonville, in the US. Today, Wal-Mart is considered to be the world's largest retailer (Fishman, 2006)

Products: Its retail stores offer a wide range of items including: food and food products, consumer electronics, household goods, books and stationeries, shoes and apparels, jewelry, drug and pharmaceutical goods, and motor vehicle accessories, among many others (Yahoo Finance, 2010).

Distribution: In the US market, these products are sold through various types of retail channels that include discount stores, its internet channel (Walmart.com), super centers, and through neighborhood markets. Internationally, Wal-Mart distributes its goods and services through various types of stores. These include: supermarkets, cash and carry stores, hypermarkets, department stores, Sam's Clubs, discount stores, grocery stores, and through general merchandise stores (Yahoo Finance, 2010).

International operations: Wal-Mart's international presence spans across various countries including: the US, Japan, China, Argentina, Brazil, the UK, Canada, Chile, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Honduras, India, and Mexico (Yahoo Finance, 2010).

Competitors: Some of its major competitors in the US and globally include Carrefour, Costco, and Target Corporation. It has 2.1 million employees (Fishman, 2006).

Financials: Wal-Mart is a highly profitable organization with sound financial fundamentals. In its last financial year, it had revenues worth $408 billion, a market capitalization of $191.5bn, and a net profit of $14.3bn (Yahoo Finance, 2010).

Strategy: Traditionally, Wal-Mart has deployed the generic strategy of overall low cost leadership, which has been underpinned by its superior cost advantages deriving from such practices as low employee pay, an optimized supply chain, and bulk purchases (SoderquiSt, 2005).