Aside from size, emphasis was also placed on increasing the product variety. Wal-Mart as such became the one stop store in which individuals could purchase anything from detergents and foods to clothes, garden appliances or working tools. The result was the creation of scale economies, which transformed the company forever. "This allowed economies of scale in purchasing, distribution, and marketing that […] are crucial to competitive success in a mature and low-growth industry" (Stalk, Evans and Shulman, 1992). In terms of the forces which drove the change, these refer to the organizational desire for growth and development, as well as the commitment to the objective. In terms of the principles, these refer primarily to the focus on operational efficiency as a source of cost reductions. These efforts eventually allowed Wal-Mart to implement the lowest price strategy, which still ensures its success.

The Wal-Mart Stores and Dell Inc. are two stories of how organizational change is necessary for business development. Their successes do not however automatically imply that the strategies they used are universally applicable. The final...

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Howard, R., 1992, the CEO as organizational architect: an interview with Xerox's Paul Allaire, Harvard Business Review

Kuriger, C.C., 2004, Organizational change: case studies in the real world, Universal Publishers

Margaretta, J., 1998, the power of virtual integration: an interview with Dell computers Michael Dell, Harvard Business Review

Senior, B., Swailes, S., 2010, Organizational change, 4th edition, Pearson Education

Stalk, G., Evans, P., Shulman, L.E., 1992, Competing on capabilities: the new rules of corporate strategy, Harvard Business Review