Wal-Mart is also deemed to be a company that greatly mistreats and discriminates against its employees but there has apparently been no reliable empirical data to back that up (Van Riper, 2008). The article concludes by conceding to some Wal-Mart critics. First, Wal-Mart cites Ohio University professor Richard Vedder, who points out that Bureau of Labor Statistics Data holds that Wal-Mart's wage structure lags behind the retail sector as a

Corporate Mission As the largest mass merchandiser in the world, Wal-Mart's work in supply chain execution, research, and policies defines best practices for the broader high volume retailing industry worldwide. Wal-Mart is comprised of three operating segments including the Wal-Mart stores, Sam's Club and the International Stores. The typical Wal-Mart discount store as 50 departments or more and a few are offering groceries in addition to apparel, fabrics, stationery and books,

Employees and managers have also benefited from Wal-Mart's approach. In addition to job creation, Wal-Mart's wealth and might have allowed it to enrich the lives of its employees. For example, the company subscribes to the principles of respect for the individual, service to customers and striving for excellence, each of which allow employees to feel good about their jobs and lives. The company's suppliers for the most part are also

Bargaining power of customers: Our main question here is whether Wal-Mart customers can walk away from buying a product at Wal-Mart and find it cheaper elsewhere. For the most part, the answer is no. Wal-Mart has built its reputation by providing products at a considerably lower price than its competitors (Is Wal-Mart good, 2005). Certainly, customers can try to find lower prices at other retailers; and the proliferation of the

Foreign Direct Investment Project in South Africa South Africa is a largely free-market economy that encourages foreign investment in private and public sectors. The country is an attractive option for foreign direct investment since it has a transparent regulatory framework, political stability, easy access to raw materials, and a large population. Foreign direct investment (FDI) can be defined as investment made by a business organization or company based in one country

This is a particularly useful metric for retailers, because the fixed assets are typically the stores and land. The greater the degree to which the retailer can convert the stores and land to sales, the implication is that the retailer is a superior merchandiser. For Wal-Mart, the sales/net fixed assets ratio is 3.25. The RMA for this metric holds that 7.3 is "worst." This indicates that Wal-Mart is doing