WAL MART

WAL-MART

2007

Wal-Mart

Introduction

Wal-Mart is one of the greatest phenomena in American corporate history Being the leader in its industry for the last 3 decades , the company never stopped being the center of discussion among analysts and students . Opinions however , vary regarding the positive or negative nature of corporate methods in achieving such a rapid growth rate Wal-Mart has won several awards for his achievements , including named as the best company in United States by several organizations , but it has also suffered from considerable amount of criticism and

skepticism in almost every corner of the way

In this , I am making a quick discussion regarding how the company achieved its success , locally and globally , and how the company plan to proceed in the years to come . The discussions will be focused on several important points like leadership styles , ethical principles , etc , and will not be intended to be a comprehensive elaboration regarding the company . I will also address some issues regarding Wal-Mart operational practices and provide several suggestions on how the company should proceed in the future About Wal-Mart

II .1 . Leadership Styles

Analysts and often said that one of Wal-Mart 's secrets of success was the leadership strength of its founder , Sam Walton . There are many types of leadership styles , and most leaders combine several styles within their operational tendencies . In the case of Sam Walton the entrepreneur was revealed in history as a visionary leader , one that saw a great possibility for success and went after it without hesitation . Sam Walton believes that if he can provide goods that people need and sell them with l wow prices , people will come . The company motto at the time was `pile them high and sell them cheap (Huey , 1992

Another notion regarding Sam Walton is that he has a tendency toward using the reward power rather than coercive or legitimate power which is available for him as a leader . He often said that words of praise are brilliant , they cost nothing and they are worth a fortune . His ability to make his employees and managers felt valued and respected is one of his strengths . Sam Walton was also said to be a servant leader , one who believes in the limitless potentials of his workers and felt responsible for the wellbeing and growth of his people and his company . Sam Walton to build his professional leadership based on trust and shared responsibilities . All these leadership values are ingrained within Wal-Mart and the way it works . Managers of the company stated that they are doing whatever they can to preserve the values inherited by Sam Walton , which have brought them their success II .2 . Ethical Principles

There is also a dual perspective regarding how the company manages its employees ' ethical behavior . In the corporate website , Wal-Mart 's managers stated that they follows the footprints of Sam Walton which has three core beliefs

displaying respect for the individual

providing the best service to customers , and

striving to achieve excellence...