Wal-Mart Organizational Technology Presentation

• Wal-Mart is considered as the king of retail in the United States.

• Changes in technology occur everyday.

• Wal-Mart is a global organization. • Technology is a developing field. • Technology is essential in the 21st century. • Wal-Mart utilizes technology at its at maximum performance.

OVERVIEW• Wal-Mart’s first store was opened in Arkansas in 1962.

• Wal-Mart has become a household name.

• Samuel Walton and his brother JL were the brains behind Wal-Mart.

• After 20 years, Wal-Mart became the world’s largest retailer.

• Wal-Mart began its global operations in 1991.

• Presently, Wal-Mart extends college scholarships for high school students.

Current Technology Assessment

• Cell phones, iPads and computers gained relevance.

• Technology is important in sustaining a business.

• Wal-Mart boasts an innovative technology department.

• Wal-Mart’s 2,000 worldwide locations are connected through technology.

• Wal-Mart is a pioneer in the area of technology.

• It was Wal-Mart that introduced the universal bar code.

Current Technology Assessment

• The suppliers of Wal-Mart are part of the Retail Link.

• The link is a website that can be accessed by all the departments in the company.

• Business-to-business (B2B) commerce is essential to Wal-Mart.

• Oracle and Hewlett Packard are Wal-Mart’s partners in the technology area.

• Wal-Mart also sells goods via B2C e-commerce.

• Wal-Mart’s management ability is typified in various technological areas.

Value Chain Analysis

• Wal-Mart’s value chain is a combination of operational effectiveness and strategy.

• Wal-Mart’s value chain aims for a system of technology and processes.

• Wal-Mart utilizes the technology of data mining and product placement.

• Wal-Mart likewise uses Radio Frequency Identification or RFID.

• Technology allows Wal-Mart to gather customer purchase data.

• Wal-Mart pulls data together to monitor inventory levels.

Value Chain Analysis• Data gathered at the checkout counters suggests trends in purchase patterns.

• Collected data is used by suppliers to evaluate inventory levels.

• RFID chips are placed in outgoing pallets by suppliers.

• RFID tagging allows products to be tracked from the suppliers to the stores.

• RFID tagging ensures that inventory is in its proper location.

• Wal-Mart monitors and matches the advertising initiatives of competitors.

MANAGING CHANGE• Technologies and economic pressures influence organizational change.

• The success of change is determined by its effectiveness.

• The direction of change is set and inspired by management.

• Identification and planning are essential in change management.

• Change necessitates management to render commitment, resources and time.

• Communication throughout the organization is vital in keeping everyone well-informed.

MANAGING CHANGES• Managers are compelled to support corporate changes during sudden changes in technology.

• Change management involves listening to employee concerns and supporting them through change.

• Incentives are offered to increase involvement in change.

• Change can be measured through different stages.

• Change and customer satisfaction are driven by improvement.

• Feedback from customers and employees contribute to the success of change.

Social Contract• A social contract is agreement between the people and the government.

• The scope of Wal-Mart’s social responsibility includes the environment and social views.

• Social responsibility originates at the top management level.

• Social responsibility ends with low- level employees.

• Wal-Mart decreased the amount of its environmental waste Between 2005-2011.

• Technology such as bio-fuel plants,solar and wind power were vital in Wal-Mart’s environmental waste reduction.

Social Contract

• Wal-Mart’s privacy policy is made accessible to the public.

• Wal-Mart collects information from available sources.

• Through training, Wal-Mart develops ethically sound employees.

• Wal-Mart’s training creates a work environment that is free of hostility.

• The new technology training program was implemented by Wal-Mart’s Sr. V.P. of HR, Coleman Peterson.

• Computer-based Learning or CBL promotes job satisfaction among employees.

Global Issues

• Global issues sometimes hinder labor, culture and technological advancement.

• Foreign laws make businesses expansion opportunities more complex.

• Wal-Mart makes sure that vendors comply with the labor laws of their country.

• Wal-Mart never accepts products of forced labor, prison labor or child labor.

• Auditors keep an eye on Wal-Mart’s vendors auditors.

• The auditors use technology in the form of smart phones and live video to watch over vendors.

Conclusion• Technology has been vital in Wal-Mart’s success.

• The satisfaction level of Wal-Mart’s customers remain on the rise in the 21st century.

• Credit card machines at Wal-Mart prompt customers survey questions.

• Two question prompts appear in the screen window when a customer swipes a card.

• Wal-Mart’s CEO exerts effort to enhance the company’s customer satisfaction rate.

• Wal-Mart implemented the customer service improvement in 3,500 stores in the United States.

Conclusion

• Wal-Mart Organizational Plan was the focus of this presentation’s discussion.

• Overview

• Current Technology Assessment

• Value Chain Analysis

• Change Management

• Social Contract

• Global Issues

References Actrav. (2011). Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Standards for Vendor Partners. Retrieved from http://actrav.itcilo.org/actrav- english/telearn/global/ilo/code/walmart.htm All Business. (April 13, 2005). Head of Wal-Mart HR Emphasizes New and Traditional Practices. Retrieved from http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/4299935- 1.html Dalton, G. (2011). Ready to go Global? Retrieved from http://www.informationweek.com/668/68iuglb.htm EFA. (March 28, 2002). Internet Censorship: Law & Policy around the World. Retrieved from http://www.efa.org.au/Issues/Censor/cens3.html Enotes. (2011). What is the Social Contract? Retrieved from http://www.enotes.com/history-fact-finder/philosophy/what-social- contract Gogoi, P. (2007). Wal-Mart: A Snap Inspection. Business Week Online, 26. Retrieved from EBSCO host.

References

Kinsella, B. (2003, November). Wal-Mart Factor. Industrial Engineer, 35(11), 32-36. Myron, M., & Truax, P. (July 7, 1996). More Ways to Weigh the Global-Expansion Issue. Retrieved from http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/1996/07/08/smallb7.html O'Higgins, E., & Weigel, J. (2002, Autumn). Has Sam's magic passed its sell-by date? Business Strategy Review, 13(3), 52-61. O'Marah, K., & Hofman, D. (2010, September). Supply Chain Management. World Trade 100, 16(2), 16-18. Ravich, M. (February 18, 2010). Corporate Social Responsibility. Retrieved from HTTP://WWW.JUSTMEANS.COM/WALMART-S- SUSTAINABILITY-STRATEGY/9078.HTML Shakespeare, T. (July, 1996). High-Tech Training, Wal-Mart Style: Coleman Peterson Leads Employee Training at the Nation's No. 1 Retailer. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/ mi_m1365/is_n12_v26/ai_18407138/pg_2/?tag=mantle skin;content

References

Spychips. (October 20, 2005). Wal-Mart Hammered for Controversial

Use of New Technology. Retrieved from http://www.spychips.com/

protest/walmart/dallas-protest-press-release.html Wailgum, T. 45 Years of Wal-Mart History: A Technology Timeline

(2007). Retrieved from www.cio.com/article/147005/45

_Years_of_Wal-Mart-History_A_Technology_Timeline. Walmart (2011). New Customers. Retrieved from http://www

walmart.com /cp/New-Customer/ 538348 FromPageCatId=542413 Walmart (2011). Walmart Corporate. Retrieved from

http://walmartstores.com/Diversity/300. Aspx Wal-Mart Uses Innovative Thin Film Solar Technology to Increase

Renewable Energy Use. Retrieved from www.

walmartstores.com/pressroom/news. Wal-Mart: Requirements. Retrieved from

www.walmartstores.com/suppliers

References Wal-Mart Stores. (International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 63, St. James Press, 2004). Retrieved from www. Fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/ WalMart-Stores-Inc-Company-History Wal-Mart Stores. (March 24, 2011). Walmart Privacy Policy. Retrieved from http://walmartstores.com/PrivacySecurity/ 9243.aspx Wal-Mart Watch. (2010). Wal-Mart's Global Labor Violations. Retrieved from http://walmartwatch.com/wp- content/blogs.dir/2/files/pdf/global_labor_violations.pdf Weiss, D. (2011). Opening in a Foreign Country; be Careful. Retrieved from http://www.globalhrnews.com/story.asp?sid=158 Wilbert, C. How Wal-Mart Works. Retrieved from www.money.howstuffworks.com/wal-mart.htm.