Wal-mart

Before I saw this video I knew that Walmart was a big company and it was taking over stores but I didn't realize how much of an impact it had on people and our society. It was very clear that most people needed Walmart not only to buy what they needed but to sell different company products as well. I was surprised to find that that Rubbermaid the company needed Walmart to sell their product or else they wouldn't have a strong product sell. Most companies are different and they have their flaws and do things they aren't proud of but in my opinion what Walmart did was very fair. They were just doing what any other company would do to keep their word to their customers and to themselves. Of course they felt bad for dropping Rubbermaid's products but it was just something they had to do in order to stick to their word and have one of the lowest prices.

Outsourcing is a very good idea because it gives people the opinion to call or look online for the things and questions they have. This is a good way to increase job rates because if people are working at call centers and working outside of Walmart than they can get paid just like every other employer. A few jobs might be lost but it would be worth it in the long run. The people that will gain the most out of the price policy that they have would be in the long run the company but also the customers because the policy wants the customers to get the best prices and the best services because that is how they will come back into the store.

I've always shopped at Walmart and I will continue to shop their because the prices are cheap and the stores are in good locations. I just will not be fooled by what they are trying to trick us into. They try to put lower priced things out in the open to try to pull you in than they just set the prices higher while at the same time make us believe that even though the prices are higher we are still getting a good deal. I think everyone has benefited from Walmart because it gives the customers a good location and gives them low prices. Also the company because it is one of the largest and most popular place for people to go, they are really making a name for themselves. The people that wouldn't benefit from Walmart would be other companies trying to compete with them such as kmart, job lot, big lots and so on.

Walmart has a very good process going on because they can make things cheap but they are also getting a lot of income and getting popular for what they have. At least the company part of Walmart. The people that actually work in the stores don't really get paid a lot but you don't really have to have a skill to work their you just have to know common sense.

Is Wal-Mart Good for America

Paul DiMascio

Business and Society

11/29/11

HW 9: Is Wal-Mart Good for America?

The thing that most surprised me about the film was the amount of outsourcing that Wal-Mart uses. When walking through a store you don’t think about all of the effort and money that goes into getting those products on the shelves for your needs. The strategies that Wal-Mart is using are absolutely fair. They are a company that wants to make money like anyone other. They use a smart business structure that equates to the ridiculous amount of quarterly earners that the company has exhibited.
New jobs that can be created by outsourcing are office jobs. The jobs that a company like Wal-Mart destroys are small town business owners who cannot compete with the low prices that Wal-Mart offers. The company itself gains most from the price policies. Wal-Mart buys cheap and sells cheaper than competitors. Also the way the company uses the barcode to track sales and products truly helps when deciding what to buy and how much of it.
I don’t think the video will affect where I shop because the state of the Wal-Mart stores by me is less than impressing. They may sell products at low prices but the physical condition of the stores and cleanliness need to be taken care of more properly.
The people that have benefited from Wal-Mart are small families who have low income. The store gives them the opportunity to by products cheaper than other retailers around. The people that have not benefited from Wal-Mart are the small business owners in the area who were forced out of business when a new Wal-Mart store was opened.
Wal-Mart’s balancing tactics are relatively sound. The one thing that they need to do is keep everyone happy. This is pretty much what the company is doing. Keeping prices low to please customers, keeping the profit margin high by buying goods at low prices, and with good profits come happy stakeholders who would be profiting as well.

Daniel Snyder

Business and Society

11/29/11

HW #9: Is Walmart Good for America?

One thing in the film that really stood out to me is how Wal-Mart actually outsources. Prior to watching this video, I had no idea that Wal-Mart heavily contributed to the bankruptcy of several American businesses, all due to Wal-Mart’s outsourcing.

I believe that the strategies Wal-Mart is using, is not good for America. They’re contributing to the bankruptcy of American businesses, and eliminating more jobs in America. Wal-Mart’s outsourcing is creating more jobs in foreign markets, but because they outsource so much; American businesses are closing and filing for bankruptcy, and more jobs are being eliminated than created.

Ultimately, Wal-Mart benefits most from the price policies. In the video, it showed marketing strategies of cheap deals around certain sections of merchandise to lure customers in. As the customer gets further into the section, prices go up. However, Wal-Mart has a lot of cheap products that their customers benefit from.

This documentary has influenced my opinion of Wal-Mart in a negative manner. I think that they’re very Un-American and really self-centered. The only products I would buy from Wal-Mart are ones in the electronic section, and since I’ve been at school I haven’t even used my PS3 ten times. So if anything, this documentary has influenced me even more not to buy products from Wal-Mart.

I think that lower income families benefit from the everyday low prices of their products. Wal-Mart isn’t helping American businesses and they are eliminating more job opportunities for American citizens.

I think that the only way Wal-Mart is able to balance the needs for worker benefits, low prices for consumers and high profits for shareholders is though outsourcing. If Wal-Mart didn’t outsource, more jobs would be open in America but the pay to American citizens would be higher. This would then take a lot of money out of Wal-Mart’s annual profit because Wal-Mart pays the foreign factory workers very poorly. With Wal-Mart as big as it is today, the only way I see them continuing their success is through outsourcing.

Guy DePlacido

Professor Fleury-Lawson

Business and Society

11/29/11

I learned a lot about Wal-Mart and its industry from watching this documentary. The company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962.Wal-Mart has 8,500 stores in 15 countries, under 55 different names. Wal-Mart is one of the powerhouses today as far as stores go. They are one of the most successful and most valuable companies across the world. They are best known for their low prices and their wide variety of products offered. Because Wal-Mart has very low prices and a huge variety of goods offered, this is usually a “one-stop shop” for many shoppers. This basically means that you can buy all of your daily needs at this one store. I have bought clothes, laundry detergent, wallets, shampoo, deodorant, school supplies, and food from Wal-Mart. It is such a great store to go to especially if you need something at a low price. The quality of goods at Wal-Mart is usually very good too which makes shopping there even better. They have many brands that are found in many higher end stores as well. I know at least for the Wal-Mart in my area at home, there are a lot of renovations going on. There are two of them that are close to my house and they are both being renovated and being turned into Super Wal-Marts. In the past, they have had a somewhat bad reputation for having bad quality and being trashy but I believe that that they are trying to change that reputation by all the changes they are putting into their existing organizations. Wal-Mart is very reliable and convenient for most people and it has been for a very long time. We have discussed how outsourcing can hurt the American population in class, but for some companies, outsourcing is a must to stay in business. Especially with a company like Wal-Mart, which offers low prices, needs to outsource and buy products from other countries because the cost of living is a lot cheaper than the United States. Wal-Mart buys a lot of their products from China and this allows them to be able to sell their goods for a lower price. I believe this is a main reason why Wal-Mart has been so successful over the years.

Wal-Mart

The one thing that surprised me the most about Wal-Mart was how they discontinued another company’s product for a few years. Now that’s not the most surprising thing for discontinuing a product for no reason, but because of that Wal-Mart put a billion dollar company out of business. It really shows how much us as Americans rely on Wal-Mart product being sold inside their stores. It also shows the class of Wal-Mart to stopping selling another company’s with no explanations; it is just not the right thing to do. Which leads into the next question on what I think of Wal-Marts strategies. My opinion on Wal-Marts strategies is that it is fair but it is very unethical. It is great to be able to got to a place that prices are ridiculous low but it has taken away so many jobs in the U.S and has destroyed communities by making small company’s go out of business. In my eyes, Wal-Mart is a big bully that’ everyone likes to hang out with. Also with Wal-Mart outsourcing who knows what they could do to another country. With Wal-Mart going to another country I do not think it will make more job opportunities, they will need people to fill in as employees but that it. The only people that gain from Wal-Mart are the buys and the people who run the company and that is it. The reasons is because Wal-Mart will never change and there prices are so affordable and the people who run it will just be making more and more money. Now for me as a shopper I usually never shop at Wal-Mart unless I need backyard games but even then I still try to shop for quality. To me Wal-Mart is that place you go to if you are bored and just fool around the store. If you are trying to get a product started off then Wal-Mart is probably the best way to get it started because so many people go in and out of the store. Well Wal-Mart should give more benefits to there employees because they are such a big business that giving benefit would barely hurt them.

Wal-Mart

Overall, the one thing that surprised me most is how much Wal-Mart out sources they’re production to other companies. When I view Wal-Mart I view them almost as a strictly “American” company. I also didn’t realize how many other companies went bankrupt just because of how big Wal-Mart is, I’m surprised Wal-Mart played that big of a role in other businesses. When I found how much they outsourced, it surprised me. From a business stand point I believe what Wal-Mart does is fair. On the other hand the book discusses ethics and although what Wal-Mart is doing is good for their business, workers in China are only making 9 dollars a month.  I believe if they offered these jobs to Americans first I would be behind them but only if it came with the right pay, but with the economy like it is now I don’t think its fair, but I do understand that Wal-Mart is a business seeking a profit. Due to outsourcing, more factory type jobs are created, yet they are created for other countries. Jobs that are eliminated are American jobs because they believe that they can waste less money and achieve more profits by paying foreigners in other countries less than what they would pay Americans. I believe that the consumers gain the most from Wal-Marts price policy. Wal-Mart offers the lowest prices to consumers, although Wal-Mart is also benefiting from this because products it sells and how many customers they have. I try to always shop American, because I am pro-American and after viewing this video Wal-Mart gives me doubts about them. I believe that companies that associate with Wal-Mart benefit because they have a great sense of advertising as seen with the Rubbermaid commercial and the amount of customers they attract, also I believe the companies that have competition with Wal-Mart do not benefit because they have such a big role on consumers. The consumers also definitely benefit because of the low prices. Lastly, the American working class does not benefit because they are losing jobs to other countries. Factory workers lose jobs because they company closes the factory to rebuild it in foreign companies. I believe that first off that all companies should worry about their employees and customers. The employees help work and keep the company running, and the customers provide the profits. I feel as though those should be Wal-Marts top priorities.

What surprised me most about the film was that retailers such as Wal-Mart are calling the shots instead of the manufacturers that provide the products to these companies. How I see it in my head is that the manufacturers are the ones who should be getting more of the power because they are the ones actually producing the products that retailers are lucky to sell. If there were no manufacturers, then there would be no need for retail stores like Wal-Mart. The thing is, retailers have learned to be nice at the beginning of the relationship with the manufacturers to get their foot in the door, but once they really start to sell the manufacturer’s products, they start demanding and threatening them. When the products start to boom and become a popular entity, the retailers feel as though they can call the shots because they are the ones who are advertising the product to the public and making the profits happen. This all would not happen though if it weren’t for the manufacturers.

Personally, I think the strategies of Wal-Mart are unfair. I do not think it is right to decide which businesses they want to have survive in America and which they want to have die due to outsourcing. “Outsourcing is a contract with other companies (often in other countries) to do some or all of the functions of a firm, like its production or accounting tasks” (pg. 6). Wal-Mart, now being the number one retailer in the U.S., has the power to decide which manufacturers they want to make deal with and which industries they want to see become extinct by the weak economy. I also think it is unfair how Wal-Mart uses outsourcing companies to help them produce their products. Places like China have tons of people working for poor pay and with little to no labor restriction rights. American companies have to abide by certain labor laws, which provide the workers with a healthy and stable working atmosphere as well as a minimum pay. In China, working conditions can be terrible and unhealthy but that will not stop the companies, or their workers, from further producing their products.

The jobs that might be eliminated due to outsourcing are the small manufacturing companies in the United States. Since Wal-Mart is the number one selling-store right now, manufacturing companies either have to make the decision to jump on the bandwagon with Wal-Mart, or take the risk that their business might not survive, due to outsourcing. Another group of people that are being negatively affected by the Wal-Mart’s outsourcing strategy is the small business owners. Since Wal-Mart has made it convenient and easy to shop for mostly everything at one place with low prices, former customers of small businesses have been drawn to the store, taking away business from the small business owners. The people that are benefiting from outsourcing are the many employee workers of Wal-Mart. As Wal-Mart is expanding, they need more and more workers, which is providing more and more American citizens with jobs. Outsourcing is also benefiting businesses in foreign countries. Since Wal-Mart depends on 80% of their product being manufactured to come from other countries, people in China and other areas are being employed as well.

The people that gain the most out of Wal-Mart’s price policies are its customers and the company itself. Since this particular organization chooses to sell their products at such low prices, this entices many to save a few and shop at Wal-Mart. This price policy of out beating all the other competitors’ sale values has helped bring way more business in than its competitors and increase the profit rates. In this case, Wal-Mart is using price leadership. They are using, “the strategy by which one or more dominant firms set the pricing practices that all competitors in an industry follow” (pg. 392). Many companies are trying to mimic what Wal-Mart has done but so far, no one has been as close to being successful as Wal-Mart in retailing. They have been the business to beat with “always low prices” in comparison of other stores. They are the ones setting the tone and the prices to beat.

I already did not like Wal-Mart due to other stories I have heard about the company but the new information that I acquired from the movie set me over the top. I do not ever want to support a company such as them because they are driving business and money out of America. I whole-heartedly prefer to shop somewhere else rather than Wal-Mart.

The people that have benefited the most from Wal-Mart are its numerous customers, especially families with a lot of financial need, and its employees. Customers are getting good quality items for cheap prices at a one-stop location and with the expansion of this retail company, there have been many job opportunities as well. The small American business owners and manufacturers have not benefited from Wal-Mart. They have been losing business and money due to outsourcing and the constant competition with this number one retail store in America.

They should have more managerial accounting members in order to balance the needs of workers, keep low prices for consumers, and keep high profits for shareholders. Managerial accounting is, “used to provide information and analyses to managers within the organization to assist them in decision making” (pg. 457). With more financial assistance, the company will be better able to keep everything balanced and under control.

http://walmartstores.com/aboutus/7603.aspx

http://walmartstores.com/aboutus/

Walmart

What
surprise me when I was watching this film, they said that this company was the
first company on this planet to report bringing in 265 billion and that global retailer
have the most power in today’s economy.

Walmarts
main strategy is to provide the customer with the lowest cost which catches
their eye but still maintaining a high income. Sam Waltons formula was to buy
cheat and sell less than the other guy and still have high volume and fast
turnover. I believe their strategies of retail are fair because they use the
tellson machines to search for the lowest price and how many they need to order
when they need it.

Walmart
is the one who gets all the benefits because of their strategy and how easy it
is for the customers to just go in one store and get everything they need in a
one-stop shop deal. Also they use the pull system which tells manufactures when
to produce things for the retailers based on what is being sold and how much of
it. By doing that they don’t over produce the product and waste the company’s money.

Kentucky Derby Hosiery is a vendor
of Walmart who has been selling with this company for a long time and knows the
prices and the rules of Walmart because the CEO of the company Bill Nichol
knows how much power Walmart has on your expectations. Walmart want to sell the
product as the lowest cost while the vendor wants a gain in revenue. Also
Rubbermaids CEO, Stanley Gault, tells us that when they finally gave in and sold
to Walmart, their company was uphill from their and in 1994 was the most admired
company. Then, their main supplier that you need to make any Rubbermaid products
told them that they were making their price higher to produce, Rubbermaid then
had to increase their price on their products to still have an income. Walmart
did not like that idea and told them you aren’t going to tell us what to do and
that made Rubbermaid suffer. Walmart took away shelf space and dropped many of
their products as payback.

This documentary has shown me things I didn’t know about the
company and I still wouldn’t change my ways of shopping there. I agree with the
people how easy it is to go in their and be able to get everything on your
list. They have to do what they need to do to keep their company going and they
are doing in successfully. They do have a shady way of doing things but it doesn’t
impact me so I don’t care.

The new jobs that might be created are the vendors to the
Walmart Company. They will buy your goods off of you and you will receive a profit
of the money. Also they can take your job away like Rubbermaid if they don’t like
your price or quality of the product.

Walmart should
balance their needs for their workers by paying them more. They pay their
workers on low wage and don’t give them enough credit as they deserve. They
should give the customers discounts that are fair and pay their shareholders
equally.

WalMart- Carter Rouleau

I was very surprised how Wal-Mart operates and buys products from wholesalers.  I did not expect a company like Wal-Mart to fight over money so much as they do.  In some cases they are only arguing about a couple pennies, which, for Wal-Mart is nothing.  Wal-Mart uses many different strategies.  One strategy that I do not think is right is how they put a really cheap product in the front so that the consumer will think that all of the products are a great deal which is not actually true.  They just put the cheap product in the front to lure in the customers.  Because of Wal-Mart, many people have lost their jobs.  Since Wal-Mart gets most of their goods from overseas, American companies struggle to compete and have to layoff their own workers. 

The only people that benefit from the Wal-Mart prices are consumers, the owners of Wal-Mart, and the China.  Workers in America and small business owners might lose their jobs because Wal-Mart is too hard to compete with.  Small businesses just cannot compete with their everyday low prices.  Personally, after watching this clip I will still shop at Wal-Mart because it is cheap and you can get most of the goods you are looking for in one stop.  The consumers are the only people in America that really benefit for Wal-Mart in my eyes.  I think that Wal-Mart should think more of the economy and offer companies more money for their products than they actually do.  Wal-Mart wants to make the consumer think that they are getting the best possible deal, when actually they are trying to trick the consumer buy offering certain products at very low prices to draw a crowd of people into the store.   Wal-Mart sells their electronics at high prices just as does any other big retailer such as best buy, target, and sears.  

Wal-Mart

Steven Copeland

11/29/11

Business & Society

            

                                                                 Wal-Mart

         Wal-Mart is an American multinational corporation that runs chains of large department discount stores. The company is the world’s 18^th largest public corporation. Wal-Mart is also the largest public corporation when it comes to revenue. It is the biggest private employer in the world with an astonishing 2 million employees as well as being the largest retailer in the world.

         The film about Wal-Mart that was shown in class really helped me understand how they were able to offer such low prices for customers and keeping them satisfied. What surprised me most about this film was how they were able to keep their prices lower than any other retailer around. That is what put the Wal-Mart Empire on top. Buying supplies and appliances in bulk is a much more efficient way to run a business. Buying the products in bulk allows Wal-Mart to sell their products very cheap and keep them in business and become more successful. I personally believe that Wal-Mart’s strategies are completely fair. They are not doing anything illegal. They are just buying their products in bulk so that they can sell everything for cheap and good quality, not to mention the satisfaction of their customers. “Outsourcing is contracting with other companies to do some or all of the functions of a firm, like its production or accounting tasks.”(pg.6) Some new kinds of jobs that might be created as a result of outsourcing may be working at a different firm for Wal-Mart. You many still be working at the Wal-Mart but at a different location out of the state or different area. Some jobs that might be eliminated are ones at the current Wal-Mart you are employed at. People will be coming from other firms all over the country and that puts your position in risk of being taken and you being replaced. Wal-Mart makes the most money in their business. They get their products for cheap because of buying it in bulk. Once they receive their products, they sell it for the same price as if they did not buy it in bulk.  It is a win win for the company. The customer gets the lowest price and Wal-Mart increases their revenue. This documentary has influenced where I will shop. Just because you buy something from Wal-Mart does not mean it is low quality. It is just as nice if you were to buy something at Macy’s except you save money. People who like to save money usually shop at Wal-Mart. Along with the bargain shoppers; people with low incomes tend to shop Wal-Mart over other stories because of their great prices and massive selection of goods. Wal-Mart should balance the needs for worker benefits by giving every employee the same amount of benefits. They can keep their prices as low as possible as long as the sustain a large amount of money in revenue at the end of the year.

Walmart

Gabrielle Sartell
11/29/11
Business and Society
100-02


Is Walmart good for America? Walmart is the broadest and most powerful company in U.S. business history. What surprised me the most about the film is how Walmart's low prices have to lead to the lowest wages and to job loss. I thought low prices were good for America. I was shocked to hear that statement in the film. It was extremely surprising to hear that because I thought their low prices were a positive thing for this broad company. I believe that the strategies that Walmart is using is fair, Walmart tries hard every day to keep their low prices in order to keep their customers happy. The bar code is a tool that Walmart uses in order to track sales. It helps them decide what goods to produce in the store and the sale is recorded, then that product will be on the shelf of Walmart. The push system is another strategy which involves manufactures deciding what their going to produce and then getting retailers to buy and sell it for them. This is extremely powerful for the Walmart business. Their main strategy is to keep the prices low. This is fair because it is keeping their customers happy. New jobs that might be created as a result of outsourcing are goods like truck drivers in order to produce goods in other countries. Jobs that might be eliminated are jobs with Rubbermaid. The people who gain the most from Walmart's price policies is China. China is Walmart's supporters, China is the big emerging market for US exports and that U.S workers and also US companies could profit from the opening of trade flows with such an enormous country like China. This documentary has defiantly influenced where I will shop. Walmart is a very successful business and with their low prices and good quality of goods you can't go wrong with Walmart. China has benefited from Walmart tremendously and the migrant workers, these people benefit jobs from Walmart. Walmart has a very close relationship with China, they are joined ventures and both are determined to dominate the US economy as much as they can. Thomson has not benefited from Walmart because the plant failed by the competition and tons of jobs were lost because of China. Walmart should balance the needs for worker benefits, low prices for consumers and high profits for shareholders by doing the moral thing, by buying there low prices our economy is suffering. Walmart needs to find that medium by providing their low prices without destroying others jobs.

Hillary White

Professor Fleury-Lawson

Business and Society

11/29/11

While watching this film “Is Wal-Mart good for America?” I learned
a lot about Wal-Mart and its industry. The company was founded by Sam Walton in
1962, incorporated on October 31, 1969 and has been very successful I would say
since then. Wal-Mart has 8,500 stores in 15 countries, under 55 different names.
Wal-Mart is known for discount prices, in order, to keep its customers
interested and engaged in its products. They are most definitely known for their
low prices and they are very convenient for most people.

This video we watched talked about whether Wal-Mart is aiding or destroying the people in today’s economy. Wal-Mart’s everyday low prices and one stop shopping is not only
convenient for everyday shoppers, but also a stress reliever to parents and providers
as of today. I wouldn’t necessarily buy clothes or food from Wal-Mart but it
does come in handy when I need other products for a low price such as shampoo,
toothbrushes, school supplies, etc. I have also heard rumors about Wal-Mart
being called “dirty” and I think it all depends on the store itself and where
it is located. Wal-Mart also occasionally gets a bad reputation for its fight
to keep prices low. Wal-Mart is a very reliable and convenient store to most
people and I would encourage some people to shop there if they want to save a
lot of money. The FRONTLINE video regarding Wal-Mart has changed my opinion on
the store slightly, but it has not affected me to not shop there.

While watching the movie, I believe I was most surprised by how many people think that Wal-Mart is a company that is destroying society. I was also surprised on how Wal-Mart would not accept Rubbermaid’s price increases. I also learned that a lot of American companies have not benefited from Wal-Mart due to outsourcing. In class, we discussed how outsourcing hurts the American population, but if you want to survive and expand your company it is the right idea too. Overall, I think Wal-Mart should continue to outsource if they want to keep expanding because the truth is that American products are simply way to overpriced and expensive.

America Against Wal-Mart

Today, Wal-Mart is a well-known, American convenience store with over 657 locations throughout the country. It specializes in discount prices, in order, to keep its customers interested and engaged in its products. However, Wal-Mart occasionally gets a bad reputation for its fight to keep prices low. PBS’s daytime special regarding Wal-Mart changed my opinion of the discount retailer, but I do not know how long I can resist the store. One surprising thing I learned throughout the film was that may people are against Wal-Mart and their business tactics like Rubbermaid, a company dedicated to providing affordable, reusable products for customers. When resources increased to make Rubbermaid products Wal-Mart refused to increase the price of Rubbermaid products in their stores, Wal-Mart’s stubbornness eventually led to Rubbermaid sinking and being dropped from Wal-Mart shelves. That surprised me the most because it showed that Wal-Mart is only for themselves and not their providers. Even though, I think Wal-Mart is successful I don’t think this strategy of dropping providers for price increases in necessarily fair, they as a nationwide store should be willing to help their fellow companies especially if they are not directly competing with each other.
Wal-Mart is not only hurting American companies, but the American people, as well. Wal-Mart is beginning to outsource more with other countries like China due to cheaper manufacturing costs, but that outsourcing hurts the American people and increase unemployment, which the state pays for. The American people will lose jobs because their factories will be closed due to the drift to China, but outsourcing does help the Chinese population. But as Americans we need to help our people earn jobs and not foreign dealers.
Many people believe Wal-Mart’s ‘price policy’ is beneficial to the consumers, but it is not entirely. The price policy is most beneficial to Wal-Mart because they are buying products for as low as the can and then hiking up the price for consumers. Wal-Mart also uses an ‘opening price’ tactics, which is advertising a low price item at the beginning of a specific department to lure people into that area. Consumers will believe that all prices in that department are as low as they can be, but in actuality that is not true at all. Therefore, they are tricking their customers into their prices, which I do not think is ethical as a respectable corporation.
The FRONTLINE video regarding Wal-Mart has changed my opinion on the store slightly, but it has not affected me enough to not shop there. The truth is Wal-Mart is too convenient to pass up. Wal-Mart has benefitting numerous customers by the amounts of products they have, it makes shopping for any type of consumer extremely easy. However, a lot of American companies have not benefitted from Wal-Mart due to outsourcing. In class, we discussed how outsourcing hurts the American population, but if you want to survive and expand your company it is the right tactic. Therefore, I think Wal-Mart should continue to outsource if they want to keep expanding because the truth is that American products are simply too expensive. If they continue to outsource not only will it provide low prices for consumers, but high profit for shareholders. Except Wal-Mart does need to learn how to balance those two with increased worker benefits. Wal-Mart employees do not earn enough benefits for the rate they are working and the rate at which Wal-Mart is expanding, therefore, I believe from each certain profit they reach as a company Wal-Mart should give to their employees as bonuses.

Is Walmart Good for America?

Walmart has been around now for many years; many people think of Walmart as a huge discount store but there is so much more to Walmart now then just being your local super savings store. The biggest thing that caught my more while watching this video actually learning more about rubbermaid. I never knew the harship Walmart put rubbermaid through back when prices where changing in the past. Nowadays if Walmart was to pull a move like that it would be made into a hige debate and many of us all know that most people wouldnt stand for that. Moves like that are not movees that people would make now; the business world has much more class than that.

Outsourcing has many ups and downs to it, when choosing to outsource you have to realize that there are many factors to it. For instance some advantages to outsoucring is now americans can buy there products at a much cheaper price since the cost of production in third world countries cheap; reason being why the US imports so much. If you may not know the US is an exporting country but for raw materials which is then sent to foreign countries for production.

This video hasnt affected where I will and wont buy things, for me I'll shop around for the best deal and most economical decision rather than buying or not buying because of a companies ethics. For the little guys is where its hard nowadays to open discount stores; where for companies producing the product then sold to Walmart are prospering. Walmart is expanding in my eyes every year, its a business that seems to never fail, as the eye can see there are no flaws.

Homework 9: Is Wal-Mart Good for America?

Wal-Mart has faced many ethical issues. The book defines ethics as “standards of moral behavior, that is, behavior accepted by society as right versus wrong.” I was surprised by the fact that Wal-Mart is so ruthless to its suppliers. It’s a little disappointing to find out, because they can put a company out of business just by discontinuing business with them all because they can’t afford to lower their selling price by a couple of cents. This is why I do not think that the strategies that Wal-Mart is using are fair. The new kinds of jobs that would be created from outsourcing are all the jobs created in China and the management back in the United States. The book defines outsourcing as “contracting with other companies to do some or all of the functions of a firm, like its production of accounting tasks.” The jobs that would be lost would be all the people who worked in the factories that produced the goods sold to Wal-Mart. Because of their pricing policy Wal-Mart benefits the most. Also, the customers benefit from the price policy because Wal-Mart tries to offer the lowest prices possible. The documentary definitely opened my eyes to how dog eat dog the competition can be between Wal-Mart suppliers. Wal-Mart is just doing what it needs in order to be very successful. I will still shop at Wal-Mart after watching the video. Consumers really benefit from Wal-Mart because they offer a large variety at super low prices that almost everyone can afford. Also it is convenient to shop there because you can get everything you need in one stop for cheaper. The workers of Wal-Mart have not benefited as much as they should have. The jobs offered to people are low paying with little benefits, like health care.

Wal-Mart

Billy Manzi

Professor Fluery-Lawon

11/28/2011

Wal-Mart: Helping or Hindering?

In class we watched a movie about Wal-Mart and whether it is aiding or destroying the people in today’s economy. Wal-Mart’s everyday low prices and one stop shopping is not only convenient for everyday shoppers, but also a stress reliever to parents and providers in the world today. While watching the movie, I believe I was most surprised by how many people think that Wal-Mart is a company that is destroying society. In an article posted by Emily Kaiser titled Majority Says Wal-Mart Bad for America: Poll, she says, “Some 56 percent of U.S. consumers think Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is bad for America, according to a Zogby International poll released on Thursday by one of the retailer's most vocal critics.” They say that the majority of the U.S. people think that Wal-Mart is actually hindering America. I do believe that Wal-Mart’s strategies are fair; they offer the fairest prices in society today. In a result of outsourcing the jobs that would become “extinct”, would be the “mom and pop stores” and some jobs that might be created would be such companies that resemble UPS and FEDEX. The people that benefit from Wal-Mart’s price policies are the consumers; they’re getting the best benefit possible to help them afford things that they need. For example you’re not going to be able a hundred dollar pair of pants, so go to Wal-Mart and get a pair of jeans just as good priced much cheaper. I did not avidly shop at Wal-Mart, but now I feel that I would if I wanted to get something lowly priced. The people that have benefited from Wal-Mart are as I said before, are the consumers, or “your everyday person”, and the people that are not benefiting from this are the people that work in the small stores, the private business owners. They cannot compete with Wal-Mart’s prices and their large variety of selection make any small business stay afloat. Apparently, Wal-Mart should just keep doing what they’re doing because almost everyone is benefiting from it. The fairest prices and the best selections!