Case Study Business Communications
Wal-Mart’s Sustainability Initiative
For years Wal-Mart has tried to tap into international markets, as many other global companies have. Its success in many markets around the world has led to steady growth and expansion of the company’s operations. However, its failure in others such as the markets of Germany, South Korea and Japan, has also damaged the way Wal-Mart is perceived in the eyes of many consumers around the globe. Nowadays, many think of Wal-Mart as an expansionist enterprise incapable of adapting its way of carrying out business operations, adjusting its workforce and culture overall to suit regional customer needs. Indeed, to a lot of people Wal-Mart’s only interest is in making more money. Therefore, it is understandable that the company’s efforts to address environmental concerns are viewed with suspicion. To resolve this problem and improve the global retailer’s image, I propose the following:
First, the company must be consistent in its efforts to protect the environment. Wal-Mart’s initiatives for sustainability must be applied in all the countries where the retailer currently operates. If these policies that impose reduction are kept and respected throughout, the company’s image will be enhanced and international markets will start valuing and even admiring Wal-Mart’s honest support to the environmental cause. On the downside, this will be a very costly endeavor.
Secondly, Wal-Mart should embrace diversification as a way of overcoming the transcultural barrier in play. The company should hire a diversified workforce that makes sure these green policies are carried out throughout all 15 countries where it operates. This will make it easier for local consumers in different international markets to relate to the cause and actually collaborate with it. It might be hard though getting a skilled manufacturing and managing workforce that is able to successfully reach the retailer’s goal.
Finally, mass social media communication is
For years Wal-Mart has tried to tap into international markets, as many other global companies have. Its success in many markets around the world has led to steady growth and expansion of the company’s operations. However, its failure in others such as the markets of Germany, South Korea and Japan, has also damaged the way Wal-Mart is perceived in the eyes of many consumers around the globe. Nowadays, many think of Wal-Mart as an expansionist enterprise incapable of adapting its way of carrying out business operations, adjusting its workforce and culture overall to suit regional customer needs. Indeed, to a lot of people Wal-Mart’s only interest is in making more money. Therefore, it is understandable that the company’s efforts to address environmental concerns are viewed with suspicion. To resolve this problem and improve the global retailer’s image, I propose the following:
First, the company must be consistent in its efforts to protect the environment. Wal-Mart’s initiatives for sustainability must be applied in all the countries where the retailer currently operates. If these policies that impose reduction are kept and respected throughout, the company’s image will be enhanced and international markets will start valuing and even admiring Wal-Mart’s honest support to the environmental cause. On the downside, this will be a very costly endeavor.
Secondly, Wal-Mart should embrace diversification as a way of overcoming the transcultural barrier in play. The company should hire a diversified workforce that makes sure these green policies are carried out throughout all 15 countries where it operates. This will make it easier for local consumers in different international markets to relate to the cause and actually collaborate with it. It might be hard though getting a skilled manufacturing and managing workforce that is able to successfully reach the retailer’s goal.
Finally, mass social media communication is