How Wal-Mart Established Its Current International Presence

International Business – 26329

Introduction

Wal-Mart, back to the year 1962, was just a small discount store that established by Sam Walton has now became one of the largest multinational retail corporation with more than 9,600 stores at 28countries around the world.
In the year 1989, as the developing of world trade organization and regulation, Wal-Mart started to realize that it was a right time and advantages to enter the international market with its advanced technology system, strong corporate culture, frontier management practice and supply chain system while its has opened the first store in Mexico at 1991. By that time, Wal-Mart started to accept the challenge in the international market by constantly enhancing and optimizing their business process, information system, supply chain and management practice in order to cope with the rapid changing environment and rival competition of the international market.
Moreover, it’s current international scale and commercial success has to a greater and lesser extent influencing the business world’s pace in terms of business process, logistic system, business innovation and management practices. Thus, it has become a valuable topic to investigate on what is the driving force and cornerstone that pushing Wal-Mart from a small store to a multinational corporation.

Growth and innovation process of Wal-Mart

“Innovation is the multi-stage process whereby organizations transform ideas into new/improved products, services or processes, in order to advance, compete and differentiate themselves successfully in their marketplace.” ( Sam Brook, 2009)
Wal-Mart as a multinational corporation has simultaneously moving its innovation and growth from many aspects in order to step up the pace of rapid changing environment. Thus, why and how Wal-Mart could have established its current international presence could be examined by it driving forces that support the growth and innovation process which will be discuss...