homework about retailor
...i, Professor of Sociology, Duke University (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/interviews/lehman.html) Target: Ranked 23rd on the Fortune 500 list in 2004. Target runs 1,225 namesake units as well as 266 Mervyn's and 62 Marshall Field's locations. ●“Except More, Pay Less” Brand Target’s research shows that guests time their shopping trips to coincide with the replenishment of specific consumable and commodity items. To satisfy their guests and to gain a greater share of their overall spending, they are elevating their focus on strategies to drive higher frequency. Such as, expanding merchandise selection of consumable items, increasing the visibility of everyday essentials through more prominent marketing and in-store presentation, investing in pharmacy technology and guest communication to improve speed, merchandising and marketing to specific guest segments, such as Mom and Baby and households that are moving or relocating,. Target believe that in many cases, what guests want is more time. So they keenly focused on producing an in-store shopping experience that is fast and convenient. They made a commitment that no more than two guests in a checkout line at any given time; they installed red service phones throughout Target stores and adopted measures to improve their response time to guest calls. ●Differentiated Strategy Target provide their own brands, such as Market Pantry, Archer Farms, Merona and Xhilaration in both food and general merchandise assortments. They believe that their grocery brands are under-penetrated and represent a high-quality, value-priced alternative for customers. In 2003, their merchandise introductions produced a 60 percent increase in items. They also offer trusted national brands that includes Genuine Kids by OshKosh, Virgin Pulse, Bialetti, Waverly and Woolrich, and they believe design partnerships clearly set Target apart from other discount retailers. ●Supply Chain and Technology Target continue to expand distribution capacity and invest in leading-edge technologies. The current distribution network includes 19 regional distribution centers and three import warehouses. In 2003, Target began implementation of an electronic labeling system called ART. This program utilizes real-time information about where product is needed and automatically labels cartons appropriately, accelerating the flow of goods directly to stores and eliminating what was once a time –consuming, labor-intensive procedure. They are also implementing a system for imported products that incorporates more timely sales and inventory information into the merchandise allocation decision and allocate imported product to their stores closer to the time of need. Their Web-enabled supply chain tracking system provides end-to-end visibility for merchandise orders – from vendor booking to in-store receipt, facilitating faster action when there’s a break in the chain. 5. Company potential Wal-Mart: Strengths: 1. 全球最大公司。因此在很多领域诸如商品采购、雇员工资、甚至政府决策方面具有深远的影响力，有助于其长期维持低价策略，进而保持竞争优势； 2. 国际化趋势明显。它不是最早进行全球采购的美国商业企业，但却把握了最好的时机，它一贯聪明地利用市场和时间的空挡。它已经积累了大量开拓海外市场的经验，尤其是在东亚，中国这未来最大的消费品市场中； 3. 品牌形象。天天低价的宣传已经深入人心，因此在相对较低层次的消费者群体中具有无可比拟的影响力。War-Mart就是便宜的代名词。 4. 科技应用。全球最大的商用卫星系统会在其供应链管理中，包括定单、生产、运输各环节中发挥巨大作用。 Weaknesses: 1． 客户服务手段简单化。过分注重价格的影响力而忽视顾客满意度的其他方面要求。随着生产力的发展，即使是低端客户，也会对生活品质，具体到购物感觉有各种个性化需求。 2． 低价策略引致War-Mart对供应商甚至公司内部员工的苛刻要求。新闻界不断披露其在远东及洪都拉斯的加工工人的悲惨待遇。The average full-time hourly wage for a Wal-Mart employee is only 9.98 dollars. 公司一直宣扬的good careers 现在也受到了越来越多的置疑，甚至已卷入了一场规模巨大的性别歧视的诉讼案。A federal district court in San Francisco certified a sex discrimination class action suit against Wal-Mart earlier this summer. The class is claiming that Wal-Mart discriminated against women in the way it recruited and promoted managers. 以上这些无可避免地会损害公司的公众形象。 3．过于庞大的企业规模，有可能产生沟通和协调上的障碍。 Target: Strengths: 1. 营销手段多样化。不以价格为武器，而致力于在多方面提升顾客满意度。从而建立起良好的品牌形象和忠实的消费群体。Customer’s loyalty. 2. 公司形象。Fortune Recognizes Target Corporation as Second Most Admired General Merchandiser。The magazine surveyed more than 4,000 businesspeople in late 2000 and printed the survey results in "America's Most Admired Companies. 3. 企业文化及劳资关系。For the eighth year in a row, Target Corporation was named one of Working Mother magazine's 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers. Target Corporation was recognized in Training magazine of Training Top 100 list. The annual award recognizes organizations for their commitment to education and training their team members. Weaknesses: 6. Investor Potential 7. Employee potential Wal-Mart: Wal-Mart declared that they are truly a mosaic of cultures, lifestyles and heritage, and their associates represent every age and walk of life. More than 15 percent of Wal-Mart associates in the United States are over the age of 55, and Wal-Mart is the nation's largest employer of Hispanics and...