Final Project: Retailer Evaluation

INSTRUCTIONS: I chose Walmart as my company for research. Write a 12-15 page paper answering the below questions. Your answers should be based on your online research about the retailer/industry and the concepts from the textbook. Every question relates to a concept. Be sure you understand the concept and can explain how your retailer fits into what you learned over the semester. This replaces a final exam and should be treated as such. Your paper should include a cover page and a citations page, not included in the page total. A minimum of 5 sources should be used. ------ ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS RELATED TO YOUR CHOSEN RETAILER PART 1 - Your Chosen Retailer (0-30 points) Describe your retailer, and why you chose it. Be sure to include all Retailer Characteristics found in Chapter 2. What is your retailer’s primary business? What is their business model (how do they choose to operate)? What is their corporate strategy? What are their goals? What parts of their business are growing and generate the most revenue? PART 2 - Retail Sector (0-30 points) Provide a brief overview of the retail sector in which the retailer operates. What environmental and economic factors are affecting the retailer? Describe competitive pressures, changing demographics and buying preferences, consumer behavior issues, image issues, etc. that affects this retailer and how they conduct business? PART 3 - Corporate Analysis (0-15 points) Who is the parent company of your retailer? What retailers are parts of their portfolio? What is the parent company’s overall market strategy and how does this retailer fit into their overall strategy? PART 4 – Competition (0-45 points) Who are the retailers’ competitors (both direct and indirect)? How does your retailer compare to these competitors in terms of its size, market dominance/share, sales, profitability, etc.? What is your retailer’s competitive strength? How do they try to compete? PART 5 - Retail Market Strategy (0-45 points) 1. Target Audience – Who is their target audience? How does this compare to the competition? 2. What image do they want to convey? How do they attempt to position themselves in the minds of consumers in the market? What is their current image in the industry and in the minds of consumers? Is this image working for them? How does this compare with the image of competitors? 3. How do they make use of technology (web and ecommerce, supply chain management, information systems, etc.)? How has technology affected the way they conduct business? 4. What is their global presence and strategy? What countries have they entered? How successful have they been expanding into these countries? What obstacles have they faced? 5. What is their location strategy? Why have they chosen this strategy? 6. Describe their merchandising strategy – how they buy, what they buy, breadth vs. depth of merchandise, etc. 7. What is their pricing strategy? 8. Describe their approach to advertising and sales promotions. PART 6 – Finances (0-15 points) Do a financial analysis of your retailer. Include revenue, sales numbers, goals, profits, etc. General information found in their annual report. PART 7 – Opinion (0-50 points) Summarize your retailer’s primary strengths and weaknesses and support your assessment. What are their biggest challenges now and in the future? How are they preparing to meet those challenges? What do they view as their opportunities for the future? If you were hired as the CEO, what specific strategies would you pursue in the future for this retailer? What opportunities would you capitalize on? Why?