The importance of quality management and measurement withinthe global context is the process by which decisions come up following a certain pattern and structure to ensure that the competitive priorities meet the company’s wish. Wal-Mart makes great decisions to make sure that it remains competitive throughout in the global market because of its quality management. It uses its resources for provision of valuable product. Physical distribution is however, the key to marketing strategy of Wal-Mart. It uses the fair process, which turns execution into strategy.
Implementing an enterprise resource planning system would helpstreamline operations and achieve efficiencies between operatingdepartments because strategies are planning, improving, monitoring and apprising. Among these four, walmart uses improving strategy a lot for better measurement within the global context. Major concerns that need to be addressed include making sure that strategies are functional especially when the company wants to improve on its production and distribution. (Housel, 2004)
Quality management is also important because it Improves strategy thus making it very well applicable in the organization and improvements as a result follow giving the company huge profits. Walmart can improve on very many areas including transport, customer care, advertisement and many more. Improve process strategy requires the company to go round the world looking at its outlets and determining the outlets that need improvement. Before walmart realized the importance of this process, there was presence of huge losses and the result was neglect in some areas, which needed improvement.
Being in the right location according to the above chart is Wal-Mart’s key ingredient in its success. Choosing the wrong location would make walmart lack ample access to workers, customers, raw materials, professionals and transportation. Location has a big role in company’s profits and success. Location strategy is therefore the plan to obtain the best location for a company and in this case walmart through identification of its needs and goals. Walmart maximizes on opportunity and at the same time minimizes costs and risks. Wal-Mart’s location strategy conforms to its corporate strategy as whole.
Certain factors come into consideration when formulating the location strategy. The factors include facilities where it determines the space needed. Other factors are feasibility, logistics, labor, site and community, zones of trade, political risks, regulation of the government and environment as well as incentives. Before walmart makes any choice regarding the location strategy, it has to take into account size, population, total costs, infrastructure, labor and suppliers. (Pine, 1993)
Looking at the competitive edge, walmart made a good move taking its distribution centre there because the area has suffered great loses caused by hurricane charley in the recent past. The disaster has been the reason for many to flee the area leaving the economy dormant and walmart is fully maximizing on the opportunity. So far, there is no other facility like the one walmart has. There are challenges with the new distribution centre but walmart believes that it cannot prosper without challenges.
There are very many benefits of quality management and measurement within the global context with quality management being one of them. Regarding resource planning, it is central and from there it can easily monitor other outlets that belong to its chain. There will be a reduction in transport cost as a result and therefore more profits and returns. Getting closer to people affected by hurricane charley is also another benefit since they feel appreciated and it does not only look at its advantages but also the advantages and benefits of the esteemed customers and the world as a whole. If I were asked to make a choice of the headquarter location, I would not necessarily make the exact choice but I would use the same criteria used by walmart to get them where they are. With that, I would make a very close choice since I believe it is a good choice. (Womack, 1990)
References
Galloway, L. (2009) Principles of global Management, ITP.
Housel, D. (2004) From the American System to Mass Production, 1800–1932: The Development of Manufacturing Technology in the United States, Johns Hopkins University Press.
Kanigel, R. (1999) The One Best Way: Frederick Winslow Taylor and the Enigma of Efficiency, Viking.
Kidd , P. T. (1994) Agile Manufacturing: Forging New Frontiers, Addison-Wesley.
