Global Strategic Planning Term Paper

global strategy, retail giant Wal-Mart has a few different factors to consider, as is evident in the Newsweek article, "Wal-Mart World." Not only does Wal-Mart have certain factors that must be taken into account when considering their global strategy, but these choices differ from country to country.

According to the article, "Wal-Mart is the No. 1 retailer in the United States, Canada and Mexico, growing rapidly in Asia, but still a minor player in Europe and South America." This can be attributed to the ways in which Wal-Mart attempts to expand into these regions. For example, when considering whether or not to move into a region and how the process shall be achieved, Wal-Mart must look at things such as the country's current economy, local labor laws, how the country's market operates, what sort of government regulations are in place, and the country's culture, to name just a few.

A country's culture is one of the more important factors that Wal-Mart has to take into consideration.For example, "it is nearly impossible to build new stores in Germany because of stringent zoning laws," and "in Europe, Wal-Mart faces a different set of hurdles -- higher labor costs, tougher unions and a more paternalistic regulatory environment than the laissez-faire U.S. market." In Japan, Wal-Mart "searched for a local team to 'run the business,' and now plans to help its new Seiyu partners transform their chain into Japan's….....