CASE STUDY

Case Study

Case Study

Introduction to the organization

Wal-Mart is an American based retailer that has its retail stores worldwide. It has the chains of big discounted departmental and warehousing store. According to the Fortune Global 500 list in 2012, Wal-Mart is considered as the third biggest public organization around the world. It has more than two million employees around the world. It is family inherited business and is one of the most valued organization not only in United States but also worldwide. Wal-mart is giving a huge sum of profit to the United States economy, but at the same time is negatively affecting the small business and economies. Whichever the city it enters, it affects and limits the capability of other retailers in the town to continue to exist while affecting their profits to large extent. The great competition that Wal-Mart gives to other retailers has now become a serious issue for small scale economies. The following section aim at discussing the case study and its will also be analysed that what type of strategies are being used the Wal-Mart and how they are impacting on the overall performances of the organization.

Discussion

Questions 1

Using academic theory, what style of leadership do you feel Sam Walton (founder of Wal-Mart) has followed? What are the strengths and weaknesses of Sam walton regarding this approach.

The leadership theories offer the ways of understanding what motivates the individual to provide enhanced performances and to widen their capabilities. Leading and managing skills are the core of management. The leading is the ability to lead and to guide and to give directions to the people and managing is guiding the people to get done the task (Stephen P. Robbin, 2003, pp. 116). There are various leadership and management approaches that are adopted by the leaders and managers. There are a number of leadership styles that are implemented within the organizations to exercise the motivational theories. Diverse leadership styles are used by the managers of the organizations in order to persuade the people and to provide them the way in way that in the end attains and satisfies the organizational goals and organizational missions (Johnson, S., 2009, pp. 10). There are a number of leadership styles that are practiced by the organization. There are a number of leadership styles in an organization. These include

Autocratic leadership.

Bureaucratic leadership.

Charismatic leadership.

Democratic/participative leadership.

Laissez-faire leadership.

Task-oriented leadership.

People/relations-oriented leadership.

Servant leadership.

Transformational leadership.

The analysis of the leadership style and the management approaches used by the Sam Walton (founder of Wal-Mart) has shown that the founder has followed the autocratic style of leadership and management approaches. The leadership style of Sam Walton has also lead to the organization to follow these approaches with great efficiency and effectiveness because the Wal-Mart operates in multiple regions both locally and internationally. The autocratic style of leadership and management approaches has ultimately allowed the organization to have full control over its business and management operations everywhere the organization operates its business. Such approach has also allowed the organization to integrate its business ...