MEASURING ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
KAPLAN UNIVERSITY
GB540 UNIT 4 ASSIGNMENT
BRENT MALONE
MARCH 17, 2015

The purpose of this paper is to discuss an overview of the company Wal-Mart. This paper will include a discussion with an appropriate analysis of the firm’s history, an appropriate analysis of the firm’s recent operating results, an appropriate analysis of the firm’s current operating results, an appropriate analysis of the firm’s economic forces that affect the firm the most and an appropriate analysis of the firm’s social forces that affect the firm the most. It will also contain an appropriate analysis of the firm’s political forces that affect the firm the most, a brief SWOT analysis for the firm, a discussion with an appropriate analysis of the factors the firm needs to predict for the future, a discussion with an appropriate analysis of the factors the firm will need to plan for the future and a discussion with an appropriate analysis of the firm’s factors that will need to be adjusted to in the future.

Overview
We are all too familiar with the biggest retail outlet, Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart’s business model is designed to help people save money and live better, anytime and anywhere in various outlets, such as, retail locations, internet and through personal mobile devices. Every week, more than a quarter of a million customers and members visit nearly 11,000 stores with earnings in fiscal year 2014 of approximately $473 billion; Wal-Mart employs 2.2 million associates worldwide. Wal-Mart is both a manufacturing and service organization providing their goods to the stores worldwide. There are a wide variety of products at Wal-Mart from food to hygiene products. Wal-Mart also provides a pharmacy, auto service, and photo shops. I hear people call it their one stop shop to getting all their needs. Wal-Mart’s operation consists of 11,000 retail units under seventy-one banners in 27 countries and e-commerce websites in 10 countries. Wal-Mart also employs 2.2 million associates around the world, 1.3 million in the U.S. alone. Wal-Mart began building Supercenters in 1988, a decision that was made to become the nation’s largest grocery outlet. Each location is about 182,000 square feet and employs over 300 associates. Many of the Wal-Mart stores have transitioned into this supercenter that provide the shopping experience you need at low prices. Sam’s club is also another part of Wal-Mart organizations. Sam’s provide items such as foods, drinks, and electronics in bulk for customers to buy. You will notice a lot of business owners shopping with Sam’s club especially those owners who have restaurants and little corner stores. Wal-Mart is an organization that saves people millions of dollars a year on food and products for their home. Other unique things Wal-Mart do match prices of their competitors by giving the customer the cheaper price of the two. This company will continue to go far in the retail industry.
Economic Considerations

Wal-Mart's has advertised the slogan "Save money, live better," for years. However, the world's largest retailer has been recently criticized for not paying its workers enough to do that.
Wal-Mart is currently facing a rising of its minimum wages in California and other states. Competition for employees and a poor corporate image, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced that it would raise its minimum pay to $9 an hour for nearly 40 percent of its U.S. based workforce. This action comes as a major milestone in the continuing movement to lift the pay of the nation's lowest-paid laborers as the gap has widened between rich and poor. It also leans towards a strengthening economic recovery in which the labor market has increased by more than 200k jobs every month, giving workers more choices. Advocates for low-wage laborers cheered the news after many years of pressuring Wal-Mart to raise its wages. But they stated that the pay increases fell short of what workers need and demonstrated that the federal