Walmart: Scripting Success through Customer AnalyticsAbstract: Retail chain Walmart, ranked no. 1 in the Fortune 500 list of largest US companies,had sales of $466 billion in fiscal year 2013. Walmart’s supply chain operational competitivenesswas legendary. The company operated more than 4,000 stores in the US as of January 2013.Walmart had more customer connections than any other retailer in the world. Walmart hadstrong presence in social and digital media as well. More than 300,000 people accessedWalmart through social media, per week, in 2012. Most of the customer data were beingcollected from in‐store and online transactions and also from social media conversations.Walmart had effectively used customer analytics to improve operational performance.Customer analytics enabled to know about consumer preferences from social media to gaincompetitive advantage. Walmart used customer analytics to increase customer base byspending on marketing and promotional activities. Walmart’s prime challenges in the onlinemedia were from Amazon (world's largest online retailer) to attract customers in the onlinesegment. Hence Walmart had to improve upon its customer analytics advantages and stayahead in the retail segment overcoming the challenges posed by Amazon in the ecommercespace. Amidst this background, it remained to be seen whether Walmart would succeed inestablishing a stronger foothold in the retail market using customer analytics in the long run.

The income statement of Walmart reports net sales of $559,151 million and cost of goods sold of $420,315 million for the year ended January 31, 2021. The comparable sales and cost of goods sold figures for the year ended one year earlier were $523,964 million and $394,605 million, respectively. To be able to achieve this extremely high level of sales, a great deal of inventory must be maintained so that customers will find what they want to buy when they shop in Walmart stores. In fact, in the January 31, 2021, balance sheet, inventory is presented at $44,949 million and the comparable figure for a year earlier is $44,435 million.Required:Using the year-end inventory figures, compute the inventory turnover for Walmart for both years.Compute the average number of days required by Walmart to sell its inventory for the same years.In which year was the company more efficient in its management of inventory?

15 .____ is one retailer that has managed its global supply chain in an adroit and efficient manner.Wal-MartBurger kingPizza hutDHFL

In this opening Discussion you are to describe the differences between the supply chains for the retail business of Walmart and Dell.Think about this: What makes two organizations a bit different? It could be what they sell? it could be where their products comes from? Examine what your colleagues find as a "difference" with your replies asking about what they found. Here is a source to use; but you are more than free to do an Internet search for Walmart and Dell supply chain.Maybe you will uncover something about supply chains that will surprise you. They are often a surprise to some waiting customers.Also, do not forget to think current timeframe. What is this year? Hmmm. Anything big going on between customers and the supply chain side of things?Source to start with: Textbook 1: Hugos, p. 26, question #5; end of chapter 1.

In this opening Discussion you are to describe the differences between the supply chains for the retail business of Walmart and Dell.Think about this: What makes two organizations a bit different? It could be what they sell? it could be where their products comes from? Examine what your colleagues find as a "difference" with your replies asking about what they found. Here is a source to use; but you are more than free to do an Internet search for Walmart and Dell supply chain.

Walmart is a US multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets,discount department stores, and grocery stores. Walmart moved to Vendor-ManagedInventory (VMI) systems to improve its inventory process and purchasing function.Required:a) Discuss two (2) potential advantages and two (2) disadvantages of thisarrangement.b) Discuss what special controls, if any, should be developed to monitor VMI systems