Reference no: EM131681014

As the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart has plenty of fans as well as detractors. A Wal-Mart discussion can begin by asking the students how the firm became so successful when it was a late mover in the discount retail market. Sam Walton made the (what now seems) simple realization that people living in rural areas need basic living products too, and that such markets were being completely ignored by other retail chains. So rather than competing in big cities, almost all of Wal-Mart’s early expansion activities were in small to medium-sized markets. Now the company is trying to do the same thing overseas. This could lead to the question of how small of a market is still "big enough" to support a store like Wal-Mart. What about a grocery store? What about a fine dining restaurant? What about an oil change shop? Finally, there are areas of the country that have opposed Wal-Mart’s efforts to open a store. Why is there such opposition when Wal-Mart provides jobs, tax revenue, lower prices, and significant local charitable giving? When faced with such opposition, how should Wal-Mart react? For such a large firm that has extremely loyal customers in some parts of the country, is it worth it for Wal-Mart to fight legal battles in every small town that opposes its presence?