This is the speech that I am about to turn in to my teacher... Do you see any mistakes or problems or incorrect info in this? The Walmart Effect Purpose Statement: By the conclusion of my speech, I would like the audience to agree that Walmart is a valued part of the economy in the communities it serves rather than a negative impact to the communities it serves. Thesis Statement: Walmart has gone from a small five and dime store to a multibillion dollar company that has grown throughout the United States as well as around the world. Regardless of its enormous size, Walmart is a great asset to the communities it serves, including here in Westerville, Ohio. Introduction What is your perception of Walmart? What do you think of when you think about Walmart? What is it that makes you think the things that come to mind when you hear me say Walmart? Is that thought that comes to mind when you hear me mention Walmart, a positive thought or a negative thought? Often times, unfortunately, this question is answered with a negative thought. I have heard reasons for these negative thoughts that range from low wages to negatively impacting local economies. Is this your impression? What if I told you that this perception is false? Would you be surprised? Please join me in exploring the facts. Open your mind, remove any preconceived ideas or thoughts. Then, let us explore together to form opinions based on the information that I will be presenting to you here, today. Could it be that Walmart is a positive impact on our local economies? Could it be that Walmart has improved the lifestyle of many of its employees though opportunity that would not have existed without Walmart? Could it be that Walmart actually drives down the cost of products to its customers so that they can save money and live better? I believe that the answer to these questions is yes, and I believe that you will soon understand why and agree! On another note, when you think of low prices, do you think of Walmart first? Yes? Ok. I thought so. (Transition: Let us begin to examine Walmart with some data and facts about Walmart’s current status and focuses.) Body: I. Walmart seeks out supplier who produce goods that are made in the United States, which produce jobs within the United States economy. A. Last year alone, Walmart purchased five billion dollars of goods from suppliers located in Ohio alone, to sell in Walmart stores throughout the country and around the world. B. Recently Walmart announced their strategic plan to increase purchases from United States based suppliers by fifty billion dollars! C. While many retailers and other companies are searching for ways to outsource production of their products, Walmart is looking for ways to bring more purchases to the United States in order to stimulate our economy and increase jobs in the United States. (Transition: Now that we have some statistics which show Walmart’s commitment to our country, let us look into how Walmart directly impacts our economy by producing jobs for the American people, including many people right here in Westerville, Ohio.) II. Walmart is an asset to our economy. A. Approximately seventy five percent of all Walmart management started as an entry level hourly associate. i. Walmart store management positions earn from forty thousand dollars a year through two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year. ii. I grew up in a poor, depressed area of West Virginia. May family did not have the financial ability to pay for my college education. I worked several small jobs throughout high school and after I graduated high school, before beginning a job at Walmart. After starting at Walmart as a second shift sales floor associate, I began to hear the managers talking about the potential to be promoted. In addition, unlike other companies, such as Kroger, that I had worked for in the past, Walmart proudly announced that they promoted based on job performance instead of a bases of seniority. This inspired me to do the best job that I could do. Now, fifteen years later, I am the general manager of a Walmart store, earning a six digit salary each year, with even still more potential. This story, my story, is not exclusive to me or even rare inside of Walmart. As I said earlier, approximately seventy five percent of all Walmart management started as an hourly associate, just like me. This opportunity could not have been provided to me and to many other individuals like me, without the opportunity that Walmart has provided. iii. Walmart assists with education! When I started with Walmart, I did not have a degree. Now Walmart offers its employees a discount and special credits through American Public University. This allows Walmart associates, like me, to achieve an affordable college degree that they can use to grow inside of the company or outside of the company, in another field. Additionally, Walmart offers general education degree reimbursement to any employee without a high school diploma who chooses to obtain their general education degree. iv. If management positions are not your thing, you can enjoy a friendly caring environment as an hourly associate with Walmart. These part time and full time positions pay competitively with the local job market and include many benefits, including vacation pay, personal time off pay, sick pay, medical coverage, dental coverage, vision coverage, retirement plans, and an associate purchase discount of ten percent. v. In addition to all of this, Walmart has recognized the need for military veterans to find jobs as they return from duty in the various locations of the world where they serve. To assist with this need, Walmart has a strategic plan in place to hire an additional one hundred thousand military veterans within the next four years. Walmart is already the largest private employer of veterans and wants to hire more! vi. Walmart offers opportunity to minorities. a. 37% of all Walmart associates in the U.S. are minority. b. 57% of all Walmart associates are women. c. Every year, Walmart promotes about 170,000 people to jobs with more responsibility and higher pay. d. Our U.S. workforce is composed of about 1.4 million associates (2.3 million world wide), including more than: a. 807,000 female associates b. 255,000 African-American associates c. 169,000 Hispanic associates d. 43,000 Asian associates e. 6,000 Pacific Islander associates f. 14,000 American Indian and Alaska Native associates e. In the past 5 years, female promotions at Walmart stores in the U.S. have increased as follows: a. Shift Manager positions have increased by 134% b. Store Manager positions have increased by 42% c. Market Manager positions have increased by 92% d. About 54% of hourly associates promoted in Walmart U.S. stores in 2012 were women. B. To help consumers save money so that they can live better, Walmart leads the market in low prices. i. Walmart bargains with supplier to drive down costs based on the volume they purchase from the suppliers. ii. Walmart actively seeks out pricing strategies of their competitors and adjusts their own pricing to be the leader of low prices. iii. If a competitor has an item at a lower price than Walmart, Walmart will match their price at the register so that consumers do not have to run from place to place, all over town to try to find the best prices. iv. Additionally, Walmart now offers a smart phone application called The Savings Catcher. This application reads a customer’s receipt and compares the prices of the items they purchased to the prices of those items at all local retailers. If a cheaper price is found, the customer receives a Walmart gift card for the amount of the difference. C. Walmart gives back to the communities where they operate. i. Last year cash and in-kind donations in Ohio from Walmart stores and the Walmart Foundation totaled $32.8 million. ii. Last year in Ohio, total giving in Ohio, including customer donations, totaled $35.9 million. iii. Walmart associates volunteered more than 2.2 million hours, which resulted in more than $18 million in grants to local nonprofits. D. Walmart is based in the United States and supports the government of the United States as well as local government, like here in Ohio. i. Last year, Walmart collected $452.6 billion in sales taxes. ii. Last year, Walmart paid $80.5 billion in federal taxes. E. Walmart is focused on environmental sustainability. i. Recently Walmart announced the installation of solar panels on 12 Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs throughout Ohio. The solar panel installations will add approximately 6,000,000 kWh of generation production – enough energy to power more than 820 homes – and are expected to supply approximately 5-20 percent of each store’s overall electricity use. ii. At every Walmart store, all applicable waste produced in store is recycled iii. At every Walmart store, all food items are pulled just before expiration and donated to local food banks. iv. At every Walmart store, all food and organic waste is collected and used as compost III. Walmart strives to lead the way in innovations in order to serve consumers better A. Walmart offers online shopping options. i. Consumers can have online purchases shipped to their home for a fee or they can have them shipped to their local Walmart store for free! ii. Online items that are not usually available in Walmart stores are now nearly as accessible as the items in the physical stores. B. Walmart incorporates other innovations to lead the market toward better customer service. i. In store inventory systems to keep items in-stock for customers. ii. Computerized associate scheduling based on customer traffic trends. iii. Self-check-out options for customers who like to do it themselves. iv. Money transfers, bill pay options, and other financial services. (Transition: Now that you have listened to these points, let us reflect.) Conclusion I have presented you with facts about Walmart and perspectives of my own experiences with the company as well as my perspectives of the experiences of others, which I have witnessed. Contrary to the beliefs of many people, and possibly your own beliefs, prior to hearing this speech, Walmart is not a negative part of our society. Walmart is an asset in our economy. Through directly and indirectly supporting jobs in our economy, through employee development and education, through striving to offer the best price in the market to consumers, through giving back to our communities, and through striving for new ways to innovate in order to serve customers better, Walmart sets the example for other companies to follow. Now that you have this information, I challenge you; please read more, dig deeper, ask questions, and find answers. I guarantee you that the facts you find will continue to improve your view of Walmart and their commitment. Their commitment to our country, to our state, to our city, to our community, to you! Bibliography I. Rickle, M., & Bounds, A. P. (2013, May 6). Walmart Community Meeting-Getting To Know Your Neighbor. Retrieved from Microsoft PowerPoint Online: https://dm2-broadcast.officeapps.live/m/Broadcast.aspx?Fi=58840a28c2df411c%5F57bd7680%2Dace3%2D4871%2Dbbbd%2D1c5ecc7dde6e%2Epptx II. Walmart. (2014, August 14). Get to know us. Retrieved from Walmart: walmart/ Microsoft PowerPoint Online dm2-broadcast.officeapps.live
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 23:28:51 +0000