A Walmart case study done in 2005 has impacted the way businesses are operated today. Lee Scott, Walmart CEO at that time, initiated a bold sustainability study that is designed to impact every area of the company's business.
Little did he know that this Walmart case study will also influence the way businesses around the world are conducted today.
Business researchers from the University of Arkansas and the University of South Carolina were given unprecedented access to help Walmart examine the process and devise relevant strategies to enhance operational sustainability.
It involved a three-year project that produced a series of case studies which can now be accessed online. They are useful in teaching executives and business students on the subjects of business development and sustainability.
This Walmart case study was designed as a teaching tool that analyzes the many issues that confronted the company as it envisioned and implemented a wide range of business strategies.
This would help other companies understand the obstacles and the hard choices that business organizations as well as individuals face in the adoption of sustainability measures.
"That's really what it is - a strategy," David Hyatt said. He is a clinical assistant professor in the Sam M. Walton College of Business.
"The strategy is to embed sustainability within the core business supporting the company's vision for a more sustainable Walmart. Numerous initiatives, some of which are documented in the case series, are part of this strategy that led to international recognition of Walmart's sustainability leadership," Hyatt added.
The Walmart case study was led by Andrew Spicer, an associate professor at the Darla Moore School of Business at USC. He is assisted by David Hyatt, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Arkansas, Sam Walton College.
"The goal of the Walmart sustainability case project is to lead students through an in-depth analysis of Walmart's journey of formulating, implementing and measuring an ambitious corporate sustainability strategy," Spicer said.
