Wal-Mart MarketingWal-Mart CorporationWal-Mart was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton when he and his brother James Walton opened the first Wal-Mart Discount City in Rogers, Arkansas. Since then, Wal-Mart has grown to become the second largest company in the world (Wal-Mart Stores, n.d., p. 1). In the United States, the company includes Wal-Mart discount stores, supercenters, neighborhood markets, and Sam's Club warehouse membership clubs. The company also has many international operations. Wal-Mart is considered a variety store that focuses on low prices and is committed to upholding the core value of customer service. Wal-Mart employs three core beliefs: respect for the individual, service to its customers, and the pursuit of excellence (Hayden, 2002, p. 2). Wal-Mart's business management strategy involves selling branded, high-quality products at the lowest possible price. To keep prices low, the company reduces costs by using advanced electronic technology and warehousing. It also negotiates deals for merchandise directly from manufacturers, eliminating middlemen. Wal-Mart's new slogan is “save money, live better” (Wal-Mart Stores, n.d., p. 1). According to the company's website, “saving money is a means to help our customers live better. By offering the best possible prices on the products our customers need, we can help them afford more” (Wal-Mart Stores, n.d., p. 1). For each strategy that Wal-Mart promotes in flyers or television commercials, measure the return on investment from these promotional strategies. If a strategy does not have a return on investment of a certain percentage in sales, those strategies are renewed or discarded. The backward expansion strategy is another key to Wal-Mart's success. Unlike other retail stores, Wal-Mart opens its stores first in a small town before entering metropolitan areas. “Wal-Mart expands like molasses from its base in Arkansas by building new stores strategically located near distribution centers and smaller cities, rather than making leaps across the nation like other retailers” (Harper, 2004, p. 2) . Wal-Mart's every initiative is the continued growth and profitability of its operations. As Wal-Mart developed over the decades, it continually looked for ways to become more efficient and new avenues in which to pursue profitable growth. One of Wal-Mart's competitive advantages is its extraordinary logistics system. They are able to ship merchandise from any of their many distribution centers to provide the most economical and efficient route possible.