Research is a daily part of our lives, from researching a recipe for a meal to a multinational company. It covers many aspects, helps make decisions based on the information found, and creates a new perspective that helps expand our knowledge. This course and the project of making a strategic report with the company that I chose, which was Walmart, allowed me to explore each area of analysis together with the discovery of the new sections of the company, from its financial state to the internal and external problems it has locally, nationally and even globally. By collecting all the necessary information and putting together my previous discoveries based on my experience working for Walmart, I have created new strategies, solutions, and a new entry internationally as an opportunity to expand and help the community. At the same time, creating a unique perspective, analyzing data, and creating new research about the company allows each of its departments to continue to grow and innovate and helps them gain the best tools for their continued success.

When we talk about problems in the community, it is related to the environment and social issues, among many other areas with a negative or positive influence. Therefore, this course and the investigation of the use of the strategies that companies use daily helps us analyze the impact of companies, since many times we as consumers do not realize it since we have other priorities to focus on. In this case, Walmart is the company in which I conducted the research, and I discovered that it has strategies that can be changed to have a more significant positive impact on the community. At the same time, companies oversee maintaining and caring for the environment for the community since they are the ones that produce a high percentage of contamination due to their strategic practices. In my research for the creation of the strategic report presented in this application, the second problem that Walmart had and continues to have been caring for the environment, for which I show evidence of one of its great demands, with a solution to prevent contamination for the community

MGMT 485W-Business Policy & Strategy course is designed to teach students to use their research skills through a project of making a strategic report of a company, whether it has a national, local, or global presence. The company must have a history where it has created changes through years of experience and philosophy toward the consumer. As a student and future professional, when researching any company, specific requirements must be met to help fulfill the purpose of future research. In this case, the guide was based on what the professor asked us to research to complete our work on the company we had chosen at the end of the semester.

The final project:

Martinez-Lizbeth-Strategic-Report

The purpose of making a strategic report and its research techniques is to compare and apply it to the real world to obtain the results and information necessary to conclude. In this way, those results can be implemented in new investigations or projects. Even, such as the use of graphics, numbers, primary sources, formulas, asking the right questions to find the most accurate answers, internal and external analysis, consumers, and competitions, among other search skills, are not only used in the university or this course, but also at work. My first experience was in an internship where I did a research paper to solve a problem and see if what I wanted to incorporate into the company worked. When I took MGMT 485W, the theories, strategies, and skills learned were very similar, which helped me better understand why and how it should be conducted to cover all aspects of a business investigation.

There are two essential skills that employers are seeking, and I identify:

Plan, organize, and prioritize work

This ability is implemented not only in a university but in a company, regardless of your position, because planning, organizing, and prioritizing work is the basis of a successful project and the company’s success. I was able to experience this during my internship during the investigation of the problem, how to solve it, and make the right decision. At the same time, prioritize what is needed or if other factors influence the findings. Plan how the goals will be achieved and organize every detail when the changes will be made and how they will be implemented according to the knowledge of the employees and managers. Much of this course was completely what I experienced in my background outside of academics.

Analyze quantitative data

To make the right decisions, you must analyze the data to know how and where the company is, both financially and strategically, to make appropriate changes. In this course, I had the experience of analyzing quantitative data to know where Walmart was. At the same time, what I did during my internship was the collection, analysis, and conclusion to understand how each of the strategies I had in mind to implement would affect the company. Often, these data are not given, for which we have to use specific formulas to get the right results, as you can see in the project above.

Business is doing research to obtain the best results and to carry out projects, for which the use of learning strategies and skills that reflect reality makes it easier to understand what they are looking for as a company. My goal is to obtain a Master’s and a Ph.D. degree, which will help me to conduct my thesis and put my knowledge acquired in this class into other research and future assignments. Even in international business, it will help me know the market and quantitative data that I need to use to achieve the project’s objectives.