Sam Walton(1918-)
Contrary to popular belief, Sam Walton (the founder of Wal-Mart) was not from Arkansas. He was actually born in Kingfish, Oklahoma on March 29, 1918. He was raised in Missouri where he worked in his father's store while attending school. This was his first retailing experience and he really enjoyed it. After graduating from the University of Missouri in 1940, he began his own career as a retail merchant when he opened the first of several franchises of the Ben Franklin five-and-dime franchises in Arkansas.
This would lead to bigger and better things and he soon opened his first Wal-Mart store in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. Wal-Mart specialized in name-brands at low prices and Sam Walton was surprised at the success. Soon a chain of Wal-Mart stores sprang up across rural America. Walton's management style was popular with employees and he founded some of the basic concepts of management that are still in use today. After taking the company public in 1970, Walton introduced his "profit sharing plan". The profit sharing plan was a plan for Wal-Mart employees to improve their income dependent on the profitability of the store. Sam Walton believed that "individuals don't win, teams do". Employees at Wal-Mart stores were offered stock options and store discounts. These benefits are commonplace today, but Walton was among the first to implement them. Walton believed that a happy employee meant happy customers and more sales.
Walton believed that by giving employees a part of the company and making their success dependent on the company's success, they would care about the company.
By the 1980s, Wal-Mart had sales of over one billion dollars and over three hundred stores across North America. Wal-Mart's unique decentralized distribution system, also Walton's idea, created the edge needed to further spur growth in the 1980s amidst growing complaints that the "superstore" was squelching smaller, traditional Mom and Pop stores. By 1991, Wal-Mart was the largest U.S. retailer with 1,700 stores. Walton remained active in managing the company, as president and CEO until 1988 and chairman until his death. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom shortly before his death.
Walton died in 1992, being the world's second richest man, behind Bill Gates. He passed his company down to his three sons, daughter and wife. Wal-Mart Stores Incorporated (located in Bentonville, Arkansas) is also in charge of "Sams Club". Wal-Mart stores now operate in Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, South Korea, China and Puerto Rico. Sam Walton's visions were indeed successful.
In Walton's biography, Made in America : My Story he outlines what he feels are the ten commandments of business:
1.Commit to your goals
2. Share your rewards
3. Energize your colleagues
4. Communicate all you know
5. Value your associates
6. Celebrate your success
7. Listen to everyone
8. Deliver more than you promise
9. Work smarter than others
10. Blaze your own path
Key words: businessman founder of Walmart
山姆-沃顿 (1918-)
当今都市生活中的白领们都早已习惯了每天用废弃的纸张背面打印资料，可是你知道这是谁最先“发明”了这个方法吗?没错，他一定是个抠门到极点的人。他会毫不犹豫地捡起地上的一分硬币;戴着棒球帽驾着几十年高龄的破旧老爷车翻山越岭;在小镇街角的理发店按最低标准理发，理发师别想从他这得到一分钱小费;购买最便宜的日常用品;出差尽可能与人合住中档客房;在外就餐只光顾家庭式的小饭店。
他说：“我要给世界一个机会，叫人们看看什么叫节约。” 可是与此相反，他曾经向美国5所大学捐出了数亿美元，并在全国范围内设立了很多奖学金时。他的基金会先后资助过数以千计的各类公益组织。
这就是山姆-沃顿，举世闻名的“沃尔玛”公司的老板，一个永远友善微笑着的简朴老人，他经营了几十年的沃尔玛公司在全球各地拥有4500多家连锁店。美国《家族企业》2002年第一期推出的全球家族企业10强排名中，沃尔玛抢到了冠军的奖牌;同年2月的《财富》杂志出炉的“美国2002年最受尊敬的10大公司排行榜”上，沃尔玛名列榜首。
山姆-沃顿多年的经营生涯中一直都围绕着“顾客就是上帝”这个早已被各服务行业用滥了的理念(但是没有人能比它的创造者用得更完美)做文章。他常常在例会上对员工说：“你们也许会想你是在为你的经理或者上司工作，可事实上他和你们一样，我们公司最大的老板是谁?顾客!”
“八颗牙”理论。早在山姆只有一家小店的时候，他就每天亲自打开店门，以微笑迎接顾客。
他说：“对顾客微笑的时候，尽量把你的牙齿露出八颗，因为实践证明，这样做能发出最友善的微笑。”在公司举行的仪式上，他要求员工举手宣誓：“我保证今后对每个来到我面前的顾客微笑，用眼睛致意并且予以问候。”