Cedrick John L.
Mendoza
A1
SM: from shoe mart to mall
Word Count: 520
A global corporation is a type of business that has multiple investments and
facilities in different locations and lacks a dominant headquarters. It is governed by the
laws and regulations depending on the country in which they are incorporated. A global
corporation typically is more invested in its overseas facilities in different locations. As a
result, it becomes more sensitive to local opportunities and sometimes even to local
threats. A good example would be a company that does business in Africa; it might deal
with the implications of a local Ebola outbreak (Berman, C.). One mustn't underestimate
the Filipino for being able to have global corporations. Examples would be Jollibee, San
Miguel, Ayala, and many others. In this essay, I will be talking about SM Investments.
In 1958, downtown Manila was the first-ever location where Henry Sy. Sr
founded the first Shoemart store, making known of new merchandising and retailing
ideas. At that time, he had been honored as the Father of Philippine Retail by the
Philippine Retailers Association. He thought that if only he could sell a pair of footwear
to every Filipino, he would become a successful man. During the 1960s, Shoemart
extended its shoe store chain and became one of the pioneers in the new metropolitan
communities in Makati and Cubao. SM grew into a department store in the 1970s,
eventually becoming SM, which has become synonymous with one-stop shopping
excitement. In the 1980s, SM positioned itself for expansion by growing its department
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store chain and branching out into supermarkets and appliance sales. SM City North
EDSA, the first shopping center, opened in 1985 in a massive political and economic
crisis. However, the mall was an instant success, paving the way for the Philippines' so-
called malling movement. Malls became part of the Filipino way of life, providing venues
for families and friends to shop, dine, and have fun in world-class surroundings.
Aside from the malls inside the Philippines, those outside of the country are
worthy of attention. SM City Tianjin stands out as the fourth biggest SM Mall worldwide
by glass floor area. The Land of the Red Dragon is home to other SM branches such as
SM City Jinjiang, SM City Chengdu, SM City Suzhou, SM City Chongqing, and SM City
Zibo. The SM Xiamen Complex, whose SM Xiamen Lifestyle Center was the Philippine
lifestyle retailer's first Chinese location. It first opened in 2001 as a full-fledged shopping
mall featuring a Walmart grocery, a department store, and other stores.
When it comes to attributes of a global/multinational corporation, SM has a lot of
them. One example would be control. The management of facilities in other nations is
controlled by one head office in the corporation's home country (in SM's case, the
Philippines). Another would be a network of branches. As we all know, SM has many
branches all around the Philippines and even in China.
Even starting as a Shoemart market, it is unbelievable where SM Corporation is
now at as a global corporation from the Philippines. SM Corporation has helped the
Philippines to be recognized for its excellent marketing and retailing ideas given by SM.
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