America's Most Admired Companies

Wal-Mart tops the list?

Published on February 25, 2004 By messybuu In Consumer Issues

Although I really don't pay attention to business, I have heard much criticism aimed at Wal-Mart recently, which is why this article on Fortune.com about America's most admired companies interested me. Not only did Wal-Mart make the top ten, but it received first place! Each company received for eight attributes, and although Wal-Mart didn't score too high on Social responsibility, nor did it score too low (5.78, which is far above the bottom of the barrel, and although would still be failing, would not be failing miserably).

Fortune.com also has an article on the mixed feelings society has for Wal-Mart. Personally, I'll sit on the fence, because lower wages leads lower costs which leads to a lower cost of living, but higher wages leads to higher costs which lead to a higher cost of living.

Comments

PoetPhilosopher

on Feb 25, 2004

Reuters article on Wal-Mart's image problem

Tasty excerpt:

Even men's magazine Playboy got in on the act, calling Wal-Mart's Bentonville, Arkansas, headquarters the "epicenter of retailing's evil empire."

God bless Playboy for their journalistic integrity.

Larry Kuperman

on Feb 26, 2004

Levi Strauss, after years of negotiation, signed a deal whereby Wal-Mart would carry Levi's Jeans. In order to meet Wal-Mart's price guidelines, Levi's closed it's last two American factories, sending the jobs overseas. While that may be good for the Global economy, its bad for the American economy.

Wal-Mart purchases much of its goods from Communist China, a bizarre twist in itself. Here is an article on how Wal-Mart operates in China: http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/inequal/labor/2003/1208walmartchina.htm

Bear in mind that Wal-Mart's largest competitor in year's past, K-Mart, is bankrupt. When a corporation can dictate terms to it's suppliers and literally has the power to put them out of business if they don't comply, its bad for the economy. Its not the "lower cost of living" that scares me, its the lower STANDARD of living.

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