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I just read this post, Walmart to Chileans - “We Can Only Spare A Dime” from John Perkins, author of Hoodwinked over at the The Huffington Post and thought it was interesting, and poignant, enough to share here. Check it out:

Walmart to Chileans - “We Can Only Spare A Dime”

“They used to tell me I was building a dream, and so I followed the mob,
When there was earth to plow, or guns to bear, I was always there right on the job.
They used to tell me I was building a dream, with peace and glory ahead,
Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?”
(Yip Harburg, lyrics, “Brother Can You Spare A Dime")

My prayers go out to the Chilean people during this time of crisis. I also feel it’s incredibly important in light of Walmart’s announcement yesterday that they would be donating a million dollars in aid, to provide some perspective on this “corporatocracy” in action.

On January 23, 2009, barely a year and a half ago Walmart’s press release touted “Walmart Confims Successful Tender Offer for D&S - Investment provides major foothold in key South American market.” While most North Americans, financial analysts and journalists did not take note of this announcement, those of us tired of being “hoodwinked” certainly did.

D&S at the time of the acquisition was Chile’s largest food retailer. Walmart’s Executive vice president and CEO of the Americas, Craig Herkert said, “Partnering with D&S, with its strong brands, and its position as Chile’s largest food retailer, is an important step in implementing Walmart’s international strategy. We continue to focus on portfolio optimization, global leverage and winning in every market.”

Walmart, because of this acquisition, now owns 58.2 percent of the issued and outstanding shares of D&S, while the Chilean owners now only hold 40.1 percent, with the remainder 1.7 percent being held by the public.

In both my books, HOODWINKED and THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE, I’ve noted Walmart as a one of the companies that has avoided a true commitment to environmentally or socially responsible operations.

Walmart, Monsanto, De Beers, Exxon Mobile, Adidas, Ford, and GE are just some of the companies that exploit labor forces and destroy the environment in the name of enhancing their “portfolio optimization, global leverage” and greed-driven bottom lines.

When I read the announcement of Walmart pledging an initial one million dollars to aid grief-stricken Chile on Saturday, I could not help recalling the lyrics of Brother Can You Spare A Dime. Written in 1931, today it continues to herald the great failure of the predatory form of capitalism I write about in HOODWINKED.

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Bloomberg is reporting today that Wal-Mart and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are among those opposing legislation that would allow the U.S. to cut off duty-free imports from factories in Pakistan and Afghanistan, if they fail to adhere to international labor standards on matters such as prohibiting forced labor and child labor. The bill, titled the Afghanistan-Pakistan Security and Prosperity Enhancement Act, is meant to help strengthen democracy in the two countries by creating “Reconstruction Opportunity Zones” and increasing their ability to export goods to the U.S. - and in return, it only requires that the countries make sure their factories are providing adequate working conditions.

Wal-Mart, however, is among those arguing that such labor restrictions would reduce any beneficial effect the legislation might otherwise have - and besides, if factories in Pakistan can’t export products to the U.S. because of labor and human rights abuses, Wal-Mart can’t then turn around and sell those products at their everyday low prices, right?

“Pakistan doesn’t have a good record in terms of child labor and the employment of women,” [Susan Aaronson, a professor at George Washington University in Washington who has written on trade and human rights] said. “This ensures the rule of law will be followed.”

The House bill states that each country “shall continue to receive duty-free treatment under this Act only if the President determines and certifies to Congress that Afghanistan or Pakistan, as the case may be has implemented the requirements set forth” - said requirements including insuring the following:

(A) compliance with core labor standards; and
(B) compliance with the labor laws of Afghanistan or Pakistan, as the case may be, that relate directly to core labor standards and to ensuring acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational health and safety.

We’ve already documented Wal-Mart’s sourcing issues in other international locales, so it shouldn’t be all that surprising that they would oppose such regulations here. Links to summaries of both the House version of the bill (with labor requirements) and the Senate version can be found after the jump.

Obama’s Bid to Boost Exports From Pakistan Hits Snag Over Labor [Bloomberg]

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The U.S. International Trade Commission has made an announcement, and that announcement is one we shouldn’t be surprised by at this point. The ITC has ruled that U.S. tire companies are being harmed by cheap products from China, and as a result President Obama will have to decide whether to impose tariffs or quotas on the country that, thanks to Wal-Mart, is now America’s largest source of imports.

Of course, Wal-Mart’s tire business isn’t the only factor behind the ruling, but it certainly is one of the biggest. China sent 21 million tires to the U.S. in 2005, and that more than doubled to 46 million by last year. For its part, Modern Tire Dealer reports that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has close to 3,200 outlets selling tires, although most of those sales are concentrated in its approximately 2,435-store Tire & Lube Service Centers nationwide.

The (United Steelworkers) union said China has more than tripled its tire exports to the U.S. between 2004 and 2008, ending jobs for 5,100 American workers. The union said another 3,000 workers would lose their jobs by the end of the year.

The next move for the ITC will be to come up with come up with recommendations on what the President should do to help U.S. companies, including a couple familiar names based in Ohio - Akron-based Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and Findlay-based Cooper Tire.

The case is the first test for Obama on trade with China, after he vowed during his presidential campaign last year to help unions or domestic industries seeking relief from foreign competition. Since the election, he also has pledged to avoid protectionism so as not to exacerbate the global recession.

U.S. agency rules for tire producers in China case [Bloomberg News]

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REPUBLICAN APPOINTEES BLOCKED FEC CHARGES AGAINST WAL-MART

• Republicans Block Election Complaint against Wal-Mart [AllGov]
  Republican appointees to the Federal Election Commission found nothing illegal in the actions by Wal-Mart during last year’s election when the giant retailer was accused of pushing its employees to vote against Barack Obama and other Democrats.

• FEC Dismisses Wal-Mart Complaints [CQpolitics]
  The Federal Election Commission deadlocked on whether Wal-Mart violated campaign finance laws during the 2008 campaign. Because of the tie vote, complaints against the retailer were dismissed, documents released Thursday show.
  

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For an appealing market with 1.4 billion people, a booming middle class and a fascination with Western products, Wal-Mart’s performance in China has been questionable.

According to some sources, the company hasn’t turned a profit there in 12 years. And yesterday the retailer announced that it is ‘restructuring’ about 1,400 people (read: ‘transfers’ at best, layoffs at worst). The retailer says eliminating one whole layer of management is necessary to remain competitive “as the market matures.”

What Wal-Mart spokespeople didn’t mention is that the Chinese retail market has been maturing and changing for over a decade, giving Wal-Mart ample opportunity to adapt. Wal-Mart has encountered numerous difficulties in China, especially in working with its government. It needs the approval of the Department of Trade to open new stores, and in provinces all over China it has been unable to get this approval. The retailer also has been trying to enter the Guangzhou market, one of China’s biggest, for over 12 years without success.

As we’ve seen in the U.S., community and government resistance to Wal-Mart often goes hand in hand with the company’s poor labor practices. In China, unlike in the U.S., Wal-Mart workers have successfully formed a union to fight for better pay and benefits. By September 16th of last year, all 108 Wal-Mart China stores had collective contracts.

Still, in spite of last year’s successful unionization, why did it take Wal-Mart two years to respond to an All China Federation of Trade Unions and National People’s Congress blacklisting of the retailer for not allowing its employees collective contracts? This blacklisting and delay raises questions as to Wal-Mart’s ability to address the concerns of China’s government and unions alike.

Under Mike Duke’s guidance, Wal-Mart is clearly banking on most of its growth coming from the international sector. China is the biggest prize of them all, and after a decade - Wal-Mart continues to struggle there. Will it make it?

Wal-Mart China to cut jobs in management rejig [Reuters]

Wal-Mart Stores Inc’s (WMT.N) China unit will eliminate one management layer of its stores in China to improve efficiency, affecting up to 1,400 people, the company said on Wednesday.

The U.S. retailer, which has 147 outlets in China and employs over 50,000, will offer affected employees the option to move to new stores or take other positions with lower salaries, said Jonathan Dong, a spokesman at Wal-Mart (China) Investment Co Ltd.

“As the market matures ... we have to adjust our productivity and efficiency,” Dong told Reuters.

The reduction will affect 140 “super centres” as the layer of assistant managers or deputy mangers is eliminated. That will involve between 840 and 1,400 staff, the company said. (Reporting by Fion Li; Editing by David Holmes)

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Classic Wal-Mart. Only months after Wal-Mart tried to suppress a report detailing its sweatshop abuses in the country, the company is back in town demanding lower prices.

For the past few years as labor costs in China have become too high for Wal-Mart’s liking the company has been looking more and more into cheaper countries, like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam. While Wal-Mart and other retailers are claiming that the price cuts are necessary for Bangladesh to remain competitive with countries like India and Vietnam, Bangladesh’s prices already are among of the lowest in the world.

Bangladesh’s workers, like their U.S. counterparts, deserve better. These workers are not passively accepting virtual servitude: labor activism has grown there in recent years and some unions have resulted, though legal protections remain minimal. In 2006, factory workers even took to the streets in protest.

As the most powerful and profitable retailer in the world, the onus is on Wal-Mart to stand up and do the right thing for its workers - in every corner of the world.

International cloth buyers ask Bangladesh to cut prices [Reuters]

International cloth buyers and retailers at a rare meeting in Dhaka on Thursday asked Bangladesh to reduce prices of the ready-made garments (RMG) to make them competitive in the global markets, a key business leader said.

“They have suggested us to make all-out efforts to keep the prices at least at the level of what the price is being offered by India, Pakistan, China and Vietnam, the major competitors of us,” said Abdus Salam Murshedy, the president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

More than 50 major buyers including Sears Holdings Global Sourcing Ltd, Marks & Spencer Plc, Hennes & Mauritz International, Wal-Mart, JC Penney, Tesco International and Nike Inc, attended the meeting with Bangladesh’s textile exporters.

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We can’t say we didn’t see this one coming: Wal-Mart’s designs on Russia have been surfacing for months. Signals include the establishment of an office in Moscow and joining the Russian Association of Retail Companies. Now, though, the retailer has taken a concrete step into the country by aiming to purchase a controlling stake in OOO Lenta, a major Russian food retailer. The move carries many parallels to Wal-Mart’s recent acquisition of Chile’s D&S. These include:

a) Wal-Mart’s attempts to buy large stakes in companies off wealthy private individuals. In the case of Chile, Wal-Mart acquired its D&S share from Felipe and Nicholas Ibañez Scott, two brothers that had held a controlling stake. In Russia, Wal-Mart is trying to buy OOO Lenta founder Oleg Zherebtsov’s 35 percent share.

b) Intense secrecy surrounding purchase negotiations.

c) A focus on the grocery sector (D&S owned a few different leading Chilean supermarket brands). Are we seeing a pattern emerging here?

Wal-Mart Renews Talks On Buying Russia’s Lenta, Kommersant Says [Bloomberg News]

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has renewed talks on buying a controlling stake in Russian food retailer OOO Lenta, Kommersant reported, citing unidentified minority shareholders.

Wal-Mart is seeking to buy 51 percent of St. Petersburg- based Lenta, the Russian newspaper said. That includes acquiring founder Oleg Zherebtsov’s 35 percent stake; the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s 11 percent stake and 6 percent from another minority shareholder, Kommersant said.

All of the parties declined to comment, according to the newspaper.

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From IPS (Inter Press Service): When a woman was interviewed for a job at a local Wal-Mart in the Mexican capital, the first thing she was asked was whether she was pregnant – a question she did not know at the time was illegal.

The woman, who goes by the fictional name of Paulina, is just one of many cases IPS cites in describing the growing problem in Mexico of discriminatory behavior towards women.

“I had to present a certificate of my state of health to get the job,” Paulina tells IPS in the parking lot of one of the U.S. retail giant’s stores in Mexico City. Paulina’s case is an illustration of the persistence of discriminatory practices that violate the labour rights of women in Mexico, even though they represent 42 percent of the workforce in Latin America’s second-biggest economy.

In the U.S. under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, pregnant women cannot be treated differently than other workers experiencing a temporary disability. In effect, they are treated as being temporarily disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and are therefore subject to certain protections. And despite that fact, Wal-Mart has still been the subject of numerous disability-related lawsuits, many of which we have documented here. Several years ago, Wal-Mart was forced to settle with the EEOC after the company failed to hire a woman based on her pregnancy. In Mexico, however, there aren’t nearly the protections that exist here to the north - and a recent report by the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Project has focused on Wal-Mart in particular:

The report, “Lo barato sale caro: violaciones a los derechos humanos laborales en Wal-Mart México” (roughly, “cheap is costly: violations of labour and human rights in Wal-Mart Mexico"), concluded that the corporation violates rights in terms of wages, health, security, hours, overtime pay and labour benefits. It also blocks the creation of trade unions under the argument that its employees are considered “associates...” One of the authors of the report, PRODESC researcher Shaila Toledo, pointed out that women workers suffer discrimination and exploitation, such as being required to take a pregnancy test before they are hired, and being bypassed for promotion.

With Dukes v. Wal-Mart slowly moving forward here in the U.S., this doesn’t speak well for Wal-Mart’s claim to be changing its ways in North America.

LABOUR-MEXICO: “They First Asked if I Was Pregnant” [IPS]

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With the recent selection of Mike Duke, Wal-Mart continues to show clear signs that it sees its future globally. From the retailer’s perspective, this focus is understandable given slowing U.S. growth, and public pressure on issues like the recent stampede at a Long Island location. Emerging markets like Russia, the world’s eighth-largest economy, and Peru, whose economy grew a whopping 9% in 2008, represent a not-to-be-missed opportunity for Wal-Mart to establish its brand. This is especially true since several of these countries, such as Chile, have highly fragmented retail sectors where no one national brand is dominant. Below is a run-down of Wal-Mart’s moves around the globe in late 2008 and early 2009:

Chile

With Wal-Mart’s acquisition today of D&S, Chile’s largest food vendor, the retail looks poised to take over groceries in the country. Opponents, however, will not go down without a fight; Chile has a strong history of labor unions and the Chilean press, especially its more liberal side, has been raising cane over the move.

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The latest news on Wal-Mart’s international expansion reveals plans to open Wal-Mart’s fourth Chinese Sam’s Club in the first half of 2009.  Yet the reality of the situation is that Wal-Mart has been trying to enter the Guangzhou market for over 12 years! According to the People’s Net, “That Wal-Mart has not been able to enter Guangzhou is definitely not a business insider’s secret.  When Wal-Mart initially planned for a store in Guangzhou, it had also promised to locate its headquarters in the city.  Wal-Mart ultimately set up headquarters in Shenzhen.”

Additionally, from the Nanfang Daily, “For the past few years, Wal-Mart’s expansion in China’s first tier cities has not been smooth.  For example, Wal-Mart has never entered Guangzhou [capital city of Guangdong province] and instead has spread to second and third tier cities such as Hunan Loudi, etc.”

And with Wal-Mart’s international sales falling more than 10% in December, we’re not holding our breath that a Sam’s Club will open in Guangzhou anytime soon.

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Wal-Mart just announced Doug McMillan as its new CEO of Wal-Mart International. For the past three years, McMillan has served as CEO of Sam’s Club, and has long been considered a rising star at Wal-Mart. His big day comes on February 1st, when he takes over Mike Duke’s job - who’s moving up to replace Lee Scott as top dog at Wal-Mart, Inc.

According to his Wal-Mart bio:

In his 18 years with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., McMillon has learned the business from the bottom up, holding leadership roles in all three operating segments —Walmart US, Wal-Mart International and Sam’s Club. He began his career as an hourly associate at a Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Northwest Arkansas, while he worked his way through college. In 1990, while attending graduate school at the University of Tulsa, he became a Buyer Trainee for Wal-Mart working in Store #894 in Tulsa, OK. He has served as a Buyer for Food and Candy, Ladieswear and Crafts; a Divisional Merchandise Manager for Home Furnishings and Infants and Toddlers; Vice President and General Merchandise Manager for Sam’s Club International; and Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. overseeing purchases for Toys, Electronics, Video Games, Photo, Sporting Goods, Stationary and Office Supplies.

Here’s a quick look at McMillan, from a 2007 interview with AOL Business:

Watch more ClipSyndicate videos on AOL Video

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When we hear about Wal-Mart being in the ‘top-five’ of something, we usually assume it’s in CEO salary, quarterly earnings, highest number of lawsuits pending against them or worst places ever to buy bassinets.  Today it’s among the worst corporations on worker’s right to organize. The International Labor Rights Forum [ILRF] released a report today called: “Working for Scrooge: 5 Worst Companies for the Right to Associate,” and guess who made the list?  We weren’t surprised either.  Wal-Mart has a very real history of anti-union propaganda and bigotry. 

The report cites several of the more highly-publicized anti union stories such as Jonquiere, Quebec where a tire and lube shop was shut down after workers successfully unionized it and Jacksonville, Texas, where the meat department of a retail outlet successfully unionized and Wal-Mart responded by shutting down the meat department in every Wal-Mart, nation-wide.  Will the newly-unionized Saskatchewan outlet meet the same fate?  We sure hope not…

Other finalists included: Dole, Del-Monte, Russell Athletic, and Nestle.  The union-busting must be stopped.  Write your local representative and tell them to support the Employee Free Choice Act today! 

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Wal-Mart Watch has released two documents to aid international activists in their fights against the expansion of Wal-Mart.  The primers, which have been translated into Chinese, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish, are tools which demonstrate the negative impacts Wal-Mart’s global expansion can have on local communities. 

“Wal-Mart’s International Expansions: A Primer for Activists” is intended to educate activists around the world about Wal-Mart’s retail development strategies and the company’s impact on local retail culture.  The primer uses case studies of Wal-Mart in Mexico and India to highlight the corporation’s primary tactics for entry into a county.

“Wal-Mart’s International Sourcing: A Primer for Activists” examines Wal-Mart’s procurement and sourcing systems, as well as some of the problems with factories in China, Bangladesh, and other countries where their sourcing model has failed to protect the rights of workers and to live up to Wal-Mart’s own standards.

Click here to see all the primers.

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Introducción
La división de Adquisiciones Globales de Wal-Mart fue creada en el 2002 para administrar los negocios de importación directa de Wal-Mart y las adquisiciones directas al fabricante. Adquisiciones Globales es responsable de supervisar la compra de mercancía a miles de fabricas proveedoras en el mundo.

Esa división también es responsable de identificar nuevos proveedores, de formar sociedades comerciales con proveedores existentes, y de administrar la cadena global de suministro de las importaciones directas de Wal-Mart. El objetivo de Adquisiciones Globales es trabajar en asuntos relativos a garantía de calidad, realizar inspecciones a fábricas proveedoras, y suministrar capacitación de estándares de lugar de trabajo para proveedores y fábricas. El equipo de la división es de 1700 personas, localizadas en su mayor parte en Shenzhen con oficinas adicionales en 50 países.

Establecido en 1992 para mejorar las condiciones laborales de los trabajadores de las fábricas proveedoras de Wal-Mart, el Programa de Valores Éticos es una subdivisión de Adquisiciones Globales. El equipo de Programa de Valores Éticos es responsable de verificar el cumplimiento de los Estándares de Wal-Mart para Proveedores, así como de las leyes locales aplicables. El programa coordina la administración y ejecución de auditorías a las fábricas proveedoras de las que Wal-Mart compra directamente y es el importador nominal.

Esta introducción examina los sistemas de procuración y adquisición de Wal-Mart, así como algunos de los problemas con fábricas en China, Bangladesh, y otros países donde su modelo de suministro ha fallado al proteger los derechos de los trabajadores y cumplir con los propios estándares de Wal-Mart.

Como la compañía más grande del mundo, y como miembro de proyectos de estándares laborales tales como la Iniciativa de Comercio Ético (Ethical Trading Initiative) y el Programa Global de Cumplimiento Social (Global Social Compliance Programme), es responsabilidad de Wal-Mart dar un paso al frente y ser un líder e innovador en cuestiones de suministro, como lo ha hecho en cuestiones de menudeo. Al estudiar los diversos casos sobre abusos en fábricas de explotación y Wal-Mart, tres patrones notables salen a la luz:

1.) La incapacidad de Wal-Mart para aplicar sus propios Estándares de Proveedores
2.) La incapacidad de Wal-Mart para implementar un sistema de responsabilidad con los dueños y gerentes de fábricas
3.) La perpetua insistencia de Wal-Mart en conseguir el precio más bajo posible de sus proveedores

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简介
沃尔玛的全球采购部创建于2002年，管理沃尔玛的直接进口业务和工厂直接采购。 全球采购部负责监管全球数千家供应商工厂的商品供货。

该部门还负责鉴别新供应商、寻找新产品货源、与现有供应商建立伙伴关系以及管理沃尔玛直接进口的全球供应链。 全球采购部的职责是解决质量保证问题，对供应商工厂进行检查以及为供应商和工厂提供工作场所标准培训。 部门1700名员工主要位于深圳，另外在50个国家/地区设有办事处。

道德标准计划是全球采购的一部分，制订于1992年，旨在改善沃尔玛供应商工厂的工人条件。 道德标准团队负责验证工厂是否遵守沃尔玛的供应商标准以及适用的当地法律。 该计划协调管理和执行对沃尔玛直接采购供应商工厂进行的供应商工厂稽核，且是记录的输入者。

这篇短文自查了沃尔玛的采购系统，以及中国、孟加拉国及其它国家/地区的工厂出现的一些问题，在这些国家，他们的采购模式无法保护工人的权益且达不到沃尔玛自己的标准。

作为全球最大的公司以及公平劳动标准计划（如道德贸易运动和全球社会责任计划）的成员，沃尔玛有责任在采购领域建立它的游戏规则并成为领先者和革新者，如同它在零售行业取得的成就一样。 然而在研究涉及血汗工厂和沃尔玛的各种案例时，发现了三种值得注意的情况：

1.) 沃尔玛没有充分执行它自己的供应商标准
2.) 沃尔玛无法实施与工厂老板和经理之间的责任系统
3.) 沃尔玛继续坚持从供应商那里获得最低廉的价格

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Following its recent trend to focus expansion internationally, Wal-Mart is pouring money into Brazil to compete with French giant Carrefour, and Brazil’s own Pão de Açúcar. An article in La Prensa, a major Nicaraguan newspaper, discusses competition among the three giants:

Wal-Mart [recently] revealed in mid-August that it will invest between $900 million and $1 billion dollars into expanding in Brazil in 2009. This will be the largest investment made thus far by the company in Brazil, sufficient to open between 80 and 90 stores. For this year, Wal-Mart’s growth plan foresees $650 million and the opening of 36 locations (in the last four years, the company has invested $1.6 billion).

Wal-Mart’s recent success as the number-three chain in Brazil contrasts markedly with its earlier misreading of Brazilian consumers’ needs:

When it arrived in Brazil, Wal-Mart wasn’t a source of worry for the country’s market readers. Its presence was so timid and its actions so poorly adapted to Brazilian culture, that the chain became the butt of jokes, offering deals on golf clubs in the land of soccer.

The Brazilian retail market, similar to others such as India, is highly fragmented with several major chains competing for business. In order to succeed in this environment Wal-Mart has had to do away with its “big box fits all” business plan and expand through acquisitions:

Today, the U.S. retail chain in Brazil consists of 318 locations divided among eight brands: BIG, Wal-Mart, Hiper Bom Preço are “big-box” stores; Nacional, Marcadorama, Bom Preço and Todo Dia are supermarkets. And Maxxi is a wholesaler, in addition to Sam’s Club. With sales close to $8.5 billion in 2007 and a market share of 11 percent, Wal-Mart ranked third in Abras’s [Brazilian supermarket association] measures.

Regarding growing through acquisitions and ownership of a wide range of store brands, however, Carrefour is the clear market leader in Brazil and well-ahead of Wal-Mart, due to its ability to offer a wider range of services Brazilian customers demand.

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Check out this week’s issue of the Wal-Mart Watch Weekly Update for Elected Officials – a compilation of Wal-Mart news from across the country and beyond.

This week’s issue begins with a new study from the group Good Jobs First, which reveals that cash-strapped states are forgoing a total of roughly $1 billion annually in tax revenue because of little-noticed laws that permit retailers to keep a slice of the sales taxes they collect for the government. In fact, the study finds thirteen states do not cap the amount that a retailer can receive as vendor compensation for collecting sales tax, resulting in millions of lost tax dollars.

A large focus this week is also on Wal-Mart’s announcement that Lee Scott will step down as CEO in February 2009, to be replaced by Michael Duke, Wal-Mart’s Vice Chairman of its International Division. In addition to the CEO change, you’ll find stories on the battle over the Employee Free Choice Act, how Wal-Mart will deal with the Obama Administration from a labor perspective, and related news on Wal-Mart’s labor battles in Canada.

And finally, check out our “Stateside” and “Wal-Mart International” sections to find out what’s going on with Wal-Mart around the country and across the globe. Wal-Mart has founded a new consumer group in New England geared towards fighting Wal-Mart opponents, and has purchased its own wind-energy supply based out of Odessa, Texas

Wal-Mart Watch Weekly Update for Elected Officials [November 21, 2008]

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Wal-Mart Buyer Accepts 120,000 RMB Bribe, Retail Business Bribes top 1,000,000RMB [Daily Economic News via Sina]

The other day, a Wal-Mart buyer who received a supply trade bribe was arrested by the Shenzhen prosecutor’s office.

The buyer had been with Wal-Mart for many years, revealed the “Daily Economic News”, making known for the first time a large scale bribery case.  The incident also airs Wal-Mart interior staff’s employment of “secret service” to monitor and investigate Wal-Mart staff.

Information from Shenzhen’s Futian police illustrates that the local police station has gathered two months worth of evidence to successfully uncover a 20,000 RMB bribery case.  At present the suspect as been arrested. 

In September, the local police station received the case from Wal-Mart’s investigations department reporting a Wal-Mart buyer and a Shandong egg supplier.  Wal-Mart buyer Liao Mou demanded 20,000 RMB from the egg supplier as an “entrance fee”. 

The police investigation discovered that last year Liao Mou indeed demanded 20,000 RMB from a Shandong egg supplier, having the money transferred to a far away relative’s bank account.  Moreover, one Wal-Mart staff also discovered that Liao Mou met a supplier in a park to receive a bank card with 100,000 RMB.

On October 15, police detained Liao Mou as a criminal.  On October 23, Liao Mou was arrested by the prosecutor’s office as a suspect in business bribery.

Wal-Mart’s public relations department staff told the “Daily Economic News” that honesty is Wal-Mart’s number one principle.  Wal-Mart welcomes the supply trade investigation and will work to create a series of mechanisms to prevent bribery cases from happening.  “The ways this incident was handled first gives a warning to employees and second gives the supply trade something to think about.”

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MANUAL INTRODUCTORIO SOBRE EL MENUDEO DE WAL-MART WATCH

“Todo alrededor del mundo, le ahorramos dinero a la gente, para que puedan vivir mejor. Esas son buenas noticias – en cualquier lenguaje.” – Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

La Expansión Internacional de Wal-Mart
A mayo del 2007, las 7,343 tiendas de Wal-Mart y establecimientos de Sam’s Club en 14 mercados emplean más de dos millones de Asociados a nivel global, sirviendo a más de 179 millones de clientes al año. Wal-Mart no es sólo una compañía más, sino el menudista más grande de los Estados Unidos y del mundo entero.

Desde el 2002, Wal-Mart ha encabezado la lista de las 500 principales compañías de EU de la revista Fortune, excepto en el 2006, cuando quedó en segundo lugar detrás de Exxon-Mobil “pero sólo debido a que el precio mundial del petróleo había subido en un 50 por ciento” ese año.  Los ingresos anuales de Wal-Mart en el 2008 fueron de $378 mil millones.

A lo largo del mundo entero, Wal-Mart explota personas y recursos para su propio beneficio. Esas son malas noticias – en cualquier lenguaje. Mientras Wal-Mart busca capitalizar su estrategia internacional, trabaja para construir nuevos imperios de menudeo en otros países, en particular en India y Rusia.

Este manual introductorio tiene el propósito de educar activistas de todo el mundo acerca de las estrategias de desarrollo de Wal-Mart y de su impacto en la cultura menudista local. Las tácticas principales usadas por la compañía antes de entrar a un país incluyen 1.) crear sociedades con organizaciones y empresas locales. 2.) trabajar con funcionarios gubernamentales y 3.) aprovechar el creciente poder adquisitivo de la clase media. Hemos escogido México e india como dos casos de estudio internacionales para remarcar lo que sucede antes y después de que Wal-Mart entra a un país.

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WAL-MART WATCH: ОБЗОР РОЗНИЧНОГО РЫНКА

«По всему миру мы экономим людям деньги, повышая их уровень жизни. Это хорошая новость, на каком бы языке она ни сообщалась». – Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Международная экспансия Wal-Mart
В мае 2007 года в сети Wal-Mart, насчитывающей 7 343 магазинов и оптовых центров Sam’s Club в 14 странах, работало свыше двух миллионов сотрудников, которые обслуживали более 179 миллионов клиентов в год. Wal-Mart – это не просто компания, это крупнейшая розничная сеть в США и во всем мире.

Начиная с 2002 года, Wal-Mart возглавляла список 500 крупнейших компаний мира, ежегодно публикуемый журналом Fortune, за исключением 2006 года, когда первое место заняла компания Exxon-Mobil, «но только из-за двукратного повышения мировых цен на нефть», произошедшего в том году.  Годовой оборот Wal-Mart в 2008 году составил 378 млрд. долларов США.

По всему миру Wal-Mart эксплуатирует людей и ресурсы, получая от этого прибыль. Это плохая новость, на каком бы языке она ни сообщалась. Стремясь извлечь выгоду из своей международной стратегии, компания Wal-Mart работает над созданием новых розничных империй в других странах, а именно в Индии и России.

Цель настоящего обзора – рассказать активистам из разных стран мира о стратегиях развития розничной сети Wal-Mart и о том влиянии, которое эта компания оказывает на местные рынки. Три главных тактики, используемых компанией для выхода на новый рынок, включают в себя: 1) установление партнерских отношений с местными фирмами и организациями 2) работу с представителями государственных структур, и 3) использование покупательской способности формирующегося среднего класса. Мы рассмотрим последствия появления Wal-Mart на рынке на примере двух стран – Мексики и Индии.

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