Research Center: External Reports

TITLE DATE
Collective Report on Business and Human Rights Presented directly to Members of the 8th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva during the first week of June 2008, this Collective Report on Business and Human Rights aims to bring light to situations in which companies have harmed the enjoyment of human rights. 07/17/08
Resurrection of the Robber Barons: Reassessing the theory of the firm A report from Susan Clark Muntean at UC San Diego examining corporate political action using Wal-Mart as a case study. 07/07/08
Wal-Mart’s Taxing Strategies A report that looks at Wal-Mart’s tax loophole strategies. 05/30/08
Does Wal-Mart Sell Inferior Goods? A report from Emek Basker at the University of Missouri that questions the quality of Wal-Mart’s goods. 05/30/08
The Wal-Mart Debate: A False Choice Between Prices and Wages A study from the Economic Policy Institute examining Wal-Mart’s low prices, and whether the company could afford to pay its workers better. 03/31/08
Co-op America’s Guide to Ending Sweatshops Co-op America report on how to end sweatshops and building a sweatshop-free lifestyle. 03/27/08
The Impact of the Wal-Mart Phenomenon on Rural Communities A report by the Farm Foundation on the impact of Wal-Mart stores on local retail sectors. 02/05/08
What Do We Know About Wal-Mart? An Overview of Facts and Studies This report from the Brennan Center “is intended to help New Yorkers make informed policy decisions about economic development in their communities.” 01/14/08
Wal-Mart and Health Care: Condition Critical A report from the Center for a Changing Workforce on Wal-Mart’s insufficient health care policies. 01/14/08
Dukes v Wal-Mart Class Action Certification Official certification of the class status of Dukes v Wal-Mart. 12/20/07
Discounting Rights: Wal-Mart’s Violation of US Workers’ Right to Freedom of Association Human Rights Watch’s first report on US-based labor violations, this report examines Wal-Mart’s systematic anti-union practices. 12/20/07
Wal-Mart: The Nation’s Largest Grocer Rolls-out Organic Products This spring’s announcement by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., that it would dramatically expand its product offerings of organic food has left many organic industry officials and consumers questioning the corporation’s likely impact.  12/20/07
Potential Lists for Chemical Hazard Database A list from Friends of the Earth of toxic chemicals found in consumer goods. 12/20/07
Standards for Suppliers Wal-Mart’s standards and expectations for its supplier companies. 12/20/07
Friends of the Earth Letter to Wal-Mart Executives This letter, signed by representatives from 16 environmental health groups, urges Wal-Mart to phase out toxic chemicals. 12/20/07
The Impact of Substantial Labor Cost Increases on Apparel Retail Prices Workers’ Rights Consortium report on labor cost increases and how such increases would impact product prices in Wal-Mart stores. 12/20/07
Survey of Attitudes Among Voters, Staten Island, NY. Polling data on Staten Island residents’ views of a proposed Wal-Mart store. 12/20/07
Bear Sterns Report on Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (2004) This report from Bear Stearns examines Wal-Mart’s pricing strategy. 12/20/07
Asda Wal-Mart: The Alternative Report This report from War on Want reviews Wal-Mart’s record over and against its rhetoric on corporate social responsibility and recommends action, both to send a message to Wal-Mart and to redress some of the damage inflicted by the company’s operations. 12/20/07
The Wal-Mart Tax: Shifting Health Care Costs to Taxpayers This report from the AFL-CIO examines Wal-Mart’s practice of shifting costs away from the company and on to taxpayers. “This abuse of poverty health care programs means Wal-Mart is directly contributing to the nation’s Medicaid crisis.” 12/19/07
Wal-Mart Exports from China, Exports Ohio Jobs More than half of the jobs lost from Ohio’s manufacturing sector were shipped overseas. Not surprisingly, as Ohio lost significant numbers of manufacturing jobs, imports from China surged. 12/19/07
Channel Blurring & Consumer Trends PowerPoint presentation from AC Neilson on consumer trends, including a section devoted exclusively to Wal-Mart. (2006) 12/19/07
Wrestling with Wal-Mart: Tradeoffs Between Profits, Prices and Wages A working paper from the Economic Policy Institute examining the costs and benefits of Wal-Mart stores.  12/19/07
Competing with the Discount Mass Merchandisers University of Iowa study on discount retailers, membership warehouse clubs and the oversaturation of many US retail markets. 12/19/07
Statistical Analysis of Gender Patterns in Wal-Mart Workforce This report by CSU professor (and counsel for Dukes v. Wal-Mart) Richard Drogin examines gender-based patterns in Wal-Mart’s hiring and promotion practices. 12/19/07
The Impact of Big Box Grocers on Southern California: Jobs, Wages and Municipal Finances This report, prepared for the Orange County Business Council by professors at UCLA and UC Irvine, examines the impacts - both positive and negative - of supercenters on local economies. 12/19/07
Community Benefits Agreements: Making Development Projects Accountable This report from Good Jobs First explains and describes Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) — deals between developers and coalitions of community organizations, addressing a broad range of community needs. 12/19/07
Economic Impact of Wal-Mart Supercenters on Existing Businesses in Mississippi (ISU, MSU) A report from professors at Iowa State University and Mississippi State University examines the effect Wal-Mart stores have on existing businesses. 12/19/07
Shopping for Subsidies (Good Jobs First) How Wal-Mart Uses Taxpayer Money to Finance Its Never-Ending Growth 12/19/07
Neither Global Nor Standard: Corporate Strategies in the New Era Of Labor Standards This report from Cornell University examines the implications of regulating labor standards through corporations, rather than national law. 12/19/07
Wal-Mart: An Example of Why Workers Remain Uninsured and Underinsured (AFL-CIO) This report from the AFL-CIO examines why fewer than half of Wal-Mart’s employees are insured under the company plan. 12/19/07
A Downward Push: The Impact of Wal-Mart Stores on Retail Wages and Benefits This study from U.C. Berkeley’s Center for Labor Research and Education examines Wal-Mart stores’ effect on local wages and employee benefits. 12/06/07
University of Pennsylvania: Wal-Mart and County-Wide Poverty Wal-Mart unequivocally raised family poverty rates in US counties during the 1990s relative to places that had no such stores. 12/05/07
UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research: Living Wage Policies and Wal-Mart Wal-Mart could increase its minimum wage to $10 per hour and greatly boost the well-being of its low-income workers with little financial impact on most shoppers. 12/05/07
Social Movements as Extra-institutional Entrepreneurs A look of how outsiders gain corporate influence through the lens of social movement theory 11/28/07
Labor Rights are Human Rights A review of Canadian labor rights from a human rights perspective. 11/26/07
Campaign to Organize Wal-Mart in Canada A look into UFCW’s attempts to organize Wal-Mart Canada. 11/26/07
UK Competition Commission on ASDA A report from the British competition watchdog about concerns regarding ASDA and other local retailers’ retail practices. 11/26/07
ASDA Employees in Wal-Mart Wal-Mart’s takeover of ASDA was a “meeting of cultures.” 11/20/07
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. 2007 Sustainability Report “We have found that there is no conflict between our business model of everyday low costs and everyday low prices and being a more sustainable business.” 11/19/07
Foreign Ventures Come to Terms with China’s Labor Unions An article from The New Republic on Wal-Mart’s co-operation with labor unions at its Chinese stores.  12/15/06
Bank of Wal-Mart? Wal-Mart attempts to open an industrial loan corporation 11/02/06
Wal-Mart’s Sweetheart Deal with the Department of Labor These documents examine Wal-Mart’s preferential treatment at the Department of Labor. 10/13/06
An Open Letter from Faith Leaders to Andrew Young Faith leaders send a letter to Andrew Young, expressing hope that he may encourage Wal-Mart to change its business practices for the better, rather than blindly condoning them with “voodoo economics” rationale. 07/07/06
Wal-Mart’s Political Profits Wal-Mart has parlayed its enormous economic power into nearly unrivaled political power, which the corporation uses to tip the rules toward its favor and further boost its profits. 07/07/06
Beyond the Wal-Mart Economy “Behind Wal-Mart’s ‘everyday low prices’ lurk hidden costs-from the exploitation of workers in the US and around the world, to increased sprawl and pollution-that we end up paying as consumers, taxpayers, workers, and citizens” 04/07/06
The Hidden Cost of Wal-Mart Jobs A report from the UC Berkeley Labor Center on the toll Wal-Mart takes on local tax infrastructures. 02/06/06
NBC Dateline: Human Cost Behind Bargain Shopping Americans love a deal, and these days, thanks to the fast-paced global marketplace and big discount retailers, products are better and cheaper than ever. But what price do people in faraway places pay so Americans can get their bargains in stores like Wal-Mart?  06/18/05
NBC Dateline: Human Cost Behind Bargain Shopping; Dateline Hidden Camera Investigation in Bangladesh Americans love a deal, and these days, thanks to the fast-paced global marketplace and big discount retailers, products are better and cheaper than ever. But what price do people in faraway places pay so Americans can get their bargains in stores like Wal-Mart?  06/18/05
Wal-Mart’s Shirts of Misery A report by the National Labor Committee on working conditions in Wal-Mart supplier factories.  01/16/05
Economic Impact of Wal-Mart: An Assessment of the Wal-Mart Store Proposed for Chicago’s West Side This study assesses the likely impact of a new Wal-Mart store on other local retailers and the resulting employment and tax revenue impacts on the City of Chicago and its residents.  03/31/04
Subsidizing Wal-Mart: A Case Study of the College Grove Redevelopment Project This report from the Center on Policy Initiatives examines the impact of a Wal-Mart development on College Grove, California. 11/21/03

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