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Wal-Mart World: The World's Biggest Corporation in the Global Economy

by Stanley D. Brunn (Author)

4.6 2 ratings

Now that Wal-Mart has conquered the US, can it conquer the world? As Wal-Mart World shows, the corporation is certainly trying. For a number of years, Wal-Mart has been the largest company in the United States. Now, though, it is the largest company in the world. Its global labor practices and outsourcing strategies represent for many what contemporary economic globalization is all about. But Wal-Mart is not standing still, and is opening up stores everywhere. From Germany to Beijing to Mexico City to Tokyo, more than a billion shoppers can now hunt for bargains at a Wal-Mart superstore. Wal-Mart World is the first book to look at this incredibly important phenomenon in global perspective, with chapters that range from its growth in the US and impact on labor relations here to its fortunes overseas. How Wal-Mart manages this transition in the near future will play a significant role in the determining the character of the global economy. Wal-MartWorld's impressively broad scope makes it necessary reading for anyone interested in the global impact of this economic colossus.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'I find most of the chapters in this volume interesting and worthwile. For retailing scholars and followers of Wal-Mart, reading the perspectives of others is interesting' - Thomas O. Graff, Department of Geosciences, University of Arkansas

"This book is a significant and timely contribution to the burgeoning body of academic and popular literature on what is, by many measures at least, the world's largest company...The book is highly effective in showcasing both the broad range of ways in which Wal-Mart can be studied and the plethora of impacts that Wal-Mart has had on contemporary social, political, economic, and culural systems, especially in North America...As a result, students of all ages levels and researchers from a broad range of social science disciplines will want to dip into this book and benefit from the potpourri of ideas and insights that it offers." -- Neil M. Coe, Economic Geography, October 2007

About the Author

Stanley D. Brunn is Professor of Geography at the University of Kentucky.He is the former editor of both The Professional Geographer and of the Annals,AAG.
His research record includes a number of authored and edited books and numerous articles that have appeared in geography and interdisciplinary journals. He has taught for short periods at more than a dozen European and Central Asian universities; these include Finland, Sweden, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Bosnia, Kosovo, Kazakstan, and Kyrgyzstan. During the past four decades he has made presentations at dozens of national and international conferences. He was elected University of Kentucky Distinguished Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences in 1989-90. Stan has also been active in the Association of American Geographers, including editor of both The Professional Geographer and of the Annals, AAG. He received AAG Honors in 1994; also he has served on a number of IGU, NCGE, and AAG committees, including co-chair of the AAG Centennial Coordinating Committee. During the past two decades he has worked with educators in Kentucky to train teachers and to improve the quality of instruction in the state's schools. Among the many highlights of his professional career was his appearance on NBC's Today Show in 1971 to discuss his proposed political reorganization of the United States.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Routledge (August 31, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 424 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0415951364
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0415951364
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.95 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 1 x 10.75 inches

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rob crawford

Best available academic treatment of Wal-Mart

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2011

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Now that I have read nearly the entire shelf of books on Wal-Mart, I can say without hesitation that this is perhaps the best. It is a very full academic treatment by over 20 authors on a myriad of subjects, and critical but not at all biased in my view.

Wal-Mart's original business model arose out of a rural milieu, the Ozarks. This is a conservative, Christian region that opposes unions, feminist independence, and government intervention in the economy. Sam Walton based his strategy on the idea that he would sell at lower prices all the time, and make his profits by selling at higher volumes. The second part of his strategy was to relentlessly pursue efficiencies in the supply chain (becoming a global technological pioneer) as well as through labor practices that kept costs (read wages and benefits) low. For example, Wal-Mart understaffs its stores intentionally, forcing its workers to work hard, often without breaks or overtime payments; this increases productivity, which its anti-union policies serve to buttress. This strategy enabled Wal-Mart to become the world's largest corporation by 2003, largely by expansion into rural America.

Once this area was saturated, Wal-Mart began to seek new retail markets. This is where Wal-Mart's original business model began to show its limits. Urban areas were different political entities: unions were strong, sophisticated consumers opposed Wal-Mart's practices (e.g. its apparently deleterious impact on town centers), and activists targeted the company with protest campaigns. Moreover, when Wal-Mart sought to enter foreign markets, it tended to meet both brutal competition and a different regulatory environment that undermined its business model. To thrive, Wal-Mart must somehow change its core strategy.

This is an excellent introduction to perhaps the world's most powerful company. Virtually every chapter offered refinements and detail to my understanding of this complex company. It will serve as an essential reference for me as I undertake a large study of the company for scholarly purposes. However, as it was published in 2006, it is already somewhat dated.

Warmly recommended.