Walmart Case Study

Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, is the largest corporation and private employer in the United State. It is consistently listed among American’s most admire companies by fortune magazine. However, Many people have debated the Wall-Mart strategies for several years now. Wal-Mart practices towards its employees have become a controversial matter in the USA society.

In the article “Up Against Wal-Mart’’ Karen Olsson describes how Wal-Mart treats their employees and raises awareness of Wal-Mart practices towards their worker. Low pay, lack of affordable health care, gender inequality, and the unti-union strategy are a few topics covered in Olsson’s article. On the other hand, in the article “ Progressive Wal-Mart. Really.’’ Sebastian Mallaby fends off the critics claim that Wal-Mart is bad for poor people. The author admits that Wal-Mart gives low wages, however, many people get the benefit from the low prices that the company offer. My feelings on this issue are mixed, I do support Olsson position that Wal-Mart should change they way it treats their employees. However, I disagree with Mallaby argument that the low costs offered by Wal-Mart offset the low pay it offers to its workers.

The first point made in Olsson article is Wal-Mart underpaid employees. The author at first explains how Wal-Mart is considered as the most profitable retailers in USA. She stated “ The company is the world’s largest retailer, with $220 billion in sales, and the nation’s largest private employer, with 3,372 stores and more than 1 million hourly workers.” The author aims to knowledge the reader about Wal-Mart success. However, the author then goes on to say that Wal-Mart hardly pays its hourly workers $18,000 per year. Furthermore, Wal-Mart’s expectation of its employees is huge. To get the job done with understaffing, Wal-Mart occasionally forced employees to work overtime without pay. By not paying overtime, Wal-Mart owners made more than 50 million a year. Wal-Mart forces workers to work overtime, especially women who have children and wants to be a manager to support his or her family.

The second point is that Wal-Mart Company do not provide health care benefits. The author points out “ up to forty percent of employees opt not to receive coverage under the company’s medical plan, which costs up to $2,844 a year.” Wal-Mart workers, who receive low wages and unaffordable medical insurance, have tried to become a union to ensure better pay and cheaper health care coverage. Unfortunately, Wal-Mart is against the union and will do anything to stop one from forming. The author mentions a situation in 2000 where the meat-cutting department of a Wal-Mart in