As the largest company (Wal-Mart) in the world, with more than two million employees worldwide and more than $473 billion in sales in a recent year, Wal-Mart has become big and powerful enough to influence the U.S. economy. Some observers believe Wal-Mart is also responsible for the low U.S. inflation rates of recent years.
Respond to the following Discussion questions below this message:
1. Some economists fear what might happen to the U.S. economy if Walmart has a bad year financially. So far, it has had more than four decades (!) of growth. Should a single retailer have that much influence on the economy? Why or why not?
2. Walmart is selective about what it sells – refusing, for instance, to carry music or computer games with mature ratings, magazines with content it considers too adult, or, in some of its stores, handguns. Because of its sheer size, these decisions can influence American culture. Do you think this is a positive or negative effect of the growth this retailer? Why?
