Has Wal-Mart Found Its Soul?

In his national bestseller The Wal-Mart Effect, award-winning journalist Charles Fishman penetrated the store’s once impenetrable wall of secrecy to chart Wal-Mart’s impact on workers, suppliers, communities, and even the way we see the world and delivered to readers a high-resolution portrait of a business that has evolved into a vast economic ecosystem. Since The The Wal-Mart Effect was published in 2006, the store has gone from being one of the most reviled—and scrutinized—corporations in America to being an outspoken proponent of sustainable practices. How did Wal-Mart pull off such a reputation overhaul? In his new introduction to The Wal-Mart Effect, Fishman chronicles the work of Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott whose mission became to reconcile how Wal-Mart shoppers feel about the store with how Wal-Mart is viewed by critics. By providing a forum for Wal-Mart watchdogs to sound off, and through a reexamination of business procedures and motivations, Scott shifted the company’s focus to sustainability and the environmental impact of capitalism. Wal-Mart has emerged from this revolution as a powerful and conscientious player in this ever-evolving economy.