The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World's Most Powerful Company Really Works - and How It's Transforming the American Economy

Examine the ways in which Sam Walton’s founding philosophies continue to dictate Wal-Mart culture and corporate policies. What is the impact of these philosophies on Wal-Mart customers, employees, suppliers, and competitors? In what ways have the philosophies evolved or remained the same over the course of Wal-Mart’s history? Do you agree with Fishman’s claim that Walton’s philosophy has not been and cannot be effectively translated to such a large, global scale? Why or why not?

How does Fishman rely upon human stories in order to support his claims and guide his arguments? Cite specific examples of Fishman’s interviews and relationships with his subjects. What is the significance of including these conversations, and how do they relate to Fishman’s overarching conjectures?

Analyze Fishman’s authorial tone throughout The Wal-Mart Effect. What rhetorical devices does Fishman employ? How does he incorporate his personal experiences and his journalistic investigation into the same chapters? What is the overarching effect of Fishman’s authorial stance and formal approach?

Examine Wal-Mart’s impact on its suppliers and competitors. Consider the positive and negative aspects of these relationships. Choose a stance: Is Wal-Mart a good or bad corporation, and why? How do Wal-Mart’s relationships with suppliers and competitors reflect Wal-Mart’s true character?

Compare and contrast Jonathan Fleck’s and Jim Wier’s relationships with Wal-Mart. In what ways are both suppliers anomalous examples of working with Wal-Mart? How do Fleck’s and Wier’s experiences with Wal-Mart support or challenge Fishman’s overarching claims about Wal-Mart’s impact on its suppliers?

Craft an argument regarding the trade-offs of Wal-Mart’s commitment to offering low-cost consumer goods. Is Wal-Mart’s dedication to low prices positive or negative? Choose a side, and support your claims with examples from the text. Consider who is impacted by Wal-Mart’s pricing and the significance of this impact.

Examine the ways in which the Introduction, Epilogue, and Afterword sections give nuance to Fishman’s overarching explorations, arguments, and claims. Consider the tonal and formal differences in these sections in comparison to the numerical chapters. How do these sections guide the reader into and out of Fishman’s investigative work? Consider how the text would be different without these sections.

Craft an argument supporting the claim that Wal-Mart is capable of change. Consider Fishman’s point of view, Wal-Mart’s evolution since its founding in 1962, and Lee Scott’s sustainability efforts in 2005. Using Fishman’s findings as a baseline, imagine into the corporation’s future and consider how Wal-Mart might evolve or remain the same in years to come.