How Walmart is Changing China

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/12/how-walmart-is-changing-china/8709/?single_page=true

a) "Each is not only unelected, but also anointed with quasi-cultish Big Leader status to reign over a fundamentally authoritarian organization held together by an elaborate belief system or ideology bordering on the religious. And each presides over an enormous and complex apparat staffed by a professionalized core of operatives—namely, Party leaders and cadres in China, and senior executives and mid-level managers at Walmart."


-I thought that this package was very interesting because it shows how similar large companies can be to countries. The similarity arises because companies can command massive funds, have an ideological mission, and provide support for millions of people. I think this passage illustrates how leading such a company can lead to iconic status, similar to how Steve Jobs is viewed by some groups of people.


b) -There are 30,000 factories in china that produce goods for Walmart. This is bringing in money from other countries which will lead to an increased GDP for China thus driving the economy.


-Walmart and China both had desires to become greener. They helped work together to increase sustainability and to move both of their cultures towards protecting the earth more.


c) Multinational firms can cause wide spread change in both cultures and economies. The large amounts of money that one firm handles can be enough to sway the overall GDP of a country by driving up consumption and investment. They also influence culture by creating trends and fads. Nike alone has revolutionized the type of shoes worn by the youth of the United States and it continues to dictate what people where through using famous athletes as spokespeople. Apple revolutionized the American economy and culture when they introduced the IPod which shifted music from cd format to digital and it allowed everyone to listen to music on the go.