INTRODUCTION
It was my pleasure to be invited to participate in Student Achievement Day at Bemidji State University in April of 2006. In particular I was pleased to be a part of the symposium on Wal-Mart, conducted by students of Honors 1105, entitled "Wal-Mart: It’s Powers, Influence and Values."
Twenty-five years ago, not many academics paid attention to Wal-Mart as it was a relatively small Southern company operating in small towns in the South and Midwest. Occasionally one would read in the popular press about Sam Walton, the founder, or about Wal-Mart associates (employees) becoming millionaires through their stock purchase plans and the rapidly rising Wal-Mart stock prices. However, much has changed in the last 25 years. Wal-Mart has grown to become the largest retailer in the world and nearly the largest corporation in the world, in terms of revenues. This rapid growth has made Wal-Mart a target for many detractors and a subject for research among academics. Therefore, it is timely and appropriate that Professors Nielson and Mengelkoch chose to develop an honors course for freshmen for the purpose of conducting research on Wal-Mart.
Students in the class made oral presentations of their findings on Student Achievement Day and then turned in written accounts which can be found after this introduction. I was impressed by the professionalism shown by the students both in their oral and written presentations. Students chose a wide variety of topics, many of which would normally be found in trade publications, not in the popular press. A partial listing of the topics covered include: Wal-Mart’s customer service, Wal-Mart’s impact on the music industry, Wal-Mart’s treatment of women employees, Wal-Mart’s relationship with China with regard to procurement and establishing retail stores. Other topics were Wal-Mart’s alleged use of child labor, Wal-Mart’s charitable giving, Wal-Mart’s recycling operations, Wal-Mart’s compliance with the Clean Water Act, Wal-Mart’s use of technology such as radio frequency Identification (RFID), Wal-Mart’s relations with unions, Wal-Mart’s advertising strategies and Wal-Mart’s procedures for choosing international vendors.
It appeared that most students approached their research with an open mind, as contrasted to many of their elders who take a position on Wal-Mart and set out to prove it regardless of facts. Most of the students did extensive research, using several references. I was also impressed with the composure exhibited by the students during their oral presentations. At that age, I would have been "shaking in my boots." A couple of students even conducted original research by constructing and administering surveys, a very ambitious undertaking for undergraduates at any level.
It is quite refreshing to see such bright young students engaged in applying classroom instruction to answering real-world questions. Many people believe that undergraduate curricula are becoming more and more theoretical. In recent years, many employers have complained to administrators of colleges and universities that undergraduate education has become too esoteric and consequently ill prepares students to enter the workforce. By concentrating on student achievement and by integrating real-world problem solving into the undergraduate curriculum, Bemidji State University may be leading the way in better preparing graduates to enter the workforce.
Professors Nielson and Mengelkoch have demonstrated a rare ability to determine the needs of students and to develop a course to meet some of these needs. They engaged the students in a controversial subject area and provided the leadership to inspire the class to look at many sides of the Wal-Mart phenomenon. By providing an opportunity for the class to determine a problem, to conduct research on it and then to report findings both orally and in writing, these two professors have given students an experience that puts them ahead of many of their peers and makes them very attractive to prospective employers.
In conclusion, the following compendium of research is an excellent primer to the many sides of Wal-Mart. I commend readers to take the time to read each of these reports. I believe they provide an insight into many aspects of the world’s largest retailer. Perhaps the best part of these research papers is that none of the authors had an "axe to grind." They researched the topic to the best of their ability and presented their findings without ulterior motives.
Kenneth E. Stone
Professor Emeritus of Economics
Iowa State University
It was my pleasure to be invited to participate in Student Achievement Day at Bemidji State University in April of 2006. In particular I was pleased to be a part of the symposium on Wal-Mart, conducted by students of Honors 1105, entitled "Wal-Mart: It’s Powers, Influence and Values."
Twenty-five years ago, not many academics paid attention to Wal-Mart as it was a relatively small Southern company operating in small towns in the South and Midwest. Occasionally one would read in the popular press about Sam Walton, the founder, or about Wal-Mart associates (employees) becoming millionaires through their stock purchase plans and the rapidly rising Wal-Mart stock prices. However, much has changed in the last 25 years. Wal-Mart has grown to become the largest retailer in the world and nearly the largest corporation in the world, in terms of revenues. This rapid growth has made Wal-Mart a target for many detractors and a subject for research among academics. Therefore, it is timely and appropriate that Professors Nielson and Mengelkoch chose to develop an honors course for freshmen for the purpose of conducting research on Wal-Mart.
Students in the class made oral presentations of their findings on Student Achievement Day and then turned in written accounts which can be found after this introduction. I was impressed by the professionalism shown by the students both in their oral and written presentations. Students chose a wide variety of topics, many of which would normally be found in trade publications, not in the popular press. A partial listing of the topics covered include: Wal-Mart’s customer service, Wal-Mart’s impact on the music industry, Wal-Mart’s treatment of women employees, Wal-Mart’s relationship with China with regard to procurement and establishing retail stores. Other topics were Wal-Mart’s alleged use of child labor, Wal-Mart’s charitable giving, Wal-Mart’s recycling operations, Wal-Mart’s compliance with the Clean Water Act, Wal-Mart’s use of technology such as radio frequency Identification (RFID), Wal-Mart’s relations with unions, Wal-Mart’s advertising strategies and Wal-Mart’s procedures for choosing international vendors.
It appeared that most students approached their research with an open mind, as contrasted to many of their elders who take a position on Wal-Mart and set out to prove it regardless of facts. Most of the students did extensive research, using several references. I was also impressed with the composure exhibited by the students during their oral presentations. At that age, I would have been "shaking in my boots." A couple of students even conducted original research by constructing and administering surveys, a very ambitious undertaking for undergraduates at any level.
It is quite refreshing to see such bright young students engaged in applying classroom instruction to answering real-world questions. Many people believe that undergraduate curricula are becoming more and more theoretical. In recent years, many employers have complained to administrators of colleges and universities that undergraduate education has become too esoteric and consequently ill prepares students to enter the workforce. By concentrating on student achievement and by integrating real-world problem solving into the undergraduate curriculum, Bemidji State University may be leading the way in better preparing graduates to enter the workforce.
Professors Nielson and Mengelkoch have demonstrated a rare ability to determine the needs of students and to develop a course to meet some of these needs. They engaged the students in a controversial subject area and provided the leadership to inspire the class to look at many sides of the Wal-Mart phenomenon. By providing an opportunity for the class to determine a problem, to conduct research on it and then to report findings both orally and in writing, these two professors have given students an experience that puts them ahead of many of their peers and makes them very attractive to prospective employers.
In conclusion, the following compendium of research is an excellent primer to the many sides of Wal-Mart. I commend readers to take the time to read each of these reports. I believe they provide an insight into many aspects of the world’s largest retailer. Perhaps the best part of these research papers is that none of the authors had an "axe to grind." They researched the topic to the best of their ability and presented their findings without ulterior motives.
Kenneth E. Stone
Professor Emeritus of Economics
Iowa State University
posted by Louise Mengelkoch at
7:00 AM
