Rural maternity care: can we learn from Wal-Mart?

Wall Street vs. Main Street: What are the Benefits and Costs of Wal-Mart to Local Communities?

“In business, there is big and there is Wal-Mart.” --BusinessWeek, October 6, 2003 So begins a recent report about the wide-ranging influence of Wal-Mart. To get a sense of just how big Wal-Mart is, consider the following: • Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is the world’s largest retailer, with $285.2 billion in sales in the fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2005 (Wal-Mart, 2006). • The company employs 1.2 mill...

Wal-Mart and Job Quality – What Do We Know, and Should We Care?

Entry of Wal-Mart Supercenters and Supermarkets’ Profit Margins

This article quantifies the impact of Wal-Mart Supercenters on supermarkets’ profitability via a two-stage dynamic entry game, using method of simulated moments and milk scanner data from Dallas/Fort Worth supermarkets. The empirical findings show that the entry of Wal-Mart Supercenters accounts for about an average 50% decrease in milk profit margins for incumbent supermarkets. Effects of scal...

Food Marketing Policy Center Wal-Mart’s Monopsony Power in Local Labor Markets

Despite considerable debate as to Wal-Mart’s impact on retail workers, to date there has been little structural analysis on the topic. This paper measures and tests for Wal-Mart’s monopsony power in local labor markets using a dominant-firm model and data on contiguous U.S. counties where the company operates. Empirical results show that Wal-Mart’s monopsony power over workers varies significan...

Wal-Mart’s impact on supplier profits

Previous academic research on the expansion of dominant retailers such as Wal-Mart has looked at implications for incumbent retailers, consumers, and the local community. Little is known, however, about Wal-Mart’s influence on suppliers’ performance. Manufacturers suggest Wal-Mart uses its power to squeeze their profits. In this paper we study the validity of that claim. We investigate the unde...