Retail & Mega-Stores
Big-box stores like Wal-Mart, Asda and Home Depot have squeezed out small businesses all around the world, driving down wages and quality of life where they do business, all in the name of low prices. They are the largest, slowest-moving easy targets, smaller (and yet still massive) retail chains like Starbucks, Forever 21, Abercrombie & Fitch, the Gap and others have also drawn fire for sweatshop abuses, labor violations, and other questionable corporate behavior.
News Articles
| WORLD: The Jewel Trade's Fading Luster by V. Dion Haynes and Rama Lakshmi, Washington Post March 28th, 2009 The drop in U.S. demand for high-end jewelry in a slumping economy is having ripple effects around the globe as stores close, workers are laid off in mass in the diamond-polishing factories of Gujarat, and countries like Botswana experience a dramatic drop in diamond revenue. |
| US: An Inconvenient Bag by ELLEN GAMERMAN , Wall Street Journal September 26th, 2008 It's manufactured in China, shipped thousands of miles overseas, made with plastic and could take years to decompose. It's also the hot "green" giveaway of the moment: the reusable shopping bag. |
| UK: Are we falling out of love with Tesco? by David Smith and Zoe Wood, The Observer, The Guardian June 29th, 2008 As the biggest beast in the jungle, Tesco has been accused of monopolisation, exploitation and bullying anyone who dares to stand in its way. It has become a lightning rod for every critic of corporate power, homogenised high streets and the malign influence of multinationals in the developing world. |
| US: Mannatech Settles Holder Suits
by SUZANNE SATALINE, Wall Street Journal June 13th, 2008 Dietary-supplements maker Mannatech Inc. said it settled several lawsuits with shareholders who accused the company of using improper sales tactics to boost the value of the stock. |
| US: Wal-Mart's Detractors Come In From the Cold by MICHAEL BARBARO, New York Times June 5th, 2008 But after waging an aggressive public relations campaign against Wal-Mart for three years, the company's full-time, union-backed critics, who once vowed never to let up, are lowering their pitchforks. |