Walmart

I keep hearing people talk about how bad it is to outsource our labor to other countries. Somehow, the act of sending our work to someone who will do it for less is un-American.

The fact is, outsourcing is as American as it gets... almost like apple pie.

I guess it really comes down to is where the division of labor should be. It answers the question of who really is the best person to complete the job at hand. Cost and skill both have to be taken into consideration. continue reading...

Ken comments at my post on loving Walmart that big business is becoming soulless. He provides examples of Apple, Target and Google being better brands from a more caring perspective. But, I wonder if the problem that Walmart really has is the fact that as a company gets larger they are simply more of a target.

Let's put the size of Walmart into perspective.

Here are the annual revenues of the four companies mentioned above.

Apple Computer: $19,314,000,000

Google: $10,604,000,000

Target: $59,490,000,000

Walmart: $378,799,000,000 continue reading...

Walmart is pretty proud to announce their new logo right now. They are focused on creating a new image for themselves.

From the announcement:

But what really matters is what happens out there in the stores. This update to the logo is simply a reflection of the refresh taking place inside our stores and our renewed sense of purpose to help people save money so they can live better. continue reading...

Companies who can't or are unwilling to practice business in a way that allows for a cleaner environment are allowed to purchase carbon credits. Basically, if I emit 100 tons of carbon and am willing to buy 100 tons worth of credits, then I really have a net carbon footprint of zero... now I can advertise that I am a "green" company.

It is really interesting to me that at least 20% of the UN's Carbon Credits may in fact be bogus. Does it really come as a surprise that the UN would have a program that isn't actually all that it claims to be? Now, the UN is trying to change the way Carbon Credits are handled. So, businesses can't buy credits if the UN thinks there isn't enough validation in the way wind farms or solar plants or tree planters do things. (I can't see what could possibly go wrong.) continue reading...