Economics Homework Help

Research Project:

Project Focus: Wal-Mart

Essential Question: Is Wal-Mart Good for America?

This is a research project. The assessment will be a

Four (4) page Research Paper. This paper will require you to research and

evaluate Wal-Mart. and its effect on American Business and its Economy.

. I will provide

some information about Wal-Mart for you to analyze in class. However, most

of your research must be done on your own.

There are four main parts of the Research Paper

1) Wal-Mart numbers and details:

a) How much money did Wal-Mart make last year?

b) What is Wal-Mart’s stock worth; has it gone up this year?

c) How many stores does Wal-Mart have Nationwide? Worldwide?

d) How many employees does Wal-Mart employ Nationwide?

Worldwide?

2) Unions: Describe the fight going on to get Unions at Wal-Mart

– Are their any Unions operating for Wal-Mart employees

anywhere in the world today?

– What are Employee reasons for wanting a Union?

– What are Wal-Mart Management’s reasons for not having

Unions?

– What is the status of Unions forming at Wal-Mart today?

3) Technology and Globalization:

a) Explain the technology that Wal-Mart exploited in the 1980’s to leap

ahead of other Big-Box Retail Companies like Sears and Target

b) How and why did Wal-Mart become a Global Company – explain this

in terms of Costs and Profit Margins

c) What percentage of Wal-Mart suppliers are from China today?

d) What is the U.S. trade deficit with China today?

4) Is Wal-Mart good for America?

a) Answer based on the economic impact of Wal-Mart, focusing on the

following areas:

– Jobs (does Wal-Mart create jobs or cost jobs, or both?)

– Types of jobs (what kind of jobs does Wal-Mart create – are they

desirable jobs for Americans?)

– Does Wal-Mart contribute to the American trade deficit with

China? How?

– What type of Economy (Service vs. Manufacturing) is Wal-Mart

helping to create in America? Explain “Push vs. Pull” and the

impact on the Economy

– Is Wal-Mart good for America; why or why not?

The paper should be typed, four pages, double spaced and font 12. It should

have a bibliography for your sources as a last page, and you should have at

least three sources you find yourself in addition to the videos played in class.