個案總覽

Supplements the (A) case.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is a large Fortune 500 retail chain. The distinction of being the top-ranked company comes with intense scrutiny from the public and, especially, critics. Wal-Mart, a company lauded for its rapid response capability and stated commitments to gender equality, is deficient in some glaring areas--the percentage of women compared to men at all levels of the company and the compensation paid to women vs. men at all levels of the company, to cite two examples. An executive vice-president must examine why these inequalities exist when the company seems to be doing everything else right. The company is the target of several gender discrimination lawsuits. The executive vice-president has the opportunity to obtain information that would be useful in the current situation and must determine what information is needed.