Walmart in China

Anita Chan's newly edited book, Walmart in China, is one of the best academic works on Chinese labor in recent years..As one of the finest scholarly works generated from international cooperation, this book opens at least two important areas for further exploration. First, labor relations in Walmart stores are worth further ethnographic exploration. Second, it would be interesting to study the evolving role of trade unions since the CCP-led state has emphasized trade union reform and wage bargaining from 2010.

-- Chris King-Chi Chan * The China Journal *

The authors demonstrate how the sheer scale of Walmart intimidates suppliers into accepting tight lead times, leading to illegally long working hours, an increase in outsourcing, and an atmosphere of insecurity and powerlessness at almost all levels in the supply chain.... Chan and her fellow contributors provide labour activists with considerable food for thought, and—who knows—maybe even a few sleepless nights for some of the most committed antitrade union executives on the planet.

-- Tim Pringle * British Journal of Industrial Relations *

The book provides a multidimensional analysis of Walmartization in China.... The essays show some optimism for the future of Walmart's labour movement, with critical suggestions provided for key parties.

-- Xuebing Cao * Work, Employment & Society *

The book's contributors used cloak-and-dagger fieldwork skills to provide a sharp picture of labor conditions at Walmart’s suppliers and in its Chinese stores. They show that the company’s Ethical Standards Program has done little to prevent sweatshop-like abuses among its suppliers. On the other hand, its store employees have taken easily to the corporate culture, whose Christian- and rural-inflected ethos meshes with Chinese traditions of moral exhortation, mutual surveillance, and the pursuit of personal ambition through collective service.

-- Andrew J. Nathan * Foreign Affairs *

This is a skillfully crafted account of the phenomenon known as the Walmartization of China. All the chapters are nicely woven together in a cohesive whole, a rare feat and noteworthy achievement. It is informative, insightful, and so very timely. I would strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand theglobal supply chain and how the growing dominance of retailing over manufacturing is shaping the world we live in. It will appeal to a wide audience, ranging from academics, managers, and businesspeople to anyone that has ever come into contact with Walmart.

-- Maria N. DaCosta * China Review Internation