Did Wal-Mart Wake Up? - The Arthur Page Society

3. To allow students to apply the Page Principles to Wal-Mart’s public relations and
corporate communication efforts regarding their reputation management.
4. To help students understand that:
a. The reputation of a corporation is developed over time through its policies
and practices, and that reputations can be managed more effectively
through proactive measures rather than avoidance.
b. A successful reputation can only be earned through open relationships
with internal and external stakeholders, relying on trust, commitment and
satisfaction.
c. A crisis can change a company’s reputation practically overnight, and
effective crisis management measures are the only means of reversing a
tainted reputation.
d. Taking the time to build a good, solid reputation is vital to any
organization.
e. The Internet, especially social media, are tools that are being used more
frequently to enhance or tarnish reputations in corporate America.
3. Overall Synopsis of the Case for Presentation
The criticism and opposition against Wal-Mart has been an issue that has received
media attention since the beginning of the new millennium. The corporation received its
first major hit in 2005 with the formation of two union-backed organizations, Wake-Up
Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart Watch. These two organizations would cause an Internet war
with Wal-Mart, using competing blogs and Web sites to promote their various missions.
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