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OCTOBER 27, 2003
Judging The Fairness Of Wal-Mart's Practices The low wages and recruiting practices at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. have been known for many years, and its monopoly power threatens many country-specific (e.g., French food markets) retail models, hence diversity and choice are in danger ("The high cost of low prices," Editorials, Oct. 6). However, there are best practices one would like to adopt from Wal-Mart (e.g., ease of communication and input from customers) which are missing here in Germany. Even so, Wal-Mart should raise its wages considerably and use its distribution efficiency to keep costs at bay. It should stop gaining the cost efficiencies only by forcing suppliers into the vicious cycle of cutthroat practices. Chief execs should understand that they can also generate successful, vibrant businesses by paying higher wages, training workers on the job, and sharing ideas. People will flock to their corporations because they like to be treated fairly and generously -- and get the best products. Elizabeth M. Zeilbeck Munich Wal-Mart: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Tucked away in your excellent article "Is Wal-Mart too powerful?" (Cover Story, Oct. 6), is a key paragraph, which many readers may have missed, quoting critics as arguing that "Wal-Mart's intensifying global pursuit of low-cost goods is partly to blame for the accelerating loss of U.S. manufacturing jobs to China and other low-wage nations." As consumers, we, of course, enjoy low prices. But the lowest possible price isn't everything. Surely it needs to be balanced against other dimensions of social welfare. Konosuke Matsushita (the founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.) said in his statement of principles: "When you notice you have gone too far, you must have the courage to come back." Perhaps we would be just as well off if Wal-Mart did not have the power it currently possesses to pressure suppliers and if its competitors would not find it necessary to attempt to follow its practices. Mike Hayes Westminster, Colo.   Why Turkey Is Gun-Shy About Sending Troops To Iraq The main reason Turkey is hesitating to deploy troops in Iraq is its fear of possible economic crisis ("Now Iraq may bring Ankara and Washington together," International Outlook, Sept. 29). That was the reason for the parliamentary refusal of U.S. ground forces free passage from Turkey on Mar. 1. Turkey is an ally of the U.S., yet the Gulf War punished it with about $10 billion in losses, which were promised to be covered but weren't. Turks see Operation Iraqi Freedom as a déjà vu calamity. That's why [the] Turkish parliament is reluctant to endorse sending armed forces for a second Iraqi crisis; it will thin the recently recovered fragile economy. Gokhan Turgut Istanbul The Right Way To Rebuild Afghanistan Kudos for refocusing on Afghanistan. While much of the world's attention is on Iraq, we cannot lose sight of our commitment to freeing ourselves and the Afghan people from the dual parasites of the Taliban and al Qaeda ("A pressing agenda in Afghanistan," Editorials, Sept. 22). On my recent visit to Kabul, however, I found it difficult to identify any major reconstruction to drive the Afghan economy. The road to Kandahar is often cited as a milestone, yet Kandahar is hardly an economic hub. More important regional trade centers are Herat and Jalalabad. We must rebuild economic generators such as textile factories, generic pharmaceutical plants, and mining and exploration projects. Doubling U.S. aid this year is a positive step, yet it will be wasted unless we stimulate sustainable economic growth. Failure "cannot be an option," but failure is what we will have unless the Afghan people have the economic foundation to fend off another takeover from terrorists who would hijack their country for $100 million a year. Jack D. Hidary Managing Director, Bank International New York
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