Wal-Mart supports a pro-Wal-Mart advocacy group, Working Families for Wal-Mart, which trys to improve Wal-Mart's image. The members may also speak in favor of Wal-Mart at hearings.
As a result of the close relationship between the company and the Working Families for Wal-Mart, some current and former suppliers say, the advocacy group's membership drive amounts to Wal-Mart's leaning on its suppliers to help burnish the company's image â€" a request many said would be hard to turn down, given the company's importance to their business.
The members recruited by the Working Families group have, among other things, spoken in favor of Wal-Mart at zoning meetings and testified before a federal agency reviewing Wal-Mart's application to open a bank.
Thanks to Ashwani Vasishth
Read the full story: Wal-Mart Tries to Enlist Image Help
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