Is Walmart Good For America

Media tends to portray business in more of a negative light than a positive light. This is evident by the video about “Is Wal-Mart Good for America?” that was published by PBS. This video mainly described the negatives about Wal-Mart and rarely talked about the positives like saving people money. Most of the negative portrayal business receives from media is based on how some businesses actually do their business. Thus, for Wal-Mart to save people money, Wal-Mart has to demand and pressure suppliers into lower prices every year. To do this suppliers have to outsource their production overseas and this is where the video really hit hard on the impact outsourcing has had on retail stores (businesses) and factory workers. Outsourcing greatly
This finding shows that outsourcing really does not affect the U.S. workforce and unemployment rate as much as the media makes people think. The media will always show outsourcing as a negative to business, because it really resonates with viewers more than the advantages outsourcing has for the everyday American. In addition, most news outlets only display negatives about business and even government, because that is what their viewers are accustomed to seeing and helps at worst maintain viewership. Therefore, since media mostly portrays big business as negative, then most people also associate big business as negative and corrupt. Another problem in media that businesses are facing is the emergence of social media, which allows millions of people to communicate and spread their opinions all over the internet. This can include blogs, video reviews, Facebook comments, and just reviews on other websites. Another key difference between traditional and new media is that traditional media is typically one-way communication and does not allow for much participation, while this is not the case online(2). Therefore, people are able to connect with others very easily, which helps them form an even stronger positive or negative portrayal
One business that did not realize the power of social media was a KFC-Taco Bell restaurant that had developed a rat infestation. The most popular video covering the KFC-Taco Bell incident on YouTube received 2,644 responses and two video responses and this video sparked comments such as “No more KFC for me” and “when a business allows for such rodents to run freely, the message to us consumers is consumers come last” (3). This media crisis could have been handled better if KFC-Taco Bell had utilized social media early to clarify the incident and slow down the viral video spread. Therefore, media and especially social media is crucial for these businesses plagued with bad publicity to help overcome these stories and help regain their reputation and trust from society. This may be easier for bigger organizations rather than smaller organizations, because it is easier for bigger organizations to get their message out and society can more easily relate to previous positive perspectives they may have had with the firm. Therefore, it is crucial for businesses to be on top of media to help