ABSTRACT
When H. Lee Scott took over as CEO of Wal-Mart several years ago, the mood at thegiant retailer was dark, even though, by every financial measure, the company was highly successful. The mood was dark because, whereas the financial indicators suggested that the company was doing well for its shareholders, that was about the only group that felt this way. Almost everyone else perceived that the company was a corporate villain and bully, assaulting workers, the environment, and consumers. Over the course of his tenure as the Wal-Mart leader, Scott dramatically reversed this perception, and now Wal-Mart is routinely listed as one of the most sustainable and corporately responsible organizations in the United States.1
