the.world.is.flat-第35节

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other。　
Wal…Mart　is　the　China　of　companies。　It　has　so　much　leverage　that　it　can　grind　down　
any　supplier　to　the　last　halfpenny。　And　it　is　not　at　all　hesitant　about　using　its　


ability　to　play　its　foreign　and　domestic　suppliers　off　against　each　other。　
Some　suppliers　have　found　ways　to　flourish　under　the　pressure　and　become　better　at　
what　they　do。　If　all　of　Wal…Mart's　suppliers　were　being　squeezed　dry　by　Wal…Mart；　
Wal…Mart　would　have　no　suppliers。　So　obviously　many　of　them　are　thriving　as　Wal…Mart's　
partners。　But　some　no　doubt　have　translated　Wal…Mart's　incessant　price　pressure　into　
lower　wages　and　benefits　for　their　employees　or　watched　as　their　business　moved　to　
China；　whence　Wal…Mart's　supply　chain　pulled　in　18　billion　worth　of　goods　in　2004　
from　five　thousand　Chinese　suppliers。　〃If　Wal…Mart　were　an　individual　economy；　it　
would　rank　as　China's　eighth138　
biggest　trading　partner；　ahead　of　Russia；　Australia　and　Canada；〃　Xu　Jun；　the　spokesman　
for　Wal…Mart　China；　told　the　China　Business　Weekly　（November　29；　2004）。　
The　successor　generation　to　Sam　Walton's　leadership　seems　to　recognize　that　it　has　
both　an　image　and　a　reality　to　fix。　How　far　Wal…Mart　will　adjust　remains　to　be　seen。　
But　when　I　asked　Wal…Mart's　CEO；　H。　Lee　Scott　Jr。；　directly　about　all　these　issues；　
he　did　not　duck。　In　fact；　he　wanted　to　talk　about　it。　〃What　I　think　I　have　to　do　is　
institutionalize　this　sense　of　obligation　to　society　to　the　same　extent　that　we　have　
institutionalized　the　commitment　to　the　customer；〃　said　Scott。　〃The　world　has　changed　
and　we　have　missed　that。　We　believed　that　good　intentions　and　good　stores　and　good　
prices　would　cause　people　to　forgive　what　we　are　not　as　good　at；　and　we　were　wrong。〃　
In　certain　areas；　he　added；　〃we　are　not　as　good　as　we　should　be。　We　just　have　to　get　
better。〃　
One　trend　that　Wal…Mart　insists　it　is　not　responsible　for　is　the　off…shoring　of　
manufacturing。　〃We　are　much　better　off　if　we　can　buy　merchandise　made　in　the　United　
States；〃　said　Glass。　〃I　spent　two　years　going　around　this　country　tryingto　talkpeople　
into　manufacturing　here。　We　would　pay　more　to　buy　it　here　because　the　manufacturing　
facilities　in　those　towns　＇would　create　jobs　for＇　all　those　people　who　shopped　in　
our　stores。　Sanyo　had　a　plant　here　＇in　Arkansas＇　making　television　sets　for　Sears；　
and　Sears　cut　them　off；　so　they　decided　they　were　closing　the　plant　and　going　to　move　
part　to　Mexico　and　part　to　Asia。　Our　governor　asked　if　we　would　help。　We　decided　we　
would　buy　television　sets　from　Sanyo　＇if　they　would　keep　the　plant　in　Arkansas＇；　and　
they　didn't　want　to　do　it。　They　wanted　to　move　it；　and　＇the　governor＇　even　talked　
to　the　＇Japanese　owning＇　family　to　try　to　persuade　them　to　stay。　Between　his　efforts　
and　ours；　we　persuaded　them　to　do　it。　They　are　now　the　world's　largest　producer　of　
televisions。　We　just　bought　our　fifty　millionth　set　from　them。　But　for　the　most　part　
people　in　this　country　have　just　abandoned　the　manufacturing　process。　They　say；　'I　
want　to　sell　to　you；　but　I　don't　want　the　responsibility　for　the　buildings　and　
employees　＇and　health　care＇。　I　want　to　source　it　somewhere　else。'　So　we　were　forced　
to　source　merchandise　in　other　places　in　the　world。〃　He　added；　〃One　of　my　concerns　
139　
is　that；　with　the　manufacturing　out　of　this　country；　one　day　we'll　all　be　selling　
hamburgers　to　each　other。〃　
The　best　way　to　get　a　taste　of　Wal…Mart's　power　as　a　global　flattener　is　to　visit　
Japan。　


Commodore　Matthew　Calbraith　Perry　opened　a　largely　closed　Japanese　society　to　the　
Western　world　on　July　8；　1853；　when　he　arrived　in　Edo　（Tokyo）　Bay　with　four　big　black　
steamships　bristling　with　guns。　According　to　the　Naval　Historical　Center　Web　site；　
the　Japanese；　not　knowing　that　steamships　even　existed；　were　shocked　by　the　sight　
of　them　and　thought　they　were　〃giant　dragons　puffing　smoke。〃　Commodore　Perry　returned　
a　year　later；　and　on　March　31；　1854；　concluded　the　Treaty　of　Kanagawa　with　the　Japanese　
authorities；　gaining　U。S。　vessels　access　to　the　ports　of　Shimoda　and　Hakodate　and　
opening　a　U。S。　consulate　in　Shimoda。　This　treaty　led　to　an　explosion　of　trade　between　
Japan　and　the　United　States；　helped　open　Japan　to　the　Western　world　generally；　and　
is　widely　credited　with　triggering　the　modernization　of　the　Japanese　state；　as　the　
Japanese　realized　how　far　behind　they　were　and　rushed　to　catch　up。　And　catch　up　they　
did。　In　so　many　areas；　from　automobiles　to　consumer　electronics　to　machine　tools；　
from　the　Sony　Walkman　to　the　Lexus；　the　Japanese　learned　every　lesson　they　could　from　
Western　nations　and　then　proceeded　to　beat　us　at　our　own　game…except　one：　retailing；　
especially　discount　retailing。　Japan　could　make　those　Sonys　like　nobody　else；　but　
when　it　came　to　selling　them　at　a　discount；　well；　that　was　another　matter。　
So　almost　exactly　150　years　after　Commodore　Perry　signed　that　treaty；　another　
lesser…known　treaty　was　signed；　actually　a　business　partnership。　Call　itthe　
Seiyu…Wal…Mart　Treaty　of　2003。　Unlike　Commodore　Perry；　Wal…Mart　did　not　have　tomuscle　
its　way　into　Japan　with　warships。　Its　reputation　preceded　it；　which　is　why　it　was　
invited　in　by　Seiyu；　a　struggling　Japanese　retail　chain　desperate　to　adapt　the　
Wal…Mart　formula　in　Japan；　a　country　notorious　for　resisting　big…box　discount　stores。　
As　I　traveled　on　the　bullet　train　from　Tokyo　to　Numazu；　Japan；　site　of　the　first　

Seiyu　store　that　was　using　the　Wal…Mart　methods；　the　New　York　Times　translator　pointed　
out　that　this　store　was　located　about　one　hundred　miles　from　Shimoda　and　that　first　

U。S。　consulate。　Commodore　Perry　probably　would　have　loved　shopping　in　the　new　Seiyu　
store；　where　all　the　music　piped　in　consists　of　Western　tunes　designed　tolull　shoppers　
into　filling　their　carts；　and　where　you　can　buy　a　man's　suit…made　in　China…for　65　
and　awhite　shirt　togo　with　itfor　5。　That's　what　they　call　around　Wal…Mart　EDLP…Every　
Day　Low　Prices…and　it　was　one　of　the　first　phrases　Wal…Mart　folks　learned　to　say　in　
Japanese。　
Wal…Mart's　flattening　effects　are　fully　on　display　in　the　Seiyu　store　in　Numazu…not　
just　the　everyday　low　prices；　but　the　wide　aisles；　the　big　pallets　of　household　goods；　
the　huge　signs　displaying　the　lowest　prices　in　each　category；　and　the　Wal…Mart　
supply…chain　computer　system　so　that　store　managers　can　quickly　adjust　stock。　
I　asked　Seiyu's　CEO；　Masao　Kiuchi；　why　he　had　turned　to　Wal…Mart。　〃The　first　time　
I　knew　about　Wal…Mart　was　about　fifteen　years　ago；〃　explainedKiuchi。　〃I　went　to　Dallas　
to　see　the　Wal…Mart　stores；　and　I　thought　this　was　a　very　rational　method。　It　was　
two　things：　One　was　the　signage　showing　the　prices。　It　was　very　easy　for　us　to　
understand。〃　The　second；　he　said；　was　that　the　Japanese　thought　a　discount　store　meant　
that　you　sold　cheap　products　at　cheap　prices。　What　he　realized　from　shopping　at　
Wal…Mart；　and　seeing　everything　from　plasma　TVs　to　top…brand　pet　products；　was　that　
Wal…Mart　sold　quality　products　at　low　prices。　

〃At　the　store　in　Dallas；　I　took　pictures；　and　I　brought　those　pictures　to　my　colleagues　
in　Seiyu　and　said；　'Look；　we　have　to　see　what　Wal…Mart　is　doing　on　the　other　side　
of　the　planet'　But　showing　pictures　was　not　good　enough；　because　how　can　you　understand　
by　justlooking　at　pictures？〃　recalled　Kiuchi。　Eventually；　Kiuchi　approached　Wal…Mart；　
and　they　signed　a　partnership　on　December　31；　2003。　Wal…Mart　bought　a　piece　of　Seiyu；　
in　return；　Wal…Mart　agreed　to　teach　Seiyu　its　unique　form　of　collaboration：　global　
supply…chaining　to　bring　consumers　the　best　goods　at　the　lowest　prices。　
There　was　one　big　thing；　though；　that　Seiyu　had　to　teach　Wal…Mart；　Kiuchi　told　me：　
how　to　sell　raw　fish。　Japanese　discounters　and　department　stores　all　have　grocery　
sections；　and　they　all　carry　fish　for　very　dis141　
criminating　Japanese　consumers。　Seiyu　will　discount　fish　several　times　during　each　
day；　as　the　freshness　declines。　
〃Wal…Mart　doesn't　understand　raw　fish；〃　said　Kiuchi。　〃We　are　expecting　their　help　
with　general　merchandising。〃　
Give　Wal…Mart　time。　I　expect　that　in　the　not…too…distant　future　we　will　see　Wal…Mart　
sushi。　
Somebody　had　better　warn　the　tuna。　
Flattener　#8　
Insourcing　
What　the　Guys　in　Funny　Brown　Shorts　Are　Really　Doing　
One　of　the　most　enjoyable　things　about　researching　this　book　has　been　discovering　
all　sorts　of　things　happening　in　the　world　around　me　of　which　I　had　no　clue。　Nothing　
was　more　surprisingly　interesting　than　pulling　the　curtain　back　on　UPS；　United　Parcel　
Service。　Yes；　those　folks；　the　ones　who　wear　the　homely　brown　shorts　and　drive　those　
ugly　brown　trucks。　Turns　out　that　while　I　was　sleeping；　stodgy　old　UPS　became　a　huge　
force　flattening　the　world。　
Once　again；　it　was　one　of　my　Indian　tutors；　Nandan　Nilekani；　the　Infosys　CEO；　who　
tipped　me　off　to　this。　〃FedEx　and　UPS　should　be　one　of　your　flatteners。　They're　not　
just　delivering　packages；　they　are　doing　logistics；〃　he　told　me　on　the　phone　from　
Bangalore　one　day。　Naturally；　I　filed　the　thought　away；　making　a　note　to　check　it　
out；　without　having　any　clue　what　he　was　getting　at。　A　few　months　later　I　went　to　
China；　and　while　there　I　was　afflicted　with　jet　lag　one　night　and　was　watching　CNN　
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