When in Rome…
Wal-Mart has always been tied to the University of Arkansas. The business school is named after the company’s founder and the annual shareholders meeting convened by the world’s largest retailer is held on the hilly campus in Fayetteville.
But is Lee Scott, Wal-Mart’s CEO, a Razorbacks’ fan? His counterpart at Procter & Gamble thinks so. A.G. Lafley hopped on the Arkansas bandwagon recently, even though he is an alumnus of Hamilton College in New York. Apparently, not even the Razorbacks’ record in SEC games this year could dissuade him from adopting the Hogs.
In imposing its environmental dictums, Wal-Mart is proving it can still humble the mightiest supplier. Procter & Gamble Co. Chairman-CEO A.G. Lafley showed up for a talk-show-style sustainability chat with Mr. Scott on Oct. 11 wearing an Arkansas Razorbacks shirt under his jacket.
Mr. Scott said Mr. Lafley was “sucking up” both to students in the crowd and to Sam’s Club, where he’d said he bought the shirt “at a great price.”
“We are a marketing company,” Mr. Lafley replied, drawing laughter.
Ol Sam would be ashamed now of the hog program with all its stupidity.