Wal-Mart

The giant retailer says it's adding a new line of organic food that's at least 25 percent cheaper. But a large-scale production and supply of organic food likely can't be achieved overnight.

Mayor Vincent Gray ended weeks of speculation and vetoed the measure passed in July. Wal-Mart threatened to halve the number of stores it plans to build in the district if the measure becomes law.

A 2 percent rise in Social Security taxes that went into effect in January has had a negative impact on the company's cost-conscious shoppers.

Wal-Mart says it will not build three of the six stores planned for Washington, D.C., after the city council passed a bill that would require the retailer to pay a wage nearly 50 percent higher than the city's minimum wage. Those three stores would be located in mostly low-income areas, with high unemployment and few places to shop. A similar situation once played out in Chicago.

Over the strong objections of Wal-Mart, the City Council in Washington D.C. has approved a bill that would require some large retailers to pay workers a minimum of $12.50 an hour. The city's minimum wage is $8.25. Wal-Mart has threatened to scrap plans to open three stores in the city if the measure is signed by the mayor and becomes law.

The annual shareholders' meeting of retailing giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. was marked by protests this week, as striking workers assembled in Arkansas to call for higher wages and better safety rules. A former Bangladeshi garment worker spoke inside the meeting.

The retailing giant says it will launch training for 70,000 associates to help them spot fruits and vegetables that should no longer be on shelves. The move follows complaints that understaffing was leading to low-quality produce of dubious freshness in stores.

The retail giant pleaded guilty to improperly disposing of toxic pollutants in California and Missouri in the period 2003 to 2005.

The world's largest retailer has declined to join European labels in a legally binding agreement to improve safety at factories in the South Asian country.

Facebook, which went public in May of 2012, made the list for the first time. Its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, 28, is the youngest on the list.