The American Red Cross modernized its fundraising operations, improved disaster-relief efforts and centralized much of its decision making during Elizabeth Dole's tenure as head of the nonprofit group.

At the same time, independent blood banks are claiming the Red Cross is engaged in anti-competitive practices, the California attorney general's office is studying the group's blood marketing tactics, and critics say the organization could lose donors turned off by perceived "hard ball" tactics, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Many observers quoted in the Journal report credit Dole for shoring up the Red Cross' basic operations and instituting better blood-safety procedures.

This was accomplished in part by taking away some decision-making at the local and regional level, leaving many long-time Red Cross administrators perturbed by the increasing power of the national headquarters, the report says.

The Red Cross also set a goal to become the primary blood supplier to hospitals and clinics throughout the U.S. The organization now controls just under half the U.S. blood supply, and some reports claim the group wants to control nearly two-thirds of the supply by 2001.

This aggressive strategy is the source of most of the current complaints about the Red Cross, although many of the people complaining represent independent blood suppliers that must cut prices and increase efficiency simply to stay competitive.

The Red Cross also attracted negative publicity as it pushed for sole access to military bases - which was denied by the Defense Department - and signed a deal for exclusive rights to a plasma-cleansing process.