Costco Pay and Benefit

This article is written using an enlightened self-interest approach. The author describes Wal-Mart behaving in a way that increases its own benefits, with the outcome of their actions being the most important consideration. An example of this is the author’s notion that Wal-Mart’s low prices are due to “the exploitation of its workers” (McLachlan, 2009, pg. 289), “systematic use of ‘maquiladoras’ in conditions of extreme exploitation” (McLachlan, 2009, pg. 289), and Wal-Mart’s threat to move production to China to obtain lower prices. In this article, the author implies that Wal-Mart’s actions demonstrate that they are not concerned with finding the most ethical behaviour; they are merely interested in the action(s) that most closely achieve their goal to remain the “biggest chain of direct sales to the consumer in North America”. (McLachlan, 2009, pg. 289)

On the other hand, Sebastian Mallaby cares for the customer and the profits of the company, rather than the worker and their working conditions and wages. He suggests that Wal-Mart actually saves people money and is “a progressive story” (620). Their discount on food alone increases the welfare of the shoppers by fifty billion dollars a year. If you were to count all of Wal-Mart’s products into that same estimate, it would increase ten times. “This is very good news for poor and middle class families,” says Mallaby, because in this situation the customer really comes first. Even though the workers are not treated the best, they still have an advantage over the shoppers. They have less pay, but receive discounts on all of Wal-Mart’s merchandise whenever they shop there, which should be a plus for them. Compared to most companies Wal-Mart

In the United States Walmart effects negatively retail worker wages as well as retail employment. In addition, University of California researchers found that workers in Walmart earn on average 12.4 % less than retail workers as a whole (UNI Global Union, 2012). Walmart’s workers demonstrated thier dissatisfaction with working conditions and low wages by protesting on Black Friday 2012, which is the day the company is making the biggest profit. Walmart workers stood up and more than 1,000 demonstrations in a hundreds encouraging Walmart to act ethicaly towards them. For workers protesting it was a huge risk as they are oficially not protected by any labour union (Progress, 2012). Another evidence that Walmart treats its employees unfairly are discrimination claims. Women workers in California pursue discrimination claims saying that Walmart systematically treats them unfairly. According to women workers retail giant denied to pay raises and promotions due to gender bias (Levine & Gupta, 2011).

The evolution of Wal-mart from the early 1960s to the present day has set a benchmark that few can achieve. Wal-mart executives have been successful nationally as well as globally. The knowledge and expertise in economics have made Wal-mart a global giant. The research completed is the final recommendations by the members of research team C and will address questions regarding global competition and issues of the organizations ability to expand or reduce current operations.

Robert Greenwald uses a strong appeal to ethos, a slippery road argument, and a text track to bring attention to his audience about Wal-Mart. He establishes his argument by first presenting a claim made by Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott and then showing the flip side to that claim with many examples from testimony’s from actual Wal-Mart employee’s. Through these arguments the audience can determine that Wal-Mart is simply a bad company and that consumers should stop spending their money in a company that does not care for human rights and mistreats their employee’s.

by Neal Peirce The Wal-Mart Watch campaign, a labor-environmental group highly critical of America's mega-mega retailer, recently launched more than 1,000 events nationwide for its "Higher Expectations Week." "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price," a scathing documentary by independent filmmaker Robert Greenwald with a focus on Wal-Mart's business tactics and treatment of workers, began to play to audiences across the country. Wal-Mart is fighting its critics with waves of television ads celebrating happy workers and the company's gifts to local charities. But the action goes much further. Across state capitals, legislators are into spirited debates over whether Wal-Mart should be forced to pay adequate health benefits

“In the past few years Walmart has begun to face new challenges in addition to antisprawl activists and merchants, from labor unions, competitors, and other activists”(carroll607). The lawsuits for labor for Walmart’s labor practices have also increased over the years with the accusations of paying unfair wages, making employees work off the clock so they wouldn’t have to pay overtime, and discrimination against women. Due to Walmart’s financial impact on the U.S. it also has a huge economic impact on a state and federal level.

"Wal-Mart is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets, discount department stores and grocery stores. Since its abrupt public emergence, it has been repeatedly subjected to controversy (nyjobsource)." The central point of controversiality tends to lie within the desires of those who wish to attain the seemingly unattainable. Wal-Mart is often accused of being "progressive," for reasons which, I believe to be logically incoherent and demonstrably fallacious. In this essay, my arguments will exculpate Wal-Mart from the many dissentient and discordant accusations set forth by a reasonable portion of its employees and nonemployees.

“Up Against Wal-Mart” by Karen Olsson, a senior editor at Texas Monthly and who’s article appeared in Mother Jones, introduces her article through the perspective of a Wal-Mart worker. She focuses on the negatives of Wal-Mart by telling the real life struggles of different Wal-Mart employees. “Progressive Wal-Mart. Really.” by Sebastian Mallaby, a columnist for the Washington Post, focuses his article on what Wal-Mart critics say and attempts to defend Wal-Mart by comparing Wal-Mart to other retailers. Even though Karen Olsson and Sebastian Mallaby both examine the negative effects of Wal-Mart, Olsson berates Wal-Mart’s unfair treatment towards employees and the unlivable wages that the world’s largest retailer provides while Mallaby

Wal-Mart, one of the largest retailers in the world, is accused of misconduct in order to provide such low prices to their customers. Wal-Mart typically saves the average family more than 2,000 dollars per year (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2013). Wal-Mart states that they are working to provide their customers with the best possible price and goods as well as promoting a positive business culture for each 0f their employees. However, the company’s actions show otherwise. There are accusations of sweatshop-type working conditions, racial and gender discrimination, along with unethical leadership. For example, in years past research has shown that nearly half of all employees and their children are either on Medicaid or uninsured. Many believe

Walmart creates the bourgeoisie (owns the means of production) and the proletariat (working class). The bourgeoisie find was to crush competition by selling products in low cost. For this to happen they must use workers in China or Latin America because they can produce products for low pay and work for long hours. This creates a problem, Walmart are selling to those who work for them, but their workers can’t afford to pay their products. Hence, low wages cause over production, since everyone can’t buy from them.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) Consumer Staples - Food & Staples Retailing | Reports March 2, After Market Close

As of 2014, Costco was the third largest retailer in the United States and then by 2015, it was the second largest in the world after Walmart.

Companies are an immense part of our world today. The powerful yet noxious corporation of Walmart has had a great effect on many people’s lives. People may say that Walmart has helped them by providing convenient and cheap products. However, Walmart has harmed other people by violating their human rights and being extremely capitalistic, and it uses the cheapness and convenience as a distraction. Despite the fact being true, the company still values profit over their employees’ and workers’ lives.

Robert Greenwald uses a strong appeal to ethos, a slippery road argument, and a text track to bring attention to his audience about Wal-Mart. He establishes his argument by first presenting a claim made by the Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott and then showing the contrary to that claim with many examples from real people. Through these arguments the audience can determine that Wal-Mart is simply a bad company and they should stop spending their money there.