Social Responsibility Of Walmart

This case study involves America’s largest and most recognizable retail chains. Walmart steadily grew from its founding in 1962 as a small Arkansas based retail store into the multi-national giant that it is today. One of the issues that Walmart’s unprecedented growth has raised is how it can maintain the ethical standards and principles held by its founder, Sam Walton, when it has grown past its humble roots and continues to grow in an ever more competitive and hectic world. Some of the current ethical issues that Walmart is facing are the treatment of its employees, the methods it employs to obtain retail goods at low prices, the sustainability of its products, and the use of bribery to further corporate interests (Ferrell 407). Therefore, this paper will examine each of these ethical issues and the stakeholders that are involved in the issues to create a global picture of the totality of the ethical dilemmas currently facing Walmart.

The evolving practices around corporate social responsibility (CSR) provide dynamic, and complex opportunities for business. Overall, businesses are modifying their core purpose from creating shareholder profit toward creating shared value across their stakeholders, with shareholders being only one of the many stakeholders. This paper analyzes the 74th ranked 2014 Fortune Global 500 Company Kroger. Kroger started in 1883 as a local Cincinnati, Ohio grocery store, and has expended to be the second largest retail grocery store in the United States, and fifth largest in the world, owning retail food and drug stores, jewelry stores, and convenience stores in the United States (Kroger, 2015). Kroger remains headquartered in Ohio. An overview of Kroger, and specifically Kroger’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy and implementation will be discussed, followed by a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) CSR analysis informing a concluding plan to enhance Kroger’s CSR maturity.

It is said that “The only social responsibility that there is, is to obey laws and pay taxes,” but according to Milton Friedman, “social responsibility is to increase profits.” This kind of responsibility also a form of giving back. Many people believe that the future of Wal-Mart is sustainability. Wal-Mart Stakeholders are the associates, otherwise known as employees, the suppliers, and the investors of this company. I believe that Wal-Mart is doing enough to become more sustainable both locally and globally by the resources, its key stakeholders.

Social responsibility is a moral principle that an organization or individual act towards betterment of society at large. It is a duty that every firm and individual should perform to maintain the balance between the environment and economy. Their actions should lead towards sustainable development and safeguard the interests of the coming generations and at the same time fulfilling the needs of present population. The responsibility can be active, by performing activities that directly advance social goals, or passive, by avoiding any engagement in socially harmful act. Walmart being one of the nations largest retailers, corporations, and largest private employer with over a million employees is often targeted for many issues. These issues

Although prices at Wal-Mart are considered as reasonable they are still having their own issues in relation to ethical issues and unethical practices consists of consumers were complaining about how they were not paying what they consider a fair prices for their groceries. Wal-Mart use to cover up what they were doing to their customers the advocate group followed the Food Chain Workers Alliance in order to investigate the root of the problem in the outsourcing ethical systems. Wal-Mart worker are currently complaining they are not being treated fairly because they are overworking their employees and they are not receiving enough pay based on their skills and qualifications they should determine how qualified their employees are for the job of their choice. Wal-Mart just followed existing law.

Lowry had copied papers for her boss Mona Williams prior to hearing that Wal-Mart’s is planning a 15 billion dollar stock buy back and felt that maybe her boss has traded stock information. Although Lowry, discreetly had gone to the ethic department to inform them of her finding of information she thought was unethical. Upon doing so even though Lowry omits she did not know whether her boss had done anything wrong. Moreover, the ethics departments told Lowry that day they did not see any wrongdoing. Even though Lowry acted in good faith, “pointing out that their might have been some wrongdoing” However, her name is revealed by the Communication department and giving to Business Week and to her boss. In dispute, however, are the circumstances that led Lowry looking for a new job. Since the incident has asked

Companies today are heavily influenced by the demands of customers and stakeholders. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to the social and environmental responsibility policies and practices developed by an organization to increase its positive influence and reduce its negative activity towards society (Parks, 2008). The business approach and corporate philosophy of an organization is easily altered due to economic pressures, technological improvement and stakeholder needs and demands. "Going green" or being eco-friendly is one such demand. Environmental and sustainability concerns originate most often from governments, consumer activists, and the general public (Schlosser, 2008). Thus, organizations must implement sustainability into daily practices. In addition, sustainability alters the nature of competition and drives companies to think differently about products, processes, and technologies (Parks, 2008).

In each company the employee looking for a great conditions to work on it. During this semester we had covered the book American Way of Eating talk about Wal-Mart this is a big part of the book. McMillan, which is the writer of the book, has written her experience as an associate. She had discovered most of her daily work such as wages, shift time and other problems that she deals with. On this part talking about how associates suffering with their work in Wal-Mart. according to McMillan, “Wal-Mart is the largest grocer in both the U.S and the world” (101). Wal-Mart is the place that most Americans go to buy their daily or weekly needs. However, Wal-Mart consider as a big company that unfair they do suffering the employees. If you work at Wal-Mart four values will be less in your live less family time to spend with your family, less income you will get it comparing with other job, overtime work and not count or pied and health care worthless.

Corporate social responsibility is very important in a business. Millions of Wal-Mart shoppers feel Wal-Mart is socially responsible for their actions and provides high value (Carroll and Buchholtz 779). As issues of environmental awareness grew, Sam Walton began to think environmentally and made commitments to “land, air and water” (Carroll and Buchholtz 774). Wal-Mart began to be socially responsible for the environment by making shelf tags from “100 percent recycled paper” in hopes of informing customers about Wal-Mart‟s efforts to be environmentally safe (Carroll and Buchholtz 774). On the other hand, some business and communities dread “the winds of the „Wal-Mart Way‟” (Carroll and Buchholtz 774). Carroll and Buchholtz, quoting Kennedy Smith, state that „“downtowns will never again be the providers of the basic consumer goods and services they once were”‟ (774). One of the biggest complaints of communities is that Wal-Mart “kills” small “mom and pop” downtown merchants because they cannot compete with Wal-Mart‟s low prices (Carroll and Buchholtz 774). These small stores have been around for years, and Wal-Mart just comes and takes over. Carroll and Buchholtz say that some retailers believe the methods that Wal-Mart uses/d to compete with their competitors left “bad tastes” in their mouths (775). Retailers told Atlanta

After analyzing the video on whether or not Jim's actions were ethical by not reporting the injury incident, I would have to imply that his dilemma was not only morally unethical, but lawfully unethical as well. By utilizing the deontology model that states to uphold certain underlying principles whether right or wrong and regardless of the circumstances, it is clear this ethical stand-point of "rule-based" approaches has been breached and a company's standard operating procedures were not met. This scenario and terrible decision could possibly result into a world of trouble for Wal-Mart Corporation that can be timely, expensive, and disruptive. Whether illegal or not, because the proper steps were not taken, the injured employee can legally

People argues that Walmart build unsightly stores, but the truth is that Walmart usually goes into some pretty grubby areas of town. Walmart wants to ensure a better world for generation to come by setting three aspirational goals: be supplied by renewable energy, create zero waste, and sell products that sustain people and the environment. It has more than 335 renewable energy projects in operation across its global portfolio. going on the same thought about sustainability, Walmart reduced plastic bag waste by more than 38% by the end of 2013, which represents a reduction of 10 billion bags annually. Last but not least, Walmart made progresses on its goal to eliminate 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from the supply

Walmart is accused of putting pressure on its suppliers to cut prices or lose its business. This then forces the suppliers to cut costs by reducing the wages of its workers and the prices paid to farmers for their produce and more. The Alliance through its investigations also found that although Walmart claims to stop working with suppliers if standards are not met, Walmart still continues to work with them despite all the violations committed. The Alliance also claims that the research conducted for its report found that Walmart is not enforcing its own standards and goals. The report states that “The myriad violations that Walmart’s suppliers have committed include illegal dumping of hazardous waste, improper protection of workers from occupational health and safety dangers, violations of workers’ freedom of association, and, in some cases, slave and forced labor, both in the United States and abroad” which once against brings into question the accuracy and the motives behind Walmart’s 2015 Global Responsibility Report. However, The Food Chain Workers Alliance admits that Walmart is moving in the right direction by increasing the starting wage of new employees to $9 an hour, but says that the company still has a long

Owing their financial success to a huge volume of low-cost products, Walmart is the largest retailer in the whole world. Perhaps it is Walmart’s immense success that makes it such a controversial company. While it is reported to be a key player in combatting poverty in America, Walmart’s existence in a given community can also be threatening to smaller businesses. Additionally, there is some debate regarding whether Walmart’s treatment of its employees – internationally as well as in the United States – is ethical. This paper will analyze whether Walmart is good for Americans as a whole, or if its existence benefits only an elite few. Does the presence of Walmart present a net cost or net benefit to society?

Due to increasing environmental imbalances, it is necessary for firms to achieve competitive advantages in the area of environmental convergence as well. Wal-Mart is putting continuous efforts from a long time for environment sustainability and energy conservation. It also received Aspen Institute Energy and Environment award for Corporate Energy Efficiency in 2009. Here are a few steps that Wal-Mart has taken to encourage environmental sustainability:

“Always low prices”, is the first thing you think of when you think about one of the most successful companies around the world, Wal-Mart. For years they stand as a well know company due to their everyday low prices and variety of products. Their mission statement is “Saving people money so that they can live better”. They have chosen their mission statement wisely yet there is a lot of controversy when it comes to this International Company.