Wal Mart : Business And Society

A sociological perspective is a framework for thinking about, describing, or explaining how human activities are organized and how people relate to one another and respond to their surroundings.

Economic - Wal-Mart’s economic performance has been outstanding and its goal of providing quality merchandise at low cost to consumers fits well within this objective. Its stakeholders expect continual improvement to its bottom line, which is especially important to its shareholders, as they are the ones sharing in that return. “…2013, Walmart increased net sales by 5% to $466.1 billion and returned $13 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases” (573). As we will discuss later on, the struggle comes when the company tries to do this in a sustainable and ethical way. Further, the company must provide fair paying jobs and profit to shareholders with as little impact as possible to local merchants. This can be done by purchasing from U.S. manufacturers whenever possible.

Walmart is the go-to shopping center for most Americans, but are they fully aware of the negative impact Walmart has caused America? Many people shop where they can find everything at once and is in a decent distance from their home, but most shoppers don’t realize what they are really purchasing or the truth about the stores they buy from. If more Americans knew what they were really getting out of their shopping trips at Walmart they probably wouldn’t come back. Walmart has a privative effect on America more than people realize. The people they hurt in the process of trying to “Save money” and “Live Better” are the backbone of the business, the products they sell might as well be used, and their crime rate escalates more and more, and

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.

The company uses foreign labor, including child workers, and sweatshops. This creates a hard life for those who are forced to meet Walmart’s needs. The company has been accused of paying officials in foreign companies in order to keep many details silent. But, we cannot know if those allegations are

creating a scarce number of jobs available for American workers. Additionally, Walmart employees are mistreated in the workplace. Unions are discouraged and workers ' income are not enough to pay for Walmart 's $75 health insurance. Walmart also contributes to the earth 's pollution in which the corporation had been severely fined for violating environmental regulations. Although Walmart is a convenient one-stop-shop, it’s negative reputation makes critics question buying products.

The following report will discuss American retail giant, Wal-mart’s current ethical and business objectives. The report will look at Wal-mart’s employee relations in regard to discrimination and other various issues involving their employees. It will look at how their ethical stance contradicts with what has gone on in the past regarding associates (employees) and management.

In 1950, Sam Walton purchased a store from Luther E. Harrison in Bentonville, Arkansas, and opened Walton 's 5 & 10. The town of 2,900 residents would become the headquarters for the world 's largest retailer.

Working at Wal-Mart Wal-Mart defends its low wage/low benefit personnel policy by arguing that it employs workers who are marginal to the income stream required by most American families. Only seven percent of the company’s hourly “associates” try to support a family with children on a single Wal-Mart income. The company therefore seeks out school-age youth, retirees, people with two jobs, and those willing or forced to work part-time. The managerial culture at Wal-Mart, if not the formal company personnel policy, justifies its discrimination against women workers, which now compose two-thirds of the workforce, on the grounds that they are not the main family breadwinner. Not since the rise of the textile industry early in the 19th

Wal-mart may be a topic of controversy but they also have a huge effect on the scale of global social responsibility.

Since the central contradiction of corporate social responsibility ethics is reduced to a matter of noblesse oblige, not human rights. Wal-Mart have been breaking the labor in which it is unethical practices because the labor department felt they were not being treated properly and the customer felt they were not giving the right quality of merchandise in which they paid for. According to report all outlets along with the suppliers are to fully abide to the law regulations in relation to the immigration labor, safe environment health. Wal-Mart was founded in 1962 in Arkansas by a mean named Roger’s Sam in 2002 Wal-Mart had become a very popular store for consumers to shop however

In 2005, “Wal-Mart took a leading role in disaster relief, contributing $18 million and 2,450 truckloads of supplies to victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita”. In addition, Wal-Mart strongly believes in supporting our service members and veterans. Along with Wal-Mart’s charitable contributions, it has “made a major commitment to environmental sustainability, announcing goals to create zero waste, use only renewable energy and sell products that sustain people and the environment” (Wal-Mart, 2015). Even though this retail giant exceeds its competitors in profits and revenues and, is a very charitable organization, it still faces many

It has been reported that Wal-Mart has been aware of these allegations since 2005 according to US lawmakers in November of that year congressman noted an email

Wal-Mart now has to rebuild their images, procedures on how they conduct business nationwide and how the use ethical business practices. The New York time article reported, “Wal-Mart announces new ethical and environmental principles complete by 2012”. (Robinson, 2008)

Wal-Mart is certainly credited with changing the retail world as we know it with its low prices and big stores with huge selections but it has come at a price. They have struggled with issues that question the ethics as a company and legal issues that question how they manage people. These issues will continue to hurt their organization unless a complete change in management thinking and actions are changed. As a socially responsible organization, their management planning in this area is second to none. Lets hope they take the same effort in improving their image when it comes to ethics and legal issues.