Wal Mart's Statement Of Ethics

The author of “Working At Wal-Mart,” a case study, provides a stunning overview of a day in the life of a Wal-Mart employee. The sheer number of ethical issues that present themselves for the average Wal-Mart worker are beyond astounding, as Barbara Ehrenreich covers in her study. The sheer morality and care for Wal-Mart staff that is far from evident in this piece speaks to the way that corporate culture has become ethically and morally bankrupt in numerous ways.

The values and attitudes in Walmart’s business situation deals with a lot of the overall ethics. This paper will discuss some situations that comes in walmart .ethics. This paper will include clear definitions of organizational values and a description of the organizational values of Wal-Mart. This research is conducted to understand the success of Walmart’s employment rate. The values and attitudes will be related to some examples of other companies and how Walmart was successful. Some arguments that will be addressed in this research paper is basic and common.

Walmart requires honest and accurate reporting of financial information. All financial records and accounts must accurately reflect financial transactions and events. They must conform to GAAP and to Walmart’s internal controls. No Walmart document or record may be falsified and no undisclosed account of their assets can be established (Walmart 6).

The term “ethics” is defined as moral principles that govern a person’s or group’s behavior. When speaking of business ethics, one is referring to the study, and examination of moral as well as social responsibility relating to business practices, also including its application to the four functions of management as well as the decision-making process in business (Batesman, pg.167). This internal factor can easily influence the how an organization goes about accomplishing the four functions of management. Wal-Mart, like most businesses believe they uphold ethical standards in their business practice. According to Wal-Mart’s statement of ethics, leading with integrity in a workplace is key to running a business (Wal-Mart Ethics pg.10). Leading with integrity, and expecting teammates to work with integrity is one of their main focuses- Wal-Mart’s original founder Sam Walton said,” that it has always been an ethically led company” (Wal-Mart Ethics pg.4). They follow their three basic beliefs: respect for individuals, service to the customers, and striving for excellence (Wal-Mart Ethics pg.5). Although organizations may have their code of ethics, they still come across the occasional ethical problem in the company. Wal-Mart for example, had an issue with an employee named, Chalace Epley Lowery. Lowery believed that another

Wal-Mart was started over fifty years ago in Arkansas and within those fifty years has emerged into the largest retailer in the world. Wal-Mart operates in many countries with thousands of stores and millions of employees. One reason for Wal-Mart’s is the value and hard work they put into upholding their code of ethics. Wal-Mart has three basic beliefs – respect for the individual, service to their customers, and striving for excellence. Of the five key elements that I believe are key foundations for the ethics and character for the company, three come from their basic beliefs. The five key elements of Wal-Mart’s code of conduct are – respect, service to customers, striving for

WalMart is known not the biggest retailer on the planet additionally known for low advantages and wages. This is a moral issue that was tended to. It was said that WalMart needed to procure healthier and low maintenance specialists. This was terrible press for WalMart and they needed to do something to enhance their association with worker stakeholder 's.

Approach any random stranger in America and ask them where they can get their groceries, clothes, appliances, and electronics from at a cheap price and they will most likely say Wal-Mart. A pioneer of the “one-stop-shop”, Wal-Mart has evolved from a small, wholesome shopping mart into a world renown corporation. America has not seen a complete domination of the market in this manner, since the mid 1900’s with General Motors. Wal-Mart has revolutionized the American culture of saving money. With all of the successes, there are also many consequences and controversies that flood the corporation’s name, making it also one of the most infamous and negatively viewed businesses in the world. The unethical working conditions, wages, and lack of benefits combine with the undeniable truth of Wal-Mart’s monopoly of the variety store genre has deemed the company “evil” among many Americans. However, there is a reason as to why Wal-Mart is still exponentially growing in net worth every single day. It is the success story that gives millions hope and strive to achieve. People may look down upon Wal-Mart, but it is a great asset to America as it provides jobs for millions of Americans, offers necessities at the lowest price possible, and is the physical embodiment of the American dream.

… describes the ethical and legal responsibilities all Kohl's Associates are required to uphold. It is a guide and a resource, and is intended to alert Associates to significant ethical and legal issues that frequently arise. Kohl’s Associates must sign an Acknowledgement of Receipt and Compliance at commencement of employment and periodically thereafter as requested by the Human Resources Department (Kohl’s Ethical Standards, n.d., p.1).

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is the world 's largest retail enterprise, with total revenue of $421.8 billion and a net income of $16.4 billion in 2011. 1 It is also the world 's largest employer, with 2.1 million employees worldwide in 2010 2, not including workers hired by its providers. In my opinion, Wal-Mart provides a clear illustration through which to look at how many multinational companies (MNCs) take part in an illegal and unethical behavior. They use their bargaining power and market control to pressure countries to overlook environmental degradation and violation of national labor laws. They dictate expected pricing for products, particularly through imports from overseas countries. Labor is fulfilled mostly by underage and underpaid employees. In the United States, since 2005, Wal-Mart has paid about $1 billion in damages to U.S. employees in six different cases related to unpaid work. 3 Furthermore, Wal-Mart opposes any form of collective action, even when employees are not seeking unionization, but simply more respect. 4 The fact that Wal-Mart opposes unions exist. The company has a long history of fighting them, to the point of closing stores after employees organize. Managers have been instructed to talk to their teams about why unions are so unwanted in their business. Overseas, the company was involved in a series of scandals, including multiple cases of bribery. In April 2012, The New York Times published a story that

I believe Wal-Mart’s labor policy and practice is based on greed and its ambitions to make and save money. Wal-Mart initially could just had an utilitarian ethical perspective in which it was practicing to do the greatest amount of good for the largest group of people(Wal-Mart’s people and its bottom line), however, Wal-Mart crossed the line when they started to put employees’ safety at jeopardy and violating employees’ rights. Wal-Mart’s actions of doing a Cost- Benefit Analysis and deciding it was cheaper to wash workers’ blood from clothing before shipping the clothing overseas for sale than it was to provide gloves could only be define as greed. They are no longer taking in consideration what is the greatest amount good for Wal-Mart since

Wal-Mart would rather bribe factories money to move on and brush it under the carpet instead of taking responsibility for their involvement. So, one would have to think this is not due to the lack of knowledge of the practices in the factories, but the choice to ignore and not care of these practices. In 2012, Wal-Mart choose to “make payments to Mexican officials of more than $24 million noted by The New York Times and in Asia there were 90 reports within a year and half period” (Sethi) to cover situations up demonstrating that money talks.

Wal-Mart emerged in the early 1960’s as a one-stop shop, advertising everyday low prices. The idea quickly took off and expanded beyond the original store in Arkansas to all across the U.S. by the 1980’s. People loved the convenience Wal-Mart provided, eliminating multiple trips to different stores and saving time. They also saved money by shopping here, so it was an obvious choice for many consumers to shop at and support Wal-Mart. But behind their low prices and convenience, a more sinister motive exists. The true price of big business like this is unfair wages, unethical practices, destruction of the environment and damage to local companies.

Walmart is responsible to making sure that their subcontractors are not mistreating the workers and stripping the workers of their basic human rights.

Like the founder of the world’s largest retail company said himself, Walmart has certainly appreciated everything their associates do for their business. Everything, including dying. While Walmart has been scrutinized in the past for unethical behavior, one of their most heinous acts in recent years has been secretly taking out life insurance policies on unsuspecting “rank and file” employees and cashing in on them after they die. This highly publicized and shameless

1. What is the ethical dilemma facing Wal-Mart in this case ? Do Wal-Mart’s associates also face an ethical dilemma? If so, what is it ?