Ethics Essay
Business Ethics 4438 Wal-Mart’s Bribery Scandal Analysis
Presented By: Josh Himmel
250 516 805
Presented to: Mark Reno Monday December 3rd 2012
Company Background
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (Wal-Mart) is one of the world’s largest retailers with chains of discount department stores across numerous countries worldwide. Wal-Mart has been highly regarded as the third largest public corporation and employs approximately 200,000 employees, which has cemented Wal-Mart’s status as the largest private employer in the world. With 8,500 stores in 15 different countries Wal-Mart has been able to grow substantially and become one of the most valuable companies in recent history.
Importance of Ethics at Wal-Mart
Now that the presence and importance of Wal-Mart has been established, it is then important to evaluate Wal-Mart from an ethical standpoint considering their decisions can have a significant impact on so many different stakeholders. Some of the most important stakeholders involve; employees, customers, and suppliers. These stakeholders are directly impacted by Wal-Mart’s decisions on an everyday basis; however, there are so many more that can be affected. For example, it is known that establishing a Wal-Mart store in a developing country can provide a significant boost in that country’s economy in regards to providing employment and resources to the local people. Therefore, it is appropriate for Wal-Mart executives to broaden their scope when making decisions to account for locals in the developing countries in which they operate as well as government officials. Since Wal-Marts operations has such a strong hold on so many different parties it is important to note that any decision made in an ethical context can have a grave impact both on both social and economy aspects of society.
Wal-Mart prides itself on being a family-owned business which traces all the way back to the founder Sam Walton who established the business
Presented By: Josh Himmel
250 516 805
Presented to: Mark Reno Monday December 3rd 2012
Company Background
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (Wal-Mart) is one of the world’s largest retailers with chains of discount department stores across numerous countries worldwide. Wal-Mart has been highly regarded as the third largest public corporation and employs approximately 200,000 employees, which has cemented Wal-Mart’s status as the largest private employer in the world. With 8,500 stores in 15 different countries Wal-Mart has been able to grow substantially and become one of the most valuable companies in recent history.
Importance of Ethics at Wal-Mart
Now that the presence and importance of Wal-Mart has been established, it is then important to evaluate Wal-Mart from an ethical standpoint considering their decisions can have a significant impact on so many different stakeholders. Some of the most important stakeholders involve; employees, customers, and suppliers. These stakeholders are directly impacted by Wal-Mart’s decisions on an everyday basis; however, there are so many more that can be affected. For example, it is known that establishing a Wal-Mart store in a developing country can provide a significant boost in that country’s economy in regards to providing employment and resources to the local people. Therefore, it is appropriate for Wal-Mart executives to broaden their scope when making decisions to account for locals in the developing countries in which they operate as well as government officials. Since Wal-Marts operations has such a strong hold on so many different parties it is important to note that any decision made in an ethical context can have a grave impact both on both social and economy aspects of society.
Wal-Mart prides itself on being a family-owned business which traces all the way back to the founder Sam Walton who established the business
Cited: "Fortune 500 2007: Full List 1-100." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. <http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2007/full_list/index.html>. Ownership Reaches 48.2% Level | RetailingToday.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. <http://www.retailingtoday.com/article/walton-family-ownership-reaches-482-level>.