Wal-Mart Ethics Essay - 2348 Words

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is currently entangled in a legal battle that will decide if the company has engaged willfully in gender-based discrimination. Underlying causes, organizational culture and ethical issues will be examined in determining how the largest private employer in the United States could have fallen prey to unfair labor practices. In 1999, women constituted 72% of Wal-Marts hourly employees, but only 33% of its managerial employees (Bhatnagar, 2004). This fact and many others are the reasons many people allege that Wal-Mart has unfair labor practices. The Dukes v. Wal-Mart case challenged the hiring, promotion and pay practices of Wal-Mart. The case was filed in June 2001. When the case reached class certification†¦show more content†¦Another root cause of Wal-Marts problem is their lack of a formal job posting policy. Associates are not made aware of management level openings. Those who selected to move up in the organization are picked by store and division level management staff without regard to skill or educational requirements. This system is described as a tap on the shoulder process (Betty Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc 2004). Another underlying problem for Wal-Mart is the companys policy to promote from within the company. This reinforces the organizational bad culture and practices. There are many unresolved issues with Wal-Mart that have made the news. The hourly pay scale for employees at the store level is below the Federal poverty level, many of the employees cant afford health care, and inequality of hiring women for management positions. The average Wal-Mart employee earns $8.00 an hour, with the average work week being about 32 hours. This equates to $256 a week or $13,312 a year. The Federal poverty level for a family of three is $14,630 (Brownstein 2005). Wal-Marts personnel polices are directed to keep wages cheap. Wal-Mart does this so they can maximize their profits. The health benefits for a Wal-Mart employee costs 20% of the average employees paycheck. Of their 1.2 million employees, 2/3 of the employees cant afford the health benefits. Over the last 12 years,Show MoreRelatedEthics and Management of Wal-Mart2569 Words   |  11 Pagesvalues, morals and ethics have become increasingly complex in a postmodern society where absolutes have gi ven way to tolerance and ambiguity. This particularly affects managers in Human Resources, where decisions will affect people’s jobs and their future employment. This paper will look at the history of Wal-Mart and it will glance at the management style and Ethics of Wal-Mart towards it internal and external customers. Wal-Mart Ethical and Management Style Wal-Mart is not only theRead MoreWal-Mart Ethics Case Essay1998 Words   |  8 PagesWal-Mart is the largest grocery chain in the world, second largest company on Fortune’s 500 2012 list, and the largest employer in North America. Wal-Mart is faced with many dilemmas and issues that can be expected of such a large and imposing organization. These problems include environmental issues, employee’s issues, leadership issues, supplier issues and creating an uncompetitive market. This is not an exhaustive list, and Wal-Mart has other dilemmas as well, but this paper will concentrate onRead MoreBusiness Ethics: Child Labor in Wal-Mart8552 Words   |  35 PagesPart A: Introduction There are several ways to define ethics. Ethic is a set of principles of right and wrong behavior guiding. Ethical person will behave in accordance with sound moral principles based on fairness, justice and trust (Wiley, 1995). The purpose of ethic is to provide an environment that allows people to live a more structured, happy life than would exist without ethics (Warnock, 1971). Business ethic is examination of variety of problems that can arise from business environmentRead MoreThe Ethics of the Wal-Mart Model887 Words   |  4 PagesThe Ethics of the Wal-Mart Model There are many opinions on the ethics of the Wal-Mart model, both favourable and unfavourable. The article â€Å"ROB Ranks Wal-Mart Among Canada’s Best Employers† (McLachlan, 2009, pg. 287) offers a favourable viewpoint of the model, and the article â€Å"The Cost of Walmartization† (McLachlan, 2009, pg. 288) offers an opposing unfavourable view. This paper discusses the theoretical approaches used in each article, along with the supporting evidence that was used in anRead MoreWal Mart s Latest Ethics Controversy Essay853 Words   |  4 PagesWal-Mart’s Latest Ethics Controversy 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 theirRead MorePersonal And Organizational Ethics : Wal Mart Corporate1814 Words   |  8 Pages Week One Journal Mornic Davis PHI445: Personal Organizational Ethics Prof: Robert Wengrzyn August 24, 2015 Week One Journal Place the name of the Not-For-Profit Organization here: Shriners Hospitals for Children Place the name of the For-Profit Organization here: Wal-Mart Corporate Reflection Prompt # 1 Summarize three of the ethical theories that are explained in Chapter 1 of Introduction to Business Ethics. Explain how people running businesses would construct their companies ifRead MoreWalmart and Its Associates Efficient Operator or Neglectful Employer1479 Words   |  6 PagesDiscrimination 4 Dominance Policies 4 Unionisation 5 Wal-Mart: Past and new allegations 5 Conclusion 6 References 7 Introduction: Ethical Issues (Appendix A) Wal-Mart had been criticized for its worst CSR practices which includes low wages for the employees (Karen, 2004). Immoral activity of paying low for more and the overtime works had been held (Karen, 2004) .The quantitative records of designations in the company showed that Wal-Mart had sexual discrimination in its organization (TheRead MoreMgt/330 Week 2 Team Paper External/Internal Factors of Planning1293 Words   |  6 Pagesinnovation; diversity; and ethics. These factors as they apply to Wal-Mart, one of the leading retail stores in the world, will be examined in this paper. During the past decade, retail markets have undergone many changes in their processes, services, and formats. The last part of distribution of the market strategy, retailing serves as a bridge between the final consumer and the mass producers of products. Retailing has reached every corner of the globe, and Wal-Mart has been eying areas whereRead MoreInternal and External Factors of Wal-Mart.1220 Words   |  5 PagesWal-Mart is a company that has always presented the image to go the extra mile to meet customer satisfaction. They have been able to grow in times when most companies were facing hardship. The implementation of walmart.com in January 2000 was a major step for the Wal-Mart organization. Their globalization, e-business, and ethics have been essential in the success of this and any company. Many people claim the ethics of Wal-Mart has changed greatly, and not for the better, since the death of Sam WaltonRead MoreWal Marts Statement Of Ethics1716 Words   |  7 Pagesinfor mation (Stanwick Stanwick, 2009). Wal-Mart’s Statement of Ethics has a specific section dedicated to protecting personal and business information. In the daily business of a Wal-Mart associated they may be exposed to personal and business information about other coworkers, customers, suppliers and the company. Associates are expected to protect the information in accordance to the best practice standards and applicable laws (Wal-Mart Statement of Ethics, 2008). Trade secrets of the company