Dear Bob,
You have asked me audit our company and develop a plan to improve or sustain the legal astuteness level of our company, and to make sure it is a part of everyday business. Astute is defined as having or showing shrewdness and perspicacity, or otherwise a strong knowledge of. The law establishes guidelines, which function as an ethical floor, a line that if crossed will, and should, result in consequences. Therefore legal astuteness requires having a strong knowledge of the laws that govern our business and practices in place to comply with those laws. I will be exploring the legal astuteness of our company from the store level operations, which is the largest portion of our business, to provide you with the most accurate information I have.
As way of background let me establish that we are, as discussed in my memo dated November 27, 2007, a very ethical corporation. With many practices in place that go above and beyond the legal minimums that are required. For example, we give to our communities more than three million dollars a week. We care for our employee with the very best benefits in our industry. We strive to be the best for our shareholders, by always being honest and forthcoming in financial information. We thrive and prosper by our guests that shop in our stores, and we train our team to be friendly and courteous to them.
To begin the analysis we need to establish criteria for evaluating and exploring our current level of astuteness. I will then explain a few barriers, that make it difficult to expand our understanding, and practice of legal astuteness. Then we can take a closer look at different areas of the law that Target deals with almost daily and that should be included in a training program. Finally I will attemp ...