Unit 1: Making Marketing Value Decisions
Think Globally/Act Ethically
1. Any company doing business in the United States and abroad has a responsibility to be socially responsible. This responsibility is guided by business ethics ? basic values that guide a firm's behavior. These ethics come into all decisions made by businesses. Including what goes into the products, how they are advertised and sold, and how they are disposed of. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is the largest corporation and private employer in the United States. Wal-Mart is consistently listed among America's most admired companies by Fortune magazine. At the same time, it is frequently the target of criticism for its employment practices and its effect on the larger economy and community. How should consumers evaluate these issues? Is it ethical to shop at Wal-Mart? (http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/ethicalperspectives/wal-mart.html)
Wal-Mart can both be seen as socially responsible and also unethical. Wal-Mart makes headlines almost everyday with stories of hiring illegal immigrants, gender discrimination, low wages, and pushing smaller stores out of business. This is only one side of the story, however. Passing along the gains of its brilliant distribution system to consumers, its farsighted managers have done nothing less than democratize the American dream. Its low prices are spurring productivity and helping win the fight against inflation. It is America's most admired company. (http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/ethicalperspectives/wal-mart.html)
According to Forbes magazine Wal-Mart, last year alone, gave $140 million to non-profit organizations. Also, Wal-Ma ...