...merchant like Wal-Mart acting ethically and good for America? Or has this monopoly game gone on too unethically long? Wal-Mart has a broad span of likes and dislikes from America, but after given the facts I can bet most would agree that Wal-Mart is bad for America. There are numerous ethical problems with Wal-Mart as well as numerous things that just don’t seem right with the company. Wal-Mart is nationally known for having awful wages for their employees. I believe this is unethical simply for the fact that what Wal-Mart pays their normal employees is not enough to support one self and not enough to live. The money a Wal-Mart employee makes in one year is a couple thousand dollars below the poverty line. There for making the statement that if you work at Wal-Mart you will be broke and poor and won’t be able to support another person, let alone a whole family. Another problem with Wal-Mart is the working conditions. Employees at Wal-Mart have been forced to work off the clock, have been locked in the building during night shifts, have had their overtime pay not paid in full, have had random wage decreases. Wal-Mart is also known for discriminating against females during the hiring process. Wal-Mart also has been documented for making employees miss their break/meal periods, as well as the overlooking off illegals being hired and forced to work for cheaper pay and longer hours. This is just a short list of a lot of unethical decisions by Wal-Mart. If a Wal-Mart were to move...
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...Is Wal-Mart good for America? Wal-Mart is one of the most powerful and broadest companies in America. There are more than 5,000 stores worldwide, 100 million shoppers per week and they had $256 billion sales in 2003.Everything is very inexpensive there and they always have the lowest prices. Although that is a good thing, it is bad because it keeps people out of work and the workers get low wages. Global retailers are the most powerful companies in America now. Sam Walton, the creator of Wal-Mart said his formula was, “Buy cheap, sell for less than the other guy and make your profit on high volume and fast turnover.” Wal-Mart can be examined using both structural functional and social conflict theory. Structural functional theory is when society is a complex system of interconnected and interrelated social structures each having a function and working together to promote social stability. One hundred million people shop at Wal-Mart every week. Wal-Mart is very convenient for people to shop at. Most people do not even have to shop at other stores because Wal-Mart has everything. It’s also convenient because it is right around the corner from a lot of customers houses; they don’t have to travel far to find a Wal-Mart store so they save gas. People already know that Wal-Mart has the lowest prices so they don’t have to search for stores with low prices. The items sold are good quality as well as cheap. What more could someone ask for. Wal-Mart is a world leader in logistics and...
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...In modern America, being able to receive goods that you want, when you want them, is very important for consumers. No other company seems to utilize this better than Wal-mart. It’s everyday low prices benefit consumers, and itś a very convenient, one-stop-shop. It promotes efficiency in suppliers, ultimately turning push production into pull production. Despite this, Wal-Mart also has some negative effects on American society, more specifically American workers. Firstly, Wal-Mart decides what to sell, and they want it at a small cost, which essentially corners businesses into giving them what they want, thus controlling businesses. Producers realize that Wal-Mart allows for the widespread consumption of their products, and are willing to bend over backwards to appease the megacorporation. One former Wal-Mart supplier said that Wal-Mart will auction off prices, forcing suppliers to grapple for the lowest possible price in return for their products being sold. One example of Wal-Martś ability to control businesses is their ordeal with Rubbermaid. When Rubbermaid found that their cost of production was increasing, they asked Wal-Mart if they could increase their itemś prices. Wal-Mart refused Rubbermaid´s request, and...
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...Wal-Mart Wal-Mart is known for its low prices to the American market. There is a clash between these low prices they offer to the American customers and the interest of the American workers. The low prices that they have offered the American market has made if very difficult if not impossible for their competitors to keep up with them which in turn put those competitors out of business. Wal-Mart has given us efficiency which is a good thing and should not be held accountable for its competitors not being able to keep up. “Wal-Mart is not just the world's largest retailer. It's the world's largest company--bigger than ExxonMobil, General Motors, and General Electric. The scale can be hard to absorb. Wal-Mart sold $244.5 billion worth of goods last year. It sells in three months what number-two retailer Home Depot sells in a year.” Wal-Mart is just a good business because they can afford to give these rock bottom prices. We all know the downside twist to this great deal that Wal-Mart has offered. They are accused of shutting down local businesses, driving down employment rates and mistreating workers especially women and youth. If anything we realize that this is a very powerful enterprise. Their sales associates, who comprise the majority of workers within the company, only earned average annual wages of $13,861 in 2001. This was about $769 below the poverty line for a family of three. So when it comes to employment there is no debate that it is not the most beneficial thing...
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...Hampshire University Identification of Topic Wal-Mart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas and founded by Sam Walton in Rogers, Ark in 1962(Walmart. (n.d). In Wikipedia). When Wal-Mart first opened its doors they would open in rural areas thereby avoid competition from the current retails giants Sear and Kmart (Britannica.(n.d). In Britannica). As they began to grow they began adding different business models to their portfolio. In 1983, they added the discount warehouse of Sam’s club. In 1988, they added Wal-Mart Supercenters thus adding groceries to their portfolio making them one of the largest grocers in United States. Wal-Mart is an organization that is seen as one of the most successful groups in the world (Fortune, 2015). They are known for their low cost low price motto thus paying their suppliers and employees the lowest wages possible. They perpetually pay their employees less wages compared to other large retailers. One of the reason is their stong stance against employees being unionized (Britannica.(n.d). In Britannica). They are also known for going into urban area and forcing local merchants out of business since they can’t compete with the retail giant Research Questions 1. Why does Wal-Mart choose to practice a low prices motto for both supplier and employees? 2. Why women employees at Wal-mart are not able to climb the corporate ladder? 3. Why Wal-Mart has an Anti-Union Stance? 4. How Wal-Mart exploits employees? Rationale and Reasoning ...
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...Since 1962, Wal-Mart has lived by founder Sam Walton’s core strategy: “the lowest prices anytime, anywhere.” The first Wal-Mart originated in Rogers, Arkansas and within five year, twenty-four stories has since popped up around the nation. Today, according to the Wal-Mart Corporate website, there are more than 11,000 stories in over 27 countries worldwide. The company also employs over 2.2 million employees throughout all of its stores and sees an average of 200 million customers a week. Even though Wal-Mart produces thousands of jobs each year and maintains consistently low prices, the public’s view of the company as a whole is a less than desirable one. Through its commercials, Wal-Mart tries to portray itself as an All-American wholesale...
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...Wal-Mart, as the largest global retailer, has 6,000 global suppliers. And eighty percent of those suppliers locate in China. It is definitely that Wal-Mart heavy relies on Chinese suppliers. To a certain degree, it has a negative effect on American economy, I think. Firstly, Wal-Mart alone is responsible for a loss of nearly a million U.S. jobs since the early 1990s due to its own growing trade deficits with China. The manufacturing sector and its workers were hardest hit by the growth of Wal-Mart's imports. According to a survey, Wal-Mart's increased trade deficit with China eliminated approximately 130 thousands manufacturing jobs, 68% of all job lost in 2006 (Robert E. Scott). Wal-Mart's huge reliance on Chinese imports clarifies that many powerful economic actors in the U.S. benefit from China's policy of maintaining an undervalued Yuan and its abuse of labor rights. Although Wal-Mart gets the great benefits, it is not the country's gain. These policies have contributed directly to growing trade deficit that endangers future economic growth. In addition to, when Wal-Mart's entry into a new market, it does not increase overall retail activities or employment opportunities and has a negative effect on existing retailers. The upshot of this is that stores near a new Wal-Mart are at increased risk going out of business because Wal-Mart's is dependent on low-cost China's imports. An investigation shows that 82 of the 306 small business had gone out of their business by March 2008...
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...Essay #3. First draft. Is Walmart good or bad for America? Throw the years Walmart have expanded more and more , and attracted more customers And employee’s .Some people can’t live without Walmart ,Some shop at Walmart and other work there , but not everyone is a fan of Walmart .Walmart also do a lot of good things to the community ,But the question here does Walmart do more good stuff to the community or does they make the community even more worse? Lets start and talk about the good stuff that Walmart do. They're cheap which helps low income families or people who just want cheap stuff. One-stop shopping is also a huge plus for a lot of people save time, gas, and money. You might have to turn some of the bad into a bit of good. For one, retail employment growth - they open a lot of jobs for a lot of people, and you can find all you can need in Walmart from food to tires to pet supplies , so you wont have to go to ten stores to buy you’re stuff , and they are one of the cheapest stores in America. Is Walmart bad for America? Over 100 million customers visit Wal-Mart every single week in this country, but is it good for America. and that question cannot be answered , because the reason that people hate Walmart is the same reason that the other half of America love Walmart .And that is what they want .Walmart god so big that they started paying people less than the minimum wage , and they couldn’t care less. In 2010, Wal-Mart had revenues of 421 billion dollars...
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...Introduction Wal-Mart is a public multinational corporation that operates a chain of large discount stores and warehouse stores. Wal-Mart is the world’s largest private employer with over 2 million employees. Wal-Mart has over 8,500 stores in 15 countries, more than 4400 of them are in the United States. Wal-Mart operates their U.S. stores under many names including, Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart Supercenter, Sam’s Club, Neighborhood Market by Wal-Mart, Supermercado de Wal-Mart (in Hispanic neighborhoods) and Wal-Mart Express. Number of stores as of December 31, 2009 The first Wal-Mart was opened in Rogers Arkansas on July 2, 1962 by local business man Sam Walton. Walton had previously worked at J.C. Penny before becoming a franchise owner of a Ben Franklin. During his years at Ben Franklin, Walton discovered that the key to profits was dealing directly with the suppliers and passing the savings on to the customers through volume. Wal-Mart was incorporated as a public company 1970, with 38 stores in five states: Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Oklahoma. That same year the first distribution center was opened in Bentonville, Arkansas. Wal-Mart grew rapidly and by 1987 they had 1,198 stores. How did Wal-Mart become so successful? Many say it was because Sam Walton was “Cheap”. Not only did he demand rock bottom prices from suppliers, he required everyone on his staff to fly coach and share hotel rooms on business trips. Cost-cutting became an obsession at Wal-Mart. Walton...
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...2014 Bibliography Carney, Timothy P. "Increasing the Minimum Wage Favors Megastores Like Wal-Mart." The Minimum Wage. Ed. Noah Berlatsky. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Wal-Mart, Costco Back Minimum Wage That Could Hurt Small Rivals." Washington Examiner 20 Apr. 2007. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. De Coster, Karen. "Wal-Mart Benefits Americans." Ethics. Ed. Laurie DiMauro and Tina Grant. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "The Case for Wal-Mart." www.mises.org. 2003. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. Longo, Don. "Wal-Mart Supports Communities." Are Chain Stores Ruining America? Ed. Kirsten Engdahl. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. At Issue. Rpt. from "Fighting a Bad Rap: Wal-Mart's Positive Contributions to Retailing and Local Communities Are Often Overlooked by Sensation-seeking Press and Special Interests." Retail Merchandiser (2004). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. Longworth, Richard. "The Urban Poor Need Supermarkets, Not Urban Agriculture." Urban Agriculture. Ed. Nancy Dziedzic and Lynn Zott. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Forget Urban Farms. We Need a Wal-Mart." Good Inc. 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. Vedder, Richard, and Wendell Cox. "Wal-Mart's Anti-Union Business Model Is Good for Workers." The Wal-Mart Revolution: How Big-Box Stores Benefit Consumers, Workers, and the Economy. Washington...
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...WAL-MART’S PROBLEMS IN Wal-Mart’s Problems in International Market Patiporn Kitlertphiroj University College of University of Denver Abstract Wal-Mart, the biggest retailer in the world, is spreading its power throughout the world, starting with nine countries in Asia, Europe and South America. The expansion has planed for more in the near future. With its attempt to penetrate hypermarket culture in every country which it enters, many severe problems are come into play. Acquisitions and joint venture with local businesses became a problem in nationalism country. Thus, strict governments’ rules and regulations blocked business operations. Misreading competitors and late in entry destroyed location opportunities the same as harmed relationship with local suppliers. Inadaptable to local culture become a big problem in global business. Moreover, low wages, unions and sex discrimination brought Wal-Mart to be an evil in employees’ perspective. Literature Review Wal-Mart is the largest Discount Store in the United States. Its magnitude is not only recognized domestically but also expanded to International Market. The company believes that one day this one will replace the United States position when the trend down (Molin, 2004). With this goal Wal-mart is encouraged to expanding stores into nine countries around the world and more in its plans (About Wal-Mart, 2001). Being number one in the United States does not always guarantee for being number one...
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...fundamental values of the organization and directly impact the performance, quality and innovation capabilities of business, results affect the competitiveness of enterprises. (Sloane & Witney, 2010) According to Bratton (2007), Employee Relations is concerned with preventing and resolving problems involving individuals who arise out of or affect work situations. The employee relations directly related to the work environment, fairness; it is based on communication with the superior and more important as the policy which directly affects the rights and obligations of employees (Bratton & Gold, 2007). A good employee relations is a result of a variety of tactics and strategies of management, it is done to improve communication, increase contact to minimize errors and to promote state in the work of staff (Bateman and Snell, 2011). According to Rhoades et al (2001), To get good practice in relation to staff, managers need to pay attention to: the coordination and appropriate of employers, fairness in salary and award based on law, the professional and the rational use of human resources and development activities to improve working relationships (Rhoades et al (2001). Managers need to pay attention to the following: first, strengthening the...
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...Wal-Mart Case Study I believe that America supports Wal-Mart and that Wal-Mart has become the most successful retail sales company in the United States. The number one goal of a corporation is to increase shareholders wealth and Wal-Mart is doing just that. If Wal-Mart were so bad, then people would stop shopping there. The world is all one big market, if people wanted to pay more for their goods, then they would end up paying more for the labor of the goods as well. If there are people that want to pay less for their goods (Wal-Mart shoppers) then they expect that they are going to pay less for the labor of the goods. The United States population is selfish, they will purchase goods at the lowest cost for pure self-benefit and Wal-Mart capitalizes on this fact. You can’t blame Wal-Mart for being too good at what they do. “Wal-Mart's company philosophy ('The Wal-Mart Way') is to be at the leading edge of logistics, distribution, transportation, and technology. The Wal-Mart business model would fail instantly without its advanced technology (Wal-Mart has the largest IT systems of any private company in the world) and supply chain (Wal-Mart has made significant investments in supply chain management).” The United States population wants to save their money, and they will save their money one way or another. Just because Wal-Mart provides its customers with the lowest price doesn’t mean they are at fault, the fact is that if your going to pay bottom dollar for your goods...
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...John Edwards ENGL 1013 Composition 1 4/28/2012 Argumentative Synthesis “Up Against Wal-Mart” “Progressive Wal-Mart. Really.” Profiting an average of 1.8 million every hour, managing 2.2 million employees in over 11,000 stores in 27 countries, according to Fortune Global 500 list in 2014; Wal-Mart is the worlds largest company by revenue. Author Karren Olsson, “Up Against Wal-Mart”, hearsays for Wal-Mart employees and their supposedly unfair treatment. This opinion of Olssons is quite convincing; especially considering the borderline argument that Wal-Mart should become a union workforce due to their off the clock, low paid, overwhelming workloads. Sebastian Mallaby, author of “Progressive Wal-Mart. Really.” and columnist for the Washing Post, finds views such as Olssons comically dysfunctional. Mallaby’s brief article overrides these skeptical cruel theories towards Wal-Mart by explaining globalization. Wal-Mart’s globalizing economic decisions for the underprivileged leads Sam Walton’s idea wanting to not only build America but moreover, build the world. Confident in Wal-Mart being a cruel company, Olsson provides multiple miserable quotes from employees. For instance, introducing her essay is the portrayal of Jennifer McLaughlin, one that “wears wide-leg jeans and spiky plastic chokers, dyes her hair dark red, and works at Wal-Mart”(606). McLaughlin’s day-to-day demands from managers may be to “hop on a mechanical lift to retrieve something from a high shelf, catch...
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...like Wal-mart, with its plastic bags and plastic junk Another is that Wal-mart couldn't hack the pro-labor union culture of Germany. Another is that Germany is anti-American when it comes to name-brand retailers (even though Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks are popular there).” B: Wal-mart failed because of their lack of knowledge, of foreign countries. In order for Wal-mart to have a successful business over seas, is to do research about the particular country that they want their cultural business to be located. “There are many reasons why Wal- Mart’s business model failed in Germany, such as Cultural attitudes, Customer Service, and Cultural arrogance all contributed to what one economist referred to as a failure. But under these basic economic decisions were a host of basic cross- cultural mistakes that fuelled the company’s poor strategic planning.” They had the right idea on how to approach Germany, but they didn‘t do their research on the country it‘s self. “Wal-Mart failed to take into account Germany’s cultural attitudes, especially with regard to such matters as labor law and the role of unions.” Wal-mart’s guide lines are focusing on just the company and not about the different countries values. “Wal-Mart also runs afoul of requirements that workers‟ representatives be consulted before introducing changes in working conditions.” If Wal-mart would have did more research on Germany, because Germany expects a discount store to stick with their corporate values. Wal-mart’s...
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