Fortune 500 Company: Walmart

Ninoshka M Baez Rivera         Group Project Contribution                Due: 4/28/19        

Fortune 500 Company: Walmart

       Many of us, at some point, have shopped at Walmart. We automatically assume there are everyone’s “go to” for groceries, general home goods and electronics. However, what is Walmart ultimate vision, what do they do?

       Walmart started small, with a single discount store and the simple idea of selling more for less, has grown over the last 50 years into the largest retailer in the world. Each week, over 275 million customers and members visit our more than 11,300 stores under 58 banners in 27 countries and eCommerce websites in 10 countries. With fiscal year 2019 revenue of $514.4 billion, Walmart employs over 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. It’s all part of our unwavering commitment to creating opportunities and bringing value to customers and communities around the world. (Walmart).

       Sam Walton, founder of Walmart said that “Personal and moral integrity is one of our basic fundamentals and it has to start with each of us” Walmart’s culture of ethics and integrity —the attitudes and conduct that help create an honest, fair and compliant workplace—defines who we are as a company and how we treat each other, our suppliers and our customers. (Walmart Corporation) Walmart has developed a website, WalmartEthics.com, which is able to be accessed globally and in 14 different languages. This website contains their Statement of Ethics, has a section where the public and submit ethical concerns and follow up on previously reported concerns. This allows Walmart to ethical and make its customers feel that they listen and are interested in doing right by them constantly. It is the company’s culture to be seen with integrity and high ethical standards.

       Walmart provides their associates with the company’s Statement of Ethics to help them succeed and to promote and recognize ethical roles. The following resources help evaluate and measure its ethical standing:

• Global helpline - Walmart provides global and local phone numbers that anyone can use to ask questions and report concerns 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The helpline is equipped to handle most local languages spoken in each of the retail markets where we operate.
• WalmartEthics.com - This website is available in 14 languages and accessible globally. It provides a platform where stakeholders can ask questions, read our Statement of Ethics, submit ethical concerns and follow up on previously reported concerns.
• Global case management system - This is both a repository for ethics cases and a system for managing them.
• Global case management process - Walmart has an established process for handling ethical concerns that promotes consistency across our global operations.
• Integrity in action awards - Our global recognition program celebrates associates who model integrity or encourage others to do so. Associates nominate candidates, and Walmart recognizes the award winners at our annual Shareholders meeting. In FY2018, Walmart honored 14 associates representing 13 different countries. (Walmart Corporation)

       Based on the information shared, one can easily assume that Walmart is directly in sync with the communities that surround them. It is Walmart’s mission to create opportunities so people can live better. They want to ensure they impact the communities they serve in a positive way. They offer grants, scholarships for their associates, participate in many volunteering events nationwide, and finally they also impact communities across the globe such as the Global Women’s Economic Empowerment. They donate millions of dollars in the effort to impact communities around the world and target specific issues those communities face.