Introduction
Walmart, one of the largest retail stores in the world today, was an idea of a guy named Sam Walton who made it into practise in the year 1962. The main aim of coming up with Walmart was to provide quality goods and services to the population at a reasonable and affordable prices to all people of different living standards. To achieve this Walton had to ensure that the cost of factors of production was reduced at the necessary levels possible. Transport, storage and employee satisfaction were some of the things put into consideration to ensure the intended goal is achieved. In the process of trying to deliver cheap but quality goods and services to the community, several challenges are met along the way that needs special handling.
Walmart as a service providing organisation to the community direct is prone to a lot of challenges. Considering the scale that Walmart is operating, it is clear that the measures put in place to make it sustainable is working at the moment. Energy use is one of the major factors that managers of Walmart have put more emphasis to ensure the company is more environmental friendly and at the same still providing quality goods and services to the people. From statistics, is clear that Walmart is one of the major companies that has invested in solar heating panels installed on the roofs of the buildings. This has proved to be very efficient especially during the summer where the total reduction in the emission to the environment is greatly increased. Making use of the natural light during the day is another very important aspect that see the company contribute to a higher percentage on the energy that is saved. Recylcling and educating the employees about better, and good disposing of methods is also another very important thing practised by the company. A sustainability index has also been developed which consist of two parts and is used to analyse the condition of the company on different grounds.
Ethical issues Walmart has faced
Still narrowing down to the operational scale, Walmart has faced several ethical issues during its operation in the different parts of the world where it is situated. Corruption has been a major problem where the managers involved in a particular branch of the business give out bribery to the relevant authorities in exchange for some favours. One of the cases is what happened Mexico where the managers bribed the council of the city for them to be issued with a license to construct their premises in a certain town which was against the rules considering the size of the structure. Another scenario where this is seen is china where during partnership with an existing firm in the same field, Walmart was not supposed to acquire more than 51% shares. Through bribing, managers of that branch were able to acquire a higher percentage of the shares. Safety of the employment is another ethical issue that affected the company. In one case. Several employees burned ina certain premise and when the research was done it was found that poor fire fighting equipments were or none at all was present in the building. This showed how careless the company is in regard to the safety of the employees in providing a good working environment. Employee's affair is neglected from the fact that unions are greatly discouraged in this company. Those found forming a union or registered with one are fired from the company that shows the aspect of divide and rule.
How Walmart is attempting to answer concerns regarding misconduct
Several questions have arisen regarding the measures that the company is undertaking regarding misconduct. Misconduct is an aspect that is seen throughout the hierarchy in a particular firm from the juniouremployees the senior staff. Walmart is in cooperation with the judicial system of the country concerning corruption whereby actions by members who are responsible for making important decisions concerning the company are closely monitored. Any cases of corruption concerning any member are punishable by either having the member sacked, fined or imprisoned for a certain time. Provision of clear audit reports is also done to ensure that even the suppliers are responsible for the quality of goods provided in terms of material and timely delivery to ensure efficiency. A communication network which is available to all has also been established to enable customers raise any complains concerning a particular product or employee at any given time anonymously.
Conclusion
Walmart is a great company that has been showing positive growth over time despite the small challenges faced in it operation. However, some changes can still be to ensure that the goods and services offered at the company are of a high standard and remain that way. Reducing the rate of expansion is one of the methods that can enhance the quality of services offered. This will give the room for more concentration on the improvement of services rather than expansion. Employee motivation strategy is another aspect that can be used. An employee satisfied is a customer satisfied as the employee will give full attention and good service to the customer due to a better relationship with the company.
