Eth/316 Week 3 Cross Cultural Perspectives

Cross-Cultural Perspectives
(Wal-Mart)
Sandra M. Hubbard
May 13, 2013
ETH/316
Ed McCullough

Cross-Cultural Perspectives 2

As an organization goes global, there is a new set of social and ethical issues that arise. In this instance, the organization, Wal-Mart, is considered the giant of retail and one of the largest companies in the world. It has grown as a staple in America as well as on an international platform, touching base in countries such as Japan and China. Wal-Mart is the largest retailer and the largest company in the history of the world in the way it conducts business operations. Wal-Mart management has implemented ways to overcome the challenges that present the ethical and social responsibilities with regard
In researching Wal-Mart 's global operations, the management team finds that what may work in the United States may not work for the other countries in which they are established. For Wal-Mart to compete with other companies that produce similar products in those countries, it had to examine its strategies. For example, Wal-Mart has lost millions of dollars in Germany. Wal-Mart used the experiences in Germany as a template of what to do and what not to do in other countries.
Cultural conflicts occur when customers from different countries view the products of a company as inferior than other companies. For instance, Wal-Mart operates stores in 15 countries, each country has its own cultures, and these cultures
Cross-Cultural Perspectives 3 may influence the performance of this company in the global market (Cultural conflict,
The failure in the German connection with Wal-Mart taught Wal-Mart to use local management that was knowledgeable for what the people of Germany wanted. Even the sale of unfamiliar merchandise was a mistake on Wal-Mart 's part, causing the difference in consumer shopping habits. One of the greatest challenges in the corporate world is coordinating and managing people from different cultures.
On an ethical and social responsibility level, Wal-Mart has the philosophy of operating globally and giving back locally. It embraces corporate responsibility locally and globally. For example, in 2005, Wal-Mart showed its responsibility to help during the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and also during the horrific earthquake that devastated Haiti.
Walmart has a Global Ethics Office in place that serves as a guide and resource for ethical decision making, provides a confidential and anonymous reporting system, and leads a continuing ethics education and communication