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Identifying Key Problems Related to Business Ethics Within Wal-Mart and the American Red Cross

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Identifying Key Problems Related to Business Ethics Within Wal-Mart and the American Red Cross
Identifying Key Problems Related to Business Ethics within Wal-Mart and the American Red Cross

Laura Johnson

PHI 445 Personal & Organizational Ethics

Instructor: Debrian Hughes

January 21, 2013

Identifying Key Problems Related to Business Ethics within Wal-Mart and the American Red Cross

(PART-1) As an Ethnographic Researcher I am writing this Article about Wal-Mart, a For-Profit Organization and The American Red Cross, a Non-Profit Organization to identify any key problems that are related to business ethics and to explain the ethical dilemmas that are found within these two organizations. Included in this article will the company's profile and history, and my own personal reflections about these ethical actions that were taken in relation to the problem, and which moral and ethical theory I feel is best for each organizational issue. Lets begin with the American Red Cross a not-for-profit Organization. The American Red Cross is a humanitarian agency that responds to natural disasters here at home and also abroad. They bring comfort and care by providing food and other essentials that are needed during a natural disasters. The American Red Cross also provides community educational programs and is funded by people who donate not only money, and items, but their time. A brief history according to Barton, C. (1998), when Clarissa Harlowe Barton was born December 25, 1821 in North Oxford, Massachusetts she grew up and at the age of 17 became a teacher and at 23 she established her own school in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Then at the age of 30 she moved to Washington D.C. and worked as a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Barton quit the Patent Office to work as a volunteer to distribute supplies to help the wounded soldiers. After the war she went to Europe and became associated with the International Red Cross. Then in 1881, Barton incorporated the American



References: Clara Barton. (2011). Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, 1. Retrieved from http://search.EBSCOHOST.com/Literary Reference Center Plus CHRISTOPHER KEATING, RITU KALRA And, KENNETH R., & Courant, S Fieser, J. & Moseley, A. (2012). Introduction to business ethics. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from Ashford.edu. Greenhouse, S. (2002). Suits Say Wal-Mart forces workers to toil off the clock. Retrieved from http://www.sullivan_county.com/id2/wal-mart/not_paid.htm PRESS, A Wal-Mart Corporation - Our Story (Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.(2012). Retrieved from http://Corporate.Wal-Mart.com. Wal-mart discrimination suit teaches pr lessons. (2007). (). Rockville, United States, Rockville: Access Intelligence LLC. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/189409129?accountid=32521 Zimmerman, A

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