Wal-Mart’s Social Responsibility Essays Example

[January 30, 2015]

Introduction
In 1962, Walmart started its operations as a small retailer that gave discounted products in Rogers, Arkansas in the United States. After that Walmart has opened many stores in United States and has expanded globally. Walmart has approximately 11,000 retail stores across 27 countries and has an online presence in 11 countries. Walmart has 2.2 million employees across the globe and about 1.3 million in the United States.
In 1991, Walmart expanded internationally, and now Walmart has presence in 26 countries apart from United States. Internationally, Walmart has 6,100 stores and in order to meet domestic needs, Walmart takes benefits from its global resources.
Walmart follows the Every Day Low Pricing strategy and provides discounted products to its customers. It is a one stop shopping solution for the customers. Walmart provides items related to entertainment, grocery and sporting crafts and goods. Walmart has an e-store that is Walmart.com where customers can easily shop from anywhere they are located.
Walmart is one of the biggest retailer in United States. Most sales for Walmart come from grocery. The factors contributing to Walmart’s success are restricted health benefits, taking advantage of government subsidies and labor (low wage) .

Corporate Social Responsibility

Since Walmart operates globally on a huge scale, they consider it as their responsibility to create a positive influence on the people and communities that they cater to. It is indeed Walmart’s mission to develop prospects so that people can lead a better life. Walmart is passionate to help people live a better life, whether through the aids that Walmart provides to various organization or through the volunteer work of Walmart associate.. Some of the steps taken by Walmart to prove its social responsibility are ethical sourcing, training and education initiatives, Orange School Program, Training for correction of Violation as well as:

Women Empowerment Initiatives

Majority of Walmart’s customers are women hence Walmart believes empowering women is the right thing to do and it will make them more successful. In 2013, Walmart Foundation donated $1.5 million to the Women and Girl’s State Department's Secretary's Fund. Walmart even gave funds to inaugurate Work program for women in collaboration with the Supplier Association of Agriculture. Through this program women farmers in El Salvador are provided with necessary training .

Hunger Relief

Walmart believes that every family should have the right to have reasonable and wholesome food. And for that Walmart Foundation is working day in and out with suppliers, farmers and with different NGO’s globally, to make sure that people have access to nutritious food. Since 2010, Walmart has donated approximately 1.5 billion pounds for food .

Outcomes

Through its different initiatives for community and employees Walmart has created a difference for the people living in the society. Walmart reduced sodium by approximately 13% by the end of year 2013 and by the end of 2013, less than 7% of the products in the US stores has reduced hydrogenated oil which showed a 2% decrease from 2012. Walmart has helped Americans by funding programs to teach cooking and shopping techniques and education related to nutrition.
Walmart has also fulfilled its environmental responsibility and has reduced the use of energy and use of plastic shopping bad. This has reduced waste of landfill.
Through women empowerment programs, Walmart has connected shoppers in US with the high class products produced by global business owned by women. Through his program customers can help the suppliers grow their incomes and can help in job creation.

References

2014 Walmart Global Responsibility Report. Annual Report. New York, 2014. 30 January 2015. <http://www.corporatereport.com/walmart/2014/grr/_pdf/Walmart_2014_GRR.pdf>.
Angotti, Tom, et al. Walmart's Economic Foorprint. NewYork, 10 January 2010. <http://advocate.nyc.gov/files/Walmart.pdf>.
Newell, Andrea. "TriplePundit." 2014. 30 January 2015. <http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/03/walmart-launches-site-supporting-women-owned-businesses-worldwide/>.
Wal-mart Stores Inc. 2013. 30 January 2015. <http://foundation.walmart.com/>.