Based on the cases described above, how would you describe the manage- rial philosophy of Walmart? What principles are involved? What are the over-riding aims, values, and goals of Walmart?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Based on the cases described above, how would you describe the manage- rial philosophy of Walmart? What principles are involved? What are the over-riding aims, values, and goals of Walmart?

2. How would you decide, in any of the cases mentioned above, whether or not Walmart had been acting in a socially responsible way? What consid- erations would help you to decide?

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3. Does it matter to you, as a potential customer or a potential employee, whether Walmart has acted unethically? Why or why not?

4. For a corporation as complex as Walmart, with some activities that can be described as unethical and some as ethical, is it ever possible to make a blanket ethical judgment about its operations?

5. How might Walmart executives defend their actions after they learned of the bribery in Mexico? Would your judgment change if bribery was a com- mon business practice in Mexico?

6. Walmart’s wages are above the legally required minimum wage, and health benefits are not legally mandated. Are there reasons for a business to take actions that are not required by law but that might reduce profits?

7. Does Walmart have any responsibilities to its suppliers other than those specified in their contracts?