Business Finance Homework Help

Please be sure to use references from the U.S., include the
link for all references, and that the professor and I can access the link. I need to be able to
open the references to review and make small adjustments to the paper to make
it my own.

When operating with international businesses, managers must be mindful of the cultural values and ethics of the parties involved. Read the following case study and answer the questions below in two pages.

Walmart & Women’s Economic Development Programs

In September 2011, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced its Global Women’s Economic Power Initiative and planned to invest billions in new programs aimed at women, including a commitment to double its purchases from women-owned businesses by 2016, provide support for training women in factories and farms that supply its stores, and donate $100 million to organizations that foster women’s economic development. “We’re stepping up our efforts to help educate, source from and open markets for women around the world,” said Walmart CEO Mike Duke.

As of 2014, Walmart‘s women’s empowerment work has involved several major collaborations, including partnering with Dress for Success and Goodwill Industries, among others. In total, the Walmart Foundation says that it has contributed a total of $45 million in grants for women’s empowerment efforts since it launched its initiative in 2011.

Three months prior to the creation of the initiative, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a class-action suit, first filed by six employees in 2001, that alleged systematic gender discrimination in pay and promotion decisions at Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer. Representing 1.6 million female Walmart employees and a potential for losses in the billions for the corporation, the case was the biggest sex discrimination class action in history. Although Walmart was victorious in defeating the class-action suit, the Supreme Court decision allows individual employees to file civil actions. In addition, the company faced negative publicity from the high-profile case.

Corporate spokespersons denied any connection between the gender discrimination charges and the launch of the new women’s programs. However, some charged that the initiative represents a public relations attempt by Walmart to improve its reputation and, as a Wall Street strategy analyst proposed, “get out in front of any potential future lawsuits.”

Sources:

• Walmart, “Supplier Diversity,” corporate.walmart.com/suppliers/supplier-diversity/ (accessed February 21, 2016)
• Clifford and S. Strom, “Wal-Mart to Announce Women-Friendly Plans,” The New York Times(September 14, 2011), www.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/business/wal-mart-to-an… (Links to an external site.)(accessed February 21, 2016)
• Lutz and M. Boyle, “Wal-Mart Announces Multi-Billion Women’s Initiative,” Bloomberg News(September 14, 2011), www.bloomberg.com/photo/wal-mart-to-announce-multi… (Links to an external site.)(accessed February 21, 2016)

• Shipps “Teach a Woman to Fish: The Walmart Foundation and Women’s Empowerment,” Inside Philanthropy(October 16, 2014), www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2014/10/16/teach-a… (Links to an external site.)(accessed February 21, 2016).

Questions:

• What do you believe was Walmart’s motivation for the initiative discussed here?
• Who are its key stakeholders for this launch announcement – and for the programs themselves?
• With the current level of giving and the collaborations established, do you think that Walmart is living up to its commitment? What do you believe would be the key components to make this program successful?

Use a minimum of four credible sources to include textbook with links, which may include this week’s supplemental reading and other sources, to support your findings and conclusions. Please refer to the grading criteria listed below.

Criteria	Ratings		Pts
Content	80 pts Full Marks	0 pts No Marks	80 pts
Use of References Argument is well supported using a minimum of four (4) credible sources to include textbook.	10 pts Full Marks	0 pts No Marks	10 pts
Mechanics ○ Responses are written at the graduate level with proper punctuation, grammar, and mechanics. ○ Follows APA Style. ○ Minimum of two pages in length.	10 pts Full Marks	0 pts No Marks	10 pts
Total Points: 100

Reading Assignment

Review this chapter in your textbook for important concepts. Business Ethics: Decision Making for Personal Integrity & Social Responsibility, 4th Edition. NOTE: The Chapter Presentations provide a quick overview of important concepts.

• Chapter 6: Ethical Decision-Making: Employer Responsibilities and Employee Rights

Reviewing the following articles will prove helpful:

• Siegel, L. (2014). I own many ‘fake’ fashion items. Is this really unethical? http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/05/are-fake-fashion-items-unethical
• Lind, D. (2015). The furious debate over visas for high-tech guest workers. http://www.vox.com/2015/4/3/8337077/h1b-visa-cap

The following materials are not required reading but are recommended:

• Ho, C.M. (2015). Million Dollar Mistake? The Cost of Limiting or Canceling IP Rights. http://patentlyo.com/patent/2015/03/million-limiting-canceling.html
• Lange, A. (2015). Outsourcing 2.0: IT Services’ New Wave. http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=691529
• Lybecker, K. (2015). What if we don’t have sufficient intellectual property rights? http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2015/04/03/what-if-we-dont-have-sufficient-intellectual-property-rights/id=56169/
• MacBeth, C.B. (2015). Top Information Technology (IT) Outsourcing Mistakes. http://www.forbes.com/sites/sungardas/2015/03/09/4-ways-to-royally-screw-up-information-technology-it-outsourcing/
• Queally, J. (2015). Sen. Robert Menendez pleads not guilty to corruption and bribery charges. http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-menendez-pleads-not-guilty-20150402-story.html

References

Hartman, L. P., DesJardins, J., & MacDonald, C. (2018). Business ethics: decision making for personal integrity & social responsibility (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.