From https artethics ement head ehm task walmart hics ethical statement

EHM2 Task 3
Blaine Reeves
Western Governors University

Walmart’s Global Statement of Ethics is comprehensive in its coverage of corporate social responsibility, or CSR. The number of people covered by the statement of ethics is incredibly vast and includes all associates, all organization subsidiaries, and all board members.

Third parties such as supplies, distributors, and contractors are also covered by the statement.

The severity of the ramifications for legal noncompliance varies depending on the severity of the infraction. One that could prove detrimental to an organization would be distrust within the community. Communities tend to choose to do business with companies that possess high ethical and moral standards. The company could also be held liable for damages if the infraction caused a significant loss to a customer. There is also the risk of losing third party contracts with distributors and suppliers, which would cripple the organization.

A2b. Legal or Ethical Safeguards

Many of the values and ethics within the company were instilled by Sam Walton.

Associates are still encouraged to this day to challenged themselves in their way of thinking. Every decision must be thought through to ensure that it matches the core values and beliefs of the company. The company’s code of ethics also provides anonymity for those whose who wish to raise ethical concerns without fear of retaliation.

B. Factors For Reporting Unethical Conduct

There are several key factors that must be considered when reporting unethical conduct. One personal consideration would be what effect it would have on one’s family. Is the motivation for reporting revenge or personal gain? Will reporting the concern benefit the employees, organization, and its customers? Does the concern require disciplinary action? An organizational factor one might consider is the support of their leadership team. Does leadership “have their back” so to say? Is it more viable to weight the pros and cons of reporting the concern, and exploring alternatives before doing so? Was the act malicious with the intent of causing damage to the organization? These are all questions that should be asked before reporting a concern.

B2. External Whistleblowing Process

The external whistleblowing process begins with the severity of the concern. If it’s in violation of the law, then local law enforcement may be the first choice of reporting. Filling a complaint with the local District Attorney’s office is a viable option as well. Acquiring legal representation should be the first decision when looking to report an incident outside of the organization. It is imperative to have physical evidence to support the claim when attempting to have an investigation opened. The most severe accusations could go to the government level for investigation.

D. Impact of U.S. Sentencing Guidelines

The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines have been instrumental in changing the way
organizations behave and conduct business by imposing rulings for illegal or unethical acts.

committed the same or a similar act in the past. A third factor that could be considered is whether or not the organization attempted to obstruct and/or impede the investigation process. Mitigating factors also play a role. Such factors include having a robust compliance program or self-reporting guidelines when the act was unintentional. Organizations have designated staff to prevent acts from reaching the level of having a whistleblower. Compliance officers, disciplinary panels, and risk managers are responsible for conducting initial investigations to determine if the concern needs to be self-reported to the appropriate agency.

Running head: EHM2 TASK 3 6

(2020). Retrieved August 29, 2020, from

Running head: EHM2 TASK 3 7

(2020). Retrieved August 29, 2020, from
https://www.walmartethic s.com/content/dam/walm artethics/documents/stat ement_of_ethics
/
Walmart_Statement_of_Et hics_English.pdf

Code of conduct. English (US). (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2023, from
https://www.walmartethics.com/content/walmartethics/en_us/statement-of-ethics.html