Walmart Corporate Social Responsibility Study

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"We are not in business to make maximum profit for our shareholders. We are in business...to serve society. Profit is our reward for doing it well. If business does not serve society, society will not long tolerate our profits or even our existence." Kenneth Dayton, former Chairman of the Dayton-Hudson Corporation 1. The company "Walmart" is one of the most influential companies in the retail trade. For over 10 years it became the largest chain of retail supermarkets in the United States. In addition, the position of Wal-Mart are strong and in other countries. "Walmart", since its foundation, pursues a strategy of low prices. This is the strategy through which it can offer products cheaper than other competitors. On the one hand - this …show more content…

As we know, philanthropic model consists of economic view of CSR plus option for a particular business to contribute to social needs as a matter of philanthropy, but not as a matter of duty or social responsibility. [Hartman, L., MacDonald, C. DesJardins, J. (2014) Business Ethics, Chapter 5, p. 222] Moreover, philanthropic CSR suggests that businesses contribute to society in the hopes that this will have beneficial reputational pay-offs. In other words, consumers prefer to buy products of brands that associated with a worthwhile cause when price and quality are the same. [Cone Communications, 2011 Cone/Echo Global CR Opportunity Study (Boston, MA: Cone), www.coneinc.com/globalCRstudy] Of course, there are also cases where a business might contribute to a social cause or event without seeking any reputational benefit. However, I strongly believe that it does not relate to "Walmart" because they are seeking to obtain any social and economic benefits. Therefore, there is a great deal of overlap between those who engage in philanthropic model for reputational reasons and those who follow the economic view of business' social