The CEO and all senior financial officers also have an additional code of ethics. They are responsible for full, accurate, and timely disclosure in reports required to be filed by the SEC. Each member is also required to report any material untrue fact that comes to their attention or any deficiency in the design/operation of internal controls. Each member must report any violation of their code of ethics or any violation of other laws, rules, or regulations (Walmart 9). This additional codes of ethics is important because it holds all of the executives accountable for their actions. This should aid in preventing fraudulent reporting by management because this code can be cited when looking at disciplinary action. Walmart requires honest and accurate reporting of financial information. All financial records and accounts must accurately reflect financial transactions and events. They must conform to GAAP and to Walmart’s internal controls. No Walmart document or record may be falsified and no undisclosed account of their assets can be established (Walmart 6).
Strengths:
One of Walmart’s strengths is its board composition. Ideally, board members should have industry and consumer knowledge, financial and technological expertise, and CEO experience according to page 30 of the Nadler text (Nadler 10). Walmart’s board has each of these components. Their members have extensive experience in accounting, investing, technology, strategy, law, and international business. Many
The values and attitudes in Walmart’s business situation deals with a lot of the overall ethics. This paper will discuss some situations that comes in walmart .ethics. This paper will include clear definitions of organizational values and a description of the organizational values of Wal-Mart. This research is conducted to understand the success of Walmart’s employment rate. The values and attitudes will be related to some examples of other companies and how Walmart was successful. Some arguments that will be addressed in this research paper is basic and common.
By looking at Oxley section 406, code of ethics is defining as honest and ethical conduct, including conflicts between personal interest and professional relationships and required by the issuer to disclosure the reports in full, fair, accurate, timely, and understandable way. Also, follow the applicable governmental rules and regulations. In addition, SEC requires that each issuer require disclosing whether he applied a code of ethics. If not, the reason must be disclosed. Furthermore, SEC needs to revise its regulations related to matters requiring prompt disclosure on a Form 8-K regarding any change in or waiver of the code of ethics for senior financial officers. In March 2003, the SEC issues its final rule. The Company requires disclosing whether it has "audit committee financial expert", and whether it is independent of management. If not, the company must disclose that and explain why. Furthermore, The Company requires disclosing whether it has adopted a code of ethics that applies to the company's principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer
In dealing with ethical issues Wal-mart have an “open door process” where they encourage all associates to use if they believe to see unethical actions being taken by fellow colleagues or any other stakeholder in Wal-mart. Or they can contact The Global Ethics office to report any concern.
The requisites in the Code of Ethics represented in the Sarbanes-Oxley Enactment have formed a foundation in the world of business because business administrators and stakeholders are now mandated to abide by the guidelines in the Act but they still need to be improved. When tackling the issue of social responsibility of a corporate it is of utmost significance that transparency be a key contributor, while ethics is considered by most in business as an oxymoron. People that lack moral standards will more often than not look for loo-holes in this relations due to their evil behaviors, however business principles and moral publication should be ensured so that such behaviors are dealt with in line with the law. “There has been a number of scandals reported in relation with accounting fraud and bad corporate governance as this are termed the biggest reasons why businesses are failing as high-profile organizations continue to subside. Investor confidence levels dropping in relation to financial capital markets due to investors incurring losses and correction mechanisms of the market that were in place were inadequate thus forced the enactment of the SOX Act by Congress (Jain,
Wal-Mart started as a single store in 1962 and since then has expanded to over 3,600 stores in the United States and operates in 15 international markets. This paper will discuss the role of ethics and compliance in the Wal-Mart organization as it relates to the financial environment. We will describe the procedures in place to ensure ethical behavior and identify the processes used to comply with SEC regulations. Using the annual report information for Wal-Mart we will evaluate the financial performance over the past two years and calculate financial ratios. Based on those financial ratios, we will discuss the trends evidenced and the organization’s financial health.
Walmart has created the Global Ethics to promote its ethical culture to all associates, customers, shareholders, suppliers, and any company or individuals conducting business with them. The Global Ethics provides a Statement of Ethics which serves as a guide and resource in order to reach an ethical decision. Walmart is one of the largest corporations in the United States with a social responsibility to both the customers and the people it employs which is outlined in their Statement of Ethics.
As CEO of a Fortune 500 company, I would ensure that my accounting system would comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act. In order to meet those requirements, the company will regularly have unscheduled audits, password updates and ongoing ethics trainings. Honestly, this will prevent any attempted misuse of an accountant’s authorizations and misrepresenting financial reporting in the systems. It is important as CEO to make sure that everyone in the company is in alignment and collaborate with the SOX act order to ensure continued success of the company. In the event, unethical behavior is identify, it is the duty of the CEO to make sure the event is isolate until compliance measures are met by taking a holistic approach (Hardy, 2010). In
When functioning in the corporate world, it is an essential to include moral ethics. Ethics is also particularly imperative when laboring with financial information. It is very hard to have faith in someone managing plenty of money. Corporations in the past have distorted their financial statements in regulation to look superior to stockholders, without thinking of the penalty that may be a consequence if they get caught. If a corporation does not encourage good quality ethical conduct within the business, it is
After analyzing the video on whether or not Jim's actions were ethical by not reporting the injury incident, I would have to imply that his dilemma was not only morally unethical, but lawfully unethical as well. By utilizing the deontology model that states to uphold certain underlying principles whether right or wrong and regardless of the circumstances, it is clear this ethical stand-point of "rule-based" approaches has been breached and a company's standard operating procedures were not met. This scenario and terrible decision could possibly result into a world of trouble for Wal-Mart Corporation that can be timely, expensive, and disruptive. Whether illegal or not, because the proper steps were not taken, the injured employee can legally
Ethics are the standards and qualities an individual uses to administer their exercises and choices. Within an company, a code of ethics is a set of rules and guidelines that steers the company in its agendas, choices, and methods for the company. Many companies make ethics their main priority by hiring leaders for the department to sit on the board of the company. Wal-Mart has been a company whom displayed ethics at a top level for many years. When it comes to ethics, Jay Jorgensen has been the result of Wal-Mart actions.
The Board is of the opinion that while an engineer clearly has an ethical obligation to act as a faithful agent and trustee for the benefit of a client, avoid deceptive acts, be objective and truthful, avoid conflicts, etc., such obligations would not compel an engineer to automatically disclose that a complaint had been filed against the engineer with the state engineering licensure board. A complaint is a mere allegation and does not amount to a finding of fact or conclusion of law. No engineer should be compelled to disclose potentially damaging allegations about his professional practice -- allegations that could be false, baseless, and motivated by some malicious intent. Instead, Engineer A should weigh all factors and, depending upon
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is the world 's largest retail enterprise, with total revenue of $421.8 billion and a net income of $16.4 billion in 2011. 1 It is also the world 's largest employer, with 2.1 million employees worldwide in 2010 2, not including workers hired by its providers. In my opinion, Wal-Mart provides a clear illustration through which to look at how many multinational companies (MNCs) take part in an illegal and unethical behavior. They use their bargaining power and market control to pressure countries to overlook environmental degradation and violation of national labor laws. They dictate expected pricing for products, particularly through imports from overseas countries. Labor is fulfilled mostly by underage and underpaid employees. In the United States, since 2005, Wal-Mart has paid about $1 billion in damages to U.S. employees in six different cases related to unpaid work. 3 Furthermore, Wal-Mart opposes any form of collective action, even when employees are not seeking unionization, but simply more respect. 4 The fact that Wal-Mart opposes unions exist. The company has a long history of fighting them, to the point of closing stores after employees organize. Managers have been instructed to talk to their teams about why unions are so unwanted in their business. Overseas, the company was involved in a series of scandals, including multiple cases of bribery. In April 2012, The New York Times published a story that
With around 5000 retail outlets worldwide, operating in more then a dozen countries and with over US$286 billion in annual sales, Wal-Mart is the top retail chain and number one fortune 500 company in the world. Wal-Mart is the top employer in the U.S. with 1.3 million employees, “the company accounts for 9 cents of every US retail dollar and sells around 20 per cent of the nation’s groceries and pharmaceuticals.” (Times News Network).
If Wal-Mart has such little regard for their own employees, it would make it difficult for a company to have minimal regard to where their merchandise is coming from. On the documentary, The High Price of Low Cost, informs of the countries and Wal-Mart’s effects on these countries, including its presence for manufacturing in China. The workers work in conditions of extreme temperatures from morning until dawn and provided boarding, which is shared with several others and lined with bunk beds. The board and utilities are deducted from their wages even if the workers choose not to stay on the facilities the board is still deducted from their pay. These workers that are looking for employment to make a better future for their families are
Wal-Mart, the big giant, the place where a lot of people usually do their shopping for the low prices and the variety of products were founded by Sam Walton. Walton was an entrepreneur with an innovative vision started his own company and made it into the leader in discount retailing that it is today. In fact, Wal-Mart is considered to be the biggest company in the U.S. and it has stores worldwide. According to PBS, “Wal-Mart employs more people than any other company in the United States outside of the Federal government, yet the majority of its employees with children live below the poverty line.”(www.pbs.org) In addition, Wal-Mart likes to portray itself as a seller of U.S. manufactured goods