Topic > Walmart Corporation

A Walmart spokesperson said, “While unions may be appropriate for some companies, they have no place at Walmart.” This thesis calls into question the business models of large retailers and raises the question of whether external factors such as government and consumers may influence them to become less socially responsible. In our context, the key concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is defined as “whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns into their operations and interactions with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis” (EU Commission, 2002). Furthermore, their current business models have significant strengths that often involve trade-offs with other aspects. The preparation of the various agreements by the institutions and the related results are examined below. Additionally, we will analyze how external factors influence the company's current operations and actions. To conclude, the analysis will attempt to explain the argument that Walmart has failed to ensure workers' rights are respected in factories in the supply chain. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and various institutions have contributed to numerous reforms with the main goal of pushing large apparel retailers to adopt corporate responsibility in their operations and human rights practices within them. Indeed, large companies benefit from the transnationalization of manufacturing, which is simply the process by which companies have decentralized their factories to developing countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia or India, where the cost of labor is cheaper, which has often led to the bad habit of neglecting human rights. Even if they outsource production, they should be accountable for supplier practices, but to what extent? According to the United Nations Guiding Principles, businesses have a responsibility “to respect human rights wherever they operate and whatever their size or sector” (United Nations, 2011). Many different agreements, such as the Global Framework Agreement and the Code of Conduct, have been drafted and signed by hundreds of retail giants, but this has not been enough in terms of changes, as seen with the incident at Rana Plaza in 2013. Before that, no information had been made public. available and therefore we could not verify whether workers' rights were respected in the factories in the supply chain, even if they were to do so. After the Bangladesh factory accident that killed more than 1,100 workers, governments thought it would be a turning point for workers in the garment industry. When supply chains reached a critical point, “human rights due diligence” was initiated, believing that this would have a positive impact on retailers' actions. We thought that this incident will allow large retailers, responsible for their suppliers, to contribute more to the improvement of wages and working hours by institutions and NGOs. In contrast, some retailers, such as Walmart, who were involved in the incident and therefore responsible for what happened, have chosen to shy away from taking any responsibility. In fact, Walmart has not hesitated to declare that the supplier is responsible for anything that happened in the factories as soon as the results of the facility's audits are sent to it. Furthermore, following the incident more than 200 brands except Walmart signed an agreement, drafted by Europe IndustriALL and the global trade union UNI, toprevent any future disasters in Bangladesh's garment industry by improving factory safety. In fact, Walmart decided to develop its own code of conduct instead of signing the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety, believing that it is more effective and will provide quicker results. Clear initiatives regarding decent wages and poor safety standards have been taken, clearly demonstrating a lack of involvement in this process. While many companies have claimed that workers' rights are respected in their supply chain, they have simply failed to take the necessary steps to ensure this is respected. From this analysis, we assume that more effective government actions would have changed the way companies work. Two major external factors are directly impacting the way large apparel retailers act and operate. Retailers are truly aware of the controversial issue especially regarding respect for the human rights of their employees in the supply chain and the responsibility they have towards it. As analyzed above, companies' actions are not sufficient, despite being supported by NGO agreements and frequent prevention activities, as they have often failed to improve wages, working hours and workers' rights. Governments are willing to make fundamental changes in supply chains as large retailers are not performing as they should. They are aware that the economy suffers from a responsibility gap in this area and have therefore not hesitated to take measures. They decided to dedicate, for the first time, the 2016 International Labor Conference to work in supply chains. Governments have the primary responsibility to ensure that human rights are respected within such supply chains because “people living under a democratic government need not worry about human rights at all, because it is that government's sole duty to fulfill human rights humans” (The journal of ethics, Vol.4, nos. 1-2, 2000). Businesses are benefiting from the absence of legally binding standards and this is what governments aim to change. We can take the example of Quicksew and Canteran Apparel, two Walmart suppliers, who abuse the law. Governments play a vital role in regulating labor and seek to regulate corporate behavior at the national level, but have often failed to supervise factory labor standards as they do so with varying degrees of seriousness and effectiveness. This has happened because host countries such as Bangladesh, India and Cambodia are willing to attract foreign investment in order to boost their global economy. But how? These countries offer flexible labor markets, but this should not automatically imply mistreatment of employees in factories. More effective implementation of the ILO convention, ratified by most countries, would avoid another Rana Plaza disaster and help clothing retailers realize how urgent and important the current situation is. Unfortunately, this has not been successful within Walmart supply chains as the Asia Floor Wage Alliance reports “persistent rights violations.” This has led to a misunderstanding about why large clothing retailers don't always uphold human rights in their supply chains. Even as some retailers are taking action and becoming more socially responsible, supply chains continue to be affected by consumer actions. Consumers play a key role in food chains.