Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.


COMPANY Profile

Business sectors

Retailing

Founded in

1962

Headquarters

Bentonville, Arkansas, USA

Operating in

15 countries

Employees

1.8 million

 

Most Important Mergers

From the 1970s onwards the company has made many acquisitions mostly in the US.



CSR Contact

Department

Corporate Communications

Contact name

 

Address

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

702 S.W. 8th Street

Bentonville, Arkansas 72716

USA

 

Phone

 

E-mail

 

www

www.walmartstores.com

www.walmartfacts.com

  

Company View of CSR

Motivation

Wal-Mart is a neighbour and citizen in thousands of communities across the U.S. and around the world. The company believes that being a member and store of the community is a privilege. The company is focused on fostering and deepening these community partnerships as they are critical to its future.

 

Initiator of CSR Activities

-

 

Positive Effects of CSR

Community partnerships and good working relationships help the company to grow responsibly and intelligently along with stronger communities.

  

CSR Strategy: Focus, Implementation & Budget

CSR Focus

  • education
  • public health
  • sports
  • environment
  • disaster relief
  • charitable support
  • child safety and missing children

 

Focus Change

-

 

CSR Implementation

  • own projects
  • own foundation
  • volunteerism

 

CSR Integration

CSR strategy is integrated into  

  • company product
  • company strategy

 

CSR Priorities

-

 

Governance

-

 

CSR Representative Reporting to

The Board

 

 

CSR Budget

In 2005 Wal-Mart donated more than $245 million to help charities and other US organisations.



CSR Measurement & Monitoring

Impact of CSR on stakeholders measured by

 

e.g. surveys, external auditors, rankings


Impact of CSR on Wal-Mart as a company measured by

Impact on public attitudes/trust

e.g. rankings



Selected CSR Projects at Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart's CSR activities stretch across its people, the community and the environment. The company recognises its responsibility to help sustain the communities in which it operates. Wal-Mart focuses on environmental sustainability as it is a key to improve the quality of life for people around the world; other areas include its employees as well as community projects.

Full details of the company's community and environmental commitments and related activities can be found on the company's website: www.walmartstores.com

 

 

1.       Environment
As a large international company Wal-Mart is aware of its impact on the environment and the ongoing changes and challenges with which businesses are faced in a fast changing world. Wal-Mart has launched a company-wide, long-term initiative to adapt its business practices in relation to environmental restoration and sustainability. Some of the company's goals include: relying 100% on renewable energy, creating zero waste and selling products that sustain resources and the environment.

Recent activities include an initiative to reduce packaging from 2008 onwards. Wal-Mart is looking for suppliers who are able to develop new packaging and conserve natural resources at the same time. Through this initiative the company aims at reducing packaging by 5%. In addition to reducing millions of pounds of trash the initiative also decreases carbon dioxide emissions.


2.       Community
In addition to its commitment to the Children's Miracle Network and job creation initiatives the company engages in activities covering topics such as education, children or volunteering. Through its community giving scheme the company supports literacy programs and community scholarships and makes contributions to many national and international organisations and networks such as the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation or the United Way and Special Olympics.

In times of disasters Wal-Mart provides resources to help affected communities by making cash donations to local charitable organisations such as the American Red Cross or providing victims with necessary supplies.


Military Families Outreach Project

On August 1st 2006 Walt-Mart started its Military Family project with Sesame Workshop, a not-for-profit organization focusing on educational projects for children around the world. Wal-Mart and Sesame Workshop distribute bilingual, multi-media outreach kits entitled Talk, Listen, Conncet: Helping Families During Military Deployment.

Due to an overwhelming response to the project and feedback from Talk, Listen, Connect's advisory board, Wal-Mart has donated an additional $575,000, for a total of nearly $1.5 million in funding.


3.       People
Wal-Mart's commitment to diversity enables the company to better serve its customers and to establish a positive work environment for its employees. The company has established a set of diversity goals and supports its employees and associates through diversity and inclusion trainings, scholarship programs and other events and programs.

Scholarship Programs

Wal-Mart offers several scholarship programmes to increase diversity in specific areas of work. Through the UNITY Scholarships Programme the company offers scholarships to minority college journalism students to increase diversity in the newsrooms around the country. The Wal-Mart Foundation, in cooperation with the SAM'S CLUB Foundation, will run this three year programme with a financial commitment of $500,000. Through this initiative ten universities will receive financial support for their journalism programs.

  

Why Are These CSR Projects Important?

  

Future CSR Issues According to Wal-Mart

Research on future CSR activities: -

 



Contacts for CSR Publications

Department

Corporate Communications

Contact name

 

Address

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

702 S.W. 8th Street

Bentonville, Arkansas 72716

USA

 

Phone

 

E-mail

 

www

www.walmartstores.com

www.walmartfacts.com

 

Contacts for Historical Archive

Archive name

 

Contact name

 

Address

 

Phone

 

E-mail

 

www

 

 

Mission Statement/ Statement of Values


Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has always been a values-based, ethically led company. The values guiding our decisions and leadership are the 3 basic beliefs established by our founder, Sam Walton, in 1962:




Global Ethical Principles

Wal-Mart's Guiding Ethical Principles were added to the revised Global Statement of Ethics on June 4, 2004. These principles are designed to assist our Associates and Suppliers with making the right decision and doing the right thing.

  1. Follow the law at all times
  2. Be honest and fair
  3. Never manipulate, misrepresent, abuse or conceal information
  4. Avoid conflicts of interest between work and personal affairs
  5. Never discriminate against anyone
  6. Never act unethically - even if someone else instructs you to do so
  7. Never ask someone to act unethically
  8. Seek assistance if you have questions about the Statement of Ethics or if you face an ethical dilemma
  9. Cooperate with any investigation of a possible ethics violation
  10. Report ethics violations or suspected violations