BUSINESS & SOCIETY: ETHICS, SUSTAINABILITY & STAKEHOLDER
MANAGEMENT 11TH EDITION
BY ARCHIE CARROLL, JILL BROWN| VERIFIED
11TH EDITION
,ALL CASES FOR
BUSINESS & SOCIETY 11TH EDITION ARCHIE B. CARROLL,
JILL BROWN
GUIDELINES FOR CASE ANALYSIS
THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES ARE DESIGNED TO ASSIST IN THE CASE
ANALYSIS PROCESS. THE GUIDELINES ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE A RIGID
FORMAT, HOWEVER. EACH QUESTION IS INTENDED TO SURFACE
INFORMATION THAT WILL BE HELPFUL IN ANALYZING AND RESOLVING
THE CASE. EACH CASE IS DIFFERENT, AND SOME PARTS OF THESE
GUIDELINES MAY NOT APPLY IN EVERY CASE.
FOLLOWING EACH CASE ARE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS THAT SHOULD BE
ANSWERED AS PART OF ANY COMPLETE CASE ANALYSIS. THE HEART OF
ANY CASE ANALYSIS IS THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BASED ON A
SOLID LOGICAL FOUNDATION. THE QUESTIONS DEALING WITH PROBLEM
AND ISSUE IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION SHOULD
BE USED TO DEFINE AND THEN DEFEND RECOMMENDATIONS MADE IN
THE FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS STEP.
GUIDELINES FOR ANALYZING CASES
PROBLEM AND ISSUE IDENTIFICATION
1. WHAT ARE THE CENTRAL FACTS OF THE CASE? WHAT ASSUMPTIONS
ARE YOU MAKING ABOUT THESE FACTS?
2. WHAT IS THE MAJOR OVERRIDING ISSUE IN THE CASE? WHAT MAJOR
QUESTION OR ISSUES DOES THIS CASE ADDRESS THAT MERITS STUDY AT
THIS POINT IN THE COURSE?
3. WHAT SUB-ISSUES OR RELATED ISSUES ARE PRESENT IN THE CASE THAT
MERIT CONSIDERATION NOW?
,ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION
1. WHO ARE THE STAKEHOLDERS IN THE CASE, AND WHAT ARE THEIR
STAKES? WHAT CHALLENGES, THREATS, OR OPPORTUNITIES ARE POSED
BY THESE STAKEHOLDERS?
2. WHAT ECONOMIC, LEGAL, ETHICAL, AND PHILANTHROPIC
RESPONSIBILITIES DOES THE COMPANY HAVE, AND WHAT IS THE NATURE
AND EXTENT OF THESE RESPONSIBILITIES?
3. IF THE CASE INVOLVES COMPANY ACTIONS, EVALUATE WHAT THE
COMPANY DID OR DID NOT DO IN HANDLING THE ISSUE AFFECTING IT.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR THIS CASE? IF A
COMPANY'S STRATEGIES OR ACTIONS ARE INVOLVED, SHOULD THE
COMPANY HAVE ACTED AS IT DID? WHAT ACTION SHOULD THE COMPANY
TAKE NOW? WHY? BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE. LIST SEVERAL OPTIONS
AS WELL AS THE PROS AND CONS OF EACH ALTERNATIVE. BE PREPARED
TO DISCUSS WHY YOU ELIMINATED THOSE OPTIONS YOU DISCARDED AND
DEFEND YOUR CHOSEN ALTERNATIVE. MENTION AND DISCUSS ANY
IMPORTANT IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS. THIS LAST STEP IS
CRUCIAL BECAUSE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CANNOT BE IMPLEMENTED
ARE WORTHLESS.
CASE 1: WALMART: THE MAIN STREET MERCHANT OF DOOM
1. WHAT ARE THE MAJOR ISSUES IN THE CASE? WHAT DOES
WALMART’S EXPERIENCE TELL YOU ABOUT THE BUSINESS AND SOCIETY
RELATIONSHIP?
THE MAJOR ISSUES IN THE CASE CENTER ON WALMART‘S EXPANSION. THE
CASE FOCUSES ON THE IMPACT TO THE COMMUNITIES TO WHICH
WALMART MOVES, FROM BOTH ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC
PERSPECTIVES. WALMART HAS BEEN CRITICIZED FOR THE AGGRESSIVE
AND EVEN PREDATORY TACTICS THAT IT TAKES WITH RESPECT TO LOCAL
MERCHANTS. COMPETITION IS WHAT DRIVES WALMART, AND A
, MERCHANT WHO COMPETES DIRECTLY WITH THEM WILL LOSE. IS IT
UNETHICAL FOR ANY COMPANY, NOT JUST WALMART, TO DRIVE OUT ALL
COMPETITION? IS WALMART USING ITS SIZE AND ABILITY TO UNDERSELL
SMALL LOCAL MERCHANTS UNTIL THEY ARE DRIVEN OUT IN ORDER TO
ESTABLISH AN UNFAIR MONOPOLY ON LOCAL MARKETS? IS THIS A
VIOLATION OF THE SPIRIT OF ANTI-MONOPOLY LAWS? THE WALMART
EXPERIENCE TELLS US THAT BUSINESS AND SOCIETY HAVE A SYMBIOTIC
RELATIONSHIP, THAT THE FABRIC OF A COMMUNITY IS IMPACTED
DRAMATICALLY BY THE ENTRY OF A COMPANY LIKE WALMART, AND
THAT THIS FABRIC IS SACRIFICED TO POOR WORKING CONDITIONS, LOW
WAGES, AND LOWER-PRICED GOODS.
2. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ―PENNEY IDEA,‖ SAM’S TEN-FOOT RULE, AND
THE BUY AMERICA PLAN? WERE THESE DISCONTINUED OVER TIME, OR
DID THEY FADE AWAY AND GET LOST WHEN SAM DIED?
TO FULFILL A COST-CUTTING PHILOSOPHY, MANY STORES ELIMINATED
THEIR FAMED GREETERS, AND THIS OPENED THE DOOR TO PROBLEMS
(INCREASED CRIME) BECAUSE ONE FEWER DETERRENT EXISTED.
WALMART EVENTUALLY ABANDONED THE BUY AMERICAN PLAN AND
BECAME ONE OF THE LARGEST PURCHASERS OF PRODUCTS MADE
OVERSEAS. IN FACT, THE COMPANY IN TIME BECAME THE COUNTRY‘S
LARGEST PURCHASER OF CHINESE GOODS IN ANY INDUSTRY.
3. ASSESS WALMART’S CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY USING THE
FOUR-PART CSR MODEL. IS WALMART SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE EVEN
THOUGH IT HAS HAD A DEVASTATING IMPACT ON MANY SMALL
MERCHANTS AND VARIOUS STAKEHOLDER GROUPS, AND SOME
COMMUNITIES DO NOT WANT IT?
THE FOLLOWING IS AN ASSESSMENT OF WALMART‘S CORPORATE SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY USING THE FOUR-PART CSR MODEL:
ECONOMIC: WALMART‘S ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN
OUTSTANDING. ACCORDING TO THE TEXT, IN THE 2020 FORTUNE 500
LISTING, WALMART HAS HELD ON TO ITS #1 POSITION IN TERMS OF