1. Evaluate how Wal-Mart ranked and responded to various stakeholders.2. Why do you think Wal-Mart has recently had a number of ethical issues that have been in the news almost constantly?3. What do you think Wal-Mart could do to develop a better ethical culture and respond more positively to its diverse stakeholders? Question 1Many groups have an interest in what Wal-Mart does. Stakeholders can be divided into two different groups: market stakeholders (shareholders, employees, consumers and suppliers) and non-market stakeholders (unions and environmental stakeholders). Market Stakeholders Shareholders With shareholders, whose goal is to see profit, Wal-Mart ranks number one, 2008 according to Fortune 500 magazine and listed as the thirteenth most profitable company with $11.3 billion in profits for 2006. Net worth is over $64 million 1 (Fortune 500, 2008, CNNMoney.com) Wal-Mart definitely does its thing. The key question is whether shareholders care about controlling Wal-Mart. Shareholders should have some concerns about how the world views Wal-Mart and how long they will hold up under scrutiny. Employees Employee stakeholders have another story ranging from female employees not receiving the same pay or positions, to disabled employees, to class action lawsuits claiming Wal-Mart's medical questionnaires to prevent disabled workers to apply, Wal-Mart doesn't rank very high on these employees. Lawsuits stemming from Wal-Mart's failure to monitor working conditions in overseas factories and its hiring of illegal immigrants add to the rift in relations between employees and the company. Wal-Mart continues to deny the allegations... middle of paper... ns." CNNMoney.com, (May 5, 2008): 10/19/2008 from http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune /fortune500/2008/full_list/2. “Our Company's Purpose,” Walmartstore.com, 10/19/2008 from http://walmartstores.com/3. “Fortune 500, 100 Best Companies to Work For.” .com. (February 4, 2008): 10/19/2008 from http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2008/full_list/index.html4. Hale, Todd. Mart." Nielson Trends and Insights: Page 1. 10/19/2008 http://www2.acnielsen.com/pubs/2004_q1_ci_walmart.shtml5. "Wal-Mart Stores Inc.," Business, NYTimes.com, (October 19 2008): from http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/wal_mart_stores_inc/index.html6. “Wal-Mart Stores Inc.”, Business, NYTimes.com, (October 19, 2008): from http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/wal_mart_stores_inc/index.html