Introduction
Corporations acknowledge that the application of sustainability practices is essential for their long term business viability. Sustainability practices promote efficiency by reducing waste, keeping and improving human capital, and delivering reasonable profits to shareholders. Wal-Mart and Starbucks implemented comprehensive sustainability practices that are shared across all the areas of these organizations.
One way to analyze Wal-Mart 's and Starbucks ' sustainability approaches is to look at their social responsibility reports that outline their goals towards sustainability. "Wal-Mart is committed to providing products in a way that creates opportunities for associates and suppliers, enhances the environmental and social sustainability, …show more content…
Wal-Mart founder, Sam Walton, believed that those employees who are closest to the customer are the most important people and should be treated as partners (Bergdahl,2013).The company refers to its employees as "associates" considering that by establishing a strong connection to the company, employees will act like entrepreneurs to grow Wal-Mart 's business. Despite the founder 's concern for employees, Wal-Mart is facing human resources challenges instigated by low wages, unfair working conditions, and alleged discrimination cases."In more recent years, Wal-Mart’s human resource practices were the target of criticism which put pressure to raise salaries and improve benefits to associates" (Brea, Casadeus & Griffel , …show more content…
Wal-Mart also requires its buyers to set sustainability goals. "Wal-Mart sustainability index represents the largest attempt by a retailer to develop a green-labeling system for the products it offered" (Smith & Crawford,2011, p. 14)
Although critics claim that Wal-Mart failed to accomplish some of its sustainability goals, evidence demonstrates that Wal-Mart is serious about meeting or exceeding its environmental commitments. The company had become the leading seller of organic milk, the leading buyer of organic cotton, and is building the second generation of high-efficiency stores which used 25% less energy than the previous ones (Nandagopal & Sankar, 2009,
Corporations acknowledge that the application of sustainability practices is essential for their long term business viability. Sustainability practices promote efficiency by reducing waste, keeping and improving human capital, and delivering reasonable profits to shareholders. Wal-Mart and Starbucks implemented comprehensive sustainability practices that are shared across all the areas of these organizations.
One way to analyze Wal-Mart 's and Starbucks ' sustainability approaches is to look at their social responsibility reports that outline their goals towards sustainability. "Wal-Mart is committed to providing products in a way that creates opportunities for associates and suppliers, enhances the environmental and social sustainability, …show more content…
Wal-Mart founder, Sam Walton, believed that those employees who are closest to the customer are the most important people and should be treated as partners (Bergdahl,2013).The company refers to its employees as "associates" considering that by establishing a strong connection to the company, employees will act like entrepreneurs to grow Wal-Mart 's business. Despite the founder 's concern for employees, Wal-Mart is facing human resources challenges instigated by low wages, unfair working conditions, and alleged discrimination cases."In more recent years, Wal-Mart’s human resource practices were the target of criticism which put pressure to raise salaries and improve benefits to associates" (Brea, Casadeus & Griffel , …show more content…
Wal-Mart also requires its buyers to set sustainability goals. "Wal-Mart sustainability index represents the largest attempt by a retailer to develop a green-labeling system for the products it offered" (Smith & Crawford,2011, p. 14)
Although critics claim that Wal-Mart failed to accomplish some of its sustainability goals, evidence demonstrates that Wal-Mart is serious about meeting or exceeding its environmental commitments. The company had become the leading seller of organic milk, the leading buyer of organic cotton, and is building the second generation of high-efficiency stores which used 25% less energy than the previous ones (Nandagopal & Sankar, 2009,