Walmart's Sustainability Goals and CSR from an Investor's Perspective

Numerous class action suits have been filed against Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT), the world's largest retailer, for a myriad of reasons including employment discrimination, bribery, and more. In light of intense criticism of its business ethics and CSR practices, Walmart actively promotes its corporate ethics statement and sustainability practices.

Instructions:

You will write a paper that analyzes Wal-Mart from the perspective of a potential shareholder interested in investing.

First, read the company's statement of purpose at http://stock.walmart.com and Our 3 Basic Beliefs and Guiding Principles at https://walmartethics.com/uploadedFiles/Content/U.S.%20-%20English.pdf.

Analyze the company's stock performance and financial history on Bloomberg, Standard & Poor's, or another financial site over the past five years.

Incorporate four sources into your paper. Two sources should be scholarly articles about Walmart or Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., one of which must be about the firm's international business. The other two sources should be articles from business (trade) publications about Walmart or Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. You may not use required or recommended course readings for this assignment.

Evaluate the firm's commitment to accomplishing its CSR goals globally based on the following:

From a stakeholder perspective, would you invest in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. stock? Defend your position using research.

What do you see as the company's greatest strength and greatest weakness globally relative to its sustainability practices? Defend your position using research.