Reference no: EM131119472

An organization's goals often include being a good corporate citizen by emphasizing ethical and socially responsible decisions and actions. What happens when an organization's values are continually on public display? That's the situation executives at Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, face. Wal-Mart, by virtue of its enormous size and reach, often has played an unwanted role as national conscience enforcer. Don Soderquist, former senior vice chairman, said it best. "The watchword for all of our people is 'Do what is right.' That's what we really preach and teach and we want, but there's so much gray.' For instance, when handguns were booted off its shelves, Wal-Mart continued to sell hunting rifles as part of its strategy to create a dominant sporting goods department. Alcohol may not be sold in some traditional Wal-Mart stores but is sold in its Superstores in locations where it's legal Wal-Mart claims its role as an "agent" for the consumer. It views its job as finding out what customers want and getting those products into stores at the lowest possible cost. What are the ethical implications of this "public display" phenomenon for an organization measuring its performance to see whether corporate strategies are effective? Can corporate morality be "practical" ? Should it be practical? Explain your position.