In business today, unethical behaviour is becoming one of the most significant challenges. Business ethics refers to an organization’s responsibility to prohibit unethical and illegal practices in order to meet the needs of stakeholders. However, some organizations don’t always choose to run this way. In January of 2013 a fire in a Bangladeshi clothing factory commissioned by Wal-Mart brought light to Wal-Mart’s unethical practices. Wal-Mart immediately distanced themselves from the fire that claimed at least 112 of their employee’s lives, and were not willing to take responsibility for what happened. Instead of coming forward to help improve the safety conditions of one of their many factories, they took their orders to another supplier in order to save their “5 cents”. It’s this constant desire to save money by both the producers and consumers that drives Wal-Mart to their unethical practices. If the factory owners were to pay the workers with decent salaries, then the difference would have to be paid by the consumer, which Wal-Mart and their promise for low prices, cant afford. Wal-Mart puts their employees wellbeing on hold in order to better satisfy the consumer and continue to make them the top player in production and sale of “ cheap and affordable goods”, which isn’t meeting the needs of all stakeholders, particularly their employees.

Article: The Daily Star. ( 2013, January 24). Wal-Mart under fire for ‘unethical business practices’. Retrieved from http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=266420

Photo: (2007, November 1) [Web photo], Retrieved from http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/11/01/wal-mart-prices-too-low-say-chinese-suppliers/