Question

Walmart has been around since 1962, when they opened their first store in Rogers, Arkansas.

The man behind Walmart is Sam Walton, he wanted to create a store with “great value and

great customer service” (Corporate Walmart). Mr. Walton just wanted to open up a “dime store”

due to his experience in the retail industry. Little did he know how well his store would do and

what Walmart would become.

Walmart has been discriminating against pregnant women for years, but no one has come out

about it until recently. Recently, pregnant women have been bringing up lawsuits against

Walmart. Walmart is unfairly punishing these women due to them being pregnant. Walmart is

doing this because pregnant women are not as productive as the employees who are not

pregnant, due to them getting sick from the pregnancy or having restrictions. Walmart’s

reputation is at stake for being a more family-oriented establishment that welcomes all and

helps families. Four women have brought lawsuits against Walmart recently. Two are from

New York, one from Wisconsin, and the last one is from Illinois.

One of the woman, Leigha Klopp a woman who became pregnant on accident from New York.

Leigha was having a difficult pregnancy and kept having to make doctor appointments and

going to the hospital. She was with significant pain due to the mass amounts of pain she was

in and thinking she was miscarrying. Each time she had to go to the hospital or an emergency

doctor’s appointment she would have to call out of work. Each time she called out she was

assessed a point. Each time, points were assessed for these very legitimate reasons. Later with her pregnancy the doctor ordered bedrest, this meant an extended leave for Leigha from

Walmart. Walmart then fired her. Walmart put her in the predicament to choose between taking

care of herself and her unborn child, or to keep her job, and put her health at risk. Another

woman Alyssa Gilliam, worked in the warehouse at Walmart. She requested lighter work since

she could not due all the heavy lifting she used to be able to do before she was pregnant.

Walmart denied her request for lighter work. Alyssa took them to court. Walmart tried to deny

the claim against them in Illinois, but the federal judge refused to drop the claim.

Questions:

1. Identify and classify the stakeholders in the scenario into primary stakeholders and

secondary stakeholders.

2. List all the facts from the case scenario that may be helpful for your group to

determine whether Walmart is an ethical organization or not.

3. Determine whether Walmart is an ethical organization by means of the four ethical

analysis methods that discussed in class.

Answer 1

1.)

Identification and classification of stakeholders:

Primary stakeholders:

• Leigh Klopp
• Alyssa Gilliam
• Walmart
• 2 other women who filed a lawsuit
• Walmart Customers
• Walmart Shareholders
• Walmart Employees

Secondary stakeholder:

• Leighs doctor
• Federal Judge and Court
• Leighs Local Hospital

2.)

The facts from the case scenario that can help in deciding whether Walmart is an ethical organization or not are that not one but 4 pregnant women have come forward to blow the whistle on Walmarts unethical practices. The allegation was regarding the discrimination practised by the company against women who are pregnant by not providing them with the suitable working condition and allowing them to prioritise taking care of their health and of the baby.

The allegations made by Leigh Klopp state that her employment was terminated due to her pregnancy, and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA 1978) protects the interest of pregnant women and prohibits the discrimination against them by making discrimination on the ground of pregnancy, childbirth or medical conditions related to it constitutes unlawful sex discrimination under Title VII.

Further, the fact that the federal judge denied refused to drop the claim made Walmart regarding Alyssa Gilliams lighter work request, it gives the claim of unethical practices against pregnant women fuel as the federal judge would not refuse to drop a claim if they thought that the plaintiff did not make a sustainable case.

There are multiple allegations along with exposed unethical practices that indicate that Walmart is an unethical organisation that discriminates, pregnant women.

3.)

The seven whats method can be applied to the situation here:

What are the facts?

The facts of the allegation of discrimination against women who are pregnant are quite significant. They can be classified as significant as not one but multiple women came forward to blow the whistle on the firms unethical practices.

What are the ethical issues?

The ethical issues prevailing in this case study are that Walmart is being discriminative and uncooperative with women who are pregnant due to their lack of productivity. They have been blamed of practising inconsiderate and unethical practices by being insensitive towards pregnant women and illegal practices by firing a woman due to her pregnancy.

What are the alternatives?

The alternatives are to abide by the ethical framework of how to deal with women employees who are pregnant. The PDA of 1978 lays out a set of guidelines regarding conduct with pregnant women. The company should adhere to these guidelines to improve their stance on the sensitive matter of unlawful termination and improve the prevailing issue.

Who are the stakeholders?

The stakeholders involved here are the management of the Walmart, the employee, the customers, the government, and the shareholders of Walmart amongst others.

What is the ethical analysis of each alternative?

The analysis of the alternative is that it adheres to the laws established to safeguard pregnant women against unlawful termination. The alternative of realising more sensitivity towards issues such as pregnancy leave and leniency will improve the companies image in the eyes of its stakeholder.

What are the constraints?

There are not any significant constraints of the alternative, at least not legally. Walmart was accused of terminating employees unlawfully and employing others to maintain productivity. The only constraint that seems to rise from the perspective of productivity is that they will have to employ workers who aren't working at their productive potential. Therefore, the firm could face a fall in the productivity of one employee.

What action should be taken?

Walmart should swiftly adopt the alternative of adhering to PDA regulations to minimize the losses it makes monetarily to compensate for and mitigate the allegations and the harm that these allegations cost the brands image.