quick talk

Wal-Mart is international company that has been able to establish itself successfully largely through diversification. The company has expanded to 14 different countries across the international market. Its success is mainly attributed to fact that the company values its customer and believes that the customer is the most important entity of this company. As the largest retailer in the world, the company has been able to live according to its mission statement, vision statement and its core values. Like many other institutions, Walmart strives to achieve its strategic competitiveness and stay ahead of competitors. However, both external and internal environmental aspects influence this goal. The comprehension of the conditions in the outside environment that a company establishes through analysis of its environment is paired with knowledge regarding its interior structure to form the foundation for creating the company’s visions, mission and execution of its strategic actions. In lieu of this, the fast foods firm has noted several factors in relation to long queues, stiff completion and changes in consumer behavior that influence profitability as well as trends in social responsibility that affect the business. Ethics impact largely on corporate strategy and decision-making at Wal-Mart. The need to eliminate the negative implications on employee treatment based on poor wage allocation and health issues is high for Wal-Mart. The kind of work ethics that an organization introduces largely determines work performance and output of employees. In coming up with right ethical procedures by drawing a good code of conduct, Wal-Mart will transform the negative perception that has previously been created. This includes incorporating respect, fair treatment, proper remuneration and corporate social responsibility in the corporate strategy. Effective management of any business requires proper decision-making, which determines the success of the company. Although many businesses face a great challenge in making the right decisions, some companies have experienced remarkable growth due to the good decisions they made. In the case of Walmart Chicken Bites, proper decision-making will be integral in helping the business realize its desired objectives. This includes establishment of clear mechanisms that include proper management, communication, and confirmation of decision implementation.

Introduction

It is important for company to include in their strategies elements of corporate social responsibility based on how they prepare for trends in corporate culture and social responsibility. The fast food industry has been largely dynamic in the last five decades. Initially, consumers were more focused on the delicious and timely meals provided by fast food restaurants. This trend has, however, changed, and consumers are more conscious about consuming healthy foods (Brady, Robertson & Cronin, 2001). This paper identifies with Walmart, a leading retailer in fast foods and identifies with its trends in ethics, corporate social responsibility and sustainability. Besides this it discusses the impacts of these trends on Walmart including business ethics and regulations that affect decision making. The paper looks at efforts of cultural awareness and civic engagement by Walmart, how these efforts align with mission, vision, and values of the firm. The work is concluded by focusing on the rewards accrued to Walmart for implementing corporate social responsibility.

Another focus is on decision making of the company, as well as the impacts of those decisions. In particular, it refers to business decisions that the company needs to make, and the specific processes utilized in making the decisions. The paper also looks into the impact of those decisions and processes in the business sustainability and attributes of corporate culture of the company. These decisions and processes are also bound to affect the stakeholder groups, and this paper looks at how the stakeholder groups are affected. In addition, this paper evaluates the impact of the business on the community and global environment.

An evaluation of the corporate social responsibility strategies which Walmart Chicken Bites engages in, with special attention to the efforts in the cultural awareness and the civic engagement is discussed. Moreover, the manner in which the CSR efforts are aligned with the corporate vision, mission, and values of the company is presented including the benefits which are to be accrued from the alignment of cultural awareness and civic engagement efforts with corporate values, mission, and vision in terms of profits and increased exposure in the corporate world.

Background Information

Wal-Mart can be described as an international company that has been able to establish itself successfully; this is because the company has stores all over the USA. Moreover, the company has also been able to expand its branches to other 14 different countries across the international market. The success behind this company has been mainly due to the fact that the company values its customer and believes that the customer is the most important entity of this company. The idea of having the customer come first was a coined by Sam Walton who was the one behind the Wal-Mart company.

In this case, the product that will be at focus is the Walmart chicken bite. The rapid growth of the fast food industry and the demand for fast food products is the reason behind the Walmart chicken bite. Venturing into the fast food industry by Walmart was a big step, in particular this company aimed to change the current fast food market by offering the customers healthy fast food chicken bites. The business idea behind the Walmart chicken bite was to bring a new perspective in the fast food industry via the production of healthy fast food and this was amid health concerns that have rocked the fast food industry over the years.

Therefore, the aim to offer healthy alternatives was the driving force behind the Walmart chicken bite. Moreover, the idea of being unique also pushed Walmart to venture into the fast food industry. The company hoped that by joining this industry it would be able to offer its customers takeaway delicacies that are healthy. With this, the company aimed at targeting customers who take precautions on what they eat. The publicly traded name for this company is Walmart Inc (Brea‐Solís, Casadesus‐Masanell, & Grifell‐Tatjé, 2015).

Being the largest retailer in the world means that; the company has been able to live according to its mission statement, vision statement and its core values. The vision statement of Walmart is based on the idea of being a leader in the retail industry and also achieving the aspect of customer satisfaction. Secondly, the mission statement revolves around providing quality services and products to the consumers at an affordable amount. Its core values revolve around respect, excellence and integrity. Walmart chicken bite has a number of target stakeholders. It is clear that the target stakeholders will have a relationship to the mission, vision and values of the company. To start with, the customers to the Walmart chicken bite can be described as one of the target stakeholders. In this case, it is evident that as stakeholders, the customers are interested to be provided with quality products at an affordable price.

Consequently, the idea of affordability is in line with the mission statement. Additionally, through affordability, the company will be able to live according to its vision statement and core values. Secondly, the employees can also be described as one of the important target stakeholders. This is because they ensure that the company is able to deliver quality products and in this case quality fast food products to the consumers. This eventually leads to customer satisfaction that eventually results to brand loyalty. Hence, satisfaction of the employees via addressing issues touching on job security leads to better customer service, which results to customer satisfaction. Therefore, Walmart should ensure that it puts issues of job security at hand to ensure that this reflects their set mission, vision and core values (Balmer, 2008).

As a fast food restaurant it is evident that the government is also a major stakeholder. This is because the government is responsible for coming up with various legislations touching on food safety. It is evident that fast food products have been blamed for the rise in lifestyle diseases such as obesity. For this reason, Walmart should ensure that its food products are safe for human consumption and also raise concerns on the various issues that the company feels are not being addressed by the government especially on food safety. This will ensure that the company lives to its set goals and objectives. Lastly, we have the suppliers. Research has shown that, as a fast food restaurant, the company will be in need of suppliers from the various suppliers. Therefore, as target stakeholders for this fast food restaurant the suppliers should be able to offer quality products that will match the needs of the customers.

Current Trends: Business Environment of Walmart Chicken Bites

Just like any other company, Walmart strives to achieve its strategic competitiveness and stay ahead of competitors. However, this goal is influenced by both external and internal environmental aspects. The comprehension of the conditions in the outside environment that a company establishes through analysis of its environment is paired with knowledge regarding its interior structure to form the foundation for creating the company’s visions, mission and execution of its strategic actions (Osuoha, 2012).

Internal Factors

One of the greatest strengths of Walmart is that its fast foods are more affordable compared to other retail stores’ prices of chicken bites. Customers actually pay less when they shop at Walmart because the company purchases its products including chicken bites in bulk thus making bigger discount (Frue, 2018). Customers have a variety of things that they can get in one store. This is a way of enhancing the experience of customers. Customers can not only get chicken bites, but also drinks of their own in one place. Therefore, this is likely to earn the company significant support from the public.

Additionally, Walmart has stores that are flooded by customers due to the fast growing business of fast foods. However, the employees do not match the number of customers flooded in the stores. It is normal to have a small number of registers of cash open despite the long queues of people especially during busy periods such as back to school seasons. This is likely to affect the running of the chicken bites company because, most people in the U.S. have no time and money to purchase healthy foods. Their option is therefore fast foods and they would ultimately resort to a widely recognized company brand such as Walmart Chicken Bites Stores.

External Factors

The external aspects of an organization’s environment are classified in three groupings: the competitors’ aspects, industry and general (Osuoha, 2012). In general, Walmart’s brand is very much recognized all over the world. However, it is largely painted negatively. Walmart has been known out there as a company that does not treat its workers or employees right (Frue, 2018). Walmart is more likely to employ part-time employees over full-time workers in their stores. According to Frue (2018), Walmart is known for putting up smaller stores that are out of business, thus creating hostile relations with the people it influences.

Moreover, competition is one of the significant external factors that affects the business environment of Walmart Chicken Bites. As observed earlier, fast food business is rapidly growing in the USA. The major competitors of Walmart are Target and Costco. At Costco, one can buy multiple foods at once and in bulk (Frue, 2018). The company is also known for treating their customers well. This is most likely to overthrow Walmart Chicken Bites off the fast food business. According to Frue (2018), both Costco and Walmart attract support from the public but Costco receives the most support.

Impact

Long Queues

The mismatch of employees and customers at Walmart has caused long queues in Walmart stores. Chicken bites are among the fast foods that most Americans opt for especially during busy seasons like back to school. This means that customers may look for alternative means such as Costco and where they would find multiple products that they would like in one place.

Changes in the Consumer Behavior

In the current market that is characterized by customers that purchasing items online or through mobile shopping, it is now clear that physical retail stores are saturated especially those operated by the biggest retail chains in the U.S. (Marcilla, 2014). Therefore, downsizing the number and size of stores has become retail stores trend in the market. Following these trends, the buying behaviors of customers will definitely change. Walmart’s customers will either have to find alternative means or queue for long time period before being served in the few stores remaining. Alternatively, they would have to order from the internet even during busy schedules in consideration of preparation time and delivery time.

Higher Employee Turnover Rate

The fact that Walmart is painted negatively by people due to its alleged mistreatment of employees is likely to affect the fast food business negatively. For instance, the rate of employee turnover is likely to increase, but because the fast food business is increasingly growing, the company is likely to hire part-time workers to address the turnover rate, which would even be a sound environment for the alleged mistreatment of workers. Additionally, the putting up of smaller business, which is Walmart famous business move (Frue, 2018) is most likely to affect the business of chicken bites as towns people are negatively affected by these smaller stores in the U.S.

Stiff Competition

Additionally, Walmart’s biggest competitors Costco and Target have recently gained public support and also provide multiple products and services in one store for customers (Frue, 2018). This means that Walmart would lose many of its customers to Target and Costco as well as experienced employees.

Trends in Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability and Business Ethics

Workplace inequality and Harassment has become a very sensitive topic in the business world from the beginning of 2018. In February 2017, a publisher wrote an article about harassment and sexism during her time working with Uber. By the end of 2017, such stories had built up making it clear that women in every kind of industry have had to face widespread sexual harassment, corporate policies and cultures that have been fashioned to silence them and to disempower them (McPherson, 2018). If the year 2017 was concerned with speaking the facts in relation to power, then 2018 definitely focuses on the firm changes to these, both in regards to policies of internal reporting as well as dealing with workplace inequality. Given Walmart brand does not have an admirable record of equality and treatment of employees; it is likely to be on the spotlight this year.

The next major trend in corporate social responsibility is the discussion on diversity. 2017 has experienced multiple conversations on women in their workplaces. This has left 2018 a year of resolving issues that undermine the concept of diversity at workplaces. More importantly, diversity this year has focused on gender and mainly about women. Inclusion entails creation of employees that embrace every experience, background, disability, sexual orientation, age, language, and culture as well as giving these differences a voice (Maloni & Brown, 2006). Moreover, food safety is a common focus for most business in food industries. Lack of concentration on the safety of food is most likely to render a company a failure. Customers are not likely to shop in a store that has a reputation of food poisoning. Walmart serves many people in their stores around the world every day. Since the company touches many people’s lives, it has a crucial responsibility and an opportunity of advancing on food safety and enhancing public health (Walmart, 2016). As one of the lead brand worldwide, Walmart has to maintain a continuous and effective management system of food safety as a central part of progressive success. This means that the company would have to invest in research and evaluation on food as well as its suppliers before dispensing to customers.

Additionally, prioritizing data protection and privacy is also a business ethics that has hit the business politics in the contemporary world. Data breaches flew under the media radar mainstreaming (McPherson, 2018). McPherson (2018) attests that data protection and privacy has to be the priority agenda for the ethics issues that companies face. This has especially been on the radar for decades by top officials in companies. With the ongoing breaches, it is important that organizations protect the personal information of the staff and stakeholders. This however, is likely to be under ethical dilemma if the company is facing serious lawsuits for instance. That said, data privacy and protection is one area that executives anticipate increase in resources in the next two years (Maloni & Brown, 2006). Walmart is not an exception.

Inclusion of Women

This means that Walmart must also adjust to recruit a significant number of women and also treat all employees with integrity and fairness. Walmart is known for having lower operating expenses compared to the industry average. It has a record of achieving a cost leadership position. Therefore, it will have to recruit more women and ensure that the code of ethics is in alignment with the international employment standards of treating women with fairness, dignity and integrity.

Decline in Cost Leadership Position

Also, its cost leadership position is likely to decline due to implementation of such programs. Thus, the price leadership, which is at the central stage of Walmart’s strategy, is likely to be compromised especially with the reported accusations for mistreatment of women. Funds would be channeled to address such allegations in court and in the implementation of resolutions in the company. Additionally, downsizing is likely including increasing the laying off of employees, and cancelation of contracts with important stakeholders in order to make sure that funds are channeled towards addressing sustainability issues that would most likely impact negatively to the success of the company.

Revision of the Company’s Culture

As the world population continues to grow rapidly, workforce also grows when it comes to diversity. This implies that Walmart will have to establish company cultures, products and experiences that speak to various perspectives and identities. For instance, some cultures prefer their food spicy while other would like the original taste of chicken. Therefore, Walmart has to include various chicken bites that would speak to its various customers especially given that it is located in the U.S., a country with myriad cultures for customers.

Vulnerability of Partners

Numerous stores of Walmart have McDonalds’ restaurants in them to develop Walmart’s brand (Hayden et al, 2002). Walmart also has exclusive promotions made with Hollywood movie firms as well as music organizations for Walmart’s brand distribution and promotions. With the current data privacy and protection issues, Walmart’s partners in brand promotions are also vulnerable to any data breaches within Walmart. Recently, it was reported that Walmart was involved in about twelve lawsuits every day or about one lawsuit in every 2 hours (Ferrell, 2004). This image is also likely to affect partner organizations like McDonald and Hollywood movie organizations. The brand partners may rethink maintaining the partnership because of the negative image that Walmart has been painted.

Inclusion on External Compliance Agencies

Walmart was deemed the most sued company stemming from the interaction with customers and from the claim that some consumers have complained that something is not right in their function as customers to Walmart (Ferrell, 2004). Ethical roles to customers lay strong foundation of protection of legal aspects. From a federal perspective, The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is in charge of enforcing consumer protection laws. At FTC, the Bureau of Consumer Protection is responsible for protecting consumers from fraudulent, deceptive and unfair practices. This means that Walmart shall have to work with FTC in decision-making to ensure that the chicken bites are not harmful to the consumers and meet the FTC food standards.

Moreover, other federal agencies like the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Food and Drug Administration as well as Federal Communications Commission will have to be represented in the decision-making process of chicken bite before dispensing to consumers. This is because these agencies help in addressing damaging conduct, as well ass fraudulent and deceptive conduct (Ferrell, 2004). Otherwise, communication that is misleading, false and fraudulent is likely to jeopardize the organization’s stakeholders’ trust in Walmart and possible withdrawal of stakeholders. This is likely to lead to haphazard decision-making since the main stakeholders are affected.

Ethics

Issues

The contemporary news show that McDonalds has suffered 30% loss of profits given it is among the most favorite fast food restaurants in the US. Processed foods attributed for 70% of Americans’ diet (Weiss, 2014). Many Americans consume more packaged foods compared to the rest of the people in the world. Whether this is due to the fact that fast foods are convenient, modern, and technological friendly, or meet people’s busy schedules and industrial agriculture and public policy, the main fact is plain. The way Americans consume food has dramatically changed in the past fifty years (Weiss, 2014). In the modern world, Americans are hardly linked to land and the people that produce their food. However, this is not the only issue.

Low wages for the Employees

Firstly, in the U.S., there is a specific amount of ‘to-do,’ regarding fast food employees who have constantly requested for pay rise and in some cases, turnover rate has gone up to prove a point. It is evident that the fast food employees earn a minimum wage and even though some of them make more than the minimum amount, they are still below the poverty line as the corporations in the fast food industry make millions of moneys. In 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that seven million people in the U.S. were employees in the fast food industry including over 500, 000 cooks, 3.4 million counter employees, and 2.9 million in the department of serving and preparation of food (Weiss, 2014). On average, the pre-tax yearly income for these employees was approximated to about $18,770, which accounts for about $9 per hour (Weiss, 2014). For someone in a family of three, that is below the poverty line of the federal government of $19.530. For the 3.6 million workers that earn the minimum amount of wage or less, their most pre-tax income, which is about $15,080, puts them below the line of poverty, say for a household of two people (Weiss, 2014).

Benefits to Employees vs Costs to Company

Workers in the fast food industry protested to have a pay rise including benefits and hourly amount of between 13USD and 15USD. However, this influences the fast food gurus such as Walmart which would cause the food prices to rise. Many people that patronize restaurants that make fast foods do this due to the fact that the food is cheap and fast. If workers in the fast food industry are actually paid the amount they protest, the costs would escalate and so will the competition for the positions in the fast food industry. Some scholars attest that fast food should be intact for that sake of teenagers who are seeking their first employment.

Over-reliance on Aid

Other scholars have questioned the business ethics of the industry. That said, many employees in this industry make a below poverty line living making them rely on the aid programs by the state and federal government (Weiss, 2014). Some of the fast food companies have been charged for encouraging their workers to rely on the advantages given to them by the government in order to maintain their minimum wages. Big fast food companies have been indicted of boosting their employees to sign up for the program of SNAP (Food stamps), thus allowing the companies to maintain the low wages and increase their profits (Weiss, 2014). The impact is especially grave for the minority workers such as Asians, Hispanics and African Americans. This means that Walmart has to keep in mind fair work and fair pay ethics to maintain its reputation and future developments.

Health related Issues

Also, fast foods are in most cases connected to obesity. There is a concrete base that fast foods are responsible for obesity and for increased rates of diabetes, heart disease and shorter lifespan (Weiss, 2014). Moreover, obese people have reduced physical activity and life quality as well as increased costs of health care. The U.S. is reportedly marked with an increased rate of obesity including children.

Among the neighborhoods with people of low income and racially disparate populations, where obesity is extreme, there are numerous fast food restaurants compared to other areas in the U.S. Moreover, these restaurants are conveniently located in close proximity to schools where children learn their eating and lifestyle habits. The restaurants in these neighborhoods also have minimal high quality foods, leading to what is known as ‘food deserts,’ (Weiss, 2014). Weiss (2014) adds that these cheap fast foods are accompanied by poisoned waters, little waters, abused farm workers and farmers, overweight and unhealthy consumers, mistreated animals and degraded soils. Suddenly, research shows that that big piece of chicken may not be as appealing as it may seem on its look. Many restaurants make taste and nice-smelling foods. However, this may implicate the health benefits in real life.

Impacts on corporate strategy and decision making processes

Ethics impact largely on corporate strategy and decision making at Wal-Mart. The need to eliminate the negative implications on employee treatment based on poor wage allocation and health issues is high for Wal-Mart. The kind of work ethics that an organization introduces largely determines work performance and output of employees. In coming up with right ethical procedures by drawing a good code of conduct, Wal-Mart will transform the negative perception that has previously been created. This includes incorporating respect, fair treatment, proper remuneration and corporate social responsibility in the corporate strategy.

Ethics have beneficial impacts on corporate strategy as they drive the achievement of goals and plan execution. Work ethics streamline organizational practice which subsequently affects output. Introducing respect, good working conditions and safety at work will influence the way employees at Wal-Mart will perform. Coming up with strategies that promote the welfare of all the stakeholders is vital to ensure that the firm remains competitive in the global market. The company needs to establish a team under ethical standards department responsible for monitoring the supplier factories’ compliance with the corporation’s local laws and standards for suppliers.

Alignment

According to the vision statement of Walmart, the firm looks into its success from the founder’s spectrum. Its founder, Sam Walton’s ideals are enshrined in the vision statement of the company is, ‘to be the best retailer in the hearts and minds of consumers and employees,’ (Ferguson, 2017). Therefore, Walmart will have to increase the wages of its employees, lower their prices or maintain (given customers have hardly complained about Walmart’s high priced foods) as well as the quality of foods in accordance to the food protection and safety agencies’ stipulations.

This is likely to enhance the company’s reputation as well attract more customers because the food is of quality, affordable prices and with good customer service from employees. Given that the company has already realized the ‘best retailer’ section of its vision, Walmart will look into maintaining quality products by investing in research and development as well as hiring based on integrity, fairness, diversity, and inclusion code of conduct that does not favor anyone, in order to avoid the issues highlighted above such as inequality, women sexual abuse and employee underpayment. These measures are likely to fulfill the ‘heart’ part of the vision.

Besides that, the company will partner with ethics and regulation bodies such as Consumer Product Safety Commission to fulfill the ‘can live better’ part of the company’s mission statement, ‘Saving people money so they can live better,’ (Ferguson, 2017). Introducing healthier ingredients in the chicken bites would enhance the health of consumers thus satisfying the mission of Walmart. Through the low prices of other Walmart’s products, the company adheres to its mission statement. Therefore, Walmart chicken bites will not be an exception.

Furthermore, the company will partner with compliance agencies Federal Trade Commission and the Bureau of Consumer Protection, Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Communications Commission and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. This will further expose the company’s new brand- chicken bites to more consumers as highlighted by the regulations’ bodies.

Walmart will establish an Ethics Office and spread to its stakeholders, an ethical corporate culture. This office is responsible for making ethical decisions basing on the ethics helpline and the world statement of ethics. The established helpline in the company will help associates to be in touch with the company in regards to ethical matters decision-making. The company will also establish a team under ethical standards department who will be responsible for monitoring the supplier factories’ compliance with the corporation’s local laws and standards for suppliers.

Sustainability

The company will be releasing its global compliance program report showing the resolutions and the approaches for addressing issues that arise. These reports will entail areas in systems, processes, policies and people. Moreover, a corporate division will be established combining legal matters, investigations, compliance, and ethics into one whole and these will always be reported to the executive team of the global governance. Lastly, the company is looking into investing in research and development by hiring experts in key areas to advice of the key matters of concern like food safety, anti-corruption, equality and fairness. These measures will help the company avoid the tertiary impacts of unhealthy eating such as health costs.

Besides, it will also increase the lifespan of the Americans given health concerns are very sensitive now in the country. The company would also elevate its position above its competitors that focus of processing foods that are accompanied by chemicals posing a threat to human and environment health. To do this, Walmart will partner with companies that promote healthy eating foods in order to promote its brand. In the modern world, people purchase goods and services basing on the various in relation to the past (Mahdi & Sadrinia, 2014). With the rates of obesity shooting up over the years, consumers have become more attentive to what they consume. Adults especially look for factors like quality and prices and therefore they would spend their time to shop and purchase their items.

With these trends in place, decision-making process will have to include external review and evaluation of Walmart’s chicken bites from ethics and regulatory agencies, before presenting the products to consumers. Besides, it would keep the company off scandals such as corruption and sexual harassment and lawsuits that derail the companies’ progress and jeopardize their image in the long-run. These are made intact with the confidentiality regulations provided by the Global Ethics Office.

Decision-Making and Impact Portions

Decision-Making

a) Decisions

Effective management of any business requires proper decision-making, which determines the success of the company. Although many businesses face a great challenge in making the right decisions, some companies have experienced remarkable growth due to the good decisions they made. In the case of Walmart Chicken Bites, proper decision making will be integral in helping the business realize its desired objectives. This includes establishment of clear mechanisms that include proper management, communication, and confirmation of decision implementation (Royle, 2005). Some of the important decisions that the company needs to make are discussed below.

The company needs to improve in terms of designing its goods and services. The objective in this strategic decision area of managing operations should be the provision of affordable and quality products (Pettigrew, 2014). Therefore, there is need for the company to serve its customers with products of sizes and prices that are consistent with the customer’s expectations. If need be, the company can reduce the size of some products to make them affordable to a wide array of customers. The company also needs to make decision on quality management. In this case, the company’s objective should be to maximize the quality of its products within the constraints of price and costs limits (Pettigrew, 2014). This can be achieved through using the production line method that ensures that consistency in product quality is maintained. Consistency of product quality is very critical as it satisfies the expectations of the customers, while growing the brand of the company.

Process and capacity design is another decision that Walmart Chicken Bites needs to prioritize. This should be centered on efficiency for minimizing costs, which supports the strategies of the company. The strategic decision in management of operations is crucial in focusing on the maintenance of efficiency of processes and adequate capacity that fulfills the prevailing market demand (Pettigrew, 2014). The method of product line adopted will be crucial in maximizing capacity utilization and efficiency. Another decision is location strategy, which involves establishing locations that reach maximum market. Establishment of marketing mix that includes kiosks, restaurants, mobile apps, and company website as venues will increase the company’s presence and customer base through both traditional and online channels (Brady, Robertson & Cronin, 2001).

The operations management also needs to make decision on the layout design and strategy. This decision will involve maximizing the utilization of space in kiosks and restaurants, as opposed to focusing on spaciousness and comfort. The human resources of the company also need to strategize on training for the appropriate skills necessary in the production line and areas of the company. This decision of training the company’s staff will be essential in ensuring that the organizational culture is promoted (Royle, 2005).

The company’s management also needs to make a bold decision in terms of establishing the supply chain management. In this regard, the supply chain should support the various locations of the company (Brady, Robertson & Cronin, 2001). The strategy of the company in this regard should be to diversify its supply chain in all its locations. This needs to include on boarding of more suppliers from various regions as a way of reducing risks associated with supply chain. Moreover, there is dire need to make firm decision on the management of company’s inventory. This decision aims at minimizing the inventory costs and supporting operations of the company restaurants and other outlets (Pettigrew, 2014).

Scheduling is another crucial decision for Walmart Chicken bites, which needs to be consistent with corporate conventions and based on the prevailing conditions and laws in the local market. This decision should also consider the needs of supply chain. For instance, there is need to strategizing on regular and seasonal schedules that seek to address the fluctuations experienced in the local market demand (Brady, Robertson & Cronin, 2001). This decision therefore makes the company more flexible and adaptable to the conditions in the local market. Above all, there is need for maintenance of the company assets. This can be realized through contracting maintenance service providers through local and corporate control.

Business decisions processes should stem from ethical and legal concepts with an aim of protecting the consumer from harmful consumption. Issues of regulation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Bureau of Consumer Protection, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Food and Drug Administration as well as Federal Communications influence business decisions and processes. These issues that require ethical decision making are with regard to unfair practices, fraud, deception, damage, conduct and misleading communications.

Decision making process needs to include these issues so that both the consumer and Walmart are protected from harm and misrepresentation. Business processes should align with corporate strategy and objective (Pettigrew, 2014). Decisions aimed to improve employee wages, reduce over reliance on aid and promote health standards of employees at Walmart should be guided by regulations. The process of coming up with decisions that impart change entails proper analysis of organization, people and the environment of Walmart, identification of areas that require changes and coming up with viable solutions.

b) Culture

The organizational culture of the company is integral in supporting its positioning goals in the industry. The organizational culture attracts qualified employees and customers. This is because the organizational culture of a firm defines the values, habits, and traditions that dictate the behavior of the employees (Royle, 2005). The organizational culture of the Walmart Chicken Bites needs to encourage learning as a way of ensuring business efficiency in service and production. How well the company utilizes the organizational culture will determine the effectiveness to apply its corporate culture towards achieving the desired level of performance from the human resources. The organizational culture of the company will be largely influenced by the decisions the company makes (Zheng, Yang & McLean, 2010).

The organizational culture of Walmart Chicken Bites needs to emphasize on the development and efficiency of the human resource. This implies that business growth and success will be largely supported in both local and regional fast food market. In particular, the decisions discussed will impact the organizational culture in four major aspects namely: people-centricity, individual learning, organizational learning, and diversity and inclusion (Zheng, Yang & McLean, 2010). In terms of people-centricity, the decisions made ensure that the company prioritizes the needs and development of the employees. The decisions to continually encourage and support employees will create an organizational culture that improves the processes and procedures of the company.

The decisions described also perpetrate an organizational culture that promote individual leaning. Individual learning is very important in promoting quality, productivity, and business effectiveness. Through offering training and development opportunities for its employees through leadership development programs, global mobility, and internships, the company will promote individual learning that maintains an organizational culture that inspires the staff to continue learning (Zheng, Yang & McLean, 2010).

Through use of individual learning, the company directly supports organizational learning. The individual learning is crucial in developing organizational knowledge that pushes the business to greater heights of performance. This attribute creates an organizational culture that support programs and policies that encourage the employees to share knowledge and provide essential feedback for business growth and development (Zheng, Yang & McLean, 2010). The decision of diversity and inclusion executed by the human resource management creates an organizational culture that seeks to optimize the human resource capabilities in dealing with the increasingly diverse market. As such, the organizational culture that is created encourages employees, customers, franchisees, and suppliers to give their feedback and participate in conversations that aim at improving the business.

c) Stakeholders

The most important stakeholders for the Walmart Chicken Bites are employees and customers. These two are the most affected by the decisions of the company, although other stakeholder groups such as investors and community are also affected. The company prioritizes the employees as the most important stakeholders of the company (Spitzeck & Hansen, 2010). The decisions made by the company affect this stakeholder group in terms of career development and fair compensation. To achieve its interests, the company provides training and development programs for the employees. The salaries and wage structure of the company needs to be created such that it is at least higher that the legal minimum wage to minimize employee protests and boost performance and productivity (Spitzeck & Hansen, 2010).

As the second-priority stakeholder group, the Walmart Chicken Bites’ customers are affected by the company’s decisions. This specifically involves the quality and price of the foods. The customers’ expectations include getting healthy foods at fair and affordable from the company, and thus the decisions of the company to alter the price, quality, and quantity of the food affects their purchase decisions and behaviors (Spitzeck & Hansen, 2010). There is need for the company to focus on healthier foods so as to fulfill the interests of the customers since they are a major stakeholder group.

In most cases, the interests of investors as stakeholder group in a business are to grow revenues and profitability. For the Walmart Chicken bites, the strategies and decisions made are consistent with realizing the interests of the investors. As such, the decisions are geared towards establishing stable business operations. This will lead to stable growth rate. Introduction of new product offering, excellent customer service, and provision of quality products are decisions that will ensure that the interests of the investors are fulfilled (Spitzeck & Hansen, 2010). The decisions of the company also affect the communities where it operates. The expectations of the community include environmental support programs and community development. The company supports the communities through offering employment, purchase of raw materials, and embracing environmental protection programs. The company needs to create various corporate social responsibility programs to support the communities as stakeholder group (Spitzeck & Hansen, 2010).

Impact

a) Community

Walmart Chicken Bites has a significant impact on the communities where the company operates. The company has been instrumental in supporting community development. These communities in turn affect the company in terms of influencing the perception of the employees and customers towards the company. Through provision of internship opportunities to students, the company helps in the development of the society through empowerment. Although the interns are not guaranteed to work with the company after the internship, they are equipped with very vital skills that help them in their future careers. The internship opportunities therefore help the beneficiaries succeed their aspirations and dreams, and perseverance (Masini & Menichetti, 2012).

The company has also provided high number of employment opportunities too many people where it operates. In this regard, when the company opens a new outlet, the first priority is to recruit individuals from that locality. This greatly helps in developing the community as the living standards of those employees and their families are highly enhanced. The company’s strategy of promoting diversity and inclusion directly impacts the community. In this regard, the company emphasizes in the importance of seeking and embracing diversity and general believe in the ability of others (Epstein, 2018). As such, the company supports and trains its staff for personal development and consequently realizes their full potential and capacity. Above all, the company conducts its business operations in a legal, ethical, and socially responsible manner. The company ensures compliance with all the ethical business practices and laws. This sets a good example to the community, and contribution to the government in terms of taxes and other statutory fees helps in the growth of the community (Epstein, 2018).

b) Global Environment

The decisions and activities of the Waymart Chicken Bites Company directly affect the local and global environment. The recent increase in emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere as caused global warming and consequently climate change (Masini & Menichetti, 2012). For this reasons, business are required to be aware of the effects of their activities to the environment. The company strives to ensure that its suppliers continually improve the company’s objective of sustainable development. Establishment of structures and laboratories to ensure development and testing of innovation towards environmental conservation and improvement is a big priority for the company (Epstein, 2018). As part of its corporate social responsibility, the company collaborates with the suppliers as a way of ensuring that its vision of achieving global sustainable supply chain development such as energy for animals, climate change, and employee well-being is prioritized.

The company has adopted use of clean energy in preparation of its meals. This has been achieved through reduced use of carbon fuels and increased use of electricity (Masini & Menichetti, 2012). This move has significantly reduced the amount of carbon emissions the company contributes to the environment (Morgan, 2012). The company has also developed packaging materials that are recyclable to reduce wastage and environmental degradation that occurs when packaging waste cannot be recycled. The company has also undertaken programs that seek spread awareness to the general public on the importance of environmental preservation. To fully support improvement of the environment, the company seeks to reward those individuals who come up with innovative environmental contributions and ideas (Morgan, 2012).

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an important aspect of any business that operates in the current market setup. The fast-food industry has experienced numerous changes in the expectations of customers. The increasing preference of customers on healthy fast foods has progressively changed the manner in which companies in the industry approach the marketplace (Fornell, Rust & Dekimpe, 2010). Walmart Chicken Bites is a company which will operate in the fast food industry with an intention to provide healthy food products to the customers. Corporate social responsibility strategies are therefore necessary for ensuring that the requirements of the market in respect provision of healthy products is met.

Cultural Awareness and Civic Engagement Efforts

In order to improve the business outcome of Walmart Chicken Bites, there will be a specialized focus on the cultural awareness and civic engagement activities. It will be important for the business to recognize that cultural awareness is a requirement of paramount importance in the communication process with customers, employees and various other stakeholders in the business (Grayson & Hodges, 2017). The market to be served by the company is culturally diverse. There is, therefore, a need to meet the different needs of the different customers in the business. As noted previously, the employees and customers of the business are the most important stakeholders. The cultural awareness efforts will, therefore, be centered on these stakeholders.

Many companies which operate in the fast food industry have come up with initiatives which are aimed at increasing the CSR activities targeting the customers and employees (Werther Jr & Chandler, 2010). This includes the activities of market leaders such as McDonald’s. these activities include the recognition of cultural diversity and inclusion in the company. The customers served by the fast food companies have changed over time to include more people from minority communities. There is also an increase in the income of people in the country which has also contributed to a change in the demographics of the customers. The customers, therefore, expect to see a reflection of the society in the employees and products of the company (Gurung, & Prater, 2017). The employees of Walmart Chicken Bites will, therefore, be recruited from different cultural origins which will reflect the customers served by the business.

CSR inside the Company

The CSR activities inside Walmart Chicken Bites will be targeted primarily on the employees. Corporate social responsibility normally motivates employees. Integrating the cultural, environmental and economic aspects of the company contributes to a more solid and sound workforce. Investing in CSR activities centered on the employees will contribute to better outcomes in the recruitment, training and the retention of top quality in the organization. CSR activities inside the organization will be crucial in improving the productivity of the employees in the company (Lee, Conklin, Cranage & Lee, 2014).

One of the ways of promoting CSR activities in a bid to increase cultural awareness in the organization is training. Training of the employees to become global citizens will be a priority for Walmart Chicken Bites. This will be essential in equipping the employees with the necessary skills and knowledge of working in an increasingly culturally diverse environment. Understanding the communication practices of the local culture will crucial in building a strong relationship between the business and the customers (Gurung, & Prater, 2017). It will, therefore, be important for the employees to understand the local language in the area where Walmart Chicken Bites outlets will be available.

Improving employee growth within the organization rather than in the general community is crucial in building employee trust and confidence in the organization. Walmart Chicken Bites will, therefore, be focused on training and tuition activities which are aimed at increasing the skill levels of the employees. Building towards the achievement of a culturally intelligent workforce will be beneficial in improving productivity, communication, and unity at the workplace.

The input of employees in these activities will be crucial in determining the success of the program. The inclusion of employees in the decision-making process will, therefore, be crucial for the success of the entire process. Walmart Chicken Bites will ensure that the voices of the employees are heard in the decision-making process. They will be considered in the decisions which affect the activities of the organizations which are linked to them. this will be aimed at improving the commitment of the employees in the various projects of the company. Promoting initiative by the employees will also be a key strategy in facilitating employee inclusion in decision making (Grayson & Hodges, 2017). The leadership of Walmart Chicken Bites will ensure that the employees of the company are encouraged to share the ideas which they consider suitable for the business. Their ideas will be fully supported by the company.

Responsibility to Customers

Walmart Chicken Bites will have the responsibility of providing quality food at affordable prices to its customers. The company will be motivated by the increasing desire of many people around the world to engage in healthy eating practices (Lee et al., 2014). With the continued decline in the availability of healthy food and at affordable prices, the company will be aiming at providing healthy food to the customers at low prices. The business will be aiming at providing healthy fried chicken food. From research customers usually desire for convenience in the access to products and services from corporate.

The distribution of the products of Walmart Chicken Bites will be a key strategy in fulfilling its responsibility to the customers. The company will, therefore, ensure that there is easy access to the food products by the customers. This will be an objective which has been conveniently facilitated by the distribution channels of Walmart Retail stores. The extensive coverage of the retail giant in the country and various other regions will ensure that customers of Walmart Chicken Bites will have convenient access to the products of the company.

Another responsibility which Walmart chicken Bites will be aiming at achieving is the provision of quality food products. This is aimed at improving the living standards through the health-conscious products. With the increase in lifestyle diseases which are associated with poor eating habits, the company has a responsibility in ensuring that it contributes to the solution of the problem rather than a contributor to the growth of the problem. This is especially the case a majority of the lifestyle diseases are associated with fast foods (McWilliams, 2015). This includes illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes and some cancers. The company will also aim at treating its customers equally in the different interactions.

Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction refers to the manner in which the expectations, complains and views of the customers are addressed by the company. Customer satisfaction is not only an object of the business towards its customers but also a major responsibility on the part of the business towards the customers. There are various methods which are applied in the determination of customer satisfaction in the fast food industry. These are the methods which are applied by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) in determining the level of customer satisfaction by the various fast food companies.

The satisfaction of customers is normally based on the experience of the customers when interacting with the business. As a result, the business will aim at improving customer experience in the various outlets of Walmart Chicken Bites. One of the major areas of focus will be employee courtesy and helpfulness to customers (Perry, 2012). This is necessary for addressing the needs of customers who have different traits and behaviors. Another important factor in customer experience is checkout or delivery speed. This will be achieved through a semi-automated system. Order accuracy is a problem which has been affecting many fast food companies for a long time. It has consequently led to bad public exposure, especially on social media sites. As a result, it will be important to focus on ensuring that customers’ orders are accurately served. Improving customer satisfaction will be necessary for creating customer trust which is paramount in the building of a strong public awareness.

How Cultural Awareness and Civic Engagement Walmart Chicken Bites Aligns with Corporate Mission, Vision, and Values.

Walmart Chicken Bites recognizes that cultural diversity and civic engagement is key to improving customer experience with the business. These factors will be considered in the core activities of the business, which are the provision of healthy chicken food at affordable prices to the diversified customer base. Employee inclusion will be an important aspect of improving the productivity of the company. Involving employees in decision making will be necessary for increasing their commitment to the projects of the company (Schwartz, 2017). This will be crucial in ensuring that the employees are committed to the satisfaction of the customers.

Creating an environment of unity and understanding in the workplace will contribute to the alignment of the personal objectives of the employees and those of the entire organization. The creation of a diverse and inclusive workforce will be crucial in promoting the dedication required from employees of Walmart Chicken Bites in the bid to achieve superior results in the business. Walmart Chicken Bites Company has the intention to obtain the best talent in the industry. The company will, therefore, invest in recruitment, training and retention activities with the aim of building a workforce from diversified backgrounds. This will be crucial in building an environment where employees feel respected through being treated fairly and are able to advance their careers accordingly.

Walmart Chicken Bites will be focused on providing quality chicken food to the diversified customer base. The current market is normally comprised of people from different customer bases from around the world. This brings the issue of different requirements in the food provided. Different cultures have their specialized ways of preparing their food. For Walmart Chicken Bites, it will be necessary to consider these diverse backgrounds of the customers in order to provide products which are fitting for the respective customers. This includes specialized recipes to cater to the different expectations of the customers.

Another area of focus is building customer trust in the business through effective communication strategies. This will be achieved through training employees in communication practices expected in the business. The objective of the training activities will be to ensure that employees are able to handle communication with clients effectively (Smith, Read, & López-Rodríguez, 2010). This will include the ability to communicate in the business language used in the area where the specific outlets are located. It will also be important to address customer complaints, recommendations and views in a professional manner. Therefore, courtesy and helpfulness will be traits which the employees of Walmart Chicken Bites will apply greatly.

How Alignment of Cultural Awareness and Civic Engagement Efforts with Corporate Mission, Vision, and Values Will Improve Walmart Chicken Bites’ Corporate Exposure and Profits

The activities of the Walmart Chicken Bites in cultural awareness and civic engagements are expected to bring about various advantages to the business. Corporate social responsibility has been observed to improve the public image of companies. The environment of unity and trust which is created through the various corporate social responsibilities puts the organizations in the right light. The business builds a reputation of a good citizen. Employees and customers alike are more willing to be associated with the company. As a result, the business activities of the company received a major boost. The positive and strong public image created translates into increased demand for the products of the company (Werther Jr & Chandler, 2010).

Impact of CSR inside the Company

Corporate social responsibility activities which are focused on the improvement of employees are expected to have numerous benefits to the business. The company aims at investing in recruitment, training, and retention of the best employees available in the market. These activities are aimed at building a team comprised of the top talents in order to increase productivity and service delivery to the customers. Through training and development, the company will build employee confidence and loyalty. This expected to improve the productivity of the company and ensure that it has a chance of surviving the stiff competition in the fast food industry.

Impacts of Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is the aim of every company today. Customer satisfaction will be addressed by the business as a responsibility owed to the customers. Strategies aimed at improving customer experience with the business include courtesy and helpfulness of the employees. Customer satisfaction is expected to build strong relationships between the business and the customers (Fornell, Rust & Dekimpe, 2010). Another strategy will be listening to the voices of the customers. This will be through platforms created for addressing the complaints, recommendations, and views of the customers. Impact of customer satisfaction and inclusion of their views is building a strong public image and goodwill. The power of the word of mouth is a powerful tool in the marketing of a company. This is expected to grow the market share of the company exponentially. A strong public image also increases the sustainability of the business.

Conclusion

Decision-making forms an integral part of any successful company. Walmart Chicken Bites needs to make making informed decisions which impact on the company’s realization of its goals and objectives. Proper implementation of the decisions leads to creation of an organizational culture that is consistent with the organization’s mission and vision. The organizational culture cuts across the various stakeholder groups of the company such as employees, customers, investors, and communities. The decisions made by the company have long-term implications on the company both internally and externally (Balmer, 2008). The good decisions made by the Walmart Chicken Bites have positively benefited the community and the global environment, particularly in terms of community development and environmental sustainability. Besides, engaging in cultural awareness and civic involvement activities is an area in which modern businesses need to incorporate in their business processes. These activities take the form of creating awareness of cultural diversity within and around the business such as acquiring employees who reflect the society that the business is intending to serve. In order to achieve the inclusion of employees, it is important to train the employees and equip them with the skills and knowledge necessary in serving culturally diverse customers. These activities are directly influential in building a strong corporate image and increasing the profits of the company.

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