Ethics and Compliance

Ethics and Compliance Paper

Learning Team B

FIN/370 Finance for Business

Instructor: Shadi W. Sifain, Ed. D.

July 22, 2013

University of Phoenix

Introduction

How businesses conduct their business has changed over the years. More often than not, businesses are faced with perplexing questions about ethics and how ethics play a role in how they conduct their business. Since it’s inception in 1934, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been pivotal in overseeing the ethical conduct of businesses. Today we will look at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and how the company’s commitment to strong ethical behavior helps them propel the company forward.

Ethical behavior is very important in business. In recent years more attention has been paid to the ethical standards of the employee as much as the employer. With this in mind, we will assess the role of ethics and compliance within the organization’s financial environment. We will look at the procedures they employ to assist them to that end. We will also take a brief look at how businesses function in today’s ever changing business world, specifically how financial markets work here in the United States. We will assess the role of ethics and compliance within the organization’s financial environment. Understanding how the financial market works in the United States will help us evaluate Wal-Mart Store, Inc.’s financial performance during the past two years. By using a few different ratios to help support the SEC report it is our intent that there will be a better understanding of the ethical and financial structure of business in the United States and within Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Ethics in the Organization

The definition of ethics is “a set of moral principles or values” a definition that portrays ethics as highly personal and relative (“Merriam-Webster”, 2013). Ethical behavior in business has changed over the years. The old standard practice of bribes, a wink, and a handshake, or the under the table...