Walmart vs Target

I decided to research the competing stores of Walmart and Target. Sam Walton opened his first store in Arkansas in 1962. His visions included helping customers and communities save money and live better. Walmart was considered the nation’s top retailer by the 90’s and enjoyed its first $100 billion sales year by 1997. In the New Millennium, â€Å"Walmart made a major commitment to environmental sustainability, announcing goals to create zero waste, use only renewable energy and sell products that sustain people and the environment. (www. walmart.com)† â€Å"In 2010, Walmart launched a global commitment to sustainable agriculture, aiming to strengthen local farmers and economies, while providing customers access to affordable, high-quality food. (www. walmart. com)† Walmart celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2012 and currently employs over 2. 2 million associates worldwide and serves 200 million customers each week at more than 10,000 stores in 27 countri es. According to the Walmart website, their core beliefs are service to our customers, respect for the individual, and strive for excellence and to act with integrity.After some research, it appears that the organizational culture of Walmart is still subject to an authoritarian culture. Authoritarian means favoring complete obedience or subjection to authority as opposed to individual freedom. The culture is viewed this way after multiple lawsuits against Walmart from their employees regarding wages, work hours, and advancement opportunities. There are many female employees of Walmart that would like to be eligible for promotions to management, however Walmart has made it difficult for women to take those positions.They have created the management structure in a way that most women are simply unable to accept. They do this by making relocation a fixed policy for management positions. The Target Corporation began its history in 1902 in Minneapolis. In 1962 â€Å"Target† and be gan to campaign with the classic Bullseye logo. The reasoning was, â€Å"As a marksman's goal is to hit the center bulls-eye, the new store would do much the same in terms of retail goods, services, commitment to the community, price, value and overall experience.(https://corporate. target. com/about/history/Target-through-the-years)† The Target Corporation appears to be continuing to have a history of giving and service. This commitment began in 1946. They strive to enhance the futures of their team members, communities and the world as a whole. â€Å"Supporting communities through giving has always been a cornerstone of our business and a belief that guides so many of our decisions. Each year, we’ve given 5 percent of our profit to communities, which add up to more than $4 million each week.We also believe that donating our time, talent and resources is equally important as the income we give. † They also try to meet corporate responsibility goals in the areas of education, environment, team member well-being and volunteerism Target also announced their goal to give $1 billion for education by the end of 2015. In addition, Target’s giving program has reached $4 million a week to local communities. This money goes to communities to fight hunger, aid disaster preparedness and relief efforts, support the arts and put more kids on the path to graduation.It has also been claimed to be a great place to work. They also provide resources, services and benefit programs for eligible employees and their families. They are also many career development and networking opportunities. Target expresses its core values by continuing to make their contributions yearly with their giving program. That appears to be the norm for Target and its employees. Even the employees volunteer their time in many of Target’s community events.The culture of Target seems to be positive compared to the discrimination issues of Walmart. After all of this resear ch, I would definitely prefer to be working for Target because of their commitments to education and local communities. I have always felt the need to be involved in things of that nature and that would give me the push I needed. Work is work and there are days where we just don’t like our jobs but giving back can always help us feel better about what we’re doing.