Wal-Mart under fire
Legal momentum is gaining against Wal-Mart and bike maker Dynacraft over faulty quick release levers on kids bikes sold at the retail giant. Dynacraft has sold over 500,000 of their China made bikes which have included a quick release lever for the front wheel.
Evidently there have been quite a few cases reported to Wal-Mart about the faulty front wheel, but to this point Wal-Mart and Dynacraft have stood behind their products. Good Morning America on ABC highlighted this story a few days ago, and interviewed a young boy and his mother about the boy's accident due to the faulty front wheel.
Claims adjusters are blaming the accidents on the children who pull the releases, but it's not stopping the Consumer Product Safety Commission from conducting an investigation into the complaints. According to Bicycle Retailer there are nine kid's families that are suing the two companies over the safety issue and potential cover up.
Our first question of course is, why are there quick releases on the front wheels of cheap bikes bought at Wal-Mart? The second question is, why aren't the parents aware of what they're buying and teaching their kids proper safety?
The answers to those two questions won't likely matter in a court of law where a young boy gets on the stand and says, "I have never ridden since, and I have dreams of it happening again and me dying because of it." Wal-Mart has deep pockets, and everyone will be reaching as far down as they can when they see pictures and hear testimony.
In this instance Wal-Mart should be advised to look no further than their very own Wal-Mart Global Ethics Office.
It's there you will find three basic beliefs laid out by founder Sam Walton in 1962 from which to start:
1 - Respect for the Individual
2 - Service to the Customer
3 - Strive for Excellence
If those three are found to be a bit too vague for leaders of Wal-Mart in 2005 then here are 10 more Global Ethical Principles which were adopted in 2004:
1 - Follow the law at all times
2 - Be honest and fair
3 - Never manipulate, misrepresent, abuse or conceal information
4 - Avoid conflicts of interest between work and personal affairs
5 - Never discriminate against anyone
6 - Never act unethically - even if someone else instructs you to do so
7 - Never ask someone to act unethically
8 - Seek assistance if you have questions about the Statement of Ethics or if you face an ethical dilemma
9 - Cooperate with any investigation of a possible ethics violation
10 - Report ethics violations or suspected violations
Those 13 principles above came straight from Wal-Mart. People can certainly argue for or against this company's value to the marketplace since there are valid points on both sides. Regardless, it's obvious their leaders aren't aware of the Global Ethics Office when you also consider that Wal-Mart just lost a $172 million verdict for denying lunch breaks to employees.
Sometimes it's illegal accounting or insider trading that precipitates a downfall, but other times it's those little innocuous items like lunch breaks and quick release levers that bite you in the ass in the end.
Evidently there have been quite a few cases reported to Wal-Mart about the faulty front wheel, but to this point Wal-Mart and Dynacraft have stood behind their products. Good Morning America on ABC highlighted this story a few days ago, and interviewed a young boy and his mother about the boy's accident due to the faulty front wheel.
Claims adjusters are blaming the accidents on the children who pull the releases, but it's not stopping the Consumer Product Safety Commission from conducting an investigation into the complaints. According to Bicycle Retailer there are nine kid's families that are suing the two companies over the safety issue and potential cover up.
Our first question of course is, why are there quick releases on the front wheels of cheap bikes bought at Wal-Mart? The second question is, why aren't the parents aware of what they're buying and teaching their kids proper safety?
The answers to those two questions won't likely matter in a court of law where a young boy gets on the stand and says, "I have never ridden since, and I have dreams of it happening again and me dying because of it." Wal-Mart has deep pockets, and everyone will be reaching as far down as they can when they see pictures and hear testimony.
In this instance Wal-Mart should be advised to look no further than their very own Wal-Mart Global Ethics Office.
It's there you will find three basic beliefs laid out by founder Sam Walton in 1962 from which to start:
1 - Respect for the Individual
2 - Service to the Customer
3 - Strive for Excellence
If those three are found to be a bit too vague for leaders of Wal-Mart in 2005 then here are 10 more Global Ethical Principles which were adopted in 2004:
1 - Follow the law at all times
2 - Be honest and fair
3 - Never manipulate, misrepresent, abuse or conceal information
4 - Avoid conflicts of interest between work and personal affairs
5 - Never discriminate against anyone
6 - Never act unethically - even if someone else instructs you to do so
7 - Never ask someone to act unethically
8 - Seek assistance if you have questions about the Statement of Ethics or if you face an ethical dilemma
9 - Cooperate with any investigation of a possible ethics violation
10 - Report ethics violations or suspected violations
Those 13 principles above came straight from Wal-Mart. People can certainly argue for or against this company's value to the marketplace since there are valid points on both sides. Regardless, it's obvious their leaders aren't aware of the Global Ethics Office when you also consider that Wal-Mart just lost a $172 million verdict for denying lunch breaks to employees.
Sometimes it's illegal accounting or insider trading that precipitates a downfall, but other times it's those little innocuous items like lunch breaks and quick release levers that bite you in the ass in the end.
posted by NashvilleCyclist.com at 12/27/2005 07:48:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home