Currently, Walmart is a global retail giant that has continued plans for global growth. I created an international marketing plan that was strategically competitive and socially responsible under my global marketing course. The Philippines is the location that I chose to expand to; the country has several cultural and legal issues that may affect Walmart's performance. However, in this discussion, I will only address one cultural and legal issue that may positively or negatively affect Walmart.

One cultural issue I anticipate encountering as I expand and build Walmart in this new location is religion. Currently, the Philippines boasts of being the only Christian country in Asia. A higher percentage of the population belongs to the Roman Catholic. The Christian religion has a more significant influence on the citizens' beliefs, practices, and ethics (Parnell, 2009). Therefore, I expect cooperation from the people as I operate the business in the new location. Besides, I plan to address the cultural issue by serving the customers diligently because their religion, which is part of their culture, will promote good interactions and collaboration between the company and its key stakeholders.

One legal issue that I anticipate facing is licensing. Licensing is a government restriction that the Philippines government uses to control business operations (Friedberg et al., 2004). Therefore, as a business enterprise in a new location, I plan to address this issue by entering into a government licensing agreement. That will be a legal contract between the company and the government, granting Walmart the right to provide goods and services in the country.

References

Friedberg, A., Schwartz, R., & Amrani, S. (2004). Oversight Ethics: The Case of Business Licensing.Journal Of Business Ethics,53(4), 371-381. https://doi.org/10.1023/b:busi.0000043499.27246.c8

Parnell, P. (2009). Policy, Law, and Religion in the Philippines.Anthropology News,50(8), 25-25. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1556-3502.2009.50825.x

Understanding religious cultures and values are important for Walmart as they enter a new country. If they open stores on holidays which goes against traditional beliefs, this may steer customers and employees away from shopping there. The Philippines has a collectivist culture where the family is valued over individuals.

Do you think this could affect employees' ability to work traditional hours that we think about in the U.S.?