ames Cash Penney himself visited the store one day. He didn't get around to the stores as often as I would later on, but he did get around." Sam made a point to be in the store as much as he could, unlike many managers of today. The reason for this was to allow his associates to really feel important with the president of the company coming to visit them. Giving Back Few could argue with Adam Smith's statement that "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest." Those businesses that refuse to look after their own self-interests will not be businesses long enough to have any impact. At the same time, however, there can certainly be regard for a larger purpose. For some businesses, commitment to a larger purpose would be simply learning the difference between right and wrong, while others take a more responsible view of the role they play in the lives of their employees, their customers, and ultimately how they affect the world. Sam Walton's philosophies were and are fundamentally based on giving back some of the wealth that he and his family recieve. Sam Walton, was not just one of the most successful and rich men in America, but prided himself and his family on giving something back. His family's gifts reflect a wide variety of interests, spread across numerous organizations, with a heavy emphasis on education. His programs continue after his death. Walton funded a special scholarship program that sends kids from Central America to college in Arkansas. Presently, there are about 180 of these children enrolled at three different Arkansas schools, and Sam paid about $13,000 a year per student. He also sponsored seventy scholarships of $6,000 each year for children of Wal-Mart associates. In addition to many educational institutions, recipients of Walton family gifts include church groups and community projects like zoos, libraries, and recr...
