Although it has received much criticism in the past years, Wal-Mart has been working to improve its ethical reputation along with its reputation for sustainability and corporate governance. In 2004, Wal-Mart formed the Global Ethics Office and released a revised Global Statement of Ethics. The intent of the Global Ethics Office is to spread an ethical corporate culture among its global stakeholders. The Global Ethics Office provides guidance on ethical decision making based on the Global Statement of Ethics and an ethics helpline. The helpline is an anonymous and confidential way for associates to contact the company regarding ethical issues. Additionally, Wal-Mart has an Ethical Standards Team that consists of 200 associates. The intent of the team is to monitor the compliance of supplier factories with the company’s “Standards for Suppliers” and local laws.