...Unit 5-Whole Food Market Case Study Analysis Kaplan University School of Business MT460 Management Policy and Strategy Author: Andrea Reed Professor: Dr. Marian Leerburger Date: November 21, 2012 Whole Food Market Case Analysis Introduction In 1978, John Mackey opened a natural foods grocery called Safer Way that focused mainly on vegetables. The store was not very successful and in 1979 Mackey joined with Craig Weller and Mark Skiles and they started Whole Foods Market. What Craig, Weller and Skiles wanted to do was change the world’s diet to a healthy one. Whole Foods not only has markets they have several other business; Allegro Coffee company, Pigeon cove seafood processing and Produce Field Inspection Office and Select Fish (Harasta and Hoffman, 2007). Whole Food Markets looks forward to one day providing the highest quality good tasting foods available. Synopsis of the Situation Whole Foods Market is a leading seller of natural and organic food. With over 100 stores their goal is to become one large store instead of a number of small ones. Whole Foods Market would like to make shopping for food into a pleasant, fun experience. It is the desire of Whole Foods to make the customer think of home when they enter one of their markets. The vision of Whole Foods is to have a brand known worldwide, and to introduce the future generation to a healthy diet and be the best in food retail( Key Issues With the growing demand will World Food Market be able to...
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...Whole Foods is a large international organization with thousands of employees. In the case study, the co-CEO John Mackey explained that the purpose of the organization was a heroic one. He explained that its highest purpose was “try and change and improve the world.” In order to accomplish that goal, he and the team members need to work in coordination to accomplish that goal. So McGregor's Theory Y in Organizational Behavior is prevalent in the way they do business. Management at whole foods is really just the mechanism to help find and bring people into the organization that assist the organization in achieving this goal. He recognizes that employees that are engaged, have the ability to make decisions and are able to do so effectively, and ultimately translates into conscientious customer service are ultimately more happy. When the staff is happy, their level of service is better, and then customers are happy, which equates to more revenue, and more profits (presumably) and in turn results in happy shareholders. It is a perpetuating evolution in business. True efficacy of this theory would dictate that the management team has the versatility to hire in the way they want, and to leverage resources that give them the greatest opportunity to achieve the goal of finding the right people but that subject was not broached in the case study. Whole Foods recognizes that the success of their organization and its ability to achieve profitability and shareholder value is...
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...BME-214614-04 Organizational Behavior 18 February 2013 Belief and Support of Human Capital: Case Study Analysis of Whole Foods What role, if any, does McGregor’s Theory Y play at Whole Foods? Explain? The primary focus of this case study analysis shall be to examine the methods of Whole Food’s distinctive approach and development to the implementation of creative management strategies and how they can continue to successfully help them to maintain growth in their company. The underscoring premise of McGregor’s Theory Y primarily rest on the assumption that that the role of management is develop the potential of their employees and help them to realize their potential to meet the common goals of their organization (Steward, 2010). With this underlining thought in mind McGregor’s Y Theory plays an intricate and crucial role at Whole Foods. According to our textbook, Organizational Behavior, by Robert Kreitner and Angelo Kinicki, and the company’s primary mission directives, Whole Foods goal is for upper management to share the responsibility with their frontline managers in the development of a successful work environment (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2013, p. 30). Whole foods promotes their employee teams to be self-directed and take initiative and responsibility for operating together for the benefit of their entire business organization. To this end John Mackey, Cofounder and Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market promotes through the application of McGregor’s Theory Y the happiness and growth...
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...Job Title: Job A- Prepared Foods Team Member Job B- Customer Service Team Member Job C- Prepared Foods Department Team Leader Job D- Prepared Foods Supervisor Job E- Dishwasher Job F-Customer Service Front End Supervisor Job G- Prepared Foods Associate Team Leader Job H- Associate Store Team Leader Job I-Grocery Retail Team Member The job structure put the above jobs into two categories: Managerial and Store Support.. In the Managerial structure: Job C, Job D, Job F, Job G and Job H. In the Store Support: Job A, Job B, Job E, and Job I. Evaluation of Job (Process, Techniques and Factors) The Job evaluation technique used in this case study is the job ranking method. Reason for choosing this technique was simple. While this is the simplest method of job evaluation, Whole Foods themselves have placed the jobs in order, ranging from the highest, Store Team Leaders, Facility Team Leaders, Regional Presidents, and Presidents at the top and Team Members or Specialized Team Members at the lowest or entry level. Four compensable factors Can be derived that can be used when evaluating jobs within the company. These four are: * Quality: Ensuring that the products and services are fresh, vibrant, safe and of great satisfaction to the consumer * Customer service: Ensuring that the experience at Whole Foods is pleasant, fun, fast, and leaves the customer with a strong understanding of the Whole Food’s brand * Awareness: Acknowledging that team members have a strong...
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...College of Business Prairie View A&M University Group Case Study: Whole Foods Market Jamal Bacon, Briana Bedford, Alexis Castleberry, Jordon Powell Strategic profile & case analysis purpose Whole foods was the world’s number one leading retailer of natural and organic foods. It was founded by John Mackey when he started with one store, but it has now grown to the nation’s leading food chain. The purpose of this business case study is to explore the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing Whole Foods. In 2005 whole foods had 172 stores in North America and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market was created in 1979 when John Mackey partnered with Craig Weller and Mark Skiles. The new company was established in Austin, Texas, in 1980, and consisted of a natural food market with a staff of 19 members. The success of Whole Foods was attributed largely through mergers, acquisitions, and several new store openings. In the United States, Whole Foods is considered the largest natural food supermarket. Whole Foods Markets is driven by its mission, “the company is highly selective about what they sell, dedicated to stringent quality standards, and committed to sustainable agriculture. They believe in a virtuous circle entwining the food chain, human beings and Mother Earth: each is reliant upon the others through a beautiful and delicate symbiosis” (Hunger and Wheelen pg.28-2). Whole Food’s objectives consisted of targeting their locations where...
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...Ronald White: BA 427, Winter 2013: Whole Foods Market case study: As stated in the case study, the Whole Food Market Company’s vision and strategy is to offer "the most flavorful naturally preserved and fresh foods available.” The company intends to market their products in "appealing store environments that make shopping at whole foods interesting and enjoyable." The company's cofounder and CEO, John McKay, believes that the availability of high quality natural and organic foods, supported by education and socially conscious activities will "gradually transform the diet of individuals in a manner that would help them live longer, healthier, more pleasurable lives." (Case study, p.1) The company believes that its dedication to supporting organic farming, with programs such as the Whole Planet Foundation micro-loan program, supporting food banks, sponsoring neighborhood events, and donations to local nonprofit groups will generate the reputation and word of mouth needed to support the further success from a marketing standpoint. The company's image is further supported by its continued listing in the Forbes Best Places to Work list and recognition in health magazines. The vision is encompassed by the company motto “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet.” These principles are of the utmost importance to the company. By supporting the whole foods industry, healthier people from healthy food, and a healthier planet through green movement in agriculture and operations, this...
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...University 1- Introduction In our third case study for the MBA Integrative Project; we the students are require to generate a report using the Nadler-Tushman Congruence Model to conduct an analysis of Whole Food Market’s inputs and how they align with the current company strategy, as well as its outputs. In this case study we will use the strategy we previously discussed in Module 1 and using the Porter’s three generic competitive strategies to analyzed organizational categories input to the strategy using the congruence model. The model should be able to help us determine how aligned the inputs are with the strategy. The model will give us three categories for inputs: the environment, resources and historical inputs and three categories for outputs: organizational level, group level and individual level to help us determine the congruence of the outputs. While conducting the Congruence Model we will use the inputs and outputs categories to determine the organizational level congruence of the Whole Food Markets; using all these various aspects the model will give us a good vision of the current organizational structure and performance of the company. Lastly we will analyzed all three level of organizational inputs and outputs and determine how each of these categories interact with each other to determine their similarity to was the Whole Foods Market business strategy. 2- Whole Foods Markets Inc. Strategy The Whole Foods market’s business strategy is based on their reputation...
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...Case Study: Whole Foods Market in 2010: Vision, Core Values and Strategy Jessica Shramek Hawaii Pacific Whole Foods began with one small store in Austin, Texas in 1980. “In 1978, twenty-five year old college dropout John Mackey and twenty-one year old Rene Lawson Hardy, borrowed $45,000 from family and friends to open the doors of a small natural foods store called SaferWay in Austin, Texas (the name being a spoof of Safeway, which operated stores under their own name in Austin at that time)” (Wholefoodsmarket.com). A few years later, Mackey and Lawson Hardy partnered with Craig Weller and Mark Skiles to merge SaferWay with Clarksville Natural Grocery, which resulted in the opening of the original Whole Foods Market on September 20, 1980. Beginning in 1984, Whole Foods Market began its expansion out of Austin, by continuing to open new stores from the ground up, and by acquiring other natural foods chains. The chief elements of the strategy that Whole Foods Market is pursuing are providing the best natural and organic foods to customers through retail grocery stores. “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet” is the slogan and visionary statement John Mackey uses to describe his company and mission. Whole Foods sells products of the highest quality, least processed, most flavorful, naturally preserved, and the freshest foods available. When a product is labeled organic it has “to be grown and processed without the use of pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, synthetic chemicals...
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...Advanced Diploma in Human Resource Management Compensation and Benefits HRM541 Supervision by: Dr. Padmakumar Ram Saad AbuRiyah 1302487 Fall 2013 Your Turn; Job Evaluation at Whole Foods; 153 Whole Foods Market, Inc. Who are we? Well, we seek out the finest natural and organic foods available, maintain the strictest quality standards in the industry, and have an unshakeable commitment to sustainable agriculture. Whole Foods Market has more than 350 retail and non-retail locations in the US, Canada and UK. Core Values Selling The Highest Quality Natural And Organic Products Satisfying And Delighting Customers Supporting Team Members Excellence And Happiness Creating Wealth Through Profits And Growth Serve And Support Local And Global Communities Practice And Advance Environmental Stewardship Create Ongoing Win-Win Partnerships With Our Suppliers Promote The Health Of Our Stakeholders Through Healthy Eating Education Job Structure is a layout that defines what a particular career entails. The structure has well defined job descriptions of a particular job, responsibilities, qualifications, and salary structure and performance matrix. Job Evaluation is a formal and systematic approach to analyzing jobs and categorizing them in regard to their relative worth in an organization. Job Evaluation Methods Ranking: simply orders the job description from highest to lowest based on a global definition of relative value or contribution to the...
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...Assignment #1 Chapter 8 Case: Whole Food BUS 322 Bachelor of Business Administrations Strayer University Discuss how the basic interpersonal communication model that is presented in Figure 8.1 can be applied to the interpersonal nature of an online forum. The interpersonal communication model in figure 8.1 illustrates the key elements of interpersonal communication: the communicator, the receiver, the perceptual screens, and the message. Last month I received an overseas phone call from an ole buddy of mines. He and his family are stationed in Germany. Our phone connection was very bad. I bet we got disconnected at least a dozen times. I think everybody’s had that happen to them during a phone call. It’s the reason Verizon did their “Can you hear me now” campaign. When my phone drop that call, I knew it right then and there. I was annoyed, frustrated, and angry. Have you ever thought about why you don’t react the you do when you get disconnected? Being disconnected wasted my time. It interrupts the flow of what I was trying to accomplish, and it undermines my productivity. The bottom line is that connecting is everything when it comes to communication. In an online forum the communicator, the person originating the message still delivers the correspondences, which could be simple text, instant message or an email. I am convinced more than ever that good communication and leadership are all about connecting. According to John C. Maxwell...
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...Unit 5: 28 Case Study Analyses Kaplan University School of Business and Management MT460 Management Policy and Strategy Author: Linda Alvarez Professor: Dr. Marian Leerburger Date: April, 2, 2012 Introduction Whole Foods was established in 1980 with one store in Austin, Texas. Today, Whole Foods is the world’s largest leader in natural and organic foods. There are over 310 stores in North America and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods is committed to the finest natural and organic foods available, sustainable agriculture and have one of the strictest of quality standards. Whole Foods offers customers a wide variety of products. “Natural” refers to food that is free of growth hormones or antibiotics, where “certificated organic” food conforms to the standards, as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in October 2002. (Pearce, J. A., and Robinson, R. B., 2011). Whole Foods continues to grow steadily in employees and stores. Synopsis of the Situation Will there be enough organic supply of food to satisfy the growing demand to its customers? Whole Foods has realized that due to the large demand in organics and the steady growth of customers buying organic foods, they have encountered a problem. The competition has increased and many supermarkets and grocery stores now supply organic foods and have an organic section of the store. Key Issues The Whole Food stores are targeted around well educated customers who have high salaries...
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...ANAAB, WILLIAMS, BUS 421, 0360290, CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENT 1 1. What are the chief elements of the strategy that Whole Foods Market is pursuing? The chief elements of the strategy that whole Foods Market is pursuing are Fresh natural and organic foods and products with no preservatives or artificial ingredients. Promote healthier eating/lifestyle and increasing consumer knowledge/education of food safety, environment and how pesticides affect the land as well as the human body. 2. Is the strategy well matched to recent developments and conditions in the natural and organic foods segment of the food retailing industry? Yes the Whole Foods strategy has worked well for the company. They have good products and seem to have happy employees who also obtain shares in the company. They do not have much competition only on smaller scales or small areas in existing regular food markets. The company is still expanding even in this poor market and acquiring new stores and companies. 3. Do you think John Mackey has a good strategic vision for Whole Foods? Why or why not? What do you like or dislike about the company's motto "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet"? Do the motto and the principles underlying it (exhibit 1) really matter at this company or are they just nice words and cosmetic window dressing? Explain. Yes, looking at the company’s profits and growth I believe John Mackey has an excellent strategic vision for this company and employees. He has managed...
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...4065 DECEMBER 24, 2009 V. KASTURI RANGAN SUNRU YONG TruEarth Healthy Foods: Market Research for a New Product Introduction Isabel Eckstein strode toward her office, inhaling the aroma from the test kitchen where the product development team was trying new recipes for TruEarth, maker of gourmet pastas, sauces, and meals. Her team had been working hard for the past year on a fresh whole grain pizza. The final market research results had arrived, and it was time to make a decision on launching the product. In 2006, Eckstein, a brand manager, had led the introduction of Cucina Fresca, a fresh whole grain pasta meal kit sold through supermarkets. By the end of 2007, sales had reached $23 million, making it the most successful product launch in company history. However, growth had slowed in 2008 as competitors began offering similar products. Sustaining a competitive edge in the fresh Italian food category required continual innovation and, as a result, TruEarth had invested heavily in its pizza offering. Eckstein observed: We were aggressive in launching Cucina Fresca. We made a significant investment in new manufacturing equipment and the distribution infrastructure required to get fresh food to shelves quickly. Being a small company competing against Nestle and Kraft is not easy, but we do not make rash decisions. The success of Cucina Fresca was a calculated risk based on significant research. We think we can achieve similar success with pizza, but we will...
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...Whole Foods Michael K. Cooper Sr Principles of Organizational B– Business 322 Professor Christopher McGrath July 27, 2011 Whole Foods 2 Abstract In this paper I’ll discuss interpersonal communication, defensive communication and how it transforms the way people communicate. How we communicate in most cases makes up what other people think and observe of us. Poor communication often is the main problem in a troubled relationship, both professional and personal. To better understand communication a person must acknowledge many different aspects, including speech, body language, and context. Context, the time, place, or occasion when communication is encoded, has a very large role in transmitting a message. Without the right context, a message could be perceived as the opposite as it was intended. The best way to begin to understand the communication process is to understand the interactive communication model. First, there is a sender who encodes a message to the receiver. Noise interfering with the communication of a message is called a channel. The receiver then decodes this message depending on the context of the situation, and the speaker’s credibility. I will also discuss the ethical behavior of Mr. John Mackey CEO of Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods 3 Discuss how the basic interpersonal communication model that is presented in Figure 8.1 can be applied to the impersonal nature of an online forum. Interpersonal...
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...WHOLE FOODS MARKET IN 2008: VISION, CORE VALUES AND STRATEGY CASE STUDY [pic] PRESENTED BY: What are the chief elements of the strategy that Whole Foods Market is pursuing? Brief Background Whole Foods Market was founded in 1980 as a local supermarket and has now become world’s largest retail chain of natural and organic foods supermarkets. Whole Foods offers the highest quality, least processed, most flavorful and naturally preserved foods available. Whole foods market has its own private label brands of organics. Whole Foods Market aims to sell the highest quality natural and organic products, satisfy and delight its customers and team members, create wealth through profits and growth and care about communities and environment. Current Strategy and possible growth The core value of Whole Foods was “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Plant.” They cared about their foods, their staff, their customers as well as the environment, so they came up with many strategies, which are listed as follow: I. Expanded the company by opening new stores and acquiring attractive candidates. Because of the growth need of the company, acquisition was a good way to roll. The biggest acquisition for Whole Foods was the purchase of its biggest competitor, Wild Oats Market, in 2007. This gave Whole Foods an easy way to enter into new big cities and even new states, but meanwhile costs of capital were large too. According to the failure...
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