...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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...COMPANY BACKGROUND Whole Foods Market was founded in Austin, Texas, when four local businesspeople decided the natural foods industry was ready for a supermarket format. Their founders were John Mackey and Renee Lawson Hardy, owners of Safer Way Natural Foods, and Craig Weller and Mark Skiles, owners of Clarksville Natural Grocery. The original Whole Foods Market opened in 1980 with a staff of only 19 people. It was an immediate success. At the time, there were less than half a dozen natural food supermarkets in the United States. It has grown in leaps and bounds since then. Today, they are the world’s leader in natural and organic foods, with more than 310 stores in the North America and the United Kingdom (About Whole Foods Market). During its 31-year history, Whole Foods Market has been a leader in the natural and organic food movement across the United States, helping the industry gain acceptance among growing numbers of consumer concerned about the food they eat (Thompson, Strickland, & Gamble, 2010, p.C-2). The company seeks out the finest natural and organic foods available, maintains the strictest quality standards in the industry, and has an unshakeable commitment to sustainable agriculture. Add that to the excitement and fun they bring to shopping for groceries, and you start to get a sense of what they are all about. John Mackey, the company’s cofounder and CEO, believes that Whole Foods’ rapid growth and market success has much to do with its having “remained...
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...HRM 598 Week 3 Case study Job Evaluation at Whole Foods Purchase here http://devrycourse.com/hrm-598-week-3-case-study-job-evaluation-at-whole-foods Product Description Written Case Study: Prepare a Job Structure Read "Job Evaluation at Whole Foods" Case Study (text pp. 153–157). The Whole Foods Market has completed a job analysis and written job descriptions for Jobs A thorough Job I. Respond to the following: • Evaluation of Jobs and Job structure Evaluate the jobs listed in the case study and prepare a job structure based upon its evaluation. Assign titles to jobs, and show your structure by title and job letter. • Process, Techniques, and Factors Describe the process you went through to arrive at that job structure. The job evaluation techniques and compensable factors used should be described, and the reasons for selecting them should be stated. • Evaluation of Job Descriptions Evaluate the job descriptions. What parts of them were most useful? How could they be improved? You will need to follow APA style and format and have a title page, brief introduction and conclusion, centered headings for major parts, page numbering and page headers, and a reference page. The case study should be approximately 4–6 pages in length. The assignment will be reviewed using the following criteria: Written Case Study: Prepare a Job Structure rubric. Written Case Study: Prepare a Job Structure Rubric Possible Points Earned Points Comments • Evaluation of Jobs and...
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...JOB EVALUATION WHOLE FOODS MARKET Job Structure for Whole Food Market Comfort Cooper DeVry University –Keller School of Management May 22, 2015 Job Evaluation for Whole Foods Market Introduction To begin the evaluation process for Whole Foods Market it is important to understand the dynamics behind the company. Whole Foods Market was founded in Austin, Texas, when four local business people decided the natural foods industry was ready for a supermarket. Whole Foods’ job structure is divided into teams and are grouped are grouped by which departments the team members work. This structure created by company is not a “happenstance” model, it is methodical because Whole Foods relies on the store, the organization, and the community it operates within to run smoothly and is profitable, which why each team member is responsible for ensuring that the operation of the teams run smoothly. Whole Foods along with many other companies want to attract and retain employees who share the same core values. The model that Whole Foods has created is one where high quality and organic products are sold, providing excellent customer service and supporting their Team Members or in layman employees happiness and growth. Whole Foods core values center around building communities and creating partnerships that last a lifetime. To analyze the jobs presented in the case study, I used the information from the job descriptions to determine the job structure for Whole Foods Market. Evaluation...
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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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...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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...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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...Unit 5 Whole Foods Case Study Analysis Kaplan University School of Business MT460 Management Policy and Strategy Author: Jonelle Newman Professor: Dr. Norris Date: March 29, 2014 Whole Foods Market Case Study Analysis Introduction Whole Foods Market began with a vision from entrepreneur John Mackey and his chain of stores has been successful for 30 years. Whole Foods Market focuses on natural and organic food items. One of the reasons why Whole Foods has been so successful is because their stores are different than its competition and the differentiation “allows them to charge a premium price for premium products.” (Pearce & Robinson, 2013, p. 29-1). Whole Foods focuses on natural and organic foods which is a definite plus as more people become focused on wellness and eating healthier. This leading supermarket chain does not waiver on its core values and mission and their mission statement which has also become their motto is simple: “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet.” (Farfan, 2014). Synopsis of the Situation Whole Foods has grown drastically over the years. The growth of the supermarket chain has been credited to store openings, acquisitions, and mergers. It is necessary to note that although the company’s total sales continue to increase; the operating margin and stocks have declined. (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). Key Issues There are key issues that have been attributed to the decline of the company. The recession caused...
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...Assignment 2 Case Study: Whole Foods Market Professor: Russell Handlon BUS 599 October 20, 2011 Discuss the trends in retailing of organic foods and the impact of these trends on Whole Foods Market. The trends at Whole Food Markets were core values, growth strategy, store sizes and locations, product lines, store description and merchandising, marketing and customer service, store operations, compensation and incentives, purchasing and distribution, community citizenship and social activism which had a big impact on the company. Due to the fact that it had built a reputation throughout its history for being the leader in the natural and organic foods movement across the United States helping the industry gain acceptance among growing numbers of consumers concerned about the foods they ate (Thompson, Strickland, & Gamble, 2010). In such a hurry to produce more and more crops to please the growing demand, producers has had to resort to using a fatal cocktail of pesticides to control disease and insect attack which was excellent news for their bank balances. Maybe not good news for your health; this is why people need to be knowledgeable of the advantages of organic food. Did you know that if you ate an average apple you would be eating in excess of 30 pesticides, even after you’ve washed it? Organic food is well known to include 50% more minerals, nutrients and vitamins than produce that has been severely farmed (http://www.organicfoodinfo.net/). Whole Foods required...
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...Jeanne Eng 2012-04-BUS-421-GS001 Case Study Assignment 1 – Whole Foods Market 1. Does the company’s strategy reflect the company’s mission? Explain. Whole Food’s mission is based on three categories, the food, the people and the planet. They believe in providing natural whole foods through highly trained and passionate employees with the company taking active responsibility for the planet. It is apparent, when examining the company, that their business practices reflect their mission. Using their Product Quality Standards documents as a guideline, it is clear Whole Foods carefully considers which products they do or do not sell. Their buyers often visit the manufacturing plants of suppliers to ensure high standards. In addition to their commitment of only carrying foods that are “free of artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners and hydrogenated fats” (Whole Foods Market, 2012), they also maintain a list of unacceptable ingredients which include standards like “artificial colors, artificial flavors, hydrogenated fats and high fructose corn syrup” (Whole Foods Market, 2012) and they do not carry products that contain those ingredients. Within the store, Whole Foods takes a team based approached to individual store management and success. Team members are organized around team leaders, which are responsible and empowered to make decisions such as merchandising and operations. Team members are also provided with other avenues for feedback such as an...
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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 of...
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...Whole Foods Case Study Questions Ebony Middleton 04/18/2016 Whole Foods Case Study Questions 1. Analyze effects of the democratic approach to store operation and hiring new associates on store performance. I think that equality is a democratic approach that Whole Foods best exemplifies. They give managers and ground level employees the same benefits and competitive salaries. In order to improve and become the best of the best, Whole Foods give their employees the freedom to make decisions, share their opinions, and be involved in every aspect of the company. One of the main aspects that Whole Foods’ employees are able to be a part of is the hiring process of potential employees. They seem to do everything as a whole and be united in their decision, which is very rare in most organizations. A positive image would also be a democratic approach that works in Whole Foods’ favor. Just by being one of the few companies to give their employees such freedom within the workplace it puts them in a positive light, which would make people proud to work for them. As a result their workers will do everything they can to positively represent Whole Foods all the time. Their teamwork helps the company to flourish and keep consumers satisfied. 2. Whole Foods now faces a significant amount of competition. How should it respond to the changes in the competitive landscape of its industry? What future challenges do you envision for Whole Foods Market? In today’s food industry...
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...Whole Foods Market Strategic Management Table of Contents Introduction…………………………………………………………………….…….p. 3 Trends in the Organic Foods and the Impact on Whole Foods…………………........p. 3 Application of Porter’s 5 Forces Model………..…………………………….............p. 4 Most Significant Environmental Threat and Whole Foods Combat ………………...p. 6 SWOT Analysis….…………………………………………..………………........…p. 7 Sustaining Competitive Advantage...…………………………………...….………..p. 8 Summary….………………………………………………………….………..…….p. 8 References.…………………………………………………………..……………....p. 10 Whole Foods Market Introduction John Mackey cofounder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) founded Whole Foods in 1980 with the purpose of providing organic foods to the grocery shopping public. This started a movement over the next 30 years that has brought organic foods to the common shoppers in many markets around the U.S. that had only been previously serviced by smaller health food stores or by their local grocery chain. The success of Whole Foods moving forward will be how they can succeed and maintain their profitability when unemployment remains high and Americans have less disposable income. This essay will look at several factors of Whole Foods, including latest trends, the competitive environment in the grocery industry, environmental threats, SWOT analysis of the business operations and strengths that must be leveraged to maintain a competitive advantage. Trends in the Organic Foods...
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...Job Evaluation at Whole Foods Market Job Evaluation at Whole Foods Market Deb France HR 598 Compensation DeVry University-Keller Graduate School of Management Introduction The goal of any company is to attract and retain employees who share their core values. Whole Foods Core Values include selling the highest quality natural and organic products, satisfying and delighting customers, supporting their Team Members (Whole Food Employees) happiness and growth, creating wealth through profits and growth, caring about the communities and our environment, creating win-win partnerships with their suppliers and promoting the health of their stakeholders through healthy eating education. I will take these core values and apply them to the job analysis and prepared job descriptions when determining the job structure at Whole Foods. Evaluation of Jobs and Job Structure In looking at the job descriptions provided in the case study, I was able to assign job titles in the following manner: 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 that I came up with put the above jobs into two categories: Managerial and Store Support. In the Managerial structure I would place Job C, Job D,...
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...Core Values and Strategy, Organizational Behavior and John Mackey CEO at Whole Foods Market 2013 A Case Study J H W State College This paper was prepared for Organizational Behavior September Semester, taught By Professor Core Values and Strategy, Organizational Behavior and John Mackey CEO at Whole Foods Market 2013 Introduction This case study research investigation will evaluate the organizational behavior theories and John Mackey’s Management concepts of Core Values and Strategy “Conscious Capitalism” approach at Whole Foods Market. The five organizational behavior theories that were chosen for this study are; Theory X/Y , human and social capital, the profile of the 21st century manager, Carroll’s Global Corporate Social Responsibility Pyramid, and the seven moral principles. Whole Foods Market was founded in Austin, Texas, by four businesspeople that decided the natural foods industry was ready for a supermarket. The original Whole Foods Market opened in 1980 with a staff of only 19 people and became an overnight success. Most of the success was attribute to the quality standards, a devotion to community and environmental responsiveness, a healthy growth model and highly-regarded employment practices. What Role Does McGregor’s Theory Y Play at Whole Foods? Theory Y believes employees are proficient in setting goals on their own; they can do it with little to no guidance from others. They are responsible, willing to take on new...
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