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Whole Foods Market Business Environment

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Whole Foods Market Business Environment

MGT/541
March 19, 2012
Jeannette Singh

Whole Foods Market Business Environment Whole Foods Market specializes in offering organic and natural food and product across North America, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Currently ranked 273 in Fortune 500 companies would appear to be a good company to invest in. Prior to investing, the duties of a mutual fund manager are to examine the business environment of a potential investment. The documents that need examining are the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow sheets. This analysis will aid in the determination of the financial health of Whole Foods Market. A comparison of Whole Foods Market with two competitors—United Natural Foods and Hain Celestial Group—will be completed. Technology is important within a business environment; therefore, the strength or weakness that Whole Foods Market has will also be discussed along with globalization. The paper will conclude with a benchmarking analysis of Whole Foods Market against United Natural Foods and Hain Celestial Group.
Financial Health Every public company trading on the New York Stock Exchange is required to file quarterly and annual statements regarding financial records. To analyze the financial health of Whole Foods Market as a potential investor, I could access the United States Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing dated January 15, 2012. The key factors of a financial statement according to William Nickels, James McHugh, and Susan McHugh, (2010), are 1. The balance sheet that reflects the financial strength and health of the company on a specific date 2. The income statement, which summarizes revenues, cost of goods, and expenses (including taxes), for a specific period and highlights the total profit or loss the firm experienced during that period. 3. The statement of

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