Customers entering a Whole Foods store are greeted with a visual feast: fruits and vegetables like...
Fantastic news! We've Found the answer you've been seeking!
Question:
Transcribed Image Text:
Customers entering a Whole Foods store are greeted with a visual feast: fruits and vegetables like bright red peppers and glossy green avocados in a colorful collage. "Beauty is an important part of pleasure and how we interpret a food experience," says Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey. We seduce the customer with produce." Offering beautiful produce and other fresh, natural, and often organic food is the foundation of Whole Foods. The health-food store Mackey started in Austin, Texas, in 1978 has grown into the leading natural foods supermarket chain, with nearly 471 stores and $15.7 billion in yearly sales and has helped create a $100+ billion industry. During its growth Whole Foods has honed and retained its culture, based on a commitment to simple, healthful food and environmental sustainability. The company values and strives to satisfy all its stakeholders: customers, employees, community, suppliers, as well as the shareholders who've invested in its stock. Whole Foods views itself as an alternative to the usual business model and follows the principle that "the purpose of business is not primarily to maximize shareholder value," says CEO Mackey. He believes his company's philosophy will be the dominant one in business in the 21 century. Focusing first on customers, Whole Foods provides consumer education as well as fresh, healthful products. The next emphasis is on happy employees. The second- largest non-union U.S. retailer, Whole Foods has ranked fifth among Fortune magazine's list of the best 100 companies to work for. Its "team members" earn an average $15 an hour, receive full health benefits, are given the company financial data, and have a say in a store's operations. The chain buys as much as possible from local, organic farmers and promotes them through store displays. Whole Foods donates 5 percent of profits to community projects and shows its responsibility to the environment by promoting "green" brands, purchasing renewable energy, building energy-efficient stores, and leading the movement to use reusable shopping bags. The company takes its concern so far as to seek poultry and meat from animals raised as naturally as possible and treated compassionately. Founder and CEO Mackey inspires his company's culture. Even through Whole Foods executives have their salaries capped at 19 times the average worker pay, he cut his pay to $1 a year. He says he has enough money. Industry analysts and stockholders have questioned whether Whole Foods can maintain both its culture and profitability as competition increases. Traditional grocery chains now offer many organic products, often at lower prices than those at Whole Foods, nicknamed "whole paycheck." Lowering prices to compete would lower Whole Foods' profits and perhaps reduce the service that marks the Whole Foods experience. Another concern: as more supermarkets carry organic products, the limited number of organic farmers may not be able to meet the demand. Questions 1. Which type of organizational culture would you say is dominant at Whole Foods Market (p. 247-248)? Explain. How does Whole Foods exhibit its culture at each of the three levels of organizational culture (p. 245-246)? Give examples of each. 2. How might culture at Whole Foods change after the acquisition by Amazon? Give at least two specific examples from the ways to change organizational culture (p. 253-256). 3. 4. The process of culture change is difficult. Select a company that has already successfully changed its culture. Describe what the company did and which of the mechanisms they used to bring about the change (p. 253-256). Again, give specific examples of how this was accomplished. Customers entering a Whole Foods store are greeted with a visual feast: fruits and vegetables like bright red peppers and glossy green avocados in a colorful collage. "Beauty is an important part of pleasure and how we interpret a food experience," says Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey. We seduce the customer with produce." Offering beautiful produce and other fresh, natural, and often organic food is the foundation of Whole Foods. The health-food store Mackey started in Austin, Texas, in 1978 has grown into the leading natural foods supermarket chain, with nearly 471 stores and $15.7 billion in yearly sales and has helped create a $100+ billion industry. During its growth Whole Foods has honed and retained its culture, based on a commitment to simple, healthful food and environmental sustainability. The company values and strives to satisfy all its stakeholders: customers, employees, community, suppliers, as well as the shareholders who've invested in its stock. Whole Foods views itself as an alternative to the usual business model and follows the principle that "the purpose of business is not primarily to maximize shareholder value," says CEO Mackey. He believes his company's philosophy will be the dominant one in business in the 21 century. Focusing first on customers, Whole Foods provides consumer education as well as fresh, healthful products. The next emphasis is on happy employees. The second- largest non-union U.S. retailer, Whole Foods has ranked fifth among Fortune magazine's list of the best 100 companies to work for. Its "team members" earn an average $15 an hour, receive full health benefits, are given the company financial data, and have a say in a store's operations. The chain buys as much as possible from local, organic farmers and promotes them through store displays. Whole Foods donates 5 percent of profits to community projects and shows its responsibility to the environment by promoting "green" brands, purchasing renewable energy, building energy-efficient stores, and leading the movement to use reusable shopping bags. The company takes its concern so far as to seek poultry and meat from animals raised as naturally as possible and treated compassionately. Founder and CEO Mackey inspires his company's culture. Even through Whole Foods executives have their salaries capped at 19 times the average worker pay, he cut his pay to $1 a year. He says he has enough money. Industry analysts and stockholders have questioned whether Whole Foods can maintain both its culture and profitability as competition increases. Traditional grocery chains now offer many organic products, often at lower prices than those at Whole Foods, nicknamed "whole paycheck." Lowering prices to compete would lower Whole Foods' profits and perhaps reduce the service that marks the Whole Foods experience. Another concern: as more supermarkets carry organic products, the limited number of organic farmers may not be able to meet the demand. Questions 1. Which type of organizational culture would you say is dominant at Whole Foods Market (p. 247-248)? Explain. How does Whole Foods exhibit its culture at each of the three levels of organizational culture (p. 245-246)? Give examples of each. 2. How might culture at Whole Foods change after the acquisition by Amazon? Give at least two specific examples from the ways to change organizational culture (p. 253-256). 3. 4. The process of culture change is difficult. Select a company that has already successfully changed its culture. Describe what the company did and which of the mechanisms they used to bring about the change (p. 253-256). Again, give specific examples of how this was accomplished.
Expert Answer:
Answer rating: 100% (QA)
1 Whole Foods company exhibits a clan culture which focuses mostly on the employees Whole Foods is a familytype organization that is much concerned ab... View the full answer
Related Book For
Elementary Statistics A Step By Step Approach
ISBN: 978-1259755330
10th edition
Authors: Allan G. Bluman
Posted Date:
Students also viewed these accounting questions
-
The use- case diagram is an important part of UML diagramming. Use the Web search engines to learn about the use cases diagram. Prepare a use- cases diagram for the following situation. A bank...
-
The depth of a keyway is an important part quality characteristic. Samples of size n = 5 are taken every four hours from the process, and 20 samples are summarized in the following table. (a) Using...
-
Managerial accounting is an important part of any enterprises management information system. Name two other information systems that supply information to management.
-
The Eldorado Corporation's controller prepares adjusting entries only at the end of the fiscal year. The following adjusting entries were prepared on December 31, 2011: Additional information: 1. The...
-
Determine the critical load Pcr and the equation of the buckled shape for an ideal column with ends fixed against rotation (see figure) by solving the differential equation of the deflection curve....
-
Zhang Ltd. (see BE10.2) borrowed HK$1,000,000 on March 1 on a 5-year, 12% note to help finance construction of the building. In addition, the company had outstanding all year a 10%, 5-year,...
-
Why is it important to have an adaptable workforce in a global economy?
-
Are New Belgiums social initiatives indicative of strategic philanthropy? Why or why not? Although most of the companies frequently cited as examples of ethical and socially responsible firms are...
-
Constants The aurora is caused when electrons and protons, moving in the earth's magnetic field of 5.0 x 105T, collide with molecules of the atmosphere and cause them to glow. Part B What is the...
-
The data set cherry.dat, from Hand et al. (1994), contains measurements of diameter (inches), height (feet), and timber volume (cubic feet) for a sample of 31 black cherry trees. Diameter and height...
-
The gas mileages (in miles per gallon (mpg)) of 10 randomly selected cars, both with and without a new gasoline additive, are shown. With Additive Without additive 25.7 24.9 20.0 18.8 28.4 27.7 13.7...
-
EQC purchased the following assets on January 1 , Year 1 : Purchased equipment for $ 8 4 , 0 0 0 . This equipment is expected to be in service for 5 years, and the residual value is $ 2 4 , 0 0 0 ....
-
What mechanisms are in place to ensure compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) regulations, safeguarding the integrity of the global financial system and...
-
How does our institution prioritize integrity and transparency in financial transactions, and how do these values align with our clients' expectations for accountability and trustworthiness ?
-
Stakeholders are people vested in the project's success, like sponsors, management, clients, and investors. By meeting the needs and expectations of everyone in the stakeholder group, and staying...
-
x For what values of x can we replace cos x by 1-2 with an error of magnitude no greater than 5x103? Round to three decimal places.
-
A company is facing an IT investment decision. To invest in either a hardwire T line (i.e., high speed data line that permits a high volume of information and visual documentation that can be sent...
-
How many years will it take a $700 balance to grow into $900 in an account earning 5%?
-
People who walk at least 3 miles a day are randomly selected, and their blood triglyceride levels are measured in order to determine if the number of miles that they walk has any influence on these...
-
A card is randomly drawn from a deck of cards and then replaced. The process continues until 3 clubs are obtained. Find the average number of trials needed to get 3 clubs. Another type of problem...
-
Show frequency distributions that are incorrectly constructed. State the reasons why they are wrong. Class Frequency 162164...........................3 165167...........................7...
-
Which of the following does not occur in the small intestine? (a) Bile from the gall bladder breaks fats into small droplets. (b) Nutrients are absorbed into the body. (c) Proteins are broken down....
-
Which blood vessels are responsible for nutrient and waste exchange with tissues?
-
Trace the path of blood through the body, beginning with blood returning from the tissues to the heart. Be sure to name each of the chambers of the heart.
Study smarter with the SolutionInn App