Introduction
John Mackey’s Whole Foods Market is one of the most popular food retailers in the U.S. Amid the success, Whole Foods has passed through ups and downs. Yet its focus on growth has depended on Mackey’s model of conscious capitalism. In order to understand Whole Food from an objective point of view, this essay seeks to assess the model of conscious capitalism while trying to understand how whole food grown with its social mission. Also, it is important to understand how whole food has created value while making appropriate recommendations.
Background
In the early 1990s, natural food store were not large and people did not like them (the products were seen as inferior, but expensive) (Marquis & Besharov et al, 2014, p.4). However,…show more content… First, the company has an increasing resistance to industrial organic. While Whole Food Market faced tremendous criticism in its early stages, it has unquestionably led to a new lifestyle for the mainstream America. But as it continues to grow, the company has adopted practices that are essentially problematic to its supporters. Many of the supporters presume that the company is straying away from its roots and all natural missions. In fact, in the book The Omnivore Dilemma, Michael Pollan critics the company for ignoring its initial focused and socially sustainable values. In the spirit of expansion, the company sought to acquire the only remaining competitor Wild Oats, but faced a lot of regulatory issues (Marquis & Besharov et al, 2014, p.11). The governing body Federal Trade Commission argued that monopolizing the organic food would lead to trust issues. However, after a court decision the company acquired Wild Oats, but it was still concerned about an emerging competitor. Lastly, Whole Foods’ has been struggling with growth while trying to stick to its mission of social values. The critics still question its intentions on the ideals of natural foods.
Alternatives
In the first problem, Mackey responded that resistance was triggered by the need to fulfill consumer demand. Also, Mackey denoted that Whole Food would allow loans to local farmers and use the local forager to look for locally produced…show more content… Since this is affecting Whole Foods Market dominance in the organic food industry, the management should change its strategy by investing on social innovators (Santos, 2012, p. 346). Many people believe that the company is straying away from its root, thus they could use the help of social innovators. Besides, the management should focus on how the suppliers are working to enhance the organization’s social values. Ideally, the products that come from suppliers are majorly responsible for the problems that Whole Food is facing. The company may decide to educate suppliers or even control where the suppliers get their produce. Perhaps they may also consider setting strict rules for supplier selection instead of using the model of conscious capitalism to justify their strategy (Gidron & Hasenfeld et al, 2012, p. 34). Mackey may also focus on new employees by recruiting only those that fit with it culture. This way, the company will be able to create a company where the employees have a culture of respecting social values. Besides, Whole Foods Market should adopt mission driven leadership to enhance loyalty, customer engagement and profits (Cardona & Rey, 2008, p.94-102). This means that the company can stick to its initial mission without compromising
