Assessment on "Whole Food Market"

Assessment 4 pages (1079 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Whole Foods: Case Study

Trends in organic foods

Whole Foods' expansion as a company seemed to crest with a unique degree of prescience, relative to the upsurge of interest in organic foods in America. Once upon a time, organic foods in America were only offered at niche health food stores and farmer's markets. However, concerns about childhood obesity and the safety of staple products such as meat, milk, and vegetables have cause the demand for such products to sharply escalate. 65% of consumers in 2005 had tried organic food, up from 57% in 2004 and 2003. Organic farmland has also rapidly expanded, meaning that stores such as Whole Foods have greater access to more localized suppliers (a critical point, given that buying local is another important food trend linked with an interest in organic farming). Today, Whole Foods is the biggest seller of organic produce in the world. It has also acquired 'Wild Oats,' another organic store, and has made that chain conform to its high standards of quality and overall approach and layout.

The establishment of USDA standards for what constituted an organic food product was also helpful for Whole Foods. This ensured that companies that were simply vaguely 'healthy' in their marketing could not make unsubstantiated health claims upon their labels. Whole Foods could justify its philosophy (and higher prices) with documented evidence that its products were prepared differently -- and better -- than products grown and/or manufactured through conventional food processing.

SWOT

Strengths

Whole Foods has successfully branded itself nationally and internat
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ionally as the leading purveyor of organic foods. Since it became a publically-traded company in 1991, it has been able to finance a wide-ranging expansion, despite the typical 'small scale' nature of companies with a commitment to whole, unprocessed foods.

Whole Foods stocks a wide variety of foods of interest to consumers who are focused on nutrition: not only does it supply organically-produced vegetables and meats; consumers can be confident that even the prepared foods they purchase have wholesome ingredients. Unlike a consumer at Kroger's, when shopping at Whole Foods for cereal, there is no tedious label-reading for a consumer who wishes to eliminate foods with high fructose corn syrup or artificial colorings and dyes from his or her diet.

Whole Foods stores are attractively laid out and have an ambiance that ordinary supermarkets lack. Even competitor Trader Joes does not have a place where people can eat lunch and relax, like many Whole Foods. Educational demonstrations, a wide variety of cooking supplies, health and beauty sections, wine -- all of this makes going to Whole Foods a shopping experience, rather than a chore.

Weaknesses

In a word, cost. Whole Foods has earned its nickname of Whole Paycheck, and because of the national focus on cost-cutting even its core market of more affluent shoppers may balk at its typical prices when many consumers fear for their jobs. Whole Foods also does not offer consumers much choice, to pick and choose what expensive food items they wish to purchase, and on which items they want to save. For example, a health-conscious student on a budget might be willing to buy organic strawberries, but try to buy generic laundry detergent to save money. At Whole Foods, there… READ MORE

Quoted Instructions for "Whole Food Market" Assignment:

Students are required to conduct an analysis of a company situation Case #1 Whole Foods Market (p. C-2) and prepare a 4-5 page, double-spaced report to complete the following:

o Discuss the trends in retailing of organic foods and the impact of these trends on Whole Foods Market.

o Evaluate the competitive environment of the firm: Apply Porter*****s model and analyze each factor relative to the company.

o Discuss which environmental factor poses the most significant threat to Whole Food and what the company can do to combat it.

o Complete a SWOT analysis and identify significant opportunities and threats facing the organization.

o Discuss how Whole Foods can use it strengths and opportunities to achieve a sustained competitive advantage in the marketplace.

The assignment will be graded using the following rubric:

Outcomes Assessed

Analyze the external and internal environment for opportunities, threats, strengths and weaknesses that impact the firm*****s competitiveness.

Grading Rubric for Assignment # 2 ***** Competitive Forces and SWOT Analysis

Criteria

0

Unacceptable

20

Developing

30

Competent

40

Exemplary

1. Discuss the trends in organic foods and how it may impact Whole Foods.

Does not attempt assignment, nor discusses the organic food trends and it impact on strategy.

The organic food trends were discussed and the related impact on strategy, but with less than 60 - 79% accuracy and some of the trends identified were inappropriate or were not identified.

The organic food trends were discussed and the related impact on strategy, with 80 - 89% accuracy and appropriate information was discussed.

The organic trends were discussed and the impact to strategy with 90 to 100% accuracy and all appropriate information was identified and discussed clearly.

2. Evaluates the competitive environment using Porter*****s 5 Forces Model.

Does not attempt assignment, nor discusses the competitive environment trends and it impact on strategy.

The competitive environment elements, but with less than 60 - 79% accuracy and some of the trends identified were inappropriate or were not identified.

The competitive environment elements were discussed and the related impact on strategy, with 80 - 89% accuracy and appropriate information was discussed.

The competitive environments were discussed and the impact to strategy with 90 to 100% accuracy and all appropriate information was identified and discussed clearly.

3. Discuss the most significant environmental threat and how Whole Food*****s may combat it.

Does not attempt assignment, nor discusses the most significant environmental threat.

The most significant environment threat was discussed, but with less than 60 - 79% accuracy and some of the trends identified were inappropriate or were not identified.

The most significant environment threat was discussed, with 80 - 89% accuracy and appropriate information was discussed.

The most significant environment threat was discussed and the impact to strategy with 90 to 100% accuracy and all appropriate information was identified and discussed clearly.

4. Complete a SWOT analysis and identifies significant opportunities and treats.

Does not attempt assignment, nor discusses the SWOT analysis and it impact on strategy.

The SWOT analysis elements were discussed and the related impact on strategy, but with less than 60 - 79% accuracy and some of the trends identified were inappropriate or were not identified.

The SWOT analysis elements were discussed and the related impact on strategy, with 80 - 89% accuracy and appropriate information was discussed.

The SWOT analysis elements were discussed and the impact to strategy with 90 to 100% accuracy and all appropriate information was identified and discussed clearly.

5. Discuss how Whole Foods can use its strengths and opportunities to achieve a sustained competitive advantage.

Does not attempt assignment, nor discusses how strengths and opportunities can be used to achieve a sustained competitive advantage.

The strengths and opportunities were discussed and the related impact on strategy, but with less than 60 - 79% accuracy and some of the trends identified were inappropriate or were not identified.

The strengths and opportunities were discussed and the related impact on strategy, with 80 - 89% accuracy and appropriate information was discussed.

The strengths and opportunities were discussed and the impact to strategy with 90 to 100% accuracy and all appropriate information was identified and discussed clearly.

6. Clarity

Did not complete the assignment or explanations are unclear and not organized.

(Major issues)

Explanations generally unclear and not well organized.

(Many issues)

Explanations generally clear and/or organized. (Minor issues)

Explanations very clear and well organized.

(Added helpful details.)

7. Writing ***** Grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation, APA usage.

Did not complete the assignment or 8 or more different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage. (Major issues)

6 - 7 different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage. (Many issues)

4 - 5 different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage. (Minor issues)

0 - 3 different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage.



*****

How to Reference "Whole Food Market" Assessment in a Bibliography

Whole Food Market.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2010, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/whole-foods-case-study-trends/1753846. Accessed 4 Oct 2024.

Whole Food Market (2010). Retrieved from https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/whole-foods-case-study-trends/1753846
A1-TermPaper.com. (2010). Whole Food Market. [online] Available at: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/whole-foods-case-study-trends/1753846 [Accessed 4 Oct, 2024].
”Whole Food Market” 2010. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/whole-foods-case-study-trends/1753846.
”Whole Food Market” A1-TermPaper.com, Last modified 2024. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/whole-foods-case-study-trends/1753846.
[1] ”Whole Food Market”, A1-TermPaper.com, 2010. [Online]. Available: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/whole-foods-case-study-trends/1753846. [Accessed: 4-Oct-2024].
1. Whole Food Market [Internet]. A1-TermPaper.com. 2010 [cited 4 October 2024]. Available from: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/whole-foods-case-study-trends/1753846
1. Whole Food Market. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/whole-foods-case-study-trends/1753846. Published 2010. Accessed October 4, 2024.

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