Whole Food Market Pyramid Essay

Whole Foods Market started off as being Safer Way natural grocery store in 1978. However they were not

John Mackey, founder of Whole Foods once said "Business social responsibility should not be coerced; it is a voluntary decision that the entrepreneurial leadership of every company must make on its own." (Mackey, 2005) In today’s society it is increasingly common for businesses to actively identify and become directly involved in the country and the global social issues and needs. It is now common

I will be comparing the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Social responsibility means that a company invests in communities, protects the environment, pays their taxes, provides equal treatment, provides adequate health care, etc. CSR is an act of maturity, where companies feel obligated to give back to those who assisted them in their success. A company needs both the employees and customers to be satisfied. Hence, companies feel obligated to give back to their community; a practice of appreciation and sympathy. I will begin with talking about the background of each company, followed by the employees, investors, customers, and environment.

Whole Foods has the Philanthropic Responsibility on Carroll’s global social responsibility pyramid, mainly for their involvement in educating employees, and customers on the importance of lifestyle changes in eating more organic, healthy foods. Moreover, Whole Foods involvement in volunteer work through the communities they serve; however,

Social responsibility in business can be defined as the obligation an organization has to minimize its negative social impact on stakeholders and to maximize its positive impact. In this case study we are introduced to a small local grocery chain referred to as Company Q. Located in a major metropolis, Company Q has recently closed some stores in areas of the city with higher crime-rates. They have started to stock a very limited amount of organic and health-conscience products after years of requests from their customers. Management has declined participating in a program to send expired food to a local food bank based on fears of employee theft by means of taking advantage of the situation. Based on the

Company Q is a small local grocery store chain that has a poor attitude toward social responsibility. After reviewing the given, I feel the chain is more committed to profit than social responsibility. Most companies are in a business to make a profit, however, the difference in what is considered reasonable and what is considered ridiculous comes into play. Most people start companies because it something they are interested in and to make a living. In today’s society the line between outright social responsibility

Most businesses start with the primary thought of making money. As a small grocery store chain, it is hard to compete with the larger national grocery stores, which often force the smaller local stores out of business. It is this dynamic, with the help of consumers, which is forcing both small and large businesses to reconsider their organizational goals and outcomes to include social responsibility. A successful business understands their customers, learns what their customers presently need, and foresees what their customers will need in the future.

Utilizing this knowledge, we can determine whether the actions of Chipotle qualify it as a socially responsible organization. In studying Chipotle, one would can acknowledge multiple practices that qualify as abiding by the standards of a socially responsible business. Chipotle has made a commitment to provide healthy food ingredients, purchased from local farms that practice humane husbandry, and seeks to execute business in the most environment-friendly means possible (Chipotle). Chipotle has gone beyond industrial norms, and

Kathy Kudler’s due diligence and leadership provides the direction of Kudler Fine Foods growth and sustainability plan. The direction focuses on the continual enhancement to improve efficiency for all stakeholders. The first part of the strategic plan provides the vision, “Kudler Fine Foods will be the premiere gourmet grocery store for those savvy shoppers who are searching for the finest meats, produce, cheeses and wine” (Kudler Fine Foods Virtual Portal Strategic Plan 2003, p. 3). Social responsibility is also defined because it provides the stakeholders a snapshot of the responsibility Kathy Kudler for not only her store (s) but also the surrounding communities. This example not only indicates her amazing business savvy, but leadership skills. She leads by example, which not only empowers her, but influences the people who work for her and with her in a positive way.

Essay Question: In what ways does this movie demonstrate the “Iron Triangle” and its powerful influence in the manner that our government functions?

Food Inc. opens in an American supermarket and draws attention to the unnatural nature of year-round tomatoes and boneless meat. It pulls aside the curtain that is concealing the truth about food from the consumer. After the brief intro, the movie shifts its focus to the topic of fast food and its impact on the meat industries. Fast food virtually started with McDonald’s. When they decided to simplify their menu and hire employees that repeated one task over and over for minimum wage, the result was the fast food phenomenon that swept the United States, and then the world. Today, McDonald’s is the largest purchaser of beef and potatoes in the United States, and is one of the largest purchasers of pork, chicken, tomatoes, and apples. Though

Carroll (1991) organized different corporate social responsibilities as a four-layered pyramid model and called it the pyramid of responsibilities. The four different responsibilities - economical, legal, ethical and philanthropic are the layers of the pyramid. Corporate social responsibility involves the conduct of a business so that it is economically profitable, law abiding, ethical and socially supportive. To be socially responsible then means that profitability and obedience to the law are foremost conditions when discussing the firm’s ethics and the extent to which it supports the society in which it exists with contributions of money, time and talent”. And the different layers in the pyramid help managers

Based off of Archie B. Carroll’s global corporate social responsibility pyramid, doing what is profitable or what is required by global capitalism is the base of the pyramid, whereas being a good global corporate citizen and doing what is desired by global stakeholders is at the top of the pyramid. Though it is important for companies to make the most amount of profit possible, it is also equally crucial for companies to contribute to their society by being a good

In management theory, it is intractable for for-profit company to combine social responsibility and making profits meanwhile. However, Ben & Jerry’s is recognized as a model in this aspect. The company is successful in accomplishing a heightened standard of corporate social responsibility values without being overburdened by the financial necessity from practical completion of such values.

Starbucks is an American multinational corporation that is arguably considered as the best coffee house in the globe in terms of global performance. The company has for a long time considered CSR as an important part of its operations and currently, it adopts an Anglo-American model of corporate social responsibility. This is an approach to CSR that maintains close links between shareholder interests with the operations of the organization. The company ensures that its CSR initiatives are appropriately audited so that it is able to learn of its CSR performance and not as an effort of complying with legal regulations and this is what makes the strategies adopted by the company very relevant. The corporate social responsibility codes that are derived from Starbucks’ Anglo American model have contributed to great product development by the company, efficient production and quality customer service. All these have been made possible through the company’s Corporate Governance Codes . At starbucks, the codes have provisions for the code of conduct which acts as guidelines as to how the employees at the organization behave. The code of conduct guides the entire organization including the board of