In order to plan for which current stakeholder issues are going to be of importance to company growth over the coming year(s), a number of online news and social media platforms have been reviewed and assessed. The content was looked at through the eyes of three stakeholder groups including customers, Team Members, and suppliers. Each of these groups is likely to share and obtain information about their likes and dislikes of Whole Foods via different online channels that are tailored to their preferred views. Monitoring the issues that are highlighted and discussed within these particular channels is typically very useful, as stakeholders tend to share their most pertinent thoughts and opinions about a company in an online setting where a willing audience is always waiting. (See References for a full list of web content.)

 

     Our customers are the true key to fulfilling Whole Foods’ mission. Without them, none of our goals are possible to achieve. It is essential that we listen to their voices and address their needs in order to establish a relationship of trust so we can continue working toward setting the standard of excellence for food retailers. According to the research referenced above, the main issues material to Whole Foods’ customers for 2014 include healthy eating, pricing, corporate transparency, non-GMO/natural/organic labeling and Whole Foods’ Green Mission. The issues are prioritized in that order, with healthy eating being the most material to Whole Foods’ customers. Healthy eating is, after all, Whole Foods’ main goal and the reason we exist today. It remains our steadfast goal above all else.  

 

     Pricing, or the, “whole paycheck,” issue, is ranked after healthy eating, but remains a very close second and is a constant topic of discussion. Comments and mentions of pricing are often tagged to other issues, the most frequent of which is healthy eating. Pricing can either exasperate or quell feelings enmeshed in other pertinent issues. This is especially evident on social media where people share comments via Twitter that our company, “gouges,” the consumer on gluten-free products and fresh, quality seafood from veritable suppliers, among other items. Forbes has also commented on our pricing in the past, referencing the notion of the “whole paycheck” mentality.

 

     Transparency ranks third in importance to Whole Foods’ customers. Whole Foods regularly engages in dialogue with customers on social media, responding to queries, routing people to the proper resources, and sharing content that emphasizes our Core Values and furthers our mission. Customers respond well to this transparency, as shown by 1,497,783 Facebook page likes in comparison to 805K on Krogers’ page and 0 on Trader Joes’ non-existent page. 3.64 million Twitter followers is also an indication of success in transparency, especially in comparison to Krogers’ 57K and Trader Joes’ suspended account. Another reason why transparency is ranked after pricing is that research shows that communicating information about pricing more transparently could likely quell the “whole paycheck” issue. Whole Foods’ transparency efforts concerning Team Members’ wages have also been immensely successful and will be explored later.

           

     Non-GMO/natural/organic labeling ranks fourth in importance to the Whole Foods Customer. This issue is very current and will be of top priority over 2014 as our Non-GMO labeling efforts are only just beginning. Research shows this issue has ties to our efforts with healthy eating, pricing, transparency and sourcing. Social media efforts appear effective, including mentions from Non-GMO Project, which maintains 319K followers. Questions have been raised about the labeling project, and there are still many skeptics who believe Whole Foods is trying to mask another issue with this one. Others, like the Organic Consumer’s Association, believe our, “plan falls short.” Ronnie Cummins, founder and director of the OCA has published an article insisting that GMO labeling plan deadlines be moved to 2015 from 2018. As 2015 gets closer, this GMO issue will become more pertinent to Whole Foods’ customers and will thus become even more material to company growth over the coming year(s).

           

     Whole Foods’ Green Mission lost growth in 2013 when it failed to be recognized by the EPA after having been recognized with the Sustained Excellence in Green Power award in 2012. Research on social media suggests that consumers are overwhelmed by too many green changes at once. An article appearing on the investment website fool.com actually argues that Whole Foods may be too far ahead of the curve in sustainability, and that this push to be fully sustainable will push customers out the front door. The 2013 Green Mission report will not be published until July 2014, and it is assumed that once that happens, the chatter online will change and provide a better depiction of how our 2013 sustainability efforts were perceived by customers. For now, it will be ranked low in importance to stakeholders, but high in importance to Whole Foods.

             

     Second to our customer are our Whole Foods’ Team Members. Our loyal and dedicated employees provide the unique Whole Foods experience that our customers have come to expect from us. It is important that a strong dialogue is always maintained with Team Members, and that, just like our customers, their concerns and opinions are voiced and understood by all of us at Whole Foods. Research indicates that, currently, Whole Foods’ Team Members are very satisfied with their Whole Foods experience.  The only issues raised include wages and transparency with wages. Also important for consideration is Whole Foods placement on Fortune’s “100 Best Companies To Work For 2014” list. Whole Foods fell 21 places to rank 44, and this is our 17th consecutive year being honored with this title.

           

     Whole Foods’ Team Members believe we offer fair wages. The average hourly wage in 2013 was $18.89, and the average annual wage was $39,289. Research shows that our efforts to be fully transparent with salaries-earned and bonuses, as well as our stores publishing their daily sales data and weekly regional sales data, is very popular. Team Members and future Team Members alike have commented on social media that this level of transparency adds a sense of trust. While the issue of fair wages ranks slightly higher in importance to Team Members than transparency in wages on the materiality grid, this is only because the issue of offering a fair wage is paramount to keeping the doors to Whole Foods open. We also would not be able to be transparent about our offered wages if the government were shutting us down for not offering fair wages in the first place.

           

     Ranked below wages and transparency in wages is an issue of interest. For it’s 17th consecutive year, Whole Foods has earned a position on Fortune’s “100 Best Places to Work 2014” list. We ranked in at 44th. We were also recognized as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies by Fortune and as one of the Top 150 National Workplaces in 2013. Research shows that our employees like knowing they work for a company ranked by Fortune’s Best Place to Work list. Knowing this, it is important to leave the issue of being a, “best employer,” ranked second in importance to Team Members, as it will then remain a constant goal for us at Whole Foods to strive to achieve year after year.

Growth opportunities within the company, management structure, and work/life balance are three issues that are commonly discussed by Team Members online. They appear to be the three general concerns that always exist in the background for any Whole Foods Team Member. Research shows that, generally, Whole Foods’ Team Members are satisfied with these three issues concerning their work life. On GlassDoor.com, the average ratings of these three categories compute to approximately a 3.7/5 rating with a total of 1,047 reviews considered. Given the research, it appears these three issues should be ranked closely to one another on the materiality grid, though their significance will be greater to the impact on the stakeholder than Whole Foods.

           

     Third, but as essential as the first two, Whole Foods’ suppliers make every day at Whole Foods possible. We strive to give our suppliers the greatest benefits we can offer, and in return they supply us with the fresh, healthy, local food that can be found at every Whole Foods location. In order to maintain an open dialogue and a relationship of trust, we consider and explore any and all issues concerning our suppliers. Those that appear to be pertinent for 2014 include purchasing practices and GMO labeling.

           

      Obviously, purchasing practices are always of concern to our suppliers. Research indicates that our suppliers are happy with the current level of engagement that Whole Foods maintains with them. Both our Traceability and Seafood Quality Standards have seen positive reactions and are considered important programs by stakeholders. New concerns have been raised recently, however, after our announcement to label non-GMO products. According to the investor’s resource site fool.com, there is a belief that some suppliers would back out of current supply deals if they cannot supply non-GMO products. Other research, however, indicates that our largest suppliers are happy with the effort to label non-GMO products, and look forward to continued partnerships with Whole Foods. For this materiality assessment, the issue of purchasing practices has been ranked very important to both the impact on stakeholder and the impact on Whole Foods. Labeling of non-GMOs is of slightly greater importance, especially when considering the impact on stakeholder groups, as it is an ongoing effort in 2014. Finally, with little research to suggest that improving Traceability and Seafood Quality Standards this year are of upmost importance, they will be ranked slightly less important to Whole Foods over the course of 2014 in comparison to other issues.

           

     In order to grow effectively, Whole Foods needs to take each stakeholder concern and assess its impact on both Whole Foods and other external stakeholders. Only by testing these issues in this format is it clear which issues are the most material to the growth of Whole Foods over the coming year. It should also be noted that this plan is relevant to the times. With the ever-growing presence of the Internet, opinions and concerns can change instantly. So it is the final recommendation of this plan to re-perform this issues assessment three months after the publication of this report in order to assure that we are doing everything at Whole Foods to maintain our relationships with our stakeholders.