Whole Foods Market addresses the 10 decisions of operations management (OM) through its high quality standards. Whole Foods Market’s corporate social responsibility efforts also relate with these strategic decisions. The 10 decisions of operations management are the strategic directions that a firm must take for the different areas of its business. In Whole Foods Market’s case, these 10 decisions are integrated in the company’s various policies and programs, such as the Whole Trade Guarantee program. With its leadership position in the health food store chain industry, Whole Foods Market is an example of the successful implementation of operations management decisions.
The 10 decisions of operations management relate with Whole Foods Market’s continued growth and high productivity. The principles of operations management apply to global supply chain management and location strategy, among other areas of Whole Foods Market’s business.
Whole Foods Market’s Operations Management, 10 Decision Areas
1. Design of Goods and Services. Whole Foods Market addresses this strategic decision area of operations management by focusing on high standards. The company is known for high quality standards, such as the Whole Trade Guarantee used for certifying suppliers’ sustainability and fair labor practices. This emphasis on high quality is aligned with Whole Foods Market’s premium pricing strategy.
2. Quality Management. Whole Foods Market uses various programs and standards to ensure quality in its business. For example, the company uses proper labeling for organic and GMO-containing products. High quality goods are a reflection of Whole Foods Market’s effectiveness in addressing this strategic decision area of operations management.
3. Process and Capacity Design. Process efficiency, capacity utilization, and cost effectiveness are among the major concerns in this strategic decision area of operations management. In this regard, Whole Foods Market uses a decentralized approach to product sourcing. However, the firm also applies corporate standards in all business areas.
4. Location Strategy. Whole Foods Market addresses this strategic decision area of operations management through stores in urban centers. Most of the firm’s stores are in cities. Also, Whole Foods Market maximizes its location strategy by using its website and app to reach target customers.
5. Layout Design and Strategy. Applying this strategic decision area of operations management requires optimizing materials, human resources and business information use. In this regard, Whole Foods Market’s strategy is to exhibit an ambiance of quality and convenience in its stores. In its supply facilities, the company’s strategy emphasizes efficiency and maximum space utilization.
6. Job Design and Human Resources. Whole Foods Market addresses this strategic decision area of operations management by focusing on teams. The entire organization is composed of teams to facilitate collaboration. This focus on teams aligns with Whole Foods Market’s organizational culture.
7. Supply Chain Management. This strategic decision area of operations management involves integrating the supply chain with the other areas of the business. Whole Foods Market does so through the Whole Trade Guarantee, which prioritizes suppliers with acceptable sustainability and fair labor practices. This approach enables Whole Foods Market to match supply with the quality standards used in its stores.
8. Inventory Management. Whole Foods Market addresses this strategic decision area of operations management through decentralized stocking. For instance, each store decides when and what to purchase from suppliers, based on store performance and local market conditions. Through this decentralized approach, Whole Foods Market maximizes flexibility of its inventory to satisfy varying market demands.
9. Scheduling. The main concerns in this strategic decision area of operations management are short-term and long-term schedules of facilities and human resources. To address these concerns, Whole Foods Market uses team-based scheduling to optimize team capacity and productivity even when changes in schedules are made.
10. Maintenance. Whole Foods Market maintains its facilities through store personnel as well as dedicated maintenance teams for this strategic decision area of operations management. Whole Foods Market also maintains high-functioning teams through a team-based approach to recruitment where employees select their team members.
Measures of Productivity at Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market now has an international business, which indicates an increasing set of criteria or measures of productivity. However, the following are some notable productivity measures used in Whole Foods Market’s operations management:
- Stockout rate (productivity of inventory processes)
- Yield per time (productivity of supply chain and suppliers)
- Transactions per time (productivity of store personnel)
References
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- Najdawi, M. K., Chung, Q. B., & Salaheldin, S. I. (2008). Expert systems for strategic planning in operations management: a framework for executive decisions. International Journal of Management and Decision Making, 9(3), 310-327.
- Verdaasdonk, P. (1999). Defining an information structure to analyse resource spending changes of operations management decisions. Production Planning & Control, 10(2), 162-174.
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- Whole Foods Market (2015). Our Whole Trade Guarantee – Whole Foods Market.
- Whole Foods Market (2015). Quality Standards – Whole Foods Market.
- Whole Foods Market (2015). We Create Ongoing Win-Win Partnerships With Our Suppliers – Whole Foods Market.