Whole Foods Market: A CEO’s Public Opinion at Odds With A Key Demographic

Authors
Imtiaz, T., Ji, J., Mitchell, A., and O'Rourke, J. S. (Editor)
Region
North America
Topic
Strategy & General Management
Length
13 pages
Keywords
position
core customer
media
management
op-ed
Copyright Holder
Notre Dame
Student Price
$4.00
Target Audience
Graduate Students
Undergraduate Students

In August of 2009, the founder and CEO of the successful natural & organic food company Whole Foods Market published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal espousing a position on the highly contested health care debate that many perceived to be at odds with the company’s core customer. In the midst of a slow news month, the media seized on the apparent contradiction, and many diverse interests used the ensuing attention to further their own agendas.