Coles/Wesfarmers For many years the Australian grocery sector has been dominated by two major players Coles and Woolworths (Safeway). Over the last decade or so both companies have been subject to scrutiny with regard to supplier management and there have been many negative claims made. There are a large number of newspaper and journal articles related to the way the company engages and works with its suppliers. In 2011, the ACCC brought charges against Coles for unconscionable conduct in dealing with suppliers and was found negligent. In response, the company appointed the former Victorian Premier Mr. Jeff Kennett as an independent arbiter to engage with suppliers and oversee disputes. Currently Wesfarmers (Coles) has 15,000 suppliers. For this research project, you will need to conduct an extensive search online. There are many newspaper and journal articles freely available online and you can also access the company website as well as many of their supplier websites.
1. What is the Coles ‘Nurture Fund’? a. Why do you think it was established? b. What impact do you think it will have? c. Do you think it will achieve the outcomes the company really wants?
2. Obtain a copy of the Coles ‘Supplier Charter’ and the ‘Supplier Charter Framework’ that was implemented in 2014 and the new Supermarket Code of Conduct (2014). a. What is the purpose of these documents? b. With regard to suppliers, how similar or different are these two codes?