5)

The text provides information regarding a merger made in the year 2017 between Amazon
and Whole Foods, which at first was received with much fanfare but later resulted in lack of
congruence. Amazon’s interest in this merger was to expand their market beyond e-
commerce while at the same time collecting shopper data. Similarly, Whole Foods was
interested in the decrease of their prices and the growth in their sales and market share.
However, despite many benefits for both companies, they have not been able to pan out
their cultural mismatches. The reason for this being that Amazon has a culture of compliance
and tightness, opposite to Whole Foods that has a loose and egalitarian culture. To
summarize they should solve their issues by elaborating a cultural integration plan, which
should include cultural assessments and a formal contract which informs about a company’s
cultural changes. It is also necessary for both companies to have culturally ambidextrous
leaders who are willing to make sacrifices that help overcoming challenges.