March 18, 2008

Foodstuffs is the biggest player in the New Zealand grocery market, enjoying dominant market share and seeing off challenges from the Australian-owned Progressive Enterprises group. But as Robert Smith discovers, when you are a cooperative and the members of the board are also the owners of your stores, what goes on at the highest level of the company is often defined by what is occurring on the shop floor.

Where do I start this contribution to the debate and discussion of governance in New Zealand? For it is not matter of lack of places or opportunities, but the observation

In today’s environment, companies practising good governance are expected by the public to demonstrate good corporate citizenship, being accountable not only to shareholders, but also to other stakeholders and to