Xiaomeng Guo Assignment 1-2: Amazon.com: The Brink of Bankruptcy Abstract Amazon.com is one of the biggest international online-shopping Companies and the most familiar shopping website for every American. No matter if customers want to buy something or sell something, Amazon.com always is a good place for them. I still remember in 2010 I had an opportunity to interview with a Target manager. I asked him, "What is Target’s biggest competitor?" The manager said, "Amazon.com is our biggest competitor."
Its headquarters are in Seattle, Wash. In Amazon's mission statement, the company says it's working towards becoming "Earth's most customer-centric company where people can find and discover anything they want to buy online." Millions of new and used items are sold on Amazon.com, Zappos.com, Endless.com, and Shopbop.com and on its international web properties. Items available for purchase include books, movies, music, games, sportswear, automotive parts and more. Founder Jeff Bezos started selling only books on Amazon.com in 1995.
Company Overview Amazon.com, Inc. is an American multinational electronic commerce company. Its headquarters are in Seattle, Washington, United States. The company was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos. It was just an online bookstore at the beginning of the time. Amazon sold their products in all 50 states and in over 45 countries.
Assignment 1 -Yahoo and Amazon: Building a Competitive Advantage Presented by: Fin 599-Strategic Management Strayer University 01/25/15 Describe, in brief, the histories of both of Amazon.com and Yahoo.com, and determine the core business of each. Considered a pioneer in online retailing, Amazon.com, Inc. was started in 1994 by Jeff Bezos and made its debut on the web in 1995 offering "Earth's Biggest Selection" of books, CDs, videos, DVDs, electronics, toys, tools, home furnishings and housewares, apparel, and kitchen gadgets. Amazon’s headquarter is in Seattle Washington. Amazon offers online retailing services to customers across the world. Amazon focuses on convenience, selection range, and price.
Table of Contents CONTENT | PAGE | 1.0 Executive summary | 3 | 1.1 Case Objectives | 4 | 1.2 Company Background | 4 | 1.3 Case Overview | 5 | 2.0 Situational Analysis | 6 | 2.1 Marketing Strategy | 6 | 2.2 Market Analysis | 8 | 2.3 Financial Situation | 10 | 2.4 External Environment | 10 | 2.4.1 Porter’s Five Forces | 10 | 2.5 SWOT Analysis | 11 | 3.0 Questions | 12 | 4.0 Conclusion and Recommendation | 14 | References | 15 | 1.0 Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to study Amazon.com new service offering and its excellent customer relationship management. Since 2006, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is exposing Amazon's key infrastructure services to businesses in the form of web services. The ultimate benefit for customer is the ability to leverage on a new business model and turn capital expenses into variable costs. The AWS has helped improve many small and big companies in terms of their online computing needs. The most important marketing strategy in Amazon is its customer-centricity.
Second only to Wal-Mart, Target has become the most profitable store in the Dayton Hudson Corporation that as of August 2000, Dayton Hudson was renamed Target Corporation. There are many internal and external factors that affect how Target implements the four functions of management. This paper is going to show and detail planning, organizing, leading and controlling and how such things as globalization, technology, innovation, diversity and ethics factors into Target Corporations business. When it comes to the globalization of Target Department stores, physically they have not gone global per say. Their stores are only located in the United States.
Search engines are the driving source for online shopping. When consumers can type in a name of a product and click search hundreds of stores come up with pricing of the product. People like choices, and would rather search through the web for the best product and pricing. Associability plays key role in the success of companies. Companies have to pay a huge price to have their store front at the top of the search list.
Impact 4/5 ……………………………………………………….……..8 2.2.4 Technological Factor. Impact 4/5 ……………………………………………………….…….8 2. 3 Five Force Analysis…………………………………………………………………….….……..8 2.3.1: Analysis of Five Force Analysis ………………………………………………………………10 2.4: Critical Success Factors …………………………………………………………………………11 2.5 Opportunities and Threats ……………………………………………………………………….14 2.6: Summary of task A………………………………………………………………………………14 3. Task B………………………………………………………………………………………………16 3.1 Value Chain……………………………………………………………………………………….16 3.2 Value Network…………………………………………………………………………………….19 3.3: Starbucks competitive advantage: threshold/unique resource and competencies………20 3.3.1: Financial resources ………………………………………………………………………….20 3.3.2: Financial competencies………………………………………………………………………22 3.3.3 Physical (Infrastructural resources)………………………………………………………….22 3.3.4: Physical infrastructure capabilities………………………………………………………….24 3.3.5: intangible resources …………………………………………………………………………25 3.3.6: Intangible resource capabilities…………………………………………………..………...25 3.3.7: Threshold and Unique resources and competencies …………………………………..25 3.3.8: Competitive advantage
In 2008 HP retained its global leadership position in inkjet, laser, large format and multi-function printers market, and its leadership position in the hardware industry. Also HP became #2 globally in IT services as reported by IDC & Gartner.” (Charts, Y., 2011, Hp, http://www.businessinsider.com) Every industry has its ups and downs, so is Hewlett-Packard. For example acquisition Palm, WebOS & it has done what some thought to be impossible: discontinue its Touch Pad and drastically alter its
Amazon is an American electronic commerce company that has become an icon of internet business. Jeff Bezos founded the company in 1994 and launched it online in 1995 as an online bookstore. However, the logo soon became symbolic as they started to sell everything from A to Z. Time magazine names Bezos “1999 Person of the Year” and said, “Bezos’ vision of the online retailing universe was so complete, his Amazon.com site so elegant and appealing that it became from Day One the Point of reference for anyone who had anything to sell online.” Strengths • Well established web brand • Loyal customers base of over 12million shoppers • Distribution facilities to handle growth and fulfillment • Leader in use of technology to delivery targeted content • Excellent offline customer service • Building international presence in markets outside of the USA • Has moved away form being a low price supplier of books toward a focus on delivering outstanding service at a price Weaknesses • Amazon.com brand has been diluted by entering a wide number of product segments, increasing competition • Need to restructure business to drive toward profitability has meant upward pressure on prices • No offline brand presence • Insufficient community added value • Now competes as a mass merchant, allowing specialty stores to identify with particular segment, e.g. Barnes and Noble - books, eToys - Toys, Home Depot - Tools.