Amazon.com Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Amazon.com - Research Paper Example The success of e-business depends on how long a customer spends time in an e-business website. Amazon did everything needed to tie up the customers in their website. They have formulated different strategies to attract the net customers. Most of the internet users are youths and Amazon.com has everything needed to attract the youth customers. This paper briefly analyses the history, supply chain management process, online auction features, competitors and current market position of Amazon.com. History Amazon.com was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 in America† (Amazon.com, Inc). Initially it started as an online bookshop. However it expanded its business during the late 1990s and diversified its business to areas such as to offer the CDs, videos, DVDs, electronics, toys, tools, home furnishings and house wares, apparel, and kitchen gadgets etc (Amazon.com, Inc, n. d). Amazon entered the internet world in 1995 and registered as a public company in 1997. In 1998, they entered the on line music and video business and in 1999, they started to sell toys, electronics, tools, and hardware using their e-commerce website. Though the company has started as an online bookstore, currently it has products such as music CD’s, VHS, DVD, computer software, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, food toys, etc apart from books. It has started film production also in 2008. Amazon has several websites custom made for countries like Canada, Germany, France, China, UK, Japan etc. The company did not focus on profits for the initial five years and spend much of its revenues in expansions in the initial years. This business strategy brought immense dividends to the company as per the recent statistics. Current market position   Currently Amazon.com employs more than 7800 employees and as per the statistics of 2002, it has reported $ 3.9 billion sales (Amazon.com, Inc, n. d). It is the largest online retailer at present in United States. The closest competitor Staple s Inc has only 1/3 rd of the revenues of Amazon.com as per the statistics available in 2010. As per the recent statistics, it ranked 272 in the list of Fortune 500 companies. Supply chain management process Supply Chain Management (SCM) is the process of controlling the movements of goods or services from suppliers to buyers. The efficiency of supply chain management depends on the availability of the material based on the demand. There should not be more goods in the store if the demand is less; at the same time there should be adequate number of goods always if the demand is good. Amazon has one of the most efficient, sophisticated and advanced supply chain management systems in the world. â€Å"Homemade applications handle nearly every aspect of its supply chain: warehouse management, transportation management, inbound and outbound shipping, demand forecasts, inventory planning, and more† (Bacheldor, 2004). In other words, all the aspects of supply chain management are man aged with the help of advanced software at Amazon.com. The human intervention is very less in the supply chain management process and the machines are dominating in this sector. Thus the chances of human errors which may delay the supply chain management process are very less. For example, computers and software are assisting Amazon in taking orders, processing orders and in ensuring the delivery of goods in time. Whenever, an item is purchased from

Michael Porter's change of view Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Michael Porter's change of view - Essay Example He said that, most managers’ defined competition in a narrow way like it only occurred among direct competitors (Porter 2008). Nevertheless, competition for profits basically goes afar establishing industry rivals that include other competitive forces such as customers, suppliers, potential entrants and substitute products. Although, there are different companies undertaking different objectives, the core factors that shape the market with profitability are similar. The only way to understand industries is by analysing the industry through the use of underlying structures that are related to the five forces. 2 The role of business in the society Any business must have a role in society. In essence, businesses create prosperity where healthy businesses need a healthy community. Moreover, there has been an over growing alertness of major challenges that are in the society. In particular, there has been the lack of sufficient resources and capabilities form the government and non profitable organization to handle these challenges (Kotter 1996). However, more of the public sees business as prospering at the outlay of the society and even though there has been notable corporate citizenship activities the legitimacy of business has gone down amicably (Paton and McCalman 2008) ss Fig 2; The connection /disconnection between Society and Business. 3 The five forces Porter’s five forces tool is simple but powerful especially when it comes to evaluating the business because it help in understanding both the strength of the current, competitive position and the strength of the position in which one is aiming to achieve in the market. It enables one to take advantage of the present situation of strength to improve any situation that is associated to weakness. Moreover, it is used to identify new products, services and/or businesses that have the potential of making a profit. This analysis presumes that there are five crucial forces that determine competitive p ower in any given situation (Porter 2008). 1 Supply power Supply power allows you to understand how suppliers accelerate prices in the market. This is particularly present in the number of suppliers with regard to key input, the exceptionality of their products/services, they strength plus the control they have over you. Moreover, the issue of switching from one supplier to another is also witnessed. Essentially, the few choices you have in suppliers, the more need of suppliers’ help especially due to their power. 2 Buyer power Buyer power gives a chance to evaluate the easiness in which buyers can bring prices down. It is mostly influenced by the number of buyers’ especially individual buyers in one’s business including the cost of them moving from one buyer to another. However, dealing with few powerful buyers can be challenging as they may be forced to dictate purchasing terms to the seller. 3 Competitive Rivalry Competitive Rivalry indicates the number and a bility of competitors that are present. In case, several competitors are offering equal attractive products /services, then there is a likely hood of little power in the situation. Suppliers and buyers have the greatest impact in the market, in that if they are not offered good

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 14

Marketing - Essay Example The essay elaborates the marketing mix of Tide along with the target market. Tide has adopted many marketing strategies in order to keep their market share. Few of the strategies are discussed in the essay. Not only in US the brand has captured other market too by its products and has been successfully penetrating more areas which are not yet tapped by the brand. Tide has tapped foreign market like India (Loudon, 2002). Tide has targeted their customers and positioned the products in such a way that they have made their products a unique one among the mass. Tide has also faced with environmental issues in foreign markets which have been discussed in the section. Product Overview Tide detergent powder is a well known brand in the detergent industry which was first introduced in 1946. It is the market leader in 23 countries worldwide. Tide is regarded as P & G’s flagship brand. It was first introduced in US market as the synthetic detergent for heavy-duty and machine cleaning. T ide has initially started with white powdered bead but later it has included orange tinged liquid form in 1984. Today both the non-ultra and ultra products are dark blue in color with an exception of the product Tide Free which is clear in color. Tide had introduced a large array of products such as Tide Liquid, Tide with Febreze Freshness, Tide Powder, Tide Coldwater and many more. All the products that fall under the brand umbrella â€Å"Tide† has the four main utilities such as: 1. Convenient to use and have reasonable price to target the lower income class. 2. Washing at normal temperature (both hand and machine wash). 3. It saves water and also time. 4. Removes stubborn strains, protects color and leaves fresh smell even after the cloth is dry. Target market of Tide in US and India Tide brand first test marketed its products in the US market to see the reaction among the users of the product (Kotler, 2012).When the result came positive they were encouraged to make the pr oduct more aware among the mass so that they start using their new brand. Through many marketing strategies they penetrated the market and made a significant in the laundry market. The company has made extensive consumer research and then they have come to the following conclusions: 1. Women take the main decision of choosing any brand of home products. 2. The lower income group use bars of detergent to wash their utensils. 3. Women want their family’s well being and thus they want the maximum value out of the brand. 4. Women are quite price sensitive customers. They want products which are reasonable in price and also give satisfaction after using it. 5. Every household want to use such detergents which are long lasting and does not erode away in few uses. They even want detergent bars which are tough so that they not melt fast and are wasted. Thus from the above conclusions it can be said that Tide’s main target customers are the women group. Tide has always tried to contribute to the households to its maximum by providing them with the detergent powders which will make their cloths smooth and clean. Tide in US has targeted the women group as well as the lower income group. Women in US are basically working and thus they prefer to use a detergent which will be quickly effecting and is free from hassle. They do not have much time to wash the same cloth a many times if the dirt is not cleaned in first wash. Thus they require a reliable detergent powder which will do its work perfectly. Tide fulfills the need of these women by

The Effects of Falling American Popularity on US Business Abroad Essay

The Effects of Falling American Popularity on US Business Abroad - Essay Example intentions in all spheres. Finally, individual consumers will be more likely to substitute products and to protest U.S. businesses in a variety of ways. As a preliminary matter, both countries and groups of countries will be more likely to inhibit business practices. Muslim countries, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, may perceive American unpopularity to anti-Muslim policies. Unable to deal with the American government directly, they very well may seek influence by barring certain types of businesses and operations in their own countries. This may manifest itself, for example, in terms of foreign shareholding requirements or excluded enterprises. In addition, trade policies may be changed to restrict imports and exports. This may be done, as well, by larger organizations such as ASEAN. The effects would be to punish U.S. business for American unpopularity. In countries with strategic business resources, whether raw materials or cheap labor, the effects could be severe. In addition, international organizations might become more suspicious of the intentions of U.S. businesses. Claims regarding the sources of manufactured goods, the provision of hidden subsidies, and the compliance with local and international laws might be subjected to much higher standards of proof. U.S. businesses.

Article critique Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Critique - Article Example In this study, qualitative approach was used to delve into how ethnicity may influence the academic experiences of Cambodian American students. Three groups of stakeholders were interviewed. These were students, their teachers, and school administrators (Tang & Kao, 2012). Although this research was significant in trying to delve on challenges facing the students, there was a slight problem in the period involved in carrying out the research. The period from September to January was not sufficient to come up with the conclusion of the study. Secondly, there is also lack of balance in carrying out this study. This is because only one district is involved to come out with a general conclusion reflecting on the Cambodian students (Tang & Kao, 2012). The research method used is crucial to such a sample used in the study. The other bias is on the side of the researchers. This is evident as they follow instruction from school administrators (Tang & Kao, 2012). The school administrators instructed the researcher to focus on four classrooms due to the high number of Cambodian students (Tang & Kao, 2012). There was a bias involved in this research. This is because only one district was used as a representative population. In addition, only the urban high schools were involved in this study while other local schools were not involved although there were Cambodian students attending such schools. However, the research only focused on one side hence the work is not fully credible. In this study, sufficient research was not carried. This is because the representative samples were not enough to qualify the outcome. In addition, the exact number of Cambodian students in each class could not be established. Furthermore, this article is not technically correct. This is due to attention that focused on 9th grade and left other from this research (Tang & Kao, 2012). The presentation was also minimal as evidenced by the sample size. A larger sample with regard to

Black People and Affirmative Action Essay Example for Free

Black People and Affirmative Action Essay Please be advised that Assignment One on the printed Tutorial Letter 101/3/2013 on pages 12 14 has a number of both typographical and numerical mistakes. This happened as a result of a number of factors: the initial assignment reading was too costly for the Department to commission in terms of copyright and had to be retracted at the last minute. The reading on Affirmative Action: a losing battle? was then included but with an almost impossible deadline, which resulted in the errors reflected therein. This is regrettable and we apologise for any inconvenience this might have cost you. The corrected version of the assignment is on page 3 and is attached to this TL and again on my UNISA for your convenience. The marks are out of 100 marks 50 for Section A and 50 marks for Section B. NB: Please note that the due date has not changed in any way (4 March 2013). 2 ENN103F/102 8. 4. 1. FIRST SEMESTER ASSIGNMENTS The purpose of this assignment is to teach you how to read an article and to critically engage in academic reading and reflecting on the material in an academic manner by answering the short paragraph questions provided as well as an essay. Assignment 01 will be marked fairly fully and sent back to you. Affirmative action: a losing battle? There are considerable reasons to suppose that this topic, which affects all citizens of South Africa, in particular, seems dated. In some instances it is a policy viewed with hostility as it is said to discriminate against sections of the population, yet in others it is seen as beneficial to women, black people and the disabled. Studies show that in many instances this form of historical redress has proven a hindrance to performance and makes the beneficiaries doubt their abilities when viewed by their superiors. This has a negative effect on an organization since the quality of work is seen as being sub-standard. Equally, there are significant indicators, both in industry and the private sector, that the opening up of previously closed avenues through the policy of affirmative action made companies perform better since the beneficiaries of such workplace selection viewed their work as a challenge. Where beneficiaries claim stigmatization by such a selection process, it means they prefer not to have been selected through such efforts. Either way, the battle seems to go on and on. In the light of this ongoing and divisive debate, the level of debate regarding the policy has not progressed further since comparative studies of the policy have not been seriously undertaken. There has been no systematic study of the developments in how the policy actually proves beneficial as a tool of redress. Part of the reason is that, firstly, there is a lack of monitoring of what goes on in organizations, and secondly, that the regulations are not strictly enforced. For instance, companies will usually ‘front’ a black person, a woman or a disabled person, as a chief executive officer and leave the matter of compliance as a secondary issue. Rarely do such companies face serious consequences even if they do business with the government. The question then is whether a time limit should be placed on the policy and Act or whether it should be declared unconstitutional. Consideration has not been taken, for instance, of measures used in other countries to actively promote privilege. Very few advocacy groups ever mention the Naturalization Act of 1790, the Homestead Act of 1862 or even the Federal Housing Administration Loan Program of the 1930s used by the government of the United States of America to promote racial preference; or that such Acts were also used as models for other racially divided societies. Advocacy groups for and against the policy and Act have routinely made it a point that the policy is unsettling, needless and discriminatory, on the one hand, while others argue forcefully that the amelioration of past injustices justifies its implementation. Whichever side is on the ascendancy cannot take the other side’s viewpoint, and in the end the past divisions are set to continue. 3 SECTION A: Short questions Answer the following questions in short paragraphs. Please note that each question will be marked out of 10 marks: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Is the affirmative action policy morally defensible? Explain. In your opinion, which country has successfully implemented the policy of affirmative action and why did it succeed? In your view, why did the South African government choose to implement the Affirmative Action policy and Act, and was it ever justifiable? Does the policy need to be discontinued after a certain length of time, and why? In your opinion, why is it that people from a different racial group are unemployable in certain sectors of the economy and not in others? [10 X 5 = 50] SECTION B: Essay Write an essay of approximately one and a half page on either of the questions below. Please note that each essay will be marked out of 50 marks: 1) Do you think cultivating an equal opportunity society has helped countries such as South Africa and America to move forward? In a carefully worded essay, show why this is the case or why it is not. OR 2) To what extent do you consider such a policy and act relevant to the needs of any society today? [50 marks] Best wishes The ENN103F Team 4.

Stakeholder Tertiary Project

Stakeholder Tertiary Project Task Statement: To address the theme of project requirements carry out research and from your finding draft clearly structured notes that explain what is: Meant by the primary, secondary and tertiary stakeholders The purpose of a scope document and sections it should contain Task Objectives: This task is given to find out the description about primary, secondary and tertiary stakeholder of a project and their activities with their concern area. All these will be described on the first section of this task. And the second section here will be defined and described about the purpose of a Scope document and also will be mentioned about its sections it should contain. Stakeholders The persons or organizations having an investment in what will be learned from an evaluation and what will be done with the knowledge. Stakeholders are groups of people who have an interest in a business organization. They can be seen as being either external to the organization, or internal. But some may be both. Primary Stakeholders Primary stakeholders are the intended beneficiaries of the project. Roles of Primary Stakeholder: Participation of primary stakeholders is essential in projects which are expected to have a direct positive impact on defined groups of people Examples of Primary Stakeholder: Employees Owners/Stockholders Customers Suppliers Stakeholder Secondary Stakeholders Secondary stakeholders are those who perform as intermediaries within a project. Roles of Primary Stakeholder: The main role of secondary stakeholder is linking local governance with national policies. In a few cases, secondary stakeholder plays a role also in consensus building, conflict management, decision making and financing. Example of secondary stakeholder: Intermediate government Local government NGOs The General Public Tertiary Stakeholders Tertiary stakeholders are those actors who are considered to have significant influence on the success of a project. Roles of tertiary Stakeholder: Tertiary stakeholders provide technical assistance, backstopping, extension and training services in their area of competence. They participate in decision-making and action taking and in awareness raising activities Tertiary stakeholder may assist in marketing, and provide financial support through investments. Example of Tertiary Stakeholder: Line agencies Enterprises and companies Banks National government authorities NGOs The purpose of Scope Documentation: The scope document is a general term for any document that refines and defines the requirements aspect of the triple constraint of time, cost, and requirements. In this general sense, it provides an overview of what the project is supposed to accomplish and clarifies how those accomplishments will be achieved. It may also provide the team members, customer, and project manager with insight on what is specifically not in the scope. The sections of a scope document: The outline for a scope document may include the elements discussed in the following sections. 1. Introduction/Background of the Project This includes the history and any environmental definitions required to understand the project. 2. Rationale/Business Opportunity This component expresses the advantages of moving ahead with the project and why it was undertaken. 3. Stakeholders and End Users This will list both business areas and individuals, citing their responsibilities, involvement, and any responsibilities or deliverables they may generate associated with the project. 4. Project Details This will sometimes be broken out into the functional requirements for the project and the technical requirements. The scope statement may only include the functional requirements. It should incorporate all of the mandatory requirements from the contract or memorandum of understanding, Should incorporate detail on the features of the deliverable that will serve those requirements. Administrative Requirements Because administrative responsibilities can be almost as onerous as project deliverable responsibilities, they should be clearly defined as components of the project scope Postproject Considerations Because the project effort normally makes up only a small component of a total system life cycle, any long-term considerations that will directly affect the project decision-making process should be incorporated in the scope document. Conclusion: This task was about the types of stakeholders and their respective responsibility in a project. And about their working roles with the example of stakeholder are provided in the task solution as I understand by reading the task statement and from my findings. I also tried to provide the information about scope documentation and its possible purposes. Reference: Web site: http://e-articles.info/e/a/title/Scope-Document/