...Circuit City Stores, Inc. was an American retailer in brand-name consumer electronics, personal computers, entertainment software, and (until 2000) large appliances. The company opened its first store in 1949 and pioneered the electronics superstore format in the 1970s. By the end of 2008, Circuit City was the second largest U.S. electronics retailer, behind Best Buy. There were 567 Circuit City Superstores nationwide, ranging in size from 15,000 to 45,000 square feet. On November 4, 2008, Circuit City announced that it would close 155 stores and lay off 17% of its workforce by the end of the year as a result of continuing difficulties in remaining profitable. On November 7, 2008, Circuit City laid off between 500 and 800 corporate employees from its Richmond, Virginia headquarters. The approximately 1,000 remaining corporate employees were consolidated into one building in an effort to further reduce costs and improve profitability. On November 10, 2008, Circuit City filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. At that time, Circuit City's stock prices traded well below $1 per share (10 cents to be exact), and were removed from listing on the New York Stock Exchange. Starting January 16, 2009, Circuit City began liquidating its remaining stores, and all were closed by March 8, 2009. The former headquarters of Circuit City Stores, Inc., along with the 58 acres of land was sold in September 2010, for US $5.8 million to DRCC Properties...
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...studied the product to the extent that we felt satisified in what we knew. We also found that we tended to look for the best price after we had done the necessary research. We also found that if it was a bigger decision like a computer or higher ticket product we would study out the product more, but if it were a lower ticket iteam we worked more on inpulse. We belive that this holds true for the whole of the consumer world. Most of us before purchasing wanted to either use the product or try it to ensure that we liked what we were about to buy. Most of us found that Best Buy satisfied this end very well. Best Buy constatly has products out of the package so that you can play around with the product before you buy it. This helps their marketing plan, because as they sell you they can show you what the product does and why it is helpful for your needs. We all found this very helpful and even helped us to become more educated in our purchase as well as begin some loyality to Best Buy. As stated in the text book many consumers buy based on past experience, price and service. The consumers first create a want of the product and this is what Best Buy specilizes in, creating and satisfying the want. When looking at the Characterstics of the Consumer Purchase Decision process in the book, Best Buy has a high to a routine problem solving pattern. Best Buy has many brands that they represent, also due to their Geek Squad they tend to focus on making sure the customer is satisfied...
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...assignment # 10- best buy case study Read the Best Buy case study on pages 491-492 and answer the following questions: 1. Why do you think so many of Best Buy executives opted for Choice 1or 2? What would you do to encourage more employees to adopt Choices 3 or 4? I believe majority of eligible employees opted for Choice 1 or 2, because the economic added value for Choice 3 or 4 was not explained very well. Usually people have difficulty to get comfortable with a metric if they do not have competitive and sufficient information. Another reason why Choice 1 and 2 were the most popular is the fact that not all employees attended the one-on-one counseling or took the online seminar. Therefor those who did not take advantage of these helpful tools, were defaulted into Choice 2: 50% stock options and 50% performance. Clearly, communicating these choices is challenging, but I believe that Best Buy can still encourage more employees to select Choice 3 or 4. One of the way to accomplish this goal is to sent out regular notifications about the metric to better explain the mechanism and show employees how that company is faring among others. 2. Does this Best Buy compensation program satisfy the line of sight requirements? Which of the four choices do you think has the most direct line of sight? In my opinion, this particular program meets all the line of sight requirements. Especially Choice 2 with 50% stocks and 50% performance shares. I believe...
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...Resources: Best Buy number one resource are their employees that have the skills and knowledge about what they sell. This makes them a service oriented company. They want to help customers realize the benefits of technology and technological changes so they could enrich their lives in a variety of ways through connectivity. p. (24-1) Capabilities: They have been very successful in a series of acquisitions. They have the ability to effectively determine where to expand. They have become a global company with acquisitions in Canada and China. They have many different markets with consumer electronics, Geek Squad Centers, Builders and Remodelers with Pacific Sales Kitchen and Bath Centers. Also acquired Speakeasy Inc. Provider of broadband, voice data and information technology services. Core Competencies: The company has the Centricity Model which was built abound a significant database of customer information, to construct a diversified portfolio of product offerings. They have also gained valuable experience in the process of integrating companies under the Best Buy family through acquisitions. And they have a talent of retaining their sales staff. Which are trained with the knowledge of all the equipment they sell. Finding of Facts #1: Available cash and long-term debt is not desirable. This is due to the acquisition of assets. (P.24-5) Recommendation: Best Buy should space out acquisitions so their available cash is not stretched so thin. It is great that...
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...History Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) began in 1966 by Richard Shultze and the original name of the company was Sound of Music. The companies name was changed to Best Buy in 1983. They had almost $50 billion dollars in revenue during 2013 with 145,000 plus employees and over 1,400 stores across the U.S and internationally (finance.yahoo.com). Their loyalty program is one of the largest in the U.S. which has more members than hotel, airline and other retailer programs and they continue to have the largest share of the electronics and appliances segment. In 2000 Best Buy decided to give Geek Squad a trial run. The Geek Squad gives computer help online, by phone, they are located in many of the stores and even make house calls to make repairs. In 2002 Best Buy merged with Geek Squad. In 2006, they created the largest repair site ever. They called it Geek Squad City and it is located in Louisville (geeksquad.com). The facility is located on nearly four acres and houses the largest concentration of Geek Squad Agents anywhere. Those that are located in this facility would include the technicians that do the repairs on all of the different types of computer equipment people may have. Best Buy is proud of its recycling program because they are the only ones that have actually made a pledge “To recycle one billion pounds of consumer electronics and appliance by the end 2014” (2014 International CES Green Guide). On average the stores can collect a little over 400 pounds...
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...Best Buy is no longer the all-powerful super store that it has been known as the past couple of decades. With today’s rapid increase in e-commerce, it makes it hard for “big-box” stores such as Best Buy to cope with the changing customer preferences. As a result, Best Buy’s 2011 financial performance fell subpar, with a 2.4% revenue decrease, and an overall loss of $1.23 billion. In response to this financial loss, the store is going to close 50 stores and fire 400 corporate staff members (Savitz). This report will provide a detailed internal and external analysis of Best Buy’s operations that have resulted in the company’s current market position. Best Buy’s previous strategy of relying on “big box” stores is being replaced by a new strategy of a higher number of smaller stores. Best Buy plans to open 100 new small stores to replace the 50 big stores that they are closing. Best Buy realized that the big stores were starting to be used for “showrooming”. This allowed consumers to come into the stores and experience the products, only to go online and purchase the product cheaper. In 2011, over 15% of volume sales were taken by internet retailing (Euromonitor). On top of the slipping sales, the expenses of the “big box” stores are not something to be forgotten. Best Buy believes that by 2015 $800 million will be saved by closing the larger stores. Also, the smaller stores will allow for more customer interaction, which Best Buy learned is one of the main reasons the “big box”...
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...Best Buy case study Social CRM connects customers and drives $5M benefit about Best Buy Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services. With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, China, and Mexico, the Best Buy family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than $45 billion in annual revenue and includes brands such as Best Buy; Audiovisions; The Carphone Warehouse; Future Shop; Geek Squad, Jiangsu Five Star; Magnolia Audio Video; Napster; Pacific Sales; The Phone House; and Speakeasy. Approximately 155,000 employees apply their talents to help bring the benefits of these brands to life for customers through retail locations, multiple call centers and websites, inhome solutions, product delivery, and online communities. business challenge How does one of the leading electronics retailers in the world engage its audience, provide support, build advocacy, and provide recommendations across multiple channels, in a scalable and manageable way? technical assistance and then helped resolve their questions or guided them to the answer. In 2008, the team took a big step forward launching the new Best Buy Community, powered by Lithium Technologies. The community offers a place where customers can engage in conversations with Best Buy’s advocates including Blueshirts, Geek Squad Agents, and the community teams, as well as with other customers. Users interact with peers; ask questions, rate answers by giving...
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...Best Buy Co., Inc. Sustainable Customer Centricity Model Case Study Analysis Amber Keita ADMIN404 November 16, 2013 Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Introduction and Company Overview 4 Mandate 4 Core Purpose 4 Vision & Major Goals 5 Core Values & Guiding Principles 5 Stakeholder Analysis 6 External Analysis 7 Opportunities 7 Economies of Scale 7 Complementors 7 Global Expansion 8 Threats 8 The Internet 8 Big Competition 9 Government Regulation 9 Internal Analysis 10 Strengths 10 No Commission Sales 10 Customer Centricity Model 10 Broad Market Coverage 11 Multiple Product Lines 11 Weaknesses 12 High Debt – Low Cash 12 Pricing Pressures 12 Legal Issues 13 Short Product Life Cycles 13 References 14 Exhibits 15 Executive Summary Best Buy Co., Inc. is a leading retailer of consumer electronics in the U.S. and Canada with nearly 4,000 stores worldwide. Among the extensive range of products marketed, are mobile phones, televisions, gaming systems, appliances and computers, along with all of their components and accessories. The company pursues a differentiation strategy based on excellent customer service, no commission, highly informed sales staff, and a plethora of end-to-end services. Best Buy was started in 1966, and has acquired seven companies in the path of its growth, all of which either provide a complementary service and/or additional products for its customers. The external analysis identifies...
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...Best Buy- Circuit City Case-17% 1. Be an informed consumer evaluate where the replacement of highly paid workers with lower paid worker did or did not cause Circuit city to perform so poorly. How confident are you in your evaluation? Why? In evaluating whether or not the replacement of highly paid workers with lower –paid worker at Circuit City caused them to perform poorly I found several factors that lead me to believe this to be true. Circuit City started off being the number one retailer of electronics. It was faced with competition from Best Buy and other large retailers such as Wal-Mart. Circuit City was forced with making changes within the company to keep their position within the market that they didn’t take. In 2003 Circuit city announced the layoff of 3900 workers, following this announcement opening stock price from 2001 to 2003 declined significantly. Also, in 2007 Circuit City fired 3,400 of the highest paid store employees at that same time their customer satisfaction index declined. Circuit City’s compensation strategy was in direct correlation to the business tactic, it rewarded its knowledgeable top performers. Circuit City never considered that by eliminating top earning sales people for less experienced sales people that it would have an indirect effect on the company as a whole. No longer to do they employ skilled and knowledgeable professionals whom customers relied on. Ultimately, managing total compensation strategically means fitting the compensation...
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...Best Buy Case Write-up | | Best Buy Case Write-up | | I. Company Problems Best Buy is experiencing several difficulties that have arisen due to problems within the internal and external environment that Best Buy is operating in. The largest problem, as we see it, is that Best Buy has failed to adapt to the current age of retail. Currently consumers have seem to have a preference to buying electronics online (Amazon), directly from the manufacturer (as in Apples case), or from a more convenient location where other products can be purchased (Walmart). Although Best Buy does have an online store it simply cannot compete with the powerhouse of Amazon. Amazon has a firm grip on online retail that Best Buy is not likely to make a dent in. Best Buy simply cannot undercut Amazon. Aside from not adapting to the current market place, Best Buy has problems elsewhere. Best Buy has made crucial mistakes in its overseas ventures that have turned some of their international stores into business disasters. In order to compete in an international market Best Buy needs to do better research regarding the demands of consumers in EACH international market they enter to avoid more embarrassing situations such as what happened in Turkey and China. II. General Environment Threats/ Opportunities Some opportunities in the general environment that Best Buy has is the opportunity to successfully integrate into the Asian and European markets...
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...ROWE Program at Best Buy Craig Doss John Mitchell Leadership and Organizational Behavior BUS-520 8/30/2011 Abstract Previous to the implementation of the Results-Only Work Environment or ROWE for short. Best Buy had a really high turnover rate. Jennifer Janssen works in the finance department at Best Buy. She was often called to put out fires at her job that may have required her to stay late at the risk of not being able to pick up her children. She was definitely a team player and wanted to do what she could to help the company which employ’s her. However, her demanding schedule was causing havoc or her other tasks outside of work. For people like Jennifer, Best Buy created a program where you take the time you need, come in when you want. Leave or take off if needed as long as the job was done. And while there was some hesitation and apprhension when this program was first implemented. With time people have come to value this new system and retention has improved among employees. When anyone mentions where to purchase the newest electronics, most people first thought is Best Buy. It has become a consumer favorite. Over the years, Best buy has become a household name. Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. The Best Buy family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than 45 billion in annul revenue and that...
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...Running Head: Apple Case Study Case Study: Apple Davenport University July 5, 2011 Overview When looking for great employees Apple strays away from the norm. Instead of looking for great salespeople who have a great track record of using sophisticated technology Apple has decided to do it differently. They look for people who love their product and enjoy using it. Apple is looking for people who, “isolate true enthusiasm and believe in the Apple products” (Jason Colquitt, 2011). Black cards are the new invention at this company. Apple has a new strategy to have their people hand out black cards t employees at other organizations. These cards have the apple emblem and have something written on each side. On the front of the card it has a compliment and tells them they should talk to Apple. On the back side it says how they have good customer service ideals and how if they are unhappy with their job they should contact Apple. Apple has also come out with a “store within a store” idea. They have set up shop inside Best Buy and have consultants to go to the stores and train employees about their brands and all others. Now, is their new black card strategy ethical or unethical? Should Apple offer a different training method for its employees recruited through their new black card strategy? Is there a difference in an employee’s motivation at Best Buy selling a Mac than an employee at Apple selling a Mac? Black Card: Ethical or Unethical When it comes to certain...
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...Ghoreishi Best Buy: Strategic Audit June 8, 2015 Current Performance: Best Buy’s historical advantage has always been pricing. However, now that other specialty electronics retailers have dropped out of the market with the fall of Tweeter and Circuit City, Best Buy now must compete with discount retailers such as Kmart, Wal-Mart, Target, Sam’s Club, Costco, as well as online retailers like Amazon. Consumers no longer have to go to Best Buy to purchase DVDs because buyers can get them through dozens of online sellers or stream them online via NetFlix or Amazon. You can buy a Blu-ray player or camera at a discount online. Televisions and appliances are the two products Best Buy sells that many people are less likely to purchase online because of their size and prohibitive shipping costs. If Best Buy wants to continue to be the number one seller of electronics and electronics related accessories such as games, DVD's, and electronic wiring, Best Buy needs to focus on shoring up television and appliance dominance to ensure sufficient foot traffic. Best Buy must also address the phenomenon of 'show rooming', which is the practice of shopping for merchandise in a brick-and-mortar store and later buying online at lower prices. In the past, Best Buy has provided only one week training sessions for new hires. However, as a first step to prevent show rooming, Best Buy will provide...
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...ADMIN 404 STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Assignment one Best Buy Co. Inc : Sustainable Customer Centricity Model? Executive Summary Best Buy is a multinational retailer of consumer electronics. It operates as a retail store and online operations under several brand names in multiple countries, USA, Canada, Mexico, China and Europe. In Canada it operates under Future shop and Best buy names, offering in five revenue categories: Consumer electronics, Computing and Mobile phones, Entertainment, Services and other. Best buy’s mission is to become the leading multi-channel retailer by serving their customers and making a meaningful difference in their lives. Introduction and company overview Incorporated in Minnesota USA in 1966 as Sound of Music, Inc., Best Buy today is a multi-national, multi-channel retailer of technology products, including tablets, computers, televisions, mobile phones, large and small appliances, digital imaging and related accessories. It employs approximately 140,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees worldwide, it offers to its employees company-paid, full benefits that vary from location to location. Best buy’s success relies on the design and execution of appropriate business strategies. Best buy’s current strategy includes transformational change to many areas of business including online and in-store customer experience, employee-engagement, partnership with vendors and cost control, these strategies were adopted since 2012 as a result...
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...Is Best Buy the Best? Is Best Buy the Best? Best Buy is one of the leading retailers in electronics and electronic services. With the growing popularity of online shopping, some retail stores are experiencing less physical business and more e-commerce. Best Buy has adapted to this trend and is still able to maintain many stores throughout the nation. The company simultaneously provides an easily navigated website to reach all of its client preferences. To maintain a structure as this, a company must have superior management and functionality. There are four basic fundamentals that encompass the management of a successful business such as Best Buy. The traditional functions are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. These functions are affected by several external and internal factors such as globalization, technology, innovation, diversity, and ethics. Five Common Factors In 2010, Best Buy separated itself as a company into three divisions; the Americas, Asia and Europe. Each division was created with an executive vice-president running each area who would report to the Chief Executive Officer (Ernst & Young Global Limited). When the company planned this out, it created a self-paced region instead of the entire company proceeding as a whole. In other words, Asia can progress at a different pace then the Americas in all aspects. This plan enabled all regions and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to use their brains and ideas from clients to develop more efficient...
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