...Amazon.com Case Analysis Consumer Behavior Overview Amazon.com is a Fortune 500 company based on the internet as the Earth’s biggest bookstore in July 1995 and today is biggest everything store. Amazon has become the Earth’s most customer-centric company, where consumers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online and endeavors to offers its customers the lowest possible prices and the best customer service. Amazon.com offers millions of new, refurbished and used items in categories such as health and personal care, jewelry and watches, gourmet food, sports and outdoor equipment and apparel, books, music, DVDs, electronics, office equipment, toys and baby supplies, home and garden and on demand video. Amazon has also established separate websites in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and China. They provide international shipping to certain countries for some of its products. Amazon.com Case Analysis In 1994, Jeff Bezos left his job as senior vice-president of an investment firm, moved to Seattle, and began to work out a business plan for what would become Amazon.com. After his evaluation of report that projected annual Web growth at 2,300 percent, Bezos drew up a list of 20 products that could be sold on the Internet. The list was narrowed down to what he felt were the five most favorable: compact discs, computer hardware, computer software, videos, and books. Bezos eventually decided that his venture would sell books over the...
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...THE KROGER COMPANY Company Analysis BY Wayne Hurt 6/27/12 Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to run a complete company analysis. This includes the company background, the industry structure including practices of economic theory to create value, ethical issues, regulatory agencies, the macroeconomic and microeconomic environment of corporate operations, and a conclusion. Table of Contents The Kroger Company’s (KR) Background…………………………………….3 KR’s Structure………………………………………………………….............4 Ethical Issues…………………………………………………...........................9 Regulatory Agencies………………………………………………………….10 Environmental Issues………………………………………………………....12 Macroeconomic and Microeconomic Environment………………………….14 Conclusion.........................................................................................................17 Appendix 1 Table 1…………………………………………………………..21 Appendix 2 Chart 1…………………………………………………………..21 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………22 Background of The Kroger Company (KR) The Kroger Company (KR) is one of the leading companies in the grocery sector of the nation. It is the nation’s leading pure grocery chain. As of now, it operates about 3620 stores, which includes 2435 supermarkets and multidepartment stores, under two dozen banners, in almost 30 states. It also runs 775 convenience stores under the brand names such as Quik Stop and Kwik Shop. Its subsidiary Fred Meyer Stores operates about 125 supercenters which offer wide range of products...
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... John Wiley & Sons, Inc. To Frederic C. Hamilton and John H. Muller, Jr., pioneers, entrepreneurs, and benefactors of Babson College. VICE PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER EDITOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT MARKETING MANAGER PHOTO EDITOR DESIGNER PRODUCTION MANAGER SENIOR PRODUCTION EDITOR GEORGE HOFFMAN LISE JOHNSON SARAH VERNON KAROLINA ZARYCHTA HILARY NEWMAN RDC PUBLISHING GROUP SDN BHD JANIS SOO JOYCE POH Cover image © panorios/iStockphoto This book was set in 10.5/12pt Adobe Garamond by Laserwords Private Limited and printed and bound by RR Donnelley. The cover was printed by RR Donnelley. This book is printed on acid free paper. Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of knowledge and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Our company is built on a foundation of principles that include responsibility to the communities we serve and where we live and work. In 2008, we launched a Corporate Citizenship Initiative, a global effort to address the environmental, social, economic, and ethical challenges we face in our business. Among the issues we are addressing are carbon impact, paper specifications and procurement, ethical conduct within our business and among our vendors, and community and charitable support. For more information, please visit our website: www.wiley.com/go/citizenship. Copyright © 2011, 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved...
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...Contents Product Statement 4 Analysis of the External Environment 5 Industry Trends 5 Competitive Trends 7 Brand Competitors 7 Product Competitors 7 Generic Competitors 10 Total Budget Competitors 10 Political Trends, Legal Trends and Regulatory Trends 11 Franchising 11 Food and Drug Administration 11 Technological Trends 13 Economic Trends 14 Cultural Trends 17 Analysis of the Customer Environment 19 Who 19 How many 20 What 21 Why and How 23 When 24 Why Non Customers 25 Where 26 Analysis of the Internal Environment 27 Marketing strategies 27 Target Market 27 Image 27 Marketing Programs 28 Advertising 28 Product and Service Offering 29 Distribution and Channel Programs 30 Pricing 30 Sales strategy and Sales force effectiveness 30 Marketing research /intelligence gathering efforts 30 Public relations/publicity 31 Financial Performance 32 Additional Company Characteristics 33 Technical Capabilities 33 Available Resources 33 Production Capacity 33 Career Opportunities 34 SWOT Analysis 35 Strengths 35 Weaknesses 37 Opportunities 38 Threats 39 Marketing Goals and Objectives 40 Goals 40 Objectives 40 Marketing Strategies 41 Target market 41 Value Proposition 42 Positioning Statement 42 Issues Analysis 43 Action Plans 45 Valpak Savings Coupons 45 Free Smoothie Sample at Gasparilla Distance Classic Race Expo 46 Customer Loyalty Card 47 University of South Florida Freshman...
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...Contents Product Statement 4 Analysis of the External Environment 5 Industry Trends 5 Competitive Trends 7 Brand Competitors 7 Product Competitors 7 Generic Competitors 10 Total Budget Competitors 10 Political Trends, Legal Trends and Regulatory Trends 11 Franchising 11 Food and Drug Administration 11 Technological Trends 13 Economic Trends 14 Cultural Trends 17 Analysis of the Customer Environment 19 Who 19 How many 20 What 21 Why and How 23 When 24 Why Non Customers 25 Where 26 Analysis of the Internal Environment 27 Marketing strategies 27 Target Market 27 Image 27 Marketing Programs 28 Advertising 28 Product and Service Offering 29 Distribution and Channel Programs 30 Pricing 30 Sales strategy and Sales force effectiveness 30 Marketing research /intelligence gathering efforts 30 Public relations/publicity 31 Financial Performance 32 Additional Company Characteristics 33 Technical Capabilities 33 Available Resources 33 Production Capacity 33 Career Opportunities 34 SWOT Analysis 35 Strengths 35 Weaknesses 37 Opportunities 38 Threats 39 Marketing Goals and Objectives 40 Goals 40 Objectives 40 Marketing Strategies 41 Target market 41 Value Proposition 42 Positioning Statement 42 Issues Analysis 43 Action Plans 45 Valpak Savings Coupons 45 Free Smoothie Sample at Gasparilla Distance Classic Race Expo 46 Customer Loyalty Card 47 University of South Florida Freshman...
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...Chapter 1 Case Study: Harmonix Embrace Your Inner Rock Star Little more than three years ago, you had probably never heard of Harmonix. In 2005, the video game design studio released Guitar Hero, which subsequently became the fastest video game in history to top $1 billion in North American sales. The game concept focuses around a plastic guitar-shaped controller. Players press colored buttons along the guitar neck to match a series of dots that scroll down the TV in time with music from a famous rock tune, such as the Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated” and Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water.” Players score points based on their accuracy. In November 2007, Harmonix released Rock Band, adding drums, vocals, and bass guitar options to the game. Rock Band has sold over 3.5 million units with a $169 price tag (most video games retail at $50 to $60). In 2006, Harmonix’s founders sold the company to Viacom for $175 million, maintaining their operational autonomy while providing them greater budgets for product development and licensing music for their games. Harmonix’s success, however, did not come overnight. The company was originally founded by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy in 1995, focused around some demo software they had created in grad school and a company vision of providing a way for people without much musical training or talent to experience the joy of playing and creating music. The founders believed that if people had the opportunity to create their own music, they would jump...
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...Chapter 1 Case Study: Harmonix Embrace Your Inner Rock Star Little more than three years ago, you had probably never heard of Harmonix. In 2005, the video game design studio released Guitar Hero, which subsequently became the fastest video game in history to top $1 billion in North American sales. The game concept focuses around a plastic guitar-shaped controller. Players press colored buttons along the guitar neck to match a series of dots that scroll down the TV in time with music from a famous rock tune, such as the Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated” and Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water.” Players score points based on their accuracy. In November 2007, Harmonix released Rock Band, adding drums, vocals, and bass guitar options to the game. Rock Band has sold over 3.5 million units with a $169 price tag (most video games retail at $50 to $60). In 2006, Harmonix’s founders sold the company to Viacom for $175 million, maintaining their operational autonomy while providing them greater budgets for product development and licensing music for their games. Harmonix’s success, however, did not come overnight. The company was originally founded by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy in 1995, focused around some demo software they had created in grad school and a company vision of providing a way for people without much musical training or talent to experience the joy of playing and creating music. The founders believed that if people had the opportunity to create their own music, they would jump...
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...Contents IntroductionDay 1MarketingDay 2Ethics Day 3AccountingDay 4Organizational BehaviorDay 5Quantitative AnalysisDay 6 FinanceDay 7OperationsDay 8Economics Day 9StrategyDay 10MBA Mini-Courses ResearchPublic SpeakingNegotiating International BusinessBusiness LawTenDay MBA DiplomaAppendix: Quantitative Analysis TablesBibliographyMBA Abbreviation LexiconIndex AcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorPraise for the Ten-Day MBACopyrightAbout the Publisher Introduction After I earned my MBA, I had a chance to reflect on the two most exhausting and fulfilling years of my life. As I reviewed my course notes, I realized that the basics of an MBA education were quite simple and could easily be understood by a wider audience. Thousands of Ten-Day MBA readers have proven it! Readers are applying their MBA knowledge every day to their own business situations. Not only useful in the United States, The Ten-Day MBA has been translated into many languages around the world. So many people are curious about business education, including doctors, lawyers, businesspeople, and aspiring MBAs. This book answers their questions. The Ten-Day MBA really delivers useful information quickly and easily. Current MBA students have written me that they even use the book to review for exams. Ten-Day MBAs are “walking the walk and talking the talk” of MBAs every business day. It’s proven that this book can work for you. Written for the impatient student, The Ten-Day MBA allows readers to really grasp the fundamentals...
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...Contents IntroductionDay 1MarketingDay 2Ethics Day 3AccountingDay 4Organizational BehaviorDay 5Quantitative AnalysisDay 6 FinanceDay 7OperationsDay 8Economics Day 9StrategyDay 10MBA Mini-Courses ResearchPublic SpeakingNegotiating International BusinessBusiness LawTenDay MBA DiplomaAppendix: Quantitative Analysis TablesBibliographyMBA Abbreviation LexiconIndex AcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorPraise for the Ten-Day MBACopyrightAbout the Publisher Introduction After I earned my MBA, I had a chance to reflect on the two most exhausting and fulfilling years of my life. As I reviewed my course notes, I realized that the basics of an MBA education were quite simple and could easily be understood by a wider audience. Thousands of Ten-Day MBA readers have proven it! Readers are applying their MBA knowledge every day to their own business situations. Not only useful in the United States, The Ten-Day MBA has been translated into many languages around the world. So many people are curious about business education, including doctors, lawyers, businesspeople, and aspiring MBAs. This book answers their questions. The Ten-Day MBA really delivers useful information quickly and easily. Current MBA students have written me that they even use the book to review for exams. Ten-Day MBAs are “walking the walk and talking the talk” of MBAs every business day. It’s proven that this book can work for you. Written for the impatient student, The Ten-Day MBA allows readers to really grasp the fundamentals...
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...conc About Pfeiffer Pfeiffer serves the professional development and hands-on resource needs of training and human resource practitioners and gives them products to do their jobs better. We deliver proven ideas and solutions from experts in HR development and HR management, and we offer effective and customizable tools to improve workplace performance. From novice to seasoned professional, Pfeiffer is the source you can trust to make yourself and your organization more successful. Essential Knowledge Pfeiffer produces insightful, practical, and comprehensive materials on topics that matter the most to training and HR professionals. Our Essential Knowledge resources translate the expertise of seasoned professionals into practical, how-to guidance on critical workplace issues and problems. These resources are supported by case studies, worksheets, and job aids and are frequently supplemented with CD-ROMs, websites, and other means of making the content easier to read, understand, and use. Essential Tools Pfeiffer’s Essential Tools resources save time and expense by offering proven, ready-to-use materials—including exercises, activities, games, instruments, and assessments—for use during a training or team-learning event. These resources are frequently offered in loose-leaf or CD-ROM format to facilitate copying and customization of the material. Pfeiffer also recognizes the remarkable power of new technologies in expanding the reach and effectiveness of training...
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...of Business and Economics California State University, Fullerton Australia • Brazil • Japan • Korea • Mexico • Singapore • Spain • United Kingdom • United States Transactions and Strategies: Economics for Management Robert J. Michaels Vice President of Editorial, Business: Jack W. Calhoun Publisher: Joe Sabatino Sr. Acquisitions Editor: Steve Scoble Supervising Developmental Editor: Jennifer Thomas Editorial Assistant: Lena Mortis Sr. Marketing Manager: John Carey Marketing Coordinator: Suellen Ruttkay Marketing Specialist: Betty Jung Content Project Manager: Cliff Kallemeyn Media Editor: Deepak Kumar Sr. Art Director: Michelle Kunkler Frontlist Buyer, Manufacturing: Sandee Milewski Internal Designer: Juli Cook/ Plan-It-Publishing, Inc. Cover Designer: Rose Alcorn Cover Image: © Justin Guariglia/Corbis © 2011 South-Western, Cengage Learning ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means— graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution, information storage and retrieval systems, or in any other manner—except as may be permitted by the license terms herein. For product information and technology assistance, contact us at Cengage Learning Customer & Sales Support, 1-800-354-9706 For permission to use material from this text or product, submit all requests online at www.cengage.com/permissions Further permissions questions can be emailed to permissionrequest@cengage...
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...MANAGEMENT Leading & Collaborating in a Competitive World Foundations of Management • Managing • The External Environment and Organizational Culture • Managerial Decision Making Planning: Delivering Strategic Value • Planning and Strategic Management • Ethics and Corporate Responsibility • International Management • Entrepreneurship Strategy Implementation Organizing: Building a Dynamic Organization • Organization Structure • Organizational Agility • Human Resources Management • Managing the Diverse Workforce Leading: Mobilizing People • • • • Leadership Motivating for Performance Teamwork Communicating Controlling: Learning and Changing • Managerial Control • Managing Technology and Innovation • Creating and Managing Change PART ONE Foundations of Management The three chapters in Part One describe the foundations of management. Chapter 1 discusses the imperatives of managing in today’s business landscape and introduces the key functions, skills, and competitive goals of effective managers. In other words, it discusses what you need to do and accomplish to become a high-performing manager. Chapter 2 describes the external environment in which managers and their organizations operate— the context that both constrains and provides opportunities for managers. It also discusses what can be described as the organization’s internal environment: its culture. Chapter 3 discusses the most fundamental managerial activity: decision making. Because managers make...
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...Part 1: Defining Marketing and the Marketing Process (Chapters 1–2) Part 2: Understanding the Marketplace and Consumers (Chapters 3–6) Part 3: Designing a Customer-Driven Strategy and Mix (Chapters 7–17) Part 4: Extending Marketing (Chapters 18–20) After examining customerdriven marketing strategy, we now take a deeper look at the marketing mix: the tactical tools that marketers use to implement their strategies and deliver superior customer value. In this and the next chapter, we’ll study how companies develop and manage products and brands. Then, in the chapters that follow, we’ll look at pricing, distribution, and marketing communication tools. The product is usually the first and most basic marketing consideration. We start with a seemingly simple question: What is a product? As it turns out, the answer is not so simple. Chapter Preview 8 Products, Services, Building and Brands Customer Value Before starting into the chapter, let’s look at an interesting brand story. Marketing is all about building brands that connect deeply with customers. So, when you think about top brands, which ones pop up first? Perhaps traditional megabrands such as Coca-Cola, Nike, or McDonald’s come to mind. Or maybe a trendy tech brand such as Google or Facebook. But if we asked you to focus on sports entertainment, you’d probably name ESPN. When it comes to your life and sports, ESPN probably has it covered. W The ESPN Brand: Every Sport Possible—Now Television: From its original...
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...Bateman−Snell: Management: Leading and Collaborating in a Competitive World, Eighth Edition I. Foundations of Management Introduction © The McGraw−Hill Companies, 2009 Foundations of Management • Managing • The External Environment and Organizational Culture • Managerial Decision Making Planning: Delivering Strategic Value • Planning and Strategic Management • Ethics and Corporate Responsibility • International Management • Entrepreneurship Strategy Implementation Organizing: Building a Dynamic Organization • Organization Structure • Organizational Agility • Human Resources Management • Managing the Diverse Workforce Leading: Mobilizing People • • • • Leadership Motivating for Performance Teamwork Communicating Controlling: Learning and Changing • Managerial Control • Managing Technology and Innovation • Creating and Managing Change Bateman−Snell: Management: Leading and Collaborating in a Competitive World, Eighth Edition I. Foundations of Management Introduction © The McGraw−Hill Companies, 2009 PART ONE Foundations of Management The three chapters in Part One describe the foundations of management. Chapter 1 discusses the imperatives of managing in today’s business landscape and introduces the key functions, skills, and competitive goals of effective managers. In other words, it discusses what you need to do and accomplish to become a high-performing manager. Chapter 2 describes the external environment in which managers and their...
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...Economist readings 1. It pays to give Allowing consumers to set their own prices can be good for business; even better if the firms give some of it to charity http://www.economist.com/whichmba/it-pays-to-give?fsrc=nlw|mgt|01-12-2011|management_thinking [pic]IN OCTOBER 2007 Radiohead, a British rock group, released its first album in four years, “In Rainbows”, as a direct digital download. The move drew a fair bit of attention (including from this newspaper) not only because it represented a technological thumb in the eye to the traditional music industry, but also because the band allowed listeners to pay whatever they wished for it. Some 60% of those who seized the opportunity paid nothing at all, but the band seemed pleased with the result; one estimate had it earning nearly $3m from the experiment. One group outside the music industry taking an interest was a trio of professors then at the Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego: Ayelet Gneezy, Uri Gneezy and Leif Nelson (who is now at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley). Inspired, they designed a series of experiments to gauge whether pay-what-you-want pricing would work for other businesses. Their most recent experiment, co-authored with Amber Brown of Disney Research and published in Science, also stirred in a new element: would it make any difference if firms donated some of the pay-what-you-want fee to charity? The authors set up their pricing experiment...
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