...THEORY IN PRACTICE FINAL: PETCO Animal Supplies By: Angela Tiersma Bus 444 Professor Meilich INTRODUCTION For my Theory-in-Practice Assignment I have chosen the publicly held company PETCO Animal Supplies, Inc. (NASDAQ: PETC). I picked PETCO for several reasons: I worked there in high school and loved it; it is based in San Diego; and it is the number two in its industry. PETCO Company Information PETCO is one of the nation’s top pet superstores with 600 locations in 43 states and Washington D.C. PETCO provides pet-lovers with small pets, supplies and services. The small pets that PETCO sells include fish, reptiles, small animals and birds. They do not sell dogs and cats due to over-population; however they do sponsor pet adoptions and can refer customers to variety of breeders. Even though they do not sell dogs and cats they still offer a variety of products and services that fulfill the needs of these types of animals. PETCO sells a variety of different products amounting to more than 10,000. These products include a variety of foods, toys, medicine, shelter and many other items that pet need on a daily basis. PETCO also provides a plethora of different services including grooming, obedience classes and veterinary clinics. PETCO went public in February of 2002, and is the second largest pet supply specialty store in the United States. PETsMART is the number one in the industry and other competitors include Kroger...
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...There are so many myths currently regarding weight loss , and they are very common because of the fact that the incidences of obesity and being overweight are high (64 in the Australian Male and 47 in the Australian Female Population (Better Health Channel , 2007 . People are also getting an idea of how obesity could increase the risk of developing cardiac disease and diabetes mellitus (Better Health Channel 2007 . However , the chances of myths and misconceptions developing are also high in the population because of the fact that many people indulge in unhealthy practices to overcome weight loss Many people feel that eating a diet containing food rich in carbohydrates such as potatoes , rice and pastas , would result in gaining body weight . However , it is important to remember that the body basically derives energy from carbohydrates and eliminating this from the diet may not be preferable . It is important to reduce the fat content in diet , by ensuring moderate consumption of carbohydrates Potatoes and other carbohydrates should not be fried and consumed in the diet (Better Health Channel , 2007 Many people feel that eating combination of foods would such as carbohydrates along with proteins would cause several problems during the process of digestion , resulting in putting on weight . However , this is not true , as every natural food is a combination of different food classes . It is frequently seen that certain nutrients in the diet may aid in the digestion of another...
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...Petco: Social Responsibility Founded in 1965 by Walter Evans, Petco began as a mail-order veterinary supply company under the name United Pharmacal Co (UPCO). It now boasts over 950 stores nationwide. What are Petco’s socially responsible activities? Are they consistence with the products they sell, and are they genuine? On the company’s website, you can find links to vaccination clinics, training, puppy play days, product demos with free samples, grooming services, and a New Companion Care Pack that gives new pet owners up to $650 in coupons for pet supplies. They also offer pet adoptions through Petfinder, Adoptapet, and company adoption events. As one of the nation’s largest pet supply specialty retailers, these activities are definitely consistent with the company’s products. Further research, however, causes me to question the motives behind Petco’s socially responsible actions and activities. Do they really care about people’s pets? Is it just damage control? Finding supporting information related to the company’s socially responsible activities on the website is not as easy as I feel it should be. It took me at least ten minutes to find where to look for in store adoption events only to be directed back to the store locator page. In fact, the main part of the web page is all about sales and promotions, while the links to their socially responsible activities are located at the bottom of the page. While there are plenty of socially responsible activities available, they...
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...http://danielsethics.mgt.unm.edu Petco Develops Successful Stakeholder Relationships BACKGROUND AND HISTORY Petco Animal Supplies Inc., one of the nation’s largest pet supply specialty retailers, boasts over 950 stores nationwide. Its pet-related products include food, supplies, grooming supplies, toys, novelty items, vitamins, small pets (excluding cats and dogs), and veterinary supplies. Petco aims to offer its customers a complete assortment of pet-related products and services at competitive prices along with superior customer service on location and through its company website. While Petco is one of the largest pet stores in the country today, it began as a much more specialized business. Walter Evan founded the company in 1965 under the name United Pharmacal Co (UPCO) as a mail-order veterinary-supply store. In 1976 UPCO opened its first bricks and mortar retail store in La Mesa, CA—selling quality pet and veterinary supplies at discounted prices directly to animal professionals and the public. In 1979 UPCO became Petco. Today, the company’s vision is to promote the well-being of companion animals and to support the human–animal bond. Today the company aims is to provide a broad array of premium products, companion animals, and services along with a fun and exciting shopping experience with the help of its 22,000 employees. Petco stores offer a broad merchandise selection, convenient locations, and knowledgeable customer service. Petco believes this combination makes its...
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...Running head: PETCO DEVELOPS PETCO Develops Successful Stakeholder Relationships Ethics and Advocacy for HR Professionals Professor Brown November 8, 2011 About PETCO PETCO is one of the largest pet supply specialty retailers nationwide. They are known for offering a wide array of pet supplies and services including food, grooming products, toys and grooming. PETCO strives to provide these products and services at a competitive price while offering high quality customer service both on location and on the website. They believe that the business should operate on the ideal that pets come first and they strive to promote the well being of companion animals and foster the bond between humans and their pets (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2011). This mission is the main focus of the nearly 22,000 people who work for PETCO in their 950 nationwide locations. Although PETCO is one of the largest pet supply operations they still have serious competition. There are many retailers who offer pet supplies at a lower cost to the customer and this is a real risk to the operation of PETCO. They are in direct competition with Petsmart, Walmart, Target, and even local grocery stores for consumer business. For that reason PETCO finds it extremely important to focus on their mission and strives to stand out in the crowd. In a steadily growing market segment where people generally spend 41.5 billion dollars each year, PETCO must stay ahead of the competition or they are bound to fail...
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...Commercials are a way for companies to drive their message to a wide variety of customers. Everybody knows that people today treat their pets like family, and what better way to advertise to a specific market than that of a Petco commercial. Of course, pet parents are the main target market for Petco brand products, but according to InfoScout.co (2017) “Petco shoppers are generally very high income, Caucasian, and older age. Petco shoppers tend to make smaller grocery trip”. The target market is very limited when it comes to their products and Petco chooses a concentration approach to their marketing strategy. Petco uses “one marketing strategy for a single market segment” (Ferrell, O., Hirt, G., & Ferrell, L., 2009) by using demographics such...
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...vision, mission, and values guide strategic direction by creating a new business sector for Petco. Company Background Petco was founded by Walter Evans in 1965 as a mail-order veterinary supply business, with a mission to offer to the public quality pet and veterinary supplies at discounted prices (“About Petco”, n.d.). From their humble beginnings in 1965, they have grown into the second-largest pet supply specialty retailer in the United States offering over 10,000 pet-related products and a wide pet service line (“Major Companies”, 2014). According to “Major Companies” (2014), as the company is private, no official financial information is publicly available, however IBISWorld estimates revenue for 2014 to be around $3.3 billion with $261.3 million from their pet services lines (Petco Animal Supplies Inc.). Mission and Vision Statements Mission and vision statements are powerful motivators that explain an organization’s purpose and direction, with an inspiring vision of the future (Manktelow, 2014). While both are equally important, mission and vision statements are not the same. Mission statements according to Manktelow (2014), “mission statements define purpose and primary objective, while vision statements in addition to defining purpose, focuses on the organization’s goals and aspirations (Mission and Vision Statements Explained). Petco Mission and Vision Statement Petco demonstrates their purpose and primary objective through their published mission statement...
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...four factors on the left of the ethical decision making framework in Figure 5.1 on p. 128 of the text. The model of the ethical decision making process in business includes ethical issue intensity, individual factors, organization factors and opportunity. All of these factors influence the evaluations and intentions behind the decisions perform as ethical or unethical behaviour. Ethical issue intensity can be defined as perceive relevance or importance of an ethical issue of individual, group, and organization. It reflects the ethical sensitivity faces the ethical decision-making process. John Case 2: Read ‘PETCO develops successful stakeholder relationships’ on pp. 458-465 of the Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell (2011) text and answer the following questions. a) PETA questioned a number of practices at PETCO. Is PETA a primary or secondary stakeholder of PETCO? Justify your answer. A primary stakeholder is one whose financial or personal situation...
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...should not be confused with the value of customers to businesses” (Wise Geek). A product or service can provide value in many ways as long as it refers only to the value that the customers receive, not to how valuable customers are. Not only does using value let the customer save money customer it can also save the consumer time by providing a benefit that may not been obtained without the product or increase the value of something the customer already owns. “Businesses of all sizes use customer value as part of a greater analysis to determine how well they are serving their customer base” (Wise Geek).There are several organizations that have taken on the concept of making their companies focus on “customer value” first such as Cheers Auto, PetCo, Enviro-log. When David and Randall founded Cheers Auto, they had the idea that they wanted a business with a “neighborhood auto repair facility that you, the customer, would feel...
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...I honestly never really knew that I was doing things that were called "community service," all I knew was that I was helping others or helping the land. I have never seen participation in my community as a burden because it would always benefit my character. Through Surfing the Nations and the Petco adoptions, I was able to receive smiles and thank you I never expected. Always after finishing a land clean up, there was a physical difference, even if you only did a little. I have learned that community service is never for me, but in the end I do get something out of it. I improve my character and receive happiness knowing that others are...
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...Running head: E-Business (QRT2) Task 1 1 E-Business (QRT2) Task 1 Proposal for Online Business Expansion E-BUSINESS (QRT2) TASK 1 2 E-Business (QRT2) Task 1 Proposal for Online Business Expansion A1. Viability of Product Gaia’s Organic Dog Treats is a small but rapidly growing business located in Atlanta, Georgia, which derives the majority of its income from the production and direct-to-consumer sale of organic, grain-free, gluten-free dog treats. Its two best-selling products are 100% organic meat jerky (no additives or other ingredients besides meat) and organic dog biscuits made of unique, non-grain ingredients and offered in distinctive shapes such as miniature cupcakes, pizzas, etc. The company is also developing ancillary products such as dog shampoo that leverage the brand and increase sales to its existing customer base. At present the company does not have an online strategy; it has only a single extremely basic web page referring customers to an email address. All sales are local and distribution is through breeder’s clubs, dog shows, farmer’s markets, and two small boutique-style retail stores catering to very high-wealth individuals. Although growth in the local market remains strong, the company is aware of the potential for eventual saturation. More importantly, it is clear based on the success of their existing product line that there is a tremendous opportunity to grow their sales by expanding beyond the Atlanta metropolitan region. As the owner of a premium...
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...Chenchen He Marketing 600 Oct 27th, 2015 PETCO CASE STUDY 1. What are the ethical risks associated with selling pets and pet products in a retail environment? Firms of pet industry have to make plans in place to respond rapidly when accusations which would threaten their images; Also selling animals has inherent ethical risks, animal protection organizations such as PETA and NAPD, often blame firms sell or use animals for commercial purpose or mistreatment, or need to halted its business with them. Thirdly, SEC will also put an ethical risk into it because the owner of the pets may be treated cruelly, less exercise and may infected with disease with less care; The animal would outlive their owners or changed owners over their life. Other ethical risks sometimes plagued PETCO for unreasonable protection of consumer information. 2. How has PETCO managed the various ethical concerns that have been expressed by its stakeholders? How do you evaluate the company’s response to PETA? Yes. PETCO tried to limit its risk by selling only a few types of animals and avoiding the sale of dogs and cats. Also it implemented a comprehensive information security program for its website. It agreed to end the sale of large birds in its stores upon completion of the sale of the limited number of birds they had in stock. The company also launched an ETHICAL PROGRAM with a “Code of Ethics” with Customer Privacy, selling practices, advertising practices and so forth. And associates were...
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...E- Business QRT Task 1 Craig Foreman April 18, 2014 Western Governors University A1. Viability of Product or Service A local business named K9 College is well known in the community for providing expert dog training. Customers can choose to participate in training that ranges from basic obedience to complicated areas such as training assistance animals for the handicapped. The most popular training option available to customers is agility training, a sport in which dogs are trained to compete on an obstacle course and points are awarded for time and accuracy. K9 College has always provided a limited product line. Dog toys, leashes, and grooming supplies are available for purchase in the training facility, but with the increasing popularity of agility training dog owners are asking to purchase the obstacles for practice at home in preparation for agility events. K9 College has started to stock a small inventory of obstacles that can be purchased at the training facility. Dog agility events are increasing in popularity nationwide and K9 College participates in events held in many different venues across the country. Because of their training background, K9 College is invited to present workshops during events to help beginners learn the basics of the sport and give experienced participants an opportunity to hone their skills. With this increasing exposure, K9 College is seeing a steady increase in the amount of traffic visiting their website and Facebook...
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...BAN OF CHINA MADE PET TREATS SUPPLY INTRODUCTION As raising fears of pet’s health issue, pet specialty retailer (PETCO) in the United States banned cat and dog food supply from china. As per investigations it was known that more than 4,800 complaints reported of pet illnesses and more than 1,000 reported of dog deaths after pets ate Chinese-made chicken, duck or sweet potato jerky treats. The main concern was about a food safety issue of pets, where the shoppers want to get rid of the harmful pet food and retailer stores does not want to sell china food any more. The market supply in United States dramatically goes down due to lack of buyers by the end of the year. ECONOMIC ANALYSIS The focus of our economic analysis is the market for pet food from china. Since the quality was not good the supply of about 50% of China Jerky treats sold by PETCO has been banned. Based on quality, the quantity of supply has decreased which shifts the supply curve from right to left and the price of an input also goes down finally. P S2 S1 P1 P2 ...
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...Running head: E-Business (QRT2) Task 1 1 E-Business (QRT2) Task 1 Proposal for Online Business Expansion E-BUSINESS (QRT2) TASK 1 E-Business (QRT2) Task 1 Proposal for Online Business Expansion A1. Viability of Product Gaia’s Organic Dog Treats is a small but rapidly growing business located in Atlanta, Georgia, which derives the majority of its income from the production and direct-to-consumer sale of organic, grain-free, gluten-free dog treats. Its two best-selling products are 100% organic meat jerky (no additives or other ingredients besides meat) and organic dog biscuits made of unique, non-grain ingredients and offered in distinctive shapes such as miniature cupcakes, pizzas, etc. The company is also developing ancillary products such as dog shampoo that leverage the brand and increase sales to its existing customer base. At present the company does not have an online strategy; it has only a single extremely basic web page referring customers to an email address. All sales are local and distribution is through breeder’s clubs, dog shows, farmer’s markets, and two small boutique-style retail stores catering to very high-wealth individuals. Although growth in the local market remains strong, the company is aware of the potential for eventual saturation. More importantly, it is clear based on the success of their existing product line that there is a tremendous opportunity to grow their sales by expanding beyond the Atlanta metropolitan region. As the owner of a premium...
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