Amazon Analysis Essay Example for Free

Amazon Analysis Essay Key drivers of change Technological most important aspect of Amazon’s Pestle factors: Key drivers for change: * /Internet penetration rates * Web development e-commerce * Protecting their patented software and not being imitated easily by competitors. E-commerce-Bezos understanding of e-commerce through knowledge of web users and the web that has made amazon a dominant company on the web . ’(pg 27 Saunders 1999) ,Branding of the website is important . (Pg 91 saunders) Commitment to e-commerce has to be maintained, by keeping ahead of the technology curve, Amazon’s one-click technology is important in keeping customers visiting. pg 32-33 saunders ) Porters 5 forces analysis The threat of Entry * How will new entrants into the market overcome barriers to entry * High barriers to entry are good for existing competitors and amazon. Barriers to entry are * Scale and experience Economies of scale , when Amazon reach high level production It will be hard for new entrants to match them, experience curve effects help Amazon to have learned how to do things more efficiently than new entrants. Whilst the new entrant is building up experience it will be doing so at a higher cost than Amazon. The threat of substitutes Price/Performance ratio * Barnes and Noble, in store availability of books, although more expensive, could be more convenient to consumers, have the option of not giving over credit card details. as well as trying the product out before they purchase it. * Auto trader, HMV could potentially offer a better service as HMV, as they have stores which could be more convenient again for onsumers. * Consumers could opt to go to cinema rather than buy from Amazon for videos. Extra Industry affects Amazon will have to be aware of substitutes away from their own industry such as search engines that could set up a similar service to their own e. g Yahoo. com. The Power of Buyers Low switching costs Our result indicates that buyers explore and try a vast number of available options in their early experience of the market but tend to seek relational exchanges as their exper ience matures Our finding is contrary to what is observed in popular online markets for physical goods such as eBay and Amazon: buyers are interested in maintaining recurrent business with a limited number of providers (Wolf,E,2010,Move to depth:Buyer Provider interactions in Online service Marketplaces E-service Journal, Vol 7,pg 2-14,Ebsco ) By acquiring book pages and Telebook defended consumers buyer power even more so in relevance to low switching costs ( Amazon case study) ,in 1997 they had lowered prices even further certain books had up to 40% off, in which encouraged repeat purchasing. An associates program was launched so Amazon could help small merchants, so that they could link to Amazon. com to sell from its data base and they receive a commission from each sale. The idea behind this is so that more people would buy from Amazon and it stops Consumers from switching( The power of suppliers * Amazon created a good relationship with wholesalers and shippers from the start. * Private investment of $1. million dollars and $8 million of silicon valley at start up * $50 million worth of shares enabled an aggressive expansion of the business * Designates its maintenance of inventory to others, storage space isn’t an issue. * Amazon are dependent on wholesale distributors such as Ingram ,independent publishers and music and video companies for the stock it sells therefore saving Amazon a major cost in terms of allocation. * In 1999 Ingram provided 50% of Amazon’s book titles, barnes and noble threatened to aquire it, Amazon it would seem are dependent on t hese retailers. However Amazon can find another book supplier but the suppliers may become competition as they could cut the middleman out (Amazon ) and utilise forwards vertical integration by selling directly to consumers. * Amazon in a weak negotiating position with suppliers as there isn’t many book suppliers. Competitive rivalry * The industry growth rate was high, World wide web had a fast growth rate, predicted at 2,300 percent monthly * Barnes and noble could have been considered a threat as they had infrastructure as well as a online arm * E-bay only focused on online auctions, in which was only a small area of Amazon’s business model. With customer experience costs largely fixed, Amazon’s costs as a percentage of sales can shrink rapidly as they grow their business. * Amazon continued to lower prices as well as free shipping on orders over $25. (This allowing Amazon to increase their volumes of output , this leading to price wars and increased competit ion. * Amazon is seen as ‘Virtual’ i. e it has no brick and mortar stores like competitors ( barnes and noble ), as well as no storage costs. Thus enabling them to invest more capital into enhancing its brand and website. * There is Low differentiation in Amazon’s industry in terms of online auctions as customers can easily switch between them and E-Bay as well as online book sales as they can switch to rivals such as Barnes and noble, although Amazon was able to undercut their rivals as they competed on price, By having no high costs in terms of storage of stock or buildings they could pass this benefit onto customers. Referring to competitor Barnes and noble’s 1999 company report they had other costs , such as rental space and the costs of opening up new stores , Barnes and Nobles costs of sales an occupancy increased from $2. 413 billion in 1998 , whereas inn 1999 it was $2. 019 million, this indicating that they had high fixed costs. And Amazon could therefore capitalize on this as their costs of sales were a lot less. * Competitors such as barnes and noble would have High exit barriers as they have a lot of assets through their stores that others may not buy.

A Thousand Acres :: essays research papers

This is a book report about the book A Thousand Acres. Jane Smiley wrote this book, the grade level is 7.7 and it is worth twenty-seven points. This book is about three sisters who are each trying to be given a third of the farm corporation set up by their father. The aging father is trying to set up the corporation so that the daughters won’t have to pay inheritance taxes. The youngest daughter, Caroline, who happens to be a lawyer does not like this idea. Rose and Ginny think that it is a good idea, they live on the farm. Due to this disagreement the family gets into a big fight. Some not too good memories come out of the fight. The girlsremember the fact that their father molested Ginny and Rose.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rose and Ginny get sued for the farm by their father and Caroline, in the end Ginny and Rose win the battle. After the whole court affair was over Ginny moved away to try to forget about it all, then Rose’s breast cancer comes back and she moves back to help Rose and her daughters. Then when they thought that all tragedy was over, their father died of a heart attack. Rose fought her cancer for a while, but in the end she lost her battle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The major conflict in this book was when Rose and Ginny remember about their father molesting them. Their father thought that he took the secret that he molested them to the grave, but he didn’t. It took a while for Ginny to remember that she was molested. After Rose kept on telling her that they were molested Ginny had some flashbacks and she remembered what happened. Rose and Ginny never told anyone about their father. He was a respected man in the community and Rose and Ginny were mad that their father got away with it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The theme of this story is that when something bad happens you need to talk about it. It can trigger more and more problems if you don’t get it off your chest. When you keep the secret to yourself it builds up and eats away at you. Then it makes you angrier about the problem. By not telling anyone it doesn’t help the problem any.

Automotive Industry and Porsche Production Line

Shona L. Thomas- Porsche Case Study 1. ) General Environment Factors for Porsche: A. ) Demographic segment for Porsche is Age and Income distribution. Porsche target age is group is consumers is male over the age of 40 in addition to an average income of 180k a year. That has a positive effect on this segment because they have defined their niche audience that best responds to their line of cars. B. ) Political and Legal segment directly affects the future production of Porsche vehicles with regulatory gas mileage requirements and EPA guidelines.If the 2020 CAFE plan is implemented in North America Porsche will not be able to sell cars in North America. Political issues and governmental decisions affect the development of the local economy as for example the increase of oil prices during the Iraq war and the drop of the dollar compared to other currencies, they can also have an influence on sales in the automotive industry. This is a negative effect as the VW sales group has laid a p lan to exceed GM and Toyota in sells by 2018 but with pending EPA guidelines this may create a definite challenge.C. ) Technological segment for Porsche is leading in product innovation, factory applications and knowledge. Porsche production line has the ability to manufacture two cars seamlessly at the same time without losing any production time or driving cost up. Their technology is a positive and is evident because they offer consulting services to competitive and noncompetitive automobile companies. 2. ) Porsche brand is so strong and unique that the only two forces I can thoroughly support are Threat of new entrants and bargaining power of Buyers. A. Porsche has a threat of new entrants due to automobile manufacturers such as BMW, Nissan and GM. However Porsche has product differentiation and Capital Investments. Porsche is also known for prestige, variety of Porsche emblems and its full line up. Consequently BMW, Nissan and GM have all produced one or two comparable cars. B. ) Bargaining power of Buyers is relevant because due to recent economic recessions internationally the price point of Porsches automobiles they followed suit of other competing luxury brands and released more affordable automobiles such as the Cayenne.The production of the Cayenne set record sales for Porsche. Therefore this is a high force. 3. ) The two major competitors of Porsche are BWW and Audi. BMW as designed models such the Z4 and Audi has designed models such as the R8 to compete with Porsche's Cayman and Boxter. Prices points on both models are within the same range as the aforementioned Porsche brands. These two models (BMW and Audi) both have competitive points in regards to engineering, exclusivity and service.The future actions of BMW and Audi that show evidence competitive activity is both automobile companies are creating a more modern design which is attracting more consumers, more drive power options for an economical price and puts luxury and comfort versus Porsc he sports then luxury. 4. ) The most important Value Chain areas for Porsche are: A. ) Management Information Systems- Joint venture with MHO has led to awards such as Silver Partner service and SAP Channel Partner Gold. The performance and oriented approach allows Porsche to consistently implement new design, technologies and functionalities.Porsche at purchased ownership in MHP and later purchased a controlling share which lead to new business techniques and technologies. The MIS has created sustainable competitive advantage through superior operating performances and the ability to respond with flexibility and quickly to changes in technology. They are superior to each competitor as they do not patent their technological gains but allows others to copy. B. ) Supply Chain Management: Porsche SAP technology Leipzig has created a seamless distribution in logistics. Within the same plant, the two models, Panamera and Cayenne can be built simultaneously.Each model requires a high degr ee of integration and cooperation with other Porsche plants. As parts are delivered every hour, the flows of goods are real-time. No inventories, any waiting times, but the highest degree of precision and flexibility. Even if faced with a change on short notice, production will be able to stay in synch. Porsche is the leading manufacturer in the world and is superior to all other competitors for the aforementioned reasons. C. ) Marketing and Sales: In 2011 VW group inclusive of Porsche and other brands ranked number 3 in the world trailing Toyota and GM.However in Europe the VW group leads sales amongst competitors. Porsche relates their increase in marketing and sales to the CRM processes in SAP. All systems are originated in German but the data is also shared North America as well as Canada. North America and Canada represents the biggest market for the car manufacturer almost 40 percent of all luxury cars are sold there. The second reason is that the orientation of the pilot proj ect toward a non-German market prevented a focus that can be considered too German influenced. 5. The most significant financial and nonfinancial factors for Porsche are: Return on investments. Three Porsche product lines – the 911, the Boxster, and the Cayenne has had high operating margins compared to nearly any other major automobile manufacturer. The two newer product lines, the Boxster and Cayenne, had both been launched with the capital and technology from its other lines of cars. The Porsche Boxster was manufactured by Valmet of Finland under a licensed manufacturing agreement allowed Porsche to use means of financial support.Valmet owns its own factory and tools, and builds the Boxster for Porsche. This reduces the capital Porsche needs to support its own business significantly. The Porsche Cayenne was co-manufactured with Volkswagen. The Cayenne was assembled on the same production line as the Volkswagen Touareg therefore reducing the required capital to support Pors che’s business. 6. ) The strength is that Porsche has a high brand presence and reputation across the globe. Porsche preferred consumers are wage earners in excess of 250k. Few car models are available but it has a wide range of variants.They have built a trust worthy brand that has international recognition in the domestic as well as racing industry. A weakness of Porsche is that it lacks presence in the middle income segment which is the fastest growing of all classes. The cars have very high maintenance and running cost in an extremely luxury car market. The opportunities that Porsche has it that they can capitalize on its exclusivity and increase sales. They also have a sector of the company that has first class technology that will give them a competitive edge on future generation and concept cars.In addition to increased manufacturing facilities and distribution as well as a servicing network. The threats that face Porsche are the Governmental policies in some countries especially North America. The looming recession this may decrease purchasing power and the intense competition from automobile leaders. The top three competitors are BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz. 7. ) The major competitive advantages of Porsche using VRIN are The most valuable capital this company has is its loyal customers with their sense of Porsche responsibility. The most aluable support for this company is its work force, technology and its tradition of outstanding performance. (Parity producing because other companies can re-evaluate their customer relations and change the scope of employees to gain the loyalty and recognition that Porsche has. ) Porsche is rare because the cars have a virtually untarnished reputation and are considered among the finest performance vehicles in the world. (Temporary competitive advantage because they BMW and Audi have models that compete with Porsche vehicles. ) Porsche technology is costly to imitate.Porsche has become a leader in automobile m anufacturing and advanced technology that has led to winning Performance awards. Therefore allowing Porsche to consistently implement new design, technologies and functionalities. (Sustainable competitive advantage because Porsche provides consulting to automobile manufacturers and have not patent protected their technological advances; therefore companies rely on them for the most up to date technology) Porsche is nonsubstitutable because lineup is quite broad for a specialty automaker and now even includes a luxury super sport sedan, the Panamera.Throughout its history, Porsche has exhibited amazing resilience, weathering changes in consumer tastes and the economic climate. (Competitive Advantage is the brand name. ) 8. ) Porsche uses Corporate Strategy. The overall scope and direction is to diversify business operations, further advance technology and work together to achieve particular goals. As part of its corporate strategy for 2018, Porsche wants to double its vehicle sales a nd increase its presence in the individual markets. This growth strategy is to increase the workforce by 50 % from its present level of 14,000 worldwide.Porsche is creating wide-ranging electric mobility vehicles in Germany and has launched the roll-out of three electric-powered Boxter cars. Electro mobility is one of the central challenges of the coming years. The engineers at Porsche want to contribute something in their usual high-performance way to meet the challenge. 9. ) 7s Implementation factors that are the most important is: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Strategy: plan to gain a sustainable advantage over the competition (BMW and Audi) 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Structure: how people and tasks are rganized (Consulting and Automobile division) 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Systems: processes and procedures that are currently in place (Manufacturing plants) 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Style: leadership style (Brand imaging) 5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Staff: employees and their gener al capabilities (ongoing training) 6)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Skills: competencies and skills of the employees (ongoing training) 7)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shared Values: culture, beliefs, values and traditions (Mission statement) 10. ) Two questions:Do you think Porsche will meet the CAFE requirements for 2018 or will they actually stop selling cars in North America? How will that affect the American Porsche consumer? Cadillac has now developed and launched a car that has a Ferrari engine how will that compare or will it compete with the Porsche Panamera? How will new entrants such as American based cars that is adding technology comparable to Porsche affect future market opportunity and ,undecided target consumers?

General James Wolfe in the French and Indian War

Major General James Wolfe was one of Britains most famous commanders during the French and Indian/Seven Years War (1754 to 1763). Entering the army at a young age, he distinguished himself during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740 to 1748) as well as aided in putting down the Jacobite Rising in Scotland. With the beginning of the Seven Years War, Wolfe initially served in Europe before being dispatched to North America in 1758. Serving under Major General Jeffery Amherst, Wolfe played a key role in the capture of the French fortress at Louisbourg and then received command of the army tasked with taking Quebec. Arriving before the city in 1759, Wolfe was killed in the fighting as his men defeated the French and captured the city. Early Life James Peter Wolfe was born on January 2, 1727, at Westerham, Kent. The eldest son of Colonel Edward Wolfe and Henriette Thompson, he was raised locally until the family moved to Greenwich in 1738. From a moderately distinguished family, Wolfes uncle Edward held a seat in Parliament while his other uncle, Walter, served as an officer in the British Army. In 1740, at the age of thirteen, Wolfe entered the military and joined his fathers 1st Regiment of Marines as a volunteer. The following year, with Britain fighting Spain in the War of Jenkins Ear, he was prevented from joining his father on Admiral Edward Vernons expedition against Cartagena due to illness. This proved to be a blessing as the attack was a failure with many of the British troops succumbing to disease during the three-month campaign. The conflict with Spain soon became absorbed into the War of the Austrian Succession. War of the Austrian Succession In 1741, Wolfe received a commission as a second lieutenant in his fathers regiment. Early the following year, he transferred to the British Army for service in Flanders. Becoming a lieutenant in the 12th Regiment of Foot, he also served as the units adjutant as it assumed a position near Ghent. Seeing little action, he was joined in 1743 by his brother Edward. Marching east as part of George IIs Pragmatic Army, Wolfe traveled to southern Germany later that year. During the course of the campaign, the army was trapped by the French along the Main River. Engaging the French at the Battle of Dettingen, the British and their allies were able to throw back several enemy assaults and escape the trap. Highly active during the battle, the teenage Wolfe had a horse shot from under him and his actions came to the attention of the Duke of Cumberland. Promoted to captain in 1744, he was shifted to the 45th Regiment of Foot. Seeing little action that year, Wolfes unit served in Field Marshal George Wades failed campaign against Lille.  A year later, he missed the Battle of Fontenoy as his regiment was posted to garrison duty at Ghent. Departing the city shortly before its capture by the French, Wolfe received a promotion to brigade major. A short time later, his regiment was recalled to Britain to aid in defeating the Jacobite Rebellion led by Charles Edward Stuart. The Forty-Five Dubbed The Forty-Five, Jacobite forces defeated Sir John Cope at Prestonpans in September after mounting an effective Highland charge against the government lines. Victorious, the Jacobites marched south and advanced as far as Derby. Dispatched to Newcastle as part of Wades army, Wolfe served under Lieutenant General Henry Hawley during the campaign to crush the rebellion. Moving north, he took part in the defeat at Falkirk on January 17, 1746. Retreating to Edinburgh, Wolfe and the army came under the command of Cumberland later that month. Shifting north in pursuit of Stuarts army, Cumberland wintered in Aberdeen before resuming the campaign in April. Marching with the army, Wolfe took part in the decisive Battle of Culloden on April 16 which saw the Jacobite army crushed. In the wake of the victory at Culloden, he famously refused to shoot a wounded Jacobite soldier despite orders from either the Duke of Cumberland or Hawley. This act of mercy later endeared him to the Scottish troops under his command in North America. The Continent and Peace Returning to the Continent in 1747, Wolfe served under Major General Sir John Mordaunt during the campaign to defend Maastricht. Taking part in the bloody defeat at the Battle of Lauffeld, he again distinguished himself and earned an official commendation. Wounded in the fighting, he remained in the field until the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ended the conflict in early 1748. Already a veteran at age twenty-one, Wolfe was promoted to major and assigned to command the 20th Regiment of Foot at Stirling. Often battling ill-health, he worked tirelessly to improve his education and in 1750 received a promotion to lieutenant colonel. In 1752, Wolfe received permission to travel and made trips to Ireland and France. During these excursions, he furthered his studies, made several important political contacts, and visited important battlefields such as the Boyne. The Seven Years War While in France, Wolfe received an audience with Louis XV and worked to enhance his language and fencing skills. Though wishing to remain in Paris in 1754, the declining relationship between Britain and France forced his return to Scotland. With the formal beginning of the Seven Years War in 1756 (fighting began in North America two years earlier), he was promoted to colonel and ordered to Canterbury, Kent to defend against an anticipated French invasion. Shifted to Wiltshire, Wolfe continued to battle health issues leading some to believe that he was suffering from consumption. In 1757, he rejoined Mordaunt for a planned amphibious attack on Rochefort. Serving as quartermaster general for the expedition, Wolfe and the fleet sailed on September 7. Though Mordaunt captured ÃŽle dAix offshore, he proved reluctant to press on to Rochefort despite having caught the French by surprise. Advocating aggressive action, Wolfe scouted the approaches to the city and repeatedly asked for troops to execute an attack. The requests were refused and the expedition ended in failure. Louisbourg Despite the poor results at Rochefort, Wolfes actions brought him to the attention of Prime Minister William Pitt. Seeking to expand the war in the colonies, Pitt promoted several aggressive officers to high ranks with the goal of achieving decisive results. Elevating Wolfe to brigadier general, Pitt sent him to Canada to serve under Major General Jeffery Amherst. Tasked with capturing the fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, the two men formed an effective team. In June 1758, the army moved north from Halifax, Nova Scotia with naval support provided by Admiral Edward Boscawen. On June 8, Wolfe was tasked with leading the opening landings in Gabarus Bay. Though supported by the guns of Boscawens fleet, Wolfe and his men were initially prevented from landing by French forces. Pushed east, they located a small landing area protected by large rocks. Going ashore, Wolfes men secured a small beachhead which allowed the remainder of Wolfes men to land. Having gained a foothold ashore, he played a key role in Amhersts capture of the city the following month. With Louisbourg taken, Wolfe was ordered to raid French settlements around the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Though the British had wished to attack Quebec in 1758, defeat at the Battle of Carillon on Lake Champlain and the lateness of the season prevented such a move. Returning to Britain, Wolfe was tasked by Pitt with the capture of Quebec. Given the local rank of major general, Wolfe sailed with a fleet led by Admiral Sir Charles Saunders. To Quebec Arriving off Quebec in early June 1759, Wolfe surprised the French commander, the Marquis de Montcalm, who had expected an attack from the south or west. Establishing his army on the Ile dOrlà ©ans and the south shore of the St. Lawrence at Point Levis, Wolfe began a bombardment of the city and ran ships past its batteries to reconnoiter for landing places upstream. On July 31, Wolfe attacked Montcalm at Beauport but was repulsed with heavy losses. Stymied, Wolfe began to focus on landing to west of the city. While British ships raided upstream and threatened Montcalms supply lines to Montreal, the French leader was forced to disperse his army along the north shore to prevent Wolfe from crossing. Not believing that another assault at Beauport would be successful, Wolfe began planning a landing just beyond Pointe-aux-Trembles. This was canceled due to poor weather and on September 10 he informed his commanders that he intended to cross at Anse-au-Foulon. A small cove southwest of the city, the landing beach at Anse-au-Foulon required British troops to come ashore and ascend a slope and small road to reach the Plains of Abraham above. Moving forward on the night of September 12/13, British forces succeeded in landing and reaching the plains above by morning. Plains of Abraham Forming for battle, Wolfes army was confronted by French troops under Montcalm. Advancing to attack in columns, Montcalms lines were quickly shattered by British musket fire and soon began retreating. Early in the battle, Wolfe was struck in the wrist. Bandaging the injury he continued, but was soon hit in the stomach and chest. Issuing his final orders, he died on the field. As the French retreated, Montcalm was mortally wounded and died the next day. Having won a key victory in North America, Wolfes body was returned to Britain where he was interred in the family vault at St. Alfege Church, Greenwich alongside his father. Death of Wolfe by Benjamin West. Photograph Source: Public Domain