Week 2 Discussion Responses - Acct / Int - Biz

Week 2 Discussion Responses – Financial Accouting

· Cite per APA

· Support and Disagree respectfully

· Share Opinion Backed by sources

· 1 page minimum

Discussion Response 2

BY: D,J

"Wal-Mart Unveils Popular Layaway Program; Reveals Hottest Toys For Holidays"

 With the upcoming holiday season quickly approaching, Wal-Mart has begun their marketing campaign with the implementation of their popular holiday layaway program. Layaway is very popular, especially during the holidays, because it allows shoppers to pay for their holiday items in installments with a small down payment. Wal-Mart’s down payment is 10% or $10, whichever is greater. This program allows the average American family to afford to purchase the gifts their loved ones want. Along with the holiday layaway program, Wal-Mart has unveiled their top 25 rated holiday toys, along with thousands of other items that can be put on layaway.

 This news is a positive sign for investors because the holiday season yields high profits for Wal-Mart. The 2016/2017 holiday season was a success for Wal-Mart, unlike the typical brick and mortar companies. Their holiday sales exceeded company goals and their sales rose 1.8% during the final quarter(Nassauer,2017). With the effects of Amazon on the retail industry, it is important for Wal-Mart to remain competitive. By starting their holiday advertising early and offering their holiday layaway program, Wal-Mart is signaling to investors that they are working hard to have another successful holiday shopping season.

Works Cited:

 Nassauer, S. (2017, February 21). Wal-Mart Posts Strong Holiday Sales, But E-Commerce Battle With Amazon Pinches Profit. Retrieved September 06, 2017, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/wal-mart-spending-to-fend-off-amazon-posts-earnings-decline-as-revenue-grows-1487680074

RTT News. (2017, September 06). Wal-Mart Unveils Popular Layaway Program; Reveals Hottest Toys For Holidays. Retrieved September 06, 2017, from http://www.nasdaq.com/article/walmart-unveils-popular-layaway-program-reveals-hottest-toys-for-holidays-20170906-00008

Discussion Response 2

BY: M,H

This article dives into the specifics of Amazon’s Web Services. Amazon Web Services is a comprehensive, evolving cloud computing platform provided by Amazon.com. Web services are referred to as cloud services or remote computing services. The first AWS launched in 2006 to help online services for websites and client side applications.

Amazon business strengthens as it entails Whole Foods business which is Target and Wal-Mart’s competitor. Amazon’s web business is known as a commercial giant and already has alliances with LuLu Lemon, Nordstroms, Nike Inc, Under Armor, Brooks Brothers Group Inc. for their retail clients. If Target and Wal-Mart choose not to use Amazon’s Web business for their retail clients it would not be astronomical for Amazon. Amazon Web services reportedly had over 40% of the global market for public cloud services at the end of the second quarter.

Some competitors to Amazon’s Web Business would include Microsoft’s Azure and Alphabet’s Google Cloud platform. Wal-Mart has interest of creating its own Cloud services; however, the amount of success it would retain is questionable.

If I were an investor I would not support Wal-Mart in cloud services because I would naturally support a company who has technology background which is Amazon. I would stick to the ones who are the professionals in this area and dive into what your main area of practice is and excel with it. Some businesses try to compete and focus on areas that are not their areas of expertise and fail. Granite this is not always the case, however, I would need significant amount of data to support my decision of choosing Wal-Mart cloud services over Amazon’s who most recently bought Whole Foods.

 

Nolter, C. ( 2017, September 5). As Target and Walmart Move Away From AWS, How Much Pain Will Amazon Feel? Retrieved from https://www.thestreet.com/story/14294289/2/as-target-and-walmart-move-away-from-aws-how-much-pain-will-amazon-feel-.html .