Portfolio Part 1
mcobb1
portfolio_selection1.docxRunning Head: AMAZON.COM 1
AMAZON.COM 6
Amazon.com
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Reasons for selecting amazon.com
The size of the company is an important aspect that necessitated selection of this company. Large companies are ideal for carrying out research portfolios due to their wide nature that makes it possible to amass a lot of knowledge from. This is because smaller companies have limited outreach limiting the amount of information that can be obtained from them. The importance of a research is the need to acquire important information and this goal is achieved by identification of a company that can help to that effect (Bohari, Cheng & Fuad, 2013).
Suitable business sector is another factor that informs the selection of a company from which to conduct research. The need of learners to forces on companies that will provide them with the relevant information is apparent and therefore focusing the research to companies that are in line with the said profession. Different companies work differs due to differing points of orientation and operation making it hugely important to focus on a specific line of operation. This helps to ensure that the researchers are able to make sense of the information they collect from the said company (Bohari, Cheng & Fuad, 2013).
Accessibility of the company is another factor that informs the selection of an ideal research ground. It is necessitated by the need to have ample time for carrying out research as it is a time intensive process and only prudent to select a company that can be easily accessed for the needed research to be conducted. Research entails the collection of data and some of the methods employed in this regard take a lot of time to compile and therefore making it crucial for the said researching ground to be convenient for the researcher. Another aspect that informs the accessibility of a company is the timeline in which the research is allocated as this serves to prescribe the extent to which deferent companies can be engaged and therefore adopting the most efficient entity (Bohari, Cheng & Fuad, 2013).
The available resources allocated for the research also help to stipulate the manner and scope with which a research can be conducted in different centers hence helping to identify the centre that performs better under the current budget. Resources can be in the form of funds, time as well as human personnel needed to facilitate the research (Bohari, Cheng & Fuad, 2013).
Comprehensive overview of the company and its history
Amazon.com is a company that currently has an international outreach due to its extension to other parts of the world upon establishment and has formed partnerships with other firms in the industry. The Company stated humbly; struggling to meet the market expectations as well as attracting clients in a small scope as a result. The revision of strategies however enabled the market to get off well as it created conditions which were convenient to clients and with time the reach of the company expanded to new markets. Where is the history about Amazon and when was it formed?
Expansion to other market called for diversification due to the different cultures and conditions present in different stations of the company such as languages hence changing accordingly to subdue difficulties that arise in the process. The company relied on experienced gained in the past to take risks which proved to be worth ones hence spurring the company to success despite huge resources used during the investment (Amazon.com, 2014). What type of system was used to help Amazon in this diversification process?
Another strategy that has helped in the realization of the success the company enjoys currently is the creation of different programs in the market and hence helping to utilize the market better by ensuring that almost all the needs of the clients can be addressed by the same company without having to edge other firms for such services (Gawer & Cusumano, 2014). What type of strategies were utilize by Amazon?
The relative ease of doing business with the company has attracted other firms that have worked with the company so as to bring efficiency on their side. This relative ease of doing business has been necessitated by the vast use of information technology and therefore accomplishing tasks with utmost efficiency. The use of these technologies has been due to the need of the company to compete favorably with other company in the market place. Despite the current efficient strategies, pains are underway to ensure that the future of the company is secure by ensuring that the company retains the existing pool of clients as well as attracts new ones.The company also owes most of its success to a good leadership that has led to hard work consequently leading to success (Killen, Jugdev, Drouin & Petit, 2012). What type of technologies was used?
The company also serves as a training ground for employees who opt to work in other firms in the future and hence help them to not only outshining competitors but also assist them with highly experienced workforce. The company focuses on the future by planning to place importance on customers as well as plans making partnership with firms with share same objectives (Kresta & Tichy, 2012). What type of training was provided?
Despite these milestone covered on the way the company facing several hardships amongst them stiff completion, constrains in resource needed to effect a given investment and challenges that occur in the market such as fluctuation of the market force all of which impact negatively on the company. Due to the imperfections created in the business world the company, just like other companies is faced by challenges that are as a result of the dynamism of the industry (Kresta & Tichy, 2012). What type of challenges affected the market?
The contributing sectors to the incomes of the company chiefly is the sale of services to customers and factors present in the business industry such as taxation are avenues through which some of the income is used. The need to use available income to invest in technology is apparent so as to make the company to stay relevant in the market. Just like other business, the company engages in practices such as borrowing and they influence the performance of the company in the future in two ways. They help the company make up for deficits that might arise due to different forces at ply in the industry and also impact on the returns obtained for services provided due interests payable for such debts (Amazon.com, 2014).
The company’s assessment by audit firms as required by the laws of the current show that the company is in line with the set down standards by the government to regulate the industry. However, several suits have been filed in different suits against the firm by other firm in the context of bleach of terms of operation (Amazon.com, 2014).
Primary competitors
Among competitor of the firm include firms whose business landscape is similar to those of the company and others whose services are substitutes for the services provided by the company. They include physical world retailers, other online e-commerce and mobile commercial site, media companies that provide information storage among others (Vogel, 2014).
The factors that the company prides itself for helping it favorably compete in the market are efficiency and effectiveness in the market. The company also draws a lot of success for the positive reputation it hold in the market place. However, some competitors boast better resources making them have an edge in the market as a result and this explain the presence of alliance in the market force to enable firms to stay ahead of other competitors (Amazon.com, 2014).
SWOT analysis of the company
The strengths of the company include its use of high technology in the industry making it efficient in the provision of services, its larger scope that owes to its expansion to different markets around the world, the huge reputation it holds in the industry and its ability to forge partnerships with other firms in the market who compliment its services (Amazon.com, 2014).
The weaknesses of the firm include the debts that the company incur due to expenditure that outweigh available finances, its inability to match the financing capabilities of some of the competitors and its inability to coexist smoothly with other entities in the industry without leading to law suits (Vogel, 2014).
Opportunities that the company has include the potential of the firm to make good use of the partnerships it has made with other firms to overcome the adversaries of uncertain market forces, the potential of the company to extend its market to other parts of the world were the services are not found such as Africa and the opportunity to use the positive reputation to bringing more clients on board (Kresta & Tichy, 2012).
Threats that face the company is fluctuations of market forces which lead to losses, the numerous suits filed by other entities that may serve to tarnish its positive reputation and huge financial abilities of competing firms that can aid in the monopolization of the market and therefore locking the company out of business (Killen, Jugdev, Drouin & Petit, 2012).
The company ought to address the issue of deficit of payment with urgency by ensuring that the returns it make outweighs the cost of production as this is a potential quicksand that can lead to the collapse of the company. This is further acerbated by the financing muscles of the competing firms. The company too should embrace use of favorable terms of operations that do not aggrieve other entities as the numerous law suits against the company serve to dent its reputation (Gawer & Cusumano, 2014).
Strategies that the company can use to address these issues include investing in a robust legal department that will serve to direct its actions for better future performance and use cheaper methods of production such as high technology to reduce the cost of production which ensure that the company would not have future deficits of payment that cripple its progress (Bohari, Cheng & Fuad, 2013). Does Amazon use the cost of quality method at all?
References
Amazon.com (2014). Annual report
Bohari, A. M., Cheng, W. H., & Fuad, N. (2013). An analysis on the competitiveness of halal food industry in Malaysia: an approach of SWOT and ICT strategy. Geografia: Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, 9(1), 1-11.
Gawer, A., & Cusumano, M. A. (2014). Industry platforms and ecosystem innovation. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 31(3), 417-433.
Killen, C. P., Jugdev, K., Drouin, N., & Petit, Y. (2012). Advancing project and portfolio management research: Applying strategic management theories. International Journal of Project Management, 30(5), 525-538.
Kresta, A., & Tichy, T. (2012). International Equity Portfolio Risk Modeling: The Case of the NIG Model and Ordinary Copula Functions*. Finance a Uver, 62(2), 141.
Vogel, H. L. (2014). Entertainment industry economics: A guide for financial analysis. Cambridge University Press.
