B460/MAN4720 Rasmussen Mod 06 Amazon Strategic Planning Project Now that you completed all the individual components of the Strategic Plan, conclude this p

B460/MAN4720 Rasmussen Mod 06 Amazon Strategic Planning Project Now that you completed all the individual components of the Strategic Plan, conclude this project by synthesizing all the individual components into a strategic plan that could be presented to leaders of the organization.

The final draft of your plan must include:

The Internal Analysis
The External Analysis
Strategy Analysis and Choice
Strategy Implementation
Evaluation and Control
2-3 page, executive summary highlighting the key points of the plan.

The plan should be clear, comprehensive, and forward-looking. This is not merely a research project. Your plan should focus on specific strategic decisions (i.e., problems or opportunities) facing the company and conclude with a set of strategic recommendations.

Your final paper requires proper in-text citations and a references page. Proper APA formatting should be utilized throughout your paper. Running head: COMPANY SELECTION
Module 02 Course Project
Company Selection
Matthew Marquette
Rasmussen College B460/MAN4720
Author Note
This paper is being submitted on April 11, 2019, for Professor Brittney Kempink
B460/MAN4720 Section 01 Strategic Management Course Online Plus
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COMPANY SELECTION
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Company Selection
Strategic management refers to the wide-ranging assemblage of proceeding
undertakings and methods that establishments apply to methodically organize and affiliate
assets and processes with their operations, foresights and policies (Jurevicius, 2013). This
essay provides a brief description of the Amazon Company, with regard to my strategic
management plan, as well as the reason behind the selection of this particular organization.
To begin, Amazon.com, Inc., classifies amongst the largest online shopping websites
on an international scale, and it was inaugurated by Jeff Bezos, in 1995. Additionally, this
company has its roots out of Seattle town in Washington DC. Fundamentally, the site is
extensively recognized for its comprehensive assortment of manuscripts, even if it has
recently outspread to retail microchip technology, tunes, equipment, and clothes (Cable News
Network, 2019).
Usually, Amazon functions via various corporate subdivisions including North
America, International, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). What is more, Amazon also
possesses different trade websites for different nations such as, America, the U.K, Ireland,
France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Australia, Brazil, Japan, China, India,
and Mexico. In addition, Amazon also provides world-wide delivery to a selection of other
nations, for a number of its goods (Cable News Network, 2019).
The primary reason for selecting Amazon.com, Inc. as the company for my strategic
management plan is due to its global nature in its aggregate sales, along with market
capitalization. Undoubtedly, this organization necessitates a tactical administration strategy,
to guarantee a smooth running of businesses to meet its goals and avoid huge losses.
COMPANY SELECTION
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References
Cable News Network. (2019). ‘Amazon.com Inc.’ Accessed April 10, 2019 from
https://money.cnn.com/quote/profile/profile.html?symb=AMZN
Jurevicius, O. (2013). ‘Strategic Management & Strategic Planning Process.’ Accessed April
11, 2019 from https://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/topics/strategicplanning-process.html
Running head: AMAZON
1
Module 03 Course Project
SWOT Analysis
Matthew Marquette
Rasmussen College B460/MAN4720
Author Note
This paper is being submitted on April 21, 2019, for Professor Brittney Kempink
B460/MAN4720 Section 01 Strategic Management Course Online Plus
AMAZON
2
Amazon Inc. SWOT analysis
Amazon Inc. is one of the top brand companies in the e-commerce industry. The firm has
been in business for two decades, where it has achieved several projects in different sectors. To
understand its success in the industry and competition activities, it is essential to have a
comprehensive SWOT analysis of the company
Factors
Internal Factors
Positive
Negative
Strengths
Weaknesses
–
Low cost structure
–
Synergies between
market
–
Absence of important
skills
–
Poor access to
distribution channels
Large distribution
channels
–
–
–
Poor employeemanagement
Quality management
relationship
External factors
Opportunities
–
Untapped African
Threats
–
Market
–
–
Technological
advances
Increased mergers and
–
Change in tax policies
acquisition
–
Change in
Change in socialcultural trends
demographic structure
AMAZON
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Strengths
Amazons boost several advantages that make it competitive in the market; some of them
include one Low-cost Structure- the company has the largest merchandise selection and a vast
number of third-party sellers. Such strategies enable the firm to minimize costs and increase
income generations compared to companies such as Walmart. The firm has increased its market
share in the world market. Online sales allow the firm to sell more without incurring costs of
running physical retail outlets. Secondly, Synergies between marketplace- that is, the company
has three key businesses that support each other, that is Amazon marketplace, Amazon web
services and Amazon prime. They ensure that speed and capacity building is enhanced within the
firm. Thirdly, extensive distribution channels- Since the company focus on online sales. Most of
its distribution channels allow the firm to connect to a large number of customers in the market.
Again, customer loyalty- Amazon brand boasts improved customer relationship and loyalty
making the firm one of the largest enterprise to register more than 100 million members. Lastly,
the company has quality management and leadership structure that is led by CEO Jeff Bezos
(Miller, 2017).
Weaknesses
Weaknesses are internal factors that the company has control of; they influence the
decision-making process and progress activities. Some of these issues include the absence of
essential skills in the organization. Since the company operates in many countries, cultural
practices and legal practices require individuals to help the customers understand the products
changes and their effects. Secondly, poor access to distribution channels- although the firm uses
various distribution channels, it is difficult to rely on and access these channels. Thirdly, there
have been some cases where management has failed to support workers and promote their
AMAZON
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interest in the organization entirely. This has resulted in increased court cases due to unfair
layoffs.
Opportunities- These external factors are out of management control. Hence the firm
should adjust and make changes to meet their demands. They include untapped African marketAmazon has not invested in Africa. However, there are 1.3 billion people on the continent with
over 60% aged less than 40 Years. Secondly, increased mergers and acquisition have enabled the
firm to build a strong capital base. Amazon Inc. acquired Fresh Foods retail stores in 2015 (Hutt,
2018). Lastly, change in social-cultural trends where people are embracing technology and
trusting e-commerce.
Threats- Threats are external factors that influence a company’s decision-making
process. Some of these threats include technological advances- there are constant changes in
technology where the firm is forced to improve and secure its website system to grow the
business. Secondly, change in tax policies- different countries have a set of tax policies;
therefore, the company is forced to adjust its systems to ensure that it conforms to the tax
requirements. Lastly, change in demographic structure; in the United States, a large number of
older people is no longer focusing on online purchases, which has reduced demand for Amazon
products.
AMAZON
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Reference
Hutt, M. D., & Speh, T. W. (2018). Edition: Business Marketing Management. South-Western
Publishing Company.
Miller, C. C., & Bosman, J. (2017). E-books outsell print books at Amazon. New York Times, 19.
Running Head: STRATEGY SELECTION
1
Module 04 Course Project
Strategy Selection
Matthew Marquette
Rasmussen College B460/MAN4720
Author Note
This paper is being submitted on April 28, 2019, for Professor Brittney Kempink
B460/MAN4720 Section 01 Strategic Management Course Online Plus
Strategy Selection
STRATEGY SELECTION
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Strategic Objectives:
i.
Customer obsession: to start all their operations with the customer and then
develop the strategy backward.
ii.
Innovation: to listen to the customers and also go beyond the customers into
improving the nature of services that their potential clients receive.
iii.
Bias for action: to operate with the dictates of time and the nature of the
revolution in the services that they provide while converting every opportunity on
the way into a useful business trap.
iv.
To become the world cost leader in the e-commerce industry and this involves
extending the branches of the business operations to far larger geographical space
while maintaining the favorable cost of the operations to the clients.
To improve leveraging for the company’s core competencies in whatever ways
v.
they can find in realizing the value of the assets of the company.
vi.
To provide a high value using technology that would result in low costs solutions
to our clients.
Strategy alternatives:
i.
To venture into home deliveries and supply chain logistics: with the
changing business environment, Amazon would be better placed to convert
their business into third party logistics where goods are delivered straight
forth to the doorsteps of the individuals. As at now, Amazon is already giving
its competitors much pressure by giving them an illusion that the deliveries
are bound to reach the owners within the next 48 hours. Deliveries will also
STRATEGY SELECTION
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improve the network of the company several times folds. This alternative is a
game changer for the company, something that they can hardly see.
ii.
Restructuration of the eBook section of the company: with the position of the
Amazon currently they are positioned to define and take advantage of the
market fast evolving market place. In effecting this strategy, the company is
likely to seal three loose points in the industry. First, Amazon needs to control
the storage of the emerging e-books stacks appropriately (Jurevicius, 2013).
Second, they ought to rely on the developer platform in leading the market
innovation and inventions. Lastly, the industry should effectively utilize their
position in the e-commerce market to build a strong relationship with the
authors of the books that they have in their stores.
iii.
Venture into the healthcare: healthcare entry is one of the strategies that
would do much in helping the Amazon brand to move further into new
geographical locations (Cable News Network. 2019). Entering into healthcare
would prove as a bold move for the company. In the healthcare section, it is
more prudent that the company majors on pharmacy services.
STRATEGY SELECTION
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References
Cable News Network. (2019). ‘Amazon.com Inc.’ Accessed April 23, 2019 from
https://money.cnn.com/quote/profile/profile.html?symb=AMZN
Jurevicius, O. (2013). ‘Strategic Management & Strategic Planning Process.’ Accessed
April 26, 2019 from https://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/topics/strategicplanning-process.html
Running head: STRATEGY FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION
Module 05 Course Project
Strategy Formulation and Implementation
Matthew Marquette
Rasmussen College B460/MAN4720
Author Note
This paper is being submitted on May 5th, 2019, for Professor Brittney Kempink
B460/MAN4720 Section 01 Strategic Management Course Online Plus
1
STRATEGY FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION
2
Introduction
In order to ensure successful implementation of formulated strategies, companies
ought to integrate their culture into the implementation process. Amazon’s organizational
culture has been a critical factor in its online retail business success. The company’s ability to
ensure that its employees buy into Amazon’s vision has been the key to its ecommerce
market dominance in the last decade. Since the company’s culture focuses on innovation,
there is less likelihood of resistance to the proposed strategies which are all anchored on
innovation and seeking new opportunities to utilize technologies to offer customers
convenience and quality products. In order to ensure success in implementation of the set
strategies, Amazon should ensure that; there are enough people on board to implement the
strategies, enough resources are allocated to these strategies, lines of authority in executing
STRATEGY FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION
3
the strategies are clear, the company’s culture and atmosphere should be adjusted to be in line
with these strategies, and necessary systems as well as capabilities should be in place.
What should be done?
Sell proposed strategies to the management team. Unless managers support each
strategy’s implementation process, the strategies are unlikely to be a success. Managers help
ensure that their teams buy into the idea, and help minimize resistance. Employees always
develop a lot of comfort when they see the management team support a strategy. If some of
the managers are unable to buy into the idea, mixed signals will be sent to employees since
employees always know what is going on.
Have qualified people in place to implement the strategies. In order to ensure
success, Amazon should ensure that there are enough people and that these people are the
right ones in implementing the proposed strategies. For example, when venturing into various
segments of the health care sector, the company should have health experts collaborate with
Amazon’s top managers in ensuring compliance and relevance of products and services,
while at the same time ensuring proper marketing and delivery strategies. Therefore,
additional manpower and expertise will be required. This will ensure skill, knowledge, and
competencies when carrying out necessary tasks. Current employees who will be actively
involved in implementing the various strategies will also need training, seminars, and
workshops in order to ensure that they are ready and equipped for strategic planning and
implementation. Employee would also need to be actively engaged in order to ensure that
they buy into the new ideas. Even though Amazon is an agile and innovation based company,
it is human tendency to resist change. Even the most inspiring strategies are likely to be faced
by certain forms of resistance due to internal politics or lack of motivation. Therefore, it is
important to motivate employees. In addition, influencing employees should be brought on
STRATEGY FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION
board to help address this possible resistance. It would also be important to have employees
on board because some of the best ideas on how to align the recommended strategies with
organizational culture and market needs may come from these employees and not just the
management team.
Embrace effective communication. Enriched communication experience should be
part of the approaches adopted towards achieving successful implementation. The
communication process would entail gathering various stakeholders in order to gather their
input on how to formulate and execute the ideas. In addition, other communication
approaches such as presentations, emails, and meetings should be held to update employees
on progress. Effective communication will ensure that employees are engaged emotionally,
thus they will want to invest and engage in the execution process (Sampath, 2018). Lines of
communication should also be clear, including who to present input and contributions to.
Through effective communication, employees will be aware of; expectations, the change
expected, what they are expected to deliver, and the metrics in place to monitor and measure
success.
Ensure availability of other resources such as finances, time, and space. Each of
the proposed strategies will require adequate funding in support of the implementation
process. Enough time should also be dedicated towards planning and proper execution in
order to ensure long-term success. The budget should especially be structured in a way that
the strategies enhance growth of the company and its profitability (Henrich Greve, 2017).
Allocation of finances to various aspects of the strategies should be aligned with expected
future performance and ought to be placed against other strategic goals.
Research and development should be carried out to ensure that specific customer
needs are identified in order to align the strategies towards customer needs and target the
4
STRATEGY FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION
5
relevant demographics. Research would also help pace the different implementation phases,
including trying out the products in different markets before rolling to the enter customer
base.
Have clear cut lines of authority and defined responsibilities. This would ensure
that there is effective organizational structure and a chain of command responsible for the
planning and implementation of the strategies. Each individual would know who they are
accountable to, as well as their contributions to the strategies. The strategies adopted are all
transformational in nature, hence a transformational approach will be required. This implies
that the strategies should cascade across the organization, making it possible to deliver
(Robert Kaplan, 2016). If the transformational strategies are adopted in an unfit structure, the
company might reach a deadlock.
The overall atmosphere of the organization should be set towards support of the
proposed strategies. The culture should be able to accommodate a convenience culture
which ensures that the proposed convenience in delivery of products is achieved. For
example, if Amazon is to venture into the healthcare sector, the organization should also
embrace a wellness culture where there is an employees’ wellness program. Employees are
more likely to focus on offering best of health care products and services if their health needs
are also being met.
Basic activities of implementing the strategies would include:
•
Proper allocation of resources.
•
Ensure alignment of the strategies with organizational culture.
•
Have metrics and annual objective for each of the strategies.
•
Have execution strategies in place.
•
Deploy six stigma tool in the implementation process.
STRATEGY FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION
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References
Henrich Greve, J. S. ( 2017). Amazon Warrior: How a Platform Can Restructure Industry
Power and Ecology. Advances in Strategic Management, 299-335.
Robert Kaplan, D. N. (2016). How to Implement a New Strategy Without Disrupting Your
Organization. Harvard Business Review .
Sampath, S. (2018, September 8). Organizational design for excellence in Strategy execution.
Retrieved from SHRM : https://blog.shrm.org/sasia/blog/organizational-design-forexcellence-in-strategy-execution

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