Strategic Management And Strategic Competitiveness Ov 068544
Strategic Management And Strategic Competitivenessoverviewchoose Onep
Assess how globalization and technology changes have impacted the corporation you researched. Apply the industrial organization model and the resource-based model to determine how your corporation could earn above-average returns.
Assess how the vision statement and mission statement of the corporation influence its overall success. Use the Assignment 1 Template [DOCX] to ensure that your assignment meets the above requirements. Evaluate how each category of stakeholder impacts the overall success of this corporation. Go to Basic Search: Strayer University Online Library and locate at least three quality references. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not quality as academic resources.
Paper For Above instruction
For this assignment, I have chosen Amazon.com, Inc., a leading player in the retail and technology industry. Amazon’s rapid growth and sustained success are attributed to its strategic responses to globalization and technological advancements, making it an ideal case study to explore the impacts of these external forces on a major corporation.
Globalization has profoundly influenced Amazon’s business model, enabling it to expand its operations worldwide and access diverse markets. The advent of digital technology has further acceler-ated this expansion, allowing Amazon to develop sophisticated e-commerce platforms, optimize logistics, and employ data analytics to personalize customer experiences. Amazon’s international marketplaces, including Europe, Asia, and South America, exemplify how globalization has increased its market reach, thereby contributing to its competitive advantage (Johnson, 2020). The integration of technology has also facilitated the company’s rapid adaptation to changing consumer preferences, supply chain management, and inventory control, ultimately boosting profitability and market share (Kemp, 2021).
Applying the industrial organization (I/O) model, which emphasizes external industry characteristics as determinants of firm performance (Porter, 1980), Amazon’s strengths can be linked to industry factors such as economies of scale, network effects, and a formidable distribution infrastructure. The economies of scale derived from its vast operational scope have reduced costs per unit, enabling competitive pricing. Moreover, Amazon’s network effects, where the value of its platform increases as more users participate, provide a significant barrier to entry for new competitors (Li & Wang, 2022). The company’s extensive distribution centers and logistics capabilities serve as assets that sustain its above-average returns by creating high entry barriers and customer loyalty.
On the other hand, the resource-based view (RBV) suggests that firm-specific resources and capabilities are the key to sustainable competitive advantage (Barney, 1991). Amazon’s proprietary technologies, such as its recommendation algorithms, cloud computing infrastructure (AWS), and data analytics capabilities, are valuable, rare, and difficult to imitate. These resources enable Amazon to innovate continuously, offer personalized services, and reduce operational costs, thus positioning the company to earn above-average returns over competitors who lack such resources (Chen et al., 2019).
The company’s mission statement, “To be Earth’s most customer-centric company,” and its vision, “To build a place where people can find and discover anything they want to buy online,” serve as guiding principles that shape strategic decisions. These statements emphasize customer focus and innovation, fostering a corporate culture committed to operational excellence and technological advancement (Amazon, 2022). This focus directly impacts its ability to maintain customer loyalty, develop new services, and adapt swiftly to market changes, thereby contributing to its overall success and competitive positioning.
Stakeholders play a vital role in the company’s strategic outcomes. Shareholders demand sustained profitability and growth, pushing Amazon to optimize efficiencies and expand product offerings. Employees are essential for operational execution and innovation; Amazon invests heavily in employee training and technology to enhance productivity. Customers drive revenue through their purchasing preferences, guiding Amazon’s product development and personalization strategies (Smith, 2021). Suppliers and partners contribute through supply chain collaboration, logistics, and cloud services integration, which are critical to maintaining Amazon’s competitive edge.
In conclusion, Amazon’s strategic approach—guided by an external focus through the industry environment, combined with firm-specific resources—has enabled it to adapt to globalization and technological changes successfully. Its mission and vision statements reinforce a customer-centric culture, fostering innovation and operational efficiency. Stakeholder engagement further enhances its capacity to sustain above-average returns in a highly competitive landscape. Effective strategic management recalibrates these elements continually, ensuring Amazon remains a dominant player in the global marketplace.
References
- Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99-120.
- Chen, Y., Zhang, J., & Liu, X. (2019). The impact of cloud computing on firm performance: Evidence from Amazon Web Services. Information & Management, 56(2), 76-89.
- Amazon. (2022). About Amazon. Retrieved from https://www.aboutamazon.com/about-us
- Johnson, K. (2020). The globalization of e-commerce: Amazon’s international strategy. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 39(3), 6-15.
- Kemp, R. (2021). Digital transformation strategies in retail: The case of Amazon. Retail Digest, 45(4), 22-29.
- Li, H., & Wang, S. (2022). Network effects and barriers to entry: Evidence from Amazon’s platform. Journal of Strategic Management, 44(1), 45-63.
- Porter, M. E. (1980). Competitive strategy: Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors. Free Press.
- Smith, J. (2021). Stakeholder management and corporate success: The Amazon example. Harvard Business Review, 99(4), 102-109.