Assignment 620 week 8 final

Week 8 – Strategic Plan (Full, including sections from Part 1)

Course Objective: Develop the skills to assess the success of the plan. • Evaluate strategic initiatives to leverage opportunities and mitigate threats to small businesses. • Demonstrate how to build a competitive advantage through functional level strategy Prompt: Prepare a strategic plan based on the organization you selected in Week 1, that contains the following sections (several of which have already been covered in the Week 4 Mid-Term Essay): • Executive Summary • Company Overview • Company History • Vision & Mission Statements • Management Team (roles & responsibilities) • Products and/or Services • SWOT Analysis o Recommended action resulting from SWOT Analysis • Competition • Operations • Financial Outlook (financial predictors) • Strategies • Conclusion Instructions: • Do not submit this assignment until after you have received feedback for Part 1 of the Strategic Plan from Week 4, in case any modifications are needed for the sections that are included within Part 1. • Paper must be written in 7th Edition APA format using headers, headings, in-text references, reference page, 1′ margins (use provided template) • Make sure you use adequate, credible and reliable APA source citations to support your work. • This strategic plan will incorporate what you have learned over the past 7 weeks. It is the full version that includes all sections, including those you previously completed for Part 1 in Week 4. You can modify the content of the sections you previously completed for Part 1 based on any feedback you may have received for that assignment, as well as any additional insight you may have gained since that assignment. • This is to be a practical paper, so the focus should not be on theoretical aspects, but rather on aspects that are specific to your chosen company. • You may review the sample strategic plans shared in the resource section and use them as a guide in developing your strategic plan. Submittals of assignments/papers to previous courses are not accepted. • Review the example listed below prior to submittal. DO NOT SIMPLY COPY AND PASTE MATERIAL FROM THE COMPANY WEBSITE. Important Notes: • You must include a minimum of 10 sources and at least 5 must be from a peer-reviewed source (library/journal articles) • Your paper should be in essay format, not bulleted format. • Minimum 12 full pages of content (Word Document only no PDFs accepted) of strategic material (does not include cover page, executive summary nor reference pages); DO NOT GO OVER 14 pages of actual CONTENT (max content). • All charts, graphs and pictures are to go in appendix (not a substitute for content).

FEEDBACK FROM STRATEGIC PLAN1 Overall feedback (second submission) I appreciate your effort to revise and resubmit the Amazon strategic plan. However, the second submission did not substantially address the main concerns identified in the first evaluation. The research base, SWOT analysis, leadership discussion, and recommendations remained underdeveloped, and the revised paper exceeded the assigned page range. Because the revision did not demonstrate sufficient improvement and resulted in a lower calculated score, the original grade of 77.75/100 will remain. Moving forward, focus revisions on the specific feedback provided rather than adding length: strengthen the sources, correct factual issues, develop the SWOT analysis, and connect two or three prioritized recommendations directly to the findings.

You provide a broad overview of Amazon’s business model, including e-commerce, AWS, digital media, logistics, advertising, and artificial intelligence. This diversification is strategically important because it allows Amazon to reduce dependence on a single revenue source and use capabilities developed in one business area to support others. Your recognition of AWS, logistics technology, and customer centricity as important drivers of Amazon’s competitive position provides a useful foundation for the analysis. You also identify several relevant external issues, including competition, regulatory pressure, cybersecurity threats, supply-chain disruption, and growth opportunities in AI and healthcare. These factors are appropriate for Amazon, but the analysis needs to explain which issues matter most and why. At the MBA level, a SWOT analysis should prioritize factors and connect them directly to strategic decisions. The recommendations section includes reasonable ideas, such as investing in AI, cloud computing, logistics automation, employee engagement, cybersecurity, and sustainability. However, too many initiatives are presented without identifying priorities, implementation responsibility, required resources, risks, or performance measures. Select two or three actions that directly respond to the most important SWOT findings. For example, Amazon could use AWS and AI capabilities to improve logistics efficiency while measuring fulfillment cost, delivery time, employee safety, and inventory accuracy. Research support also needs improvement. The paper includes only two references, and the Camarotto source cited in the executive summary and operations section is not listed on the reference page. Add reliable company filings, industry research, and peer-reviewed sources that support claims about AWS, competition, financial performance, labor conditions, regulation, and sustainabilit

MY WEEK 3 DISCUSSION Week 3 External and Internal Environments

             The evaluations of Amazon using Porter's Five Forces by ChatGPT and Gemini were extremely similar. Both analyses singled out Amazon's vast logistics system, its brand recognition, advanced technological skills, and diversified business model as key competitive advantages. ChatGPT highlighted the significance of economies of scale, the practice of building brand loyalty via Amazon Prime, and the role played by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in helping the company stay competitive. Amazon was also lauded for its fulfillment services, use of data for decision making, and ongoing innovation, but there was mention it still has some regulatory and competitive challenges ahead. The tools were different in focus, but they all came to the same conclusions about the competitiveness of Amazon.
          According to the finalized Five Forces analysis, the bargaining power of suppliers is low as Amazon has a large supplier base all over the world, thus giving lesser influence on individual suppliers. Suppliers that sell proprietary technologies or very differentiated products, however, have moderate bargaining power. Customer power is moderate, as there is high switching cost and customers can easily compare prices and switch to other retailers. Amazon has low threats from new entrants because it would take a substantial amount of investment, logistics, tech skills, and brand awareness to match Amazon's scale of operation. Substitute products and services are moderate as customers can buy similar products from traditional stores, brands, or other online platforms.
       The overall competitive rivalry is high due to these four. Amazon is constantly battling with other companies like Walmart, Target, Alibaba, Microsoft, and other tech companies who all vie for the same resources, namely price, innovation, convenience and customer experience. Amazon must keep investing in AI, efficiency, and service innovation, and navigating evolving regulations and consumer expectations, as it strives to stay competitive in the market.

MY WEEK 5 DICUSSION
Ansoff Matrix The Porter’s 5 Forces and Ansoff Matrix together, provides a picture of both threats of the competition and opportunities for growth. I analysed the results of both ChatGPTand Gemini and compared with the results of Amazon. ChatGPTidentified Amazon’s competitive advantage as customer innovation, logistics, cloud computing and AI. Trading in international markets, AI-driven personalization, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), digital entertainment, and health-related ventures were also noted as key areas of growth for Amazon in the future by Gemini. Both tools agreed innovation, market expansion and diversification are key to Amazon’s continuing expansion. The finalised Ansoff Matrix is shown below: Market Penetration: increase Prime membership, product recommendations due to AI, and loyalty programs to increase Prime sales. Market Development: Grow ecommerce and AWS into new international markets, adjust products/services to local tastes. Product Development: Develop more AI-powered shopping assistants, smart devices, and logistics technologies that provide greater customer convenience and operational efficiency. Diversification: Further build out in the healthcare, fintech, autonomous delivery and digital entertainment sectors forfurther revenue opportunities. Amazon can apply the Ansoff Matrix and Porter’s 5 Forces to see what growth areas exist as well as to react to the competitive pressure. By diversifying the enterprise, it increases the organizational’s resilience, as the organization is no longer dependent on a single market; it also contributes to the competitiveness of the enterprise in the long run (Hlushko et al., 2026). Additionally, the constant evolution of digital platforms is contributing to Amazon’s effectiveness and sustainable growth (Matsepe et al., 2025). In addition to the advantages for the company, AI-powered personalization can also enhance customer satisfaction and enhance buying options, which can also help strengthen Amazon’s development strategy (Nagy & Hajdú, 2021). References Hlushko, O., Bai, S., & Drozdova, Y. (2026). EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ENTERPRISE DIVERSIFICATION PROCESS MANAGEMENT. Financial and credit activity problems of theory and practice. Matsepe, N., Moodley, F., & Ferreira-Schenk, S. (2025). The Impact of Emerging E-Commerce Platforms on Amazon’s Stock Price Performance. Acta UniversitatisDanubius. Œconomica, 21(6), 50-72. Nagy, S., & Hajdú, N. (2021). Consumer acceptance of the use of artificial intelligence in online shopping: Evidence from Hungary. Amfiteatru Economic, 23(56), 155-173.

MY WEEK 6 corporate culture, Internal Culture Amazon’s internal culture has a profound impact on decision-making, resource allocation, and the implementation of strategic projects. The company culture at Amazon directly shapes the decision-making process, resource distribution and execution of strategic projects. Focusing on the customer is a central component of Amazon’s culture, and the company requires its leaders to consider how their investments and strategies will impact the customer. This culture is conducive to data-driven decision making because managers are expected to make decisions based on measurable results, customer feedback, and operational information on where to focus resources. As Daft (1978) points out, organizational systems can have a significant impact on decisions about how resources are allocated, and this is why the culture and processes of Amazon are significant to the strategic outcomes. Amazon’s culture also helps them execute in a strategic way, as it encourages them to be innovative, experiment, and think long-term. Amazon’s investments in cloud computing, AI, logistics, and digital services underlines its considerable focus on projects that could give it an edge in competition. It has a willingness to experiment, which enables the company to create new products and services as well as adapt to new customer demands. In a similar vein, Salvador et al. (2025) highlight the necessity of comprehensive management strategies in tackling multifaceted challenges, including strategic and environmental issues. However, Amazon’s culture can also create challenges. Expectations and efficiency can lead to employee pressure and resistance to initiatives that call for a slow ramp up to experimentation. Moreover, centralization can also lead to resource allocation choices being made in favor of high-value strategic initiatives instead of smaller opportunities. So, Amazon’s culture is a competitive advantage and a potential constraint for implementing strategy. References

Daft, R. L. (1978). System influence on organizational decision making: The case of resource allocation. Academy of Management Journal, 21(1), 6.

Salvador, E. J., Filho, F. D. S. P., Braga, I. L., & Arenas, M. V. D. S. (2025). Socio-environmental management tool in the Western Amazon: Focus on the multifaceted tool. Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental, 19(6), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.24857/rgsa.v19n6-099

FEEDBACK WEEK 6, I appreciated the way you treated Amazon’s culture as both a strategic advantage and a potential constraint rather than assuming that a successful company must automatically have a culture that supports every strategic objective. The biggest opportunity to strengthen your analysis is to use more Amazon-specific evidence to show exactly how particular cultural practices influence resource-allocation decisions and the formulation and execution of strategic initiatives. To begin, you identify customer focus, data-driven decision-making, experimentation, efficiency, and long-term thinking as important elements of Amazon’s culture and connect several of them to managerial decisions. Your discussion of investments in cloud computing, AI, logistics, and digital services gives some direction to the resource-allocation analysis, and you appropriately recognize that performance expectations and centralization can create implementation challenges. The analysis would be stronger, however, if you demonstrated these connections through specific Amazon decisions or initiatives. Daft provides a useful general foundation for understanding resource allocation, but it does not establish that the Amazon practices you describe actually occur in the way presented, and the Salvador et al. source has a less direct connection to your Amazon culture analysis. More specifically, your strongest strategic insight is the trade-off you identify between Amazon’s culture of efficiency and experimentation. A culture that rewards measurable results, rapid execution, and ambitious innovation can direct resources toward opportunities with significant competitive potential, but those same expectations can create employee pressure and make initiatives requiring patience or a slower learning process more difficult to sustain. That begins to move beyond describing Amazon’s culture toward explaining its strategic consequences. A useful next step would be to examine whether different parts of Amazon require different cultural balances—for example, whether the operating discipline needed in fulfillment should be managed differently from the experimentation required in AI or new digital businesses. In addition, your two replies meaningfully engage with your classmates’ arguments. In your response to Dudley, you extend the Apple discussion by examining the trade-off between perfectionism and responsiveness and connecting a concentrated product portfolio to resource allocation. Your response to Garret adds another useful managerial dimension by explaining how franchise owners and corporate leaders may view investments in training and technology differently. Both replies move beyond simple agreement, although you could make the engagement even stronger by ending with a question or alternative leadership decision that encourages your classmate to take the analysis another step. From a strategic leadership perspective, one area worth thinking about is whether Amazon’s culture should be viewed as a single organizational capability or as a collection of cultural practices that create different results across businesses. Through the resource-based view, a culture of customer focus, experimentation, and disciplined execution may contribute to valuable organizational capabilities, but only when those behaviors match the strategic requirements of the business involved. Leadership therefore has to determine which cultural characteristics should remain consistent across Amazon and which practices may need to adapt so that efficiency does not suppress innovation or long-term capability development. Overall, your recognition that culture influences where leaders place attention and resources gives the discussion a useful strategic foundation. As you continue developing this kind of analysis, connect cultural characteristics to observable managerial choices and then evaluate the resulting performance consequences. For Amazon, leadership might monitor innovation or idea implementation rates, employee retention, and strategic initiative milestones to determine whether the organization is maintaining the balance between execution pressure, experimentation, and long-term growth.