Running Head: BUSINESS
Amazon Case Study
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SWOT analysis
Strengths
Distribution systems and superior logistics: Amazon uses extremely efficient distribution
systems and logistics. For distinct delivery time periods, it has even fixed rates. Therefore, it
executes fast, secure, and reliable delivery of products and goods to their clients.
Brand Valuation: Amazon, according to Global Brand Ranking of Interbrands 2019, is
ranked at number third position (after Apple Company at number one and Google company at
number two), with 125 billion dollars of brand value (Ratnasingham, 2006, p.22).
Weakness
Declining safety of consumer: as Amazon is offering increase, though it is becoming the
challenge to vet all products for Amazon and ensure the highest safety level. Recently the
Environmental Protection Agency of US had to order the Amazon Company to remove the broad
range of unsafe and pesticides products on its office platform.
Employee Strike- The labor strikes could grind operations of Amazon to a halt. Amazon
employees, in Germany, went on strike because of unsafe working circumstances and in 6
distribution centers paralyzed operations (Ratnasingham, 2006, p.22).
Opportunities
Electric Rickshaw launch in India- Amazon Company initiates to make a progressive
influence on the climate. Amazon, with this objective in mind, plan to deploy ten thousand
electric rickshaws by 2025, to get delivered in India.
Threats
Exploitative labor links: Amazon is among the 3 retail giants suffering from scrutiny
from State Department of the US for maintaining labor sources and supply chain sources related
to the human rights abuses. It also reveals ecommerce giant to the legal, economic, and
reputational risks (Ratnasingham, 2006, p.22).
Analyzing the data
Problem 1
Electric Vehicles and Solar Power is problem to Amazon Company. Still electric fuelling
stations in many states are in development phase. On daily basis not many places people go
would have “electric fuelling stations” for vehicle, which means that if a person is on long tour
or are going to visit someone in suburban or rural area and he has no charge, it might become
difficult to find any charging station. Amazon electric vehicles are limited by speed and range.
Majority of these vehicles have around 50 to 100 miles range and required being charged again.
Also Amazon’s electric vehicles are not hundred percent emission-free; indirectly they produce
little pollution amount. The electricity and batteries required for charging are not generated
necessarily from sources of renewable energy (Abers, 2017, p.857).
Problem 2
Hundreds of employees of Amazon defied policy of the company to criticize publicly
Amazon for failing to fulfill its “moral duty” in the crisis of climate. At Amazon employees have
criticized increasingly the organisation for its agreements in recent years with large gas and oil
companies. Up to 87000 workers signed a letter to Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon Company,
influencing him to take action on the climate change. It was stated by the employee group of
Amazon that Amazon directly contributes to the change of climate by intensive fossil fuels use
throughout their businesses and moreover pollutes society with their fossil-fuel infrastructure.
Moreover, employee group stated that the crisis of climate is urgent. They stated that “we cannot
stay silent on these corporate policies on such moral weight issues” (Tollefson, 2010, p.54).
Problem 3
Without labor to exert strikes is not good for the employees of Amazon and it will just
demotivate them further. In strike employee advocates slammed history of Amazon of
mistreating allegedly its employees in the United States and also around the world, and it urges
the requirement for more kind working conditions. It was said by one employee that “the
experience of Amazon is horrible. We are like robots, like a machine. This rate keeps growing
and growing and growing”. Experiences are shared by employees like has having their working
and personal lives assessed, demanding schedules of work, and also a competitive culture of
work where workers were motivated to sacrifice themselves- as well as their co-workers- to
progress. Amazon workers were frustrated firm did not react in kind (De Rubens, 2020, p.116).
Identifying Alternative Solutions
Problem 1
100,000 electric delivery vehicles of Amazon require several new charging stations.
Amazon should make it easier for “Americans” to change electric cars if they install such
chargers in suitable places and also open them for semi-public or public use. Amazon by
diversifying their energy portfolio could keep low their business costs and pass along more
savings to their customers. Moreover, Amazon should further move to induct electric vehicles
into delivery fleet, which must include making one million new indirect and direct job positions
and exporting products worth ten million dollars for medium and small manufacturers and
businesses (Abers, 2017, p.857).
Problem 2
Amazon should step up significantly its struggle to decrease its fossil fuels dependence
power its huge operations. Slowness of Amazon Company in switching to the renewable energy
vehicles has been one emphasize of Amazon’s climate critics. Amazon should do more and also
be more urgent. Moreover, Amazon must end all their custom solutions designed specifically for
gas and oil exploration and extraction (Tollefson, 2010, p.55). Switching to the renewable energy
completely is an ambitious vision, specifically for a logistic firm that depends on gas-guzzling
cargo trucks and planes to deliver products to the doors of consumers in 2 days or less.
Moreover, Amazon must stop funding groups, such as “CEI” and politicians who reject the
harmful effects of a warming world (Tollefson, 2010, p.56).
Problem 3
Testing hundreds of employees’ physical boundaries though they were triathletes trained
is completely wrong approach used by Amazon Company. For this duration operating at such
speeds means Amazon requires hiring more employees, under sustainable speeds, which do not
put lives of workers in jeopardy. Amazon Company requires understanding that the workers are
“human beings” and they should not consider them as robots (De Rubens, 2020, p.116).
Recommendations
Short term Recommendations
Amazon should deploy large scale solar systems rooftop at ten of its United Kingdom
fulfillment centres.
Amazon should start taking accountability for unforeseen climate ramifications in
delivering supply chain, which their powerful and influential firm should, delivered onto
market place.
Long Term Recommendations
Amazon should put their inventive culture and working scale on sustainability that is
good for their communities, customers, business, and environment in which they operate.
The Electric vehicle van plan of Amazon should be part of larger vision for firm to reach
the new-zero carbon. Amazon must be doing such type of operation around
decarbonizing shipping.
References
Abers, R.N., Oliveira, M.S.D. and Pereira, A.K., 2017. Inclusive development and the
asymmetric state: big projects and local communities in the Brazilian Amazon. The
Journal of Development Studies, 53(6), pp.857-872.
de Rubens, G.Z., Noel, L., Kester, J. and Sovacool, B.K., 2020. The market case for electric
mobility: Investigating electric vehicle business models for mass adoption. Energy, 194,
p.116841.
Ratnasingham, P., 2006. A SWOT analysis for B2C e-commerce: the case of Amazon.
com. International Journal of Cases on Electronic Commerce (IJCEC), 2(1), pp.1-22.
Tollefson, J., 2010. Drought strikes the Amazon rainforest again. Nature News, 29.