module 2 week 1
1) Juan Algarin
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Effects of the pandemic
Many companies such as Walmart, family dollar, and Publix, responded to the pandemics drastic change in the supply chain by looking at their shelves being empty specifically toilet paper, eggs, and water, and ordering to meet the demand, issue was when things went back to normal the over ordering of certain products no longer met the demand and caused a huge loss for the company. This is called the bullwhip affect. Over ordering just to meet demand then demand drops back to normal and now you're stuck with extra product, most companies tend to do promotion buy one get one half off or get one free to try and mitigate the losses. Walmart rerouted supplies to areas that were extremely affected by the pandemic to assist in meeting the new demand which was more than the supply.
References
Keogh, B. (2022). Supply Chains in 2022.
Segal, E. (2021). How Walmart is responding to the pandemic.
2) Nikolas Key
Good Morning Class,
Although the pandemic isn't the only reason for a personnel shortage in the Air Force, it was a contributing factor with the previous vaccine mandates leading to thousands of service members at risk for involuntary separation. With the shortage of personnel, the Air Force has to get creative in order to continue it's mission with less people. There have been sayings in the past of "doing more with less", but the newest version of this, as of 2021, is the multi-capable Airmen approach ("CSAF Signs", 2021). This new innovative way of dealing with a shortage of personnel is based in the upskilling of Airmen to perform duties outside of their primary career field in an effort of sending less members to forward operating locations and continuing operations on limited airstrips. This is seen mostly in maintenance career fields where maintainers are trained in doing some tasks that are out of their career field scope like a fuels maintainer working on electrical tasks. There is a hesitance to accept this new policy from the enlisted force, but this is an innovative way of dealing with a personnel shortage and maintaining the mission with a smaller workforce (Roza, 2022).
References
CSAF signs agile combat employment doctrine note. Air University (AU). (2021, December 14). Retrieved from
Roza, D. (2022, April 14). Air Force leaders love the phrase 'multi-capable airmen.' here's why airmen hate it. Task & Purpose. Retrieved from
3) Jason Saad posted
Good evening everyone!
Amazon has proven to be one of the most successful companies over the past 15 years. When one looks into what Amazon has truly accomplished, it is amazing with the success they have had. So many people will turn to Amazon now, search for the product with all of the details and the product description. This opens a whole new world for people to stay in the safety of their home, and it took off tremendously when the Covid-19 pandemic took over. Doing a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis on Amazon shows how much of a 'Powerhouse' they really are in so many different types of marketing.
Strength – Amazon has a firm grasp on the market, and there is no sign that they will lose it. They meet all of the consumer demands with timeliness of delivering products and the best prices that a shopper can find.
Weaknesses – Amazon has an easy return policy, which can be negative if people mistreat it. Being flexible with returns is fine, but shipping products for free and receiving returns for free can decrease the income.
Opportunities – Amazon has endless opportunities. With customers around the world, and warehouses/fulfillment centers opening everywhere, the business is only going to expand. Amazon is known for being extremely organized and having everything people need, so this can develop into an even more successful business.
Threats – Cyber threats are always there for anything that occurs over the internet. Hackers can get in and steal sensitive information from consumers, making them weary on continuously utilizing this business.
Thanks for reading and I look forward to the replies.
Jason
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Kenton, Will. (10Aug2022). "SWOT Analysis: How to With Table and Examples." .
4)Alexis West
Hello Class,
The most recent annual report I found for Amazon was for 2021. Intense competition is a threat Amazon is currently facing according to its Annual Report. Some of their competitors have better resources and more customers which is a risk factor for the company. They must be aware of the competition and structure the business to be able to keep up and/or surpass its competitors. Amazon reported the hiring of several different types of employees, this is an opportunity to increase revenue in the long run and get a competitive advantage. “We expect spending in technology and content will increase over time as we add computer scientists, designers, software and hardware engineers, and merchandising employees” (Jassy, 2021). They want to invest in better technology and create a better overall customer experience. Amazon has many strengths, they are a customer driven brand. Dedicated to providing their customers with the best service. They provide convenience by having in person and online shopping options and competitive pricing. Amazon offers a platform for sellers to promote and sell their products to a large customer base. Lastly, Amazon had increases in sales in many different categories. They had an overall 22% increase in sales. These are all indicators of Amazon’s strengths.
Reference
Jassy, A. (2021). Amazon Annual Report. Annual Report. Retrieved Jan 18, 2023, from
– Alexis
