Value Chain Analysis Of Amazon com Inc

Posted by Taylor Byrne on Sep-23-2018

1.1 Advantages of conducting Value Chain Analysis of Amazon com Inc

Value Chain Analysis of Amazon com Inc can offer various advantages:

1.1.1 Identify competitive advantage sources

By conducting the Value Chain Analysis of Amazon com Inc during the planning process, possible
sources of competitive advantage can be identified. The firm/company is a collection of different
activities that share relatedness to some extent. Amazon com Inc cannot trade all activities in the
external market. The Value Chain approach suggests that a company can consider these activities as
economic rent sources. These activities can also act as barriers to new entrants or cause cost
disadvantages to competitors.

1.1.2 Identify complex inter-relationships and interdependencies

Amazon com Inc can identify various internal and external linkages among activities through the
value chain lens. The internal linkages are- interrelationships between activities within same
organisational units and external linkages are between business units of same or different firms.
Studying these interrelationships can help a company take benefit from coordination and joint
optimisation.

1.1.3 Improved flow of materials, information and finances

The use of Value Chain Analysis can optimise the finances, products and information flow.

 The improved information flow can help the company identify and exploit new opportunities
and reduce external threats. The continuous Value Chain evaluation can result in timely
filling important gaps that may affect a firm's productivity.

 The effective implementation of the Value Chain Analysis of Amazon com Inc can improve
the material and product flow due to improved demand and sales forecasting. The inventory
management also improves as Amazon com Inc can minimise the delays by tracking activities
throughout the supply chain.

 Modern customers place high importance to the quick response and convenient access to
the important product related information. The unexpected interruption in the information
flow can affect the customer-supplier relationship. Amazon com Inc Value Chain Analysis and
its implementation can highlight and remove the bottlenecks to the information flow.

1.1.4 Formulate effective firm-specific strategies

Amazon com Inc Value Chain Analysis can be used in the competitive strategic decision-making
process. However, choosing the right competitive strategy (cost leadership, differentiation or focus)
requires knowledge of own and rivals’ cost structure.

1.2 Challenges associated with Value Chain Analysis of Amazon com Inc

 The company may lose its vision and overall strategy by dividing operations into different
activities.

This study source was downloaded by 100000840842249 from CourseHero.com on 04-18-2022 18:41:06 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/74593728/Value-chain-ans-Amazondocx/
  Dividing the operations into primary and support activities may not be separable due to
increased complexity.

 The division process can be time consuming and finding the required information can also be
difficult.

 Effective value chain implementation does not only require familiarity but detailed expertise.

 Amazon com Inc may find it difficult to get required information if its Business Information
System is not structured accordingly.

2. Porter’s Value Chain Analysis of Amazon com Inc

Porter's value chain model is highly popular in the business world. However, Amazon com Inc must
not take it as a rigid, standalone framework by assigning the equal importance to all activities. The
effective Value Chain Analysis requires Amazon com Inc to realise that all activities or functions do
not require same scrutiny level. Hence, the first step of adapting the Porter Value Chain framework is
to identify the importance of activities according to their role in product/service delivery process.

Here is the list of primary value chain activities as proposed by Porter:

2.1 Primary Activities

The primary value chain activities of Amazon com Inc are directly involved in producing and selling
the product to targeted customers. Analysis of primary value chain activities can improve the
performance of Amazon com Inc as explained below.

2.1.1 Inbound Logistics

It is important to develop strong relationships with suppliers as their support is necessary to receive,
store and distribute the product. Without analysing the in-bound logistics, Amazon com Inc can face
various challenges in product development phases. Analysis of in-bound logistics requires a company
to focus on every aspect of transformation from raw material to finished product. Some examples of
inbound logistics are retrieving raw material, storing the inputs and internally distributing the raw
material and components to start production.

2.1.2 Operations

The importance of analysing operational activities raises when raw material arrives, and Amazon com
Inc is ready to process the raw material into the end product and launch it in the market. Some
examples of operational activities are machining, packing, assembling and testing. Equipment repair
and maintenance also falls into this category.

It includes both- manufacturing and service operations. Analysis of operational activities is important
for improving productivity, maximising the efficiency and ensuring the competitive success of
Amazon com Inc. The increased productivity can help Amazon com Inc to achieve consistent
economic growth, increase profitability and set a powerful basis for competitive advantage.

2.1.3 Outbound Logistics

Outbound logistics include the activities that deliver the product to the customer by passing through
different intermediaries. Some outbound logistics activities are material handling, warehousing,
scheduling, order processing, transporting and delivering to the destination. Amazon com Inc can

This study source was downloaded by 100000840842249 from CourseHero.com on 04-18-2022 18:41:06 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/74593728/Value-chain-ans-Amazondocx/
 analyse and optimise the outbound logistics to explore competitive advantage sources and achieve
its business growth objectives. great

Because, when outbound activities are timely managed with optimal costs and product delivery
processes put a minimum negative effect on the quality, it maximises the customer satisfaction and
increases growth opportunities for the firm. Amazon com Inc should pay specific importance to its
outbound value chain activities when its offered products are perishable and require quick delivery
to the end customer.

2.1.4 Marketing and Sales

At this stage, Amazon com Inc will highlight the benefits and differentiation points of offered
products to persuade the customers that its offering is better than competitors. Only producing a
high quality product at affordable costs and distinctive features cannot create value until Amazon
com Inc invests on the marketing and sales activities. The sales agents and marketers play an
important role here.

Some examples of Amazon com Inc's marketing and sales activities are- sales force, advertising,
promotional activities, pricing, channel selection, quoting and building relations with channel
members. The company can use the marketing funnel approach to structure its marketing and sales
activities. The marketing strategies can either be push or pull in nature, depending on the Amazon
com Inc’s business objectives, brand image, competitive dynamics and current standing in the
market.

Effective and wisely integrated marketing activities can develop the brand equity of Amazon com Inc
and help it stand out from the competition. However, Amazon com Inc must avoid making false
commitments about product features that cannot be fulfilled by the production department. It
indicates the need to ensure coordination between different value chain activities.

2.1.5 Services

The pre-sale and post-sale services offered by the Amazon com Inc will play an important role in
developing customer loyalty. The modern customers consider post-sale services as important as
marketing and promotional activities. The power of negative e-WOM due to poor support service
cannot be undermined in the current technologically advanced era. The company must analyse its
support activities to avoid damaging brand reputation, and instead use it as a tool to spread positive
word of mouth due to quick, timely and efficient support services.

2.2 Secondary Activities

The support activities play an important role in coordinating and facilitating the primary value chain
activities. Amazon com Inc can also benefit from analysis of its support activities as explained below.

2.2.1 Firm infrastructure

The firm infrastructure denotes a range of activities, such as- quality management, legal matters
handling, accounting, financing, planning and strategic management. Effective infrastructure
management can allow Amazon com Inc to optimise the value of the whole value chain. Amazon
com Inc can control the infrastructure activities (or commonly called overhead costs) to strengthen
the competitive positioning in the market.

2.2.2 Human resource management

This study source was downloaded by 100000840842249 from CourseHero.com on 04-18-2022 18:41:06 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/74593728/Value-chain-ans-Amazondocx/
 Amazon com Inc can analyse human resource management by evaluating different HR aspects,
including- recruiting, selecting, training, rewarding, performance management and other personnel
management activities. The effective HR management can allow Amazon com Inc to reduce
competitive pressure based on motivation, commitment and skills of its workforce. The company can
also achieve its cost minimisation objectives by analysing hiring and training costs with their relative
return. The heavy dependence of Amazon com Inc on employees' talent will increase the importance
of this value chain support activity.

2.2.3 Technology development

In a modern, technological advanced era, almost all value chain activities depend on technological
support. The technological integration in production, distribution, marketing and human resource
activities requires Amazon com Inc to realise the importance of technology development. It can be
divided into product and process technological development activities. Some examples are-
automation software, technology-supported customer service, product design research and data
analytics. The research and development department of Amazon com Inc is classified in this category.

2.2.4 Procurement

The procurement in value chain denotes the processes involved in purchasing the inputs that may
range from equipment, machinery, raw material, supplies, raw material and other items necessary
for producing the finished product. Due to its linkage with multiple value chain activities, Amazon
com Inc should carefully consider its procurement activities to optimise the inbound, operational and
outbound value chain.

As mentioned above, the application of Porter Value Chain model depends on understanding the
importance of all activities. After understanding the relative importance of identified value chain
activities, Amazon com Inc should highlight areas where value can be added, cost efficiency can be
achieved, differentiation basis can be set, or processes can be optimised.

3. Competitive Advantages through Value Chain Analysis of Amazon com Inc

It is important for Amazon com Inc to base its competitive advantage on activities in which it has
access to the rare or scare resources. It may include- intellectual capital, assets, skills or distribution
network. The Value Chain Analysis can help Amazon com Inc identify those activities and develop
those areas to get a strong competitive edge over rivals. There are many examples (like Toshiba and
Sharp) that consider Value Chain Analysis as a tool to get a competitive advantage and invest heavily
in research and development activities within their value chain network. Porter’s generic strategies
for achieving the competitive advantage and value chain model can be used together to set strong
competitive advantage basis.

Following diagram shows Porter's competitive advantage model:

The analysis of the value chain activities can be done to understand the competitive advantage
sources. Amazon com Inc can either use the operations, marketing and other relevant value chain
activities to avail the cost advantages or it can use the human resource, technology, infrastructure,
service or other relevant activities to set the strong differentiation basis. Broadly, the competitive
advantage sources can be grouped into two types- cost and differentiation. Amazon com Inc can
obtain a competitive advantage from one or both sources, depending on the depth and breadth of
its Value Chain Analysis. Next parts of the article present in detail how Amazon com Inc can configure
primary and/or secondary value chain activities to achieve the desired cost and differentiation
objectives.

This study source was downloaded by 100000840842249 from CourseHero.com on 04-18-2022 18:41:06 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/74593728/Value-chain-ans-Amazondocx/
 4. Cost Advantage of Amazon com Inc

4.1 Cost advantage through Value Chain Analysis of Amazon com Inc

Amazon com Inc can avail the cost advantages by reducing the costs associated with the value chain
activities. However, it requires the company to firstly map the activities and then associate costs to
make necessary adjustments. The connection between the value chain and cost leadership strategy
reflects a parallel focus on the low cost operational activities. If Amazon com Inc aims to obtain cost
advantage, it needs to identify each element within the value chain can be optimised to get the
whole effect

 A Value Chain Analysis Example for Amazon com Inc is that it can use the analysis as a tool to
negotiate the best prices and maximise the in-bound and out-bound transportation
processes.

 Another Value Chain Analysis Example is using the value chain information to make modest
advertising budget that can reduce marketing costs and offer the product at an affordable
cost.

If Amazon com Inc aims for the low-cost, the Value Chain Analysis can optimise the profitability. If
product differentiation is the aim of Amazon com Inc, Value Chain Analysis will help the company in
maximising the efficiency and enhancing the product quality by improving processes.

4.2 Cost drivers of Amazon com Inc Value Chain Analysis

Amazon com Inc can control following drivers to add value, set differentiation basis and enhance
efficiency.

 Organisational policies

 Integration

 Timing

 Economies of scale

 Linkages

 Interrelationships

 Capacity utilisation

 Learning and Spillover

However, it is important to note that costs can be reduced only to some extent. Amazon com Inc
Value Chain Analysis must also consider the customers’ perceived value that may justify the higher
price charged by the company compared to competitors.

5. Company Differentiation Advantage

Amazon com Inc can obtain the differentiation advantage by analysing different value chain activities.
For instance, a company can procure the unique and valuable inputs that are not easily available to
competitors. Amazon com Inc can either reconfigure the whole value chain or change individual
entities to set the differentiation basis. The cost drivers (such as timing, interrelationships, linkages,
scaling and integration) can also be altered to develop uniqueness.

This study source was downloaded by 100000840842249 from CourseHero.com on 04-18-2022 18:41:06 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/74593728/Value-chain-ans-Amazondocx/
 Some examples of differentiation through analysis of value chain are:

 Forward integration or backward integration to exercise better control over inputs

 Utilisation of new channels of distribution

 Implementation of innovative process technologies.

5.1 Differentiation through primary value chain activities

Amazon com Inc can individually analyse the primary activities from all aspects and create
differentiation basis by identifying the following sources:

 Inbound logistics: possible differentiation basis for Amazon com Inc are:

 Procure high quality inputs to offer high quality finished product

 Effective incoming input handling to reduce damage

 Operations: possible differentiation basis for Amazon com Inc are:

 Flexible manufacturing system

 Wide product range

 Improved product appearance

 Prevention of product pre-mature failure

 Quick response to unique specifications

 Improved customer satisfaction through lower defect rate

 Improved product performance due to conformance to technical specifications

 Outbound logistics: possible differentiation basis for Amazon com Inc are:

 Effective handling and better shipping to reduce product damage

 Timely product delivery

 Flexible delivery capabilities

 Effective order processing procedure

 Marketing and sales: possible differentiation basis for Amazon com Inc are:

 Improved relationships with suppliers and customers

 Enhanced communication with customers by offering high quality information.

 Brand awareness, reputation and image development due to extensive and effective
advertising.

 Effective coordination among product, research and marketing departments.

 Wider sales force coverage.

 Services: possible differentiation basis for Amazon com Inc are:

 Superior service quality

This study source was downloaded by 100000840842249 from CourseHero.com on 04-18-2022 18:41:06 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/74593728/Value-chain-ans-Amazondocx/
  High quality technical assistance

 Reliable and quick repair/maintenance service

5.2 Differentiation through secondary value chain activities

Amazon com Inc can also analyse the secondary value chain activities to set differentiation basis:

 Firm Infrastructure: Amazon com Inc can set differentiation basis through:

 Extensive database development for effective marketing

 Advanced information system to get deeper customer insights.

 Human Resource Management- Amazon com Inc can set differentiation basis through:

 Attractive rewards to encourage creativity and maximise productivity

 Personnel training for effective interaction and superior customer service

 Technological development- Amazon com Inc can set differentiation basis through:

 Quick new product development

 Innovation integration in product designing

 Innovative product features with patented technology

 Procurement- Amazon com Inc can set differentiation basis through:

 Reliable transportation to ensure quick delivery

 Procure high quality raw material and replacement parts.

6. Value Chain Analysis Example

Value Chain Analysis of the Amazon com Inc can be better understood with the help of some
examples.

 By using Value Chain Analysis, Amazon com Inc can select and source premium quality raw
material and develop customer loyalty on the basis of it. It can also use Value Chain Analysis
to develop brand identity.

 Starbucks provides a good Value Chain Analysis Example. The organisation created a
strong brand identity and set a strong competitive advantage basis through
aggressive marketing and strengthening coordination between marketing and
product development department.

 Amazon com Inc can also achieve competitive differentiation by speeding up the delivery of
offered products to the final customers.

 Pizza Hut provides another successful Value Chain Analysis Example where
organisation outpaced competitors by re-configuring value chain activities to ensure
quick delivery.

 The Value Chain Analysis can also be used by Amazon com Inc to improve its human resource
practices.

This study source was downloaded by 100000840842249 from CourseHero.com on 04-18-2022 18:41:06 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/74593728/Value-chain-ans-Amazondocx/
  FedEx is a good Value Chain Analysis Example to understand how Amazon com Inc
can achieve competitive advantage through analysis of its human resource activities.

 FedEx emphasised over its value chain support activities, invested heavily on
employee development, took excellent human resource initiatives and made visible
infrastructure improvements, resulting into visible increase in brand loyalty and
market share.

 Amazon com Inc can analyse value chain activities to reduce the costs, find better deals with
suppliers and offer high quality products at affordable prices.

 A relevant Value Chain Analysis Example is provided by Walmart that continuously

analyses its value chain activities to remain innovative, minimise operational costs
and offer low-cost yet reliable services.

 Amazon com Inc can analyse the support value chain activities to offer superior customer
support. It can also analyse the operational activities to expand the presence in
geographically dispersed areas.

 It can be understood with the help of another Value Chain Analysis Example.
Starbucks places high importance to analysing value chain activities and has
successfully opened direct stores in more than 50 countries.

 Amazon com Inc can also use the Value Chain Analysis as a tool to do backward integration.
It can be done by merging or purchasing the suppliers to ensure timely raw material
availability.

 Apple provides a relevant Value Chain Analysis Example in this regard. The company
is known for its efficient value chain and successfully controls the product and parts.

 The Value Chain Analysis can also be done by Amazon com Inc to maximise the operational
efficiency, reduce waste and integrate sustainability in business operations.

 Intel is a good Value Chain Analysis Example that has reduced the waste and negative
impact on the environment by analysing its value chain operational activities. The
company has received appreciation for its waste reduction efforts.

 Amazon com Inc can learn from value chain practices of Dow AgroSciences. Dow has used
Value Chain Analysis to explore the unique marketing opportunities and extracted value from
generic commodity market. The company has also used Value Chain to manage the risks at
different product lifecycle phases.

The above-stated examples show how Amazon com Inc can benefit from conducting a detailed Value
Chain Analysis. However, it is also important to note that the Porter Value Chain model application
depends on the unique contextual variables that must be considered when assigning the weightage
to primary and secondary value chain activities.

This study source was downloaded by 100000840842249 from CourseHero.com on 04-18-2022 18:41:06 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/74593728/Value-chain-ans-Amazondocx/
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)