Hybrid Theory

Xzaiver Jordan

Dr. Etido Akpan

The Business Enterprise – BUS 508

4-24-2011

Discuss the pros and cons of Amazon’s growth and diversification of business and specialization, and make recommendations about what Amazon could have done differently.

Several pros and cons come to mind when thinking of the development and expansion of Amazon. I first look at branding in most cases companies who do a little bit of everything don’t differentiate themselves from the competition enough to succeed. However in the case of Amazon and their E-commerce style of business it seems to be a good thing. Amazon started as a retail book company and is now one of the largest internet based business in the world, so it’s likely that someone a little smarter than myself found there to a market not only for book buyers, but internet shopper in general. The pro here is obviously that it worked like a charm, and continues to grow more and more on a regular base.

“The web is the ultimate customer empowering environment. He or She who clicks the mouse gets to decide everything. It is so easy to go elsewhere; all the competitors in the world are but a mouse click away.” Jacob Nielsen, Mr. Nielsen sums up the one the largest pros for Amazon which is accessibility. Anyone anywhere in the world is able to access and make purchases from a well know business with quality products and lower prices on all types of items.

The only con to the growth and diversification with the company is missing out on the customers who only want to buy computers from an electronic store, toys from a toy store, or books from a book store. It’s funny the way people think sometimes, in the minds of many a power tool being purchased at a book store is off setting. Even with this being the case the amount of customers who grasp the Wal-Mart ideology of all things to all people love that they can purchase just about any item needed at one central location.

Amazon could have chosen to separate each...