Amazon Analysis

Amazon.com, Inc.: a case study analysis

Reid M. Berryman

reid.m.berryman@wmich.edu

School of Communication

Western Michigan University

ABSTRACT: This paper is a case study analysis of Amazon.com, Inc. (Amazon). In this paper, I look at the business strategy of

Amazon. Special attention is given to five parts, including a historical overview, organizational structure, business operations,

financial performance, and the future outlook of Amazon. The historical overview chronologically describes landmark events of

Amazons beginnings to their current position today. The companies departmental structure is categorized and briefly commented

on in section two. An analysis is provided for Amazons operations with a breakdown of major products and services offered. A

comprehensive financial analysis of Amazon follows (section four) with matching insight that links performance to events and

business strategies. The future outlook of Amazon is discussed last, offering a topical overview of where Amazons business

interest is shifting.

KEYWORDS: Cloud computing, Computational advertising, E-book readers, Electronic commerce, Multimedia content

creation, Multimedia streaming, Personalization, Recommender systems, Tablet computers, Web services.

th

ITERA

 2014,

 The

 12

 Annual

 Conference

 on

 Telecommunications

 and

 Information

 Technology,

 4

 April

 -­‐6

 April

 2014,

 Louisville,

 Kentucky.

I. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

In the early 1990’s, the dot-com boom drastically changed the landscape of communications, business and culture with no signs

of regression. For new businesses, effective innovation offered great potential through the World Wide Web. Growing popularity

of Internet access...