Amtrak Travel Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Amtrak Travel - Scholarship Essay Example Already, I wish to look beyond seeing rugged coastlines, beautiful canyons, and unspoiled forests and majestic mountains. For me, train travel offers priceless social amenities as well, particularly as I travel with fellow Americans who patronize Amtrak for its safe, comfortable and affordable vacation, business or adventure packages. Together, we can experience while on route the freshness, breadth and buoyancy that characterize American lifestyle. Already, I have prepared a travel plan which starts with Amtrak’s historic multi-tour along the east coast strip where America as a country was born, then cut across for a coast-to-coast journey to the west along the footsteps of our early pioneers. Finally, I wish to try Amtrak’s awesome northeast route which will take me at 150 miles per hour bullet speed to the end of my roundabout journey of a lifetime, namely Washington, D.C. the nation’s hub (IndependentTraveler.Com). As a whole, I wish to see myself as having gone through the greatest railway journey I can experience.

Investigating Leadership Development practices in Private Sector in Literature review

Investigating Leadership Development practices in Private Sector in Oman - Literature review Example e changes within the organization, it is important for the leader to first understand the fears of the employees as well as anticipating their questions (MacKenzie, 2013). It is this understanding which will assist in the leader gaining support for a change instead of opposition which might lead to the failure in the structure of the organization. The leader has to realize that organizations that are successful in enforcing change do so through embracing strategic value of communication with employees. The leader should ensure that communication takes place before the change is implemented, during the change process, and after the transition of the organization. Therefore, it is essential that throughout the entire transition process of the organization, to constantly have communication. It has been claimed that in order for a leader to be effective, the first strategy that he should have in mind involves focusing on issues related to the people (Cashman, 1997). In such a scenario, the leader can focus solely on convincing the most talented people within the organization as well as those who hold key positions to accept his vision for the organization’s future. The need to convince such individuals is based on the fact that they are the ones who are most likely to offer resistance in case they are not convinced of the strategies being adopted by the leader. Therefore, continuity should be ensured through an understanding of the business and the leader’s realization that his vision affects the successful future of the organization (Harris & Cole, 2007). If a leader does not put this understanding into consideration when making decisions, he might face a challenge where a pivotal talent does not exist. The presence of communication between the leader and key employees; his ensuring that employees are empowered and the creation of a culture that enables them thrive are an integral part of focus on people during integration. The effective communication from the

Taking Business Abroad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Taking Business Abroad - Essay Example , between 2012 and 2013, seen basically flat sales (221M in 2013 and 222M in 2014), which is a problem for achieving growth for this High Street firm. The company was, however, able to raise its net income from  £3.1 million to  £5.3 million between 2013 and 2014 as a result of reduced selling, general and administrative costs in its operational model (Bloomberg). In 2011 and 2012, the company reported no profitability. Thornton’s, as a High Street company, provides gourmet chocolate products under a premium pricing structure to cater to the higher resource consumer in the United Kingdom. It is positioned in its market against quality, attempting to build a premium brand identity to gain interest from its more affluent target customer segments. The firm’s recent advertising strategies included The Art of the Chocolatier and Chocolate Heaven since 1911 as a means of using traditionalism and quality/sophistication to gain interest in markets that lean toward premium products. Fortunately, Thornton’s does not operate in a highly saturated competitive environment, competing against such brands as Cadbury which are not targeted at the high resource consumer. After 103 years of operations, Thornton’s has managed to create a brand that stands out among lower cost, less quality chocolate products and has a reputation for superiority with many UK consumers. Thornton’s, with flat sales volumes, requires a strategy to achieve growth in a market where consumption levels are not growing sufficiently. In the UK, Thornton’s is in its maturity stage which makes it difficult to achieve revenue growth without altering its existing business model and seeking new markets. This report identifies opportunities for Thornton’s PLC to enter the Chinese market as a means of enhancing sales growth and improving the financial position of the firm. The company’s most significant competitor is Cadbury, a company that produces chocolate products targeted at mass markets, but

Ethics and Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethics and Religion - Essay Example This paper approves that speaking about ethics and religion it is impossible to ignore the notion of theology. Theology itself is a science about spirits and God. Theology analyses all the religious features and makes the interpretation of it into a simpler knowledge, it discusses the main religious issues. One of the main tasks of the theology is to define the difference between the religious traditions of every culture, to point out the main factors which determined the formation of the ethical norms in these cultures, to define the reasons of the difference using the historical background of a nation. Speaking about ethics as about a branch of theology we should pay attention to the fact that theology is strongly connected with the mentality of every nation and with the special features of its religion. Theological history of every religion has a great impact on the way of formation of the ethical norms and categories. It proves that these two sciences are interdependent and influ ence each other. According to Robert Gascoigne â€Å"any discussion of the relationship between religion and ethics has to come to terms with misunderstandings that have developed over the centuries, which Christians themselves are often responsible for because of a fundamentalist use of the Bible or because of other aspects of Christian tradition†. This essay makes a conclusion that it is worth saying that the problem of ethics and religion is impossible to solve and to come to a certain points. The process of interconnection of these two notions is developing.

Children Dealing With Obesity Essay Example for Free

Children Dealing With Obesity Essay Obesity is a sensitive issue for adults’ so one can imagine how a child with obesity is affected mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually; emotionally: children have low self-esteem, mentally: children are stressed, physically: children are overweight, and it affects their well-being altogether. This is why it is so important that mandating that Parent, Teachers, and the community is educated on Childhood Obesity. After closely evaluating the situation and speaking to various parents, physicians, and viewing the actions of the children it has shown that all children are not Obese because of bad parenting. Obesity in children can come from various medical problems in children such as a thyroid issue meaning that his or her metabolism is not functioning correctly, or a pituitary gland issue meaning that he or she is growing too fast. Childhood obesity can also be genetic meaning that the child can be prone to it because of family history; no matter what the issue or problem it is necessary that we as a community be educated and parents should involve themselves in their child’s activities as well. The National Academies (2015) website recommends that the Government, families, industries, communities, and schools should support the children by showing leadership and commitment in evaluating prevention programs, food intake, make the evaluation capacity stronger by having good quality interventions. Schools can begin by monitoring students by placing cameras in the school cafeterias, and also schools and families can monitor the amount of food placed on a child’s plate, making sure that the plates are colorful with adequate fruits, veggies, whole grains, and dairy, caregivers and families should also monitor physical activities and the consumption of water. According to The National Academies (2015), â€Å"There will be a greater likelihood of success when public, private, and voluntary organizations purposefully combine their respective resources, strengths,  and comparative advantages to ensure a coordinated effort over the long term† (Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Do We Measure Up?). In order for this policy to be analyzed, the cameras had to be viewed, attestation, and possibly re-educate everyone. It seems to be working; the children are drinking more water, and eating healthier, and has included more quality physical exercise in his and her program. Parents are asking the right questions and getting more involved as well, parents are spending more and more time with their children as the teachers. Group sessions are working because the child has begun to speak up more, and is smiling and loving themselves more and more each session. Parents and teachers attended workshops to educate them in the maintenance and long-term prevention of obesity. One in five children are overweight, while one-third are obese that is why parents need to learn major factors that stimulate the development of childhood obesity. There should be some sort of consequences given if the stakeholders: being parents, schools and physicians are not willing to cooperate and get involved, possibly higher insurance premium until he or she cooperates, as for the teachers and or schools, begin by minimizing the school funds, because the schools funds are to educate and make sure the child is healthy and safe. In the conclusion the child’s lifestyle, nutrition, and environment needs to change for the better of the child. Parents need to be more educated on the illnesses that can and will develop unless these workshops are attended. It is understandable that organic foods and even most healthy foods and beverages are expensive and are not affordable, but parents can help by baking and not frying, by not supporting fast foods; schools can help by offering fruits instead of chips and junk food, offer milk instead of soda, and both parents and schools she push more water. References The National Academies. (2015). The National Academies Press. Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11722page=70 Shi, L. (2014). Introduction to Health Policy. Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press.

Ethical Issues in Video Games

Ethical Issues in Video Games Are Ethics Important /Relevant in Visual Media? Discuss This essay aims to understand what video games are and which kind of ethical questions they pose from various perspectives and to determine which ethical problems video games pose. These issues will be described using ethical conceptual terms and will be explained using ethical theory to attempt to reach a verdict on the ethical nature of video games. Philosophers and ethicists are interested in the ethical dilemmas in the intersection of arts, culture and technology posed by video games, while game designers might be interested not only in the argument for ethics in games, but also the implementation of ethical discussion that may lead to more mature, challenging products. The term game covers a wide range of different activities and pastimes. Soccer, tennis, monopoly and Grand Theft Auto V (2014) can all be categorised as games, with very different experiences and rules. They do however; hold similar elements that define them as the same class. To understand what exactly games we can refer to Jesper Juulwho states that aÂÂ   game isÂÂ   a rule-based system withÂÂ   a variableÂÂ   andÂÂ   quantifiableÂÂ   outcome, where different outcomes are assigned different values, the player exerts effortÂÂ   inÂÂ   order to influence the out-come, the player feels attached to the outcome, and the consequencesÂÂ   ofÂÂ   theÂÂ   activityÂÂ   areÂÂ   optionalÂÂ   andÂÂ   negotiableÂÂ   (Juul, 2004). Video games are utilized through the use of computer power and the computer controls the rules in which the game is played with the player interacting through the use of a video display Juul merged different approaches and concepts to allow researchers to share their findingsin a common language. Juuls definition outlines the difference between the different levels of functionality and fundamental rules created in most games. (Miguel sicart, 2005)This means that video games can be analysed as self-contained worlds and systems separately and also how they interact with each other. Neither takes into account the player or the intentions the player has while interacting with the game. This separation is important while attempting to gain an ethical understanding of a game because it entrusts the player with moral attributes and gives the ability to the player to create their individual experiences based on their own values and cultural influences. In short, games are made up of a precise set of rules that creates a world that a player experiences. (Zimmerman Salen, 2003). It could also be said thata video game only exists when being interacted with even though it is possible to outline its rules, which are the objective nature and could be treated as a important part of the construction of the players experience. Understanding the ethics involved in video games will require the researcher to determine precisely how a computer game as an object with moral attributes and experiences is created. Aristotles distinction between potential and actuality can be used here. For example, if a player reads a rule book for a game of any type they can have an overall view of what that game consists of. It does not however, give the user a complete overview of the history of chess or many other elements of the game such as the type of player you are in competition against or a view of flaws that may be present in a particular opponents stra tegy. The substance of any type of game is not just its rules but also the practical existence of those rules. To fully understand this relationship we can use a classic distinction of Aristotelian metaphysics that is potentiality and actuality According to Aristotles metaphysics, things present a capability of evolving into a different and more complete state, this can also be referred to as the actuality of that thing. The classic example would be a boy being the potentiality of a man. Aristotle also argues that actuality is prior and has priority over actuality: before defining what the potentiality might be, we have to be aware of its actuality; and it is this actuality which is the reason why the potentiality is not only acquired, but developed. (Stanfordedu, 2016) In regards to video games, just like any other form of games, this means that the rules of a game are only viewed as the potential contained within the game, only by playing the game can we understand the potential places the game can be taken. In a game like Candy Crush (2014), different coloured pieces of candy fall down the screen and need to be matched with the same type candies, the goal is to avoid filling the screen are the conditions for the game that which the players abide by in order to play the game successfully. The rule set contains the ways the game can be played, but only the presence of a player will activate those potentialities and make them become a game (Miguel sicart, 2005)

Case Study of Best Buy

Case Study of Best Buy In 1966 Richard Schultze and James Wheeler saw an opportunity in opening a specialized electronics store in St. Paul, Minnesota. Soon after opening, The Sound of Music became an immediate success in the industry. By the year 1969 the company grew so fast, Schultze decided to publically trade The Sound of Music. Over the next few years, The Sound of Music was able to raise their annual revenues to over $1 million. In 1981, a tornado hit the Roseville, Minnesota store. In order to salvage what they could from the storm wreckage they held a huge storewide sale which was advertised as The Best Buy. The sale was such a huge success that Schultze decided to hold it annually. Sound of Music became widely known for this annual best buy sale, therefore in 1983, the board of directors decided to officially change the name to Best Buy Co., Inc.  [1]   Best Buy went on to become the leading consumer electronics retail store in the Nation. By 2008 they had opened their 1000th store (Lawrence being #837). Due to their success, Best Buy was able to expand their business by building additional stores throughout the nation as well as expanding internationally in countries such as UK, Canada, Mexico and China. Best Buy was able to achieve such growth because of the rapidly growing consumer electronics market. Best Buy was joined in the Industry by competitors such as GameStop, Radio Shack, hhgregg and Conns Inc. (Yahoo financial).  [2]  Other competition includes Wal-Mart, Nebraska Furniture Mart and other big super stores. By being the Industry Pioneer, Best Buy has been able to maintain positive annual revenues as well as a large market share. Business Information Best Buy is one of the International leaders in the sale of electronics. They offer a wide variety of products that are needed as well as wanted in the entertainment industry. Best Buy carries movies, games, music, computer hardware as well as software, and television entertainment equipment. They also provide many home appliances which are sought after by people throughout their market. Best Buy is successful because it provides customers with entertainment as well as equipment and the newest technology as it becomes available in the market. Geographical Reach Best Buy offers its services and products to people not just throughout our country, but in many different countries as well. Their first international venture came in 2001 with the acquisition of Future Shop. Future Shop was the leading consumer electronics retailer in Canada. Since 2001, Best Buy has expanded by establishing stores in Canada as well as the UK, China, Mexico, and they are looking to establish a position in Turkey in the future. Market Performance The market for consumer electronics is a very saturated market. Most of the electronic needs in the industry are spoken for by current businesses, therefore it is very difficult for any new competition to enter into the market and successfully compete. Best Buy has been able to capture a substantial amount of the market for electronics. Between the five main competitors for electronics, Best Buy has a $17.5 billion market capitalization, which is number one out of all 5 electronic specialists. It is hard to quantitatively compare Best Buy to businesses such as Wal-Mart, Target and Nebraska Furniture Mart because these firms sell a variety of other products to different industries. After interviewing Supervisor, Jeremy Brown he discussed the service you will receive when you shop at Best Buy. Best Buy is the place you know you will receive the best service and help from employees in searching for the item you came in to buy.  [3]  Given the data found, Best Buy has been able to pe rform as the market leader in the electronics Industry. Best Buy has the greatest Brand awareness in the Industry. They have very loyal customers because of their Geek Squad business which was opened in 2004. The Geek Squad operates to assist customers in learning how to use the products that they previously purchased from Best Buy, as well as servicing any customers equipment which is in need of repair or replacement. Jeremy Brown said, It benefits Best Buy having a complimenting business like Geek Squad because it allows us to offer the whole solution to the customer. We can repair, protect, as well as install any product the customer would need us to.  [4]  By offering a variety of products and services in the electronic industry, Best Buy can tailor to any needs of the existing market. Financial Performance In the end of the February 2010 fiscal year, Best Buy reported revenues of $49,694 million. This was a 10.3% increase from the previous year. Net profit in 2010 was $1,317 million which was a 31.31% increase from 2009. Best Buy, which is publically traded on the New York stock exchange is currently up 42.59. Best Buys revenue per share is $121.49. According to Yahoo finance the company has a strong balance sheet, with $840 billion in cash and cash equivalents as of the most recent quarter in August 2010, meaning that Best Buy has created a successful trend of positive cash flows.  [5]   Internal Analysis Since Best Buys inception in 1966, the companys top executives have used numerous strategies to keep their earnings increasing at a steady pace. Changing the way that people shop in their stores was a key internal strategy for Best Buy. In 1984, they introduced the superstore format for the first time. This allowed for sales to rise and for them to secure a 42% market share. In 1989, Best Buy introduced its Concept II stores. The new stores had a large warehouse attached to the store so that more inventory could be kept on site and thus help with inventory management. The new stores also had self-help information guides and answer centers for customers seeking personal attention. This move had both positive and negative reactions. The customers liked it so sales rose, but some suppliers thought that the lack of sales representatives would lead to lesser sales. In 1994, the Concept III stores were introduced and they had even more self-help service. Then Hitachi and Kenwood pulled their products from Best Buy stores because they believed that salespeople were key to selling their product. Despite the minor setbacks, revamping the stores to tend to the customers wants was working as sales continued to rise. Concept IV stores launched in 1998 and they implemented digital displays as well as new departments such as home theatre and digital imaging. This new store design was a tremendous success as Best Buy recorded record sales of $224 million in 1998, a 137% increase from the previous year. Then in June, Best Buy changed the way its products were sold again by selling consumer electronics on its website. From expanding to a superstore to selling its products online, Best Buy has tweaked and changed its distribution medium to allow for its profits to keep going up. Probably the largest factor in Best Buys success is its expansion into new markets and offering of new products. The consumer electronic industry is constantly changing as technology improves and new markets are created. Best Buy stores are always stocked with the most up to date products. In 1982, they started selling VCRs and appliances. Then in 2000, Best Buy partnered with Whirlpool to start offering KitchenAid brand appliances. In 2008, they even bought a majority holding in Napster. They were also the first third party retailer to sell Apples iPhone. Now, theyve opened Apple stores inside the Best Buy megastores. In 2006, they tried the digital music market as they launched the Best Buy Digital Music Store and in 2010, they launch their web-based movie service. Best Buy is constantly looking for new markets that they could feasibly dive into and start selling new products.  [6]   Another way Best Buy tailors their stores for the customer is by purchasing another company. Magnolia Hi-Fi, one of Best Buys competitors, was bought by Best Buy in 2000 for $87 million. This allowed for Best Buy to later put Magnolia Home Theatre stores inside of hundreds of Best Buy superstores. As technology increased in the consumer electronics market, there was a growing need for technical support and assistance with different, more complicated electronics. So in 2003, Best Buy acquired Geek Squad in order to better accommodate to the customers needs. Geek Squad gives Best Buy full technical support right there in the store for all of the electronics that they sell. In 2006, Best Buy acquired Pacific Sales Kitchen and Bath, a retailer of high-end home improvement products. So, Best Buy is also looking to move to new markets via an acquisition.  [7]   Best Buy also uses a rewards program to help boost sales. Their rewards program gives the customer a $5 Best Buy gift card for every $100 that he spends at Best Buy. This gives an incentive for customers to spend more money and to buy their electronics at Best Buy since theyre getting 5% of their money spent back. Plus, giving out a free gift card will help boost sales. If someone has a $5 gift card, they are more likely to go and buy something. But there arent many things that cost $5 or less, so usually, the customer will end up spending more than $5, all because he had the gift card in the first place. The rewards program has been very successful for Best Buy and has lead to increased sales.  [8]   Best Buy is a successful consumer electronics retailer that has been around for over 40 years. Whether its changing the layout of the store, selling new products in new markets, expanding through acquisition, or implementing a rewards program, Best Buy uses many strategies and tactics to not just survive in the consumer electronics market, but to thrive, and Best Buy has been thriving for over 40 years. Comparison To Competiton Best Buy has a sizeable piece of the consumer electronics industry, but they still face heavy competition from many other retailers and online stores, just a couple of them being Wal-Mart and Amazon. Best Buy is not the price leader when it comes to consumer electronics, but they do seem to be the leader when it comes to providing extensive knowledge about products, and selling services with them. Their competitive advantage  [9]  is being able to display products in an appealing setting while providing customers with insight to their product needs. This has proven a successful strategy and has attracted a lot of traffic in their stores. One metric Best Buy seems to lead the retail industry in is in-store sales per square foot. Best Buys current sales per sq. ft is around $830, compared to Wal-Marts $680, and HHGregs $380. This an important metric because it helps track how much of their store front space is being utilized, as leasing for space usually constitutes a large share o f a companys costs. Forbes Magazine1 says that 74% of Best Buys stock price is directly proportional to its sales per sq. ft metric. This is much of the reason Best Buy has been so successful and why theyve been able to keep growing so rapidly. Best Buy has also remained successful for its ability to get products out of the store. Latest figures show Best Buy having inventory turns  [10]  of 6.1, the same as Target, much better than Sears 2.9 or Radio Shacks 3.2. Close to Best Buy was HH Greg with 5.8. Amazon and Wal-Mart both have higher turns but Amazon is all online with no store front, and Wal-Mart is a much larger company with a better supply chain and a far broader array of products while also focusing on a cost-leadership strategy. Though Best Buys differentiated strategy has been successful, it can possibly encourage consumers to come into Best Buy to become educated about products, and then turn around go buy them at Wal-Mart or off of the internet. To better differentiate themselves, Best Buy has focused on services to add to their products, of which would not be available unless otherwise purchased from Best Buy. These services include extended services plans, installations, and repairs. These services usually have high profit margins and can constitute a significant amount of revenue, while giving customer professional installations and peace of mind. Wal-Mart is also on Best Buys trail, now adding expanded electronics department in many of its stores and has added personnel to provide customer assistance, similarly to Best Buy stores. Given Wal-Marts supply chain and price leading capabilities, they remain a constant threat to Best Buy. Amazon remains a threat as their prices are usually always lower, and consumers can shop from home and never have to go to the store. Although Best Buy provides this service, they cannot match the price, and with no other way to differentiate themselves through the limited online experience, price remains the deciding factor. For these reasons Best Buy continues to try to set its self apart and take advantage of its strengths. Its recently used it large distribution network to get into the used game market. It will buy used games, send them to a center to be refurbished, and sells them at relatively low prices. This is helping the huge retailer compete directly with small retailers such as Game Stop. With their size, Best Buy has an opportunity to steal market share in this industry. External Analysis The general environment involves several external factors that would have unpredictable and dramatic effects on firms strategy, such as demography, socio culture, politics, technology, economy and globalization. However, it is difficult to monitor all aspects of the general environment, so most managers only focus on their own industry structure. As the leading consumer electronics retailer in the United States, Best Buy primarily faces the economic segment and the global segment. First of all, the economy affects all industry. During the financial crisis period from 2008 to 2009, the stock price of Best Buy, Inc hit to $16.42 in the third quarter of 2009 fiscal year, dropping approximately 65.43% in four months and touched the lowest price in past 5 years; the net income of 2009 decreased to 1.003 million, comparing with previous annual net income of $1.407 million, thus distracting the investors.  [11]  The worst situation may be that total operating cash flow reduced by 148 mi llion from 2008 to 2009, which significantly limited the companys internal operating activities. However, with the recovery of the domestic and global economy, the companys net income climbed to $1.137 million by February 2010, which is 13.36% higher than previous annual performance. Also the stock price reached about $42.83 per share recently. Secondly, for global segment, Best Buy divided its operating portion into two parts, domestic and international. The company tends to expand its market to attract multinational customers, to use lower costs of resource, and to access more opportunities to grow up. Besides the domestic market, Best Buy established 2453 stores in Europe, Canada, China, Mexico and Turkey at the end of fiscal 2010. Although the general environment inevitably affects the firms strategy, the company is usually more directly influenced by forces in the competitive environment. Through the Porters five-force model of industry competition, the company would have a deep realization of developing trend and ability of restructuring and improvement. The Threat of New Entrants There are few new major entrants in Consumer Electronics Appliances Retail because this industry is already mature in United States and the entry barriers are relatively high. Obviously, Best Buy has the advantage of economies of scale with 1069 stores across the all states. Its major competitors, Wal-Mart, target, Amazon, apple Inc also share the rest of market through the physical stores and web-based sales channel. Moreover, the capital requirement for entering the consumer electronics industry is normally huge, including the investment in negotiation with distribution channels, inventory systems, purchasing of infrastructure, employee training and so forth. Another barrier exists in the product differentiation. Since the consumer electronic retail industry is not highly innovative, customers loyalty and brand identification are difficult to change. The Bargaining Power of Buyers The Power of buyers in consumer electronic retail industry is relatively high because that the switching costs are almost close to zero. In most circumstances, customers are price sensitive. According to the firms annual report, Best buys business is most profitable in the fourth quarter because of the discounts of products in holiday season. The Bargaining Power of Suppliers Partially, Best Buys business depends on offering a broad selection of name-brand products, so establishing a long and stable relationship with suppliers is important for the firm. Since the suppliers of Best Buy are not dominated by a few companies. In fact, In fiscal 2010, our 20 largest suppliers accounted for just under 60% of the merchandise we purchased, with five suppliers Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba -representing 35% of total merchandise purchased.  [12]  In other words, the concentration relative to buyer industry is low, thus leads to the low suppliers power. The Threat of Substitute Products and Services Best Buy offers almost the same electronic products as Wal-Mart, Target and Amazon. How can it differentiate from those competitors? The answer is Geek Squad. It is a subsidiary of the Best Buy and primary offers services in-store, on-site and also provides 24-hour telephone and emergency support, including repairing computers, adding cars navigation, transferring data, fixing personal digital products and so on. As their first pledge states: We are dedicated to giving you the best service possible and well prove it. If youre not completely satisfied, well do our best to correct the problem, Fast and Free.  [13]  This strategy is difficult to imitate and brings the firm high profits. The Intensity of Rivalry among Competitors in an Industry In order to compete with so many competitors in this industry, Best Buy needs to consider the settlement of price, to face the advertising battles, to continuously improve the customer services and warranties. In addition to low industry growth rate, low product differentiation, and low switching costs, the intensity of competitive rivalry is pretty high. After the analysis of the companys general and competitive environment, Best Buy has reached success through expanding, providing prior and high-quality service, well established relationships with customers and suppliers, and differentiation. Recommendations for the Future As the leading company in the Electronics Industry, Best Buy already has a competitive advantage over its competitors. In order to gain even more market share for their company there are steps Best Buy could take in becoming more specialized. If they kept their focus on the specific aspects of the electronics industry that the everyday consumer does not necessarily know, consumers would feel even more comfortable purchasing specific electronic products. This way they would be differentiating themselves from their main competitors and be considered as a superior business all together. An advantage that Best Buy has is the production of their own products, such as Rocketfish, Dynex, Init. This allows for Best Buy to gain higher margins on products that are sold. Therefore we feel that it is important for Best Buy to market their products strongly. By increased advertising and promotion on such products, consumers will begin purchasing Best Buys own products rather than other competing name brands such as Sony and LG. It is also important for Best Buy to continually enhance their employee relationship within the Company. A job at Best Buy is highly sought after, however it is important for them to keep their employees interests in the company high. By maintaining good employee relations they are also ensuring that their employees speak of them highly outside of work which ensures their customer relations in good order as well. It would be beneficial if Best Buy would keep enhancing their Reward and Benefit Systems for their employees. By doing so, moral and interest in the company will increase and the Company will see improvements in their performance. One example of such reward systems that Best Buy already has in place are what they call Blue Crew Bucks. This system is used to pay a bonus to stores who perform the highest and their employees. While Sarah Ballard, Vice President of Human Capital for Best Buy developed this system and thought it was a great idea employees thought differently. Thr ee months after it began, she realized that employees didnt agree. Store managers told her that some workers thought Best Buy wouldnt pay up; others just didnt understand the program. After realizing that employees were upset she was able to talk to managers of each store and clarify how the program worked. By continually receiving feedback from employees and the management team, Best Buy is able to make sure that everyone is satisfied with their work environment and with how things operate.  [14]   As new products are constantly entering the market along with rapidly developing technology it is important for Best Buy to keep up with the market and make sure they always provide the newest products for customers immediately. With the latest products such as the I-Pad and X-box Kinect consumers will only consider shopping for these at the stores they know will be the first to carry them. It is important for customers to know when they want to purchase that new item they can do so at Best Buy. Jeremy Brown stated, It is so important to have the newest items for customers when they come out. Upon the new items release we must make sure that we have enough of the product to cover the demand and place them at an appropriate location in the store to maximize the items appeal.  [15]  Making sure these new products are placed so that they can be easily identified by consumers when they enter the store is very important for the company. This will attract consumers into the store in th e first place, in hopes that upon purchasing the new item, they will also decide to purchase other items. After analyzing Best Buys competitive approach in their corporate strategies, it is apparent that they have established themselves as the leader in the consumer Electronics Industry. The resources that Best Buy has at their expense allow for them to have a remain competitive in the electronics industry as a leading electronics retailer. The process by which Best Buy utilizes their resources is a valuable asset, for the company strives to continually strengthen their competitive approach. They can continue to strengthen this by focusing on great employee relationships, keeping up with the newest technology and products in their stores and focusing on specific products where they have a competitive advantage above competition.