Select a company with a significant e-commerce strategy

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Assignment:

Web Case
Analysis

Write a
1,250 word essay on the following question(s).

Option 1: Select
a company with a significant e-commerce strategy. (Alternatively, if you have
entrepreneurial aspirations, use your own entrepreneurial business model as the
context for analysis). This company could either be your own home work
organization or it could be another organization of your choice or choose the
entrepreneurial context as noted above. Using the Porter five forces model,
describe some of the current dynamics in the firm’s industry which are creating
either strategic opportunities or strategic threats to existing business
models. Pay particular attention to the dynamics of of the industry,
i.e., how is the industry changing in terms of the five forces. Use web
research to provide specific examples and support your argumentation. Your
essay should give greater emphasis to those factors that are most relevant
strategically.

Option 2: Using Case #4 (American Well), conduct the same 5
Forces Model analysis as described in Option 1 using information available in
the case. Do not extend the case to the present date, but rather use the time
frame discussed in the case.

Strategy Analysis

Write a
750 word essay on the following questions:

This is
an exercise in thinking about the concept of strategic partnerships. If you
were advising the US Postal Service on seeking out strategic partners to help
them augment their e-commerce strategies and overall value proposition, which
strategic partners would you choose and why? What role would the strategic
partner play in the overall value proposition of the Postal Service. What value
would you hope to be generated from this collaboration? (See the sources of
value creation in e-business model in Exhibit 4.3 and the value chain model on
Exhibit 4.6). How might the Postal Service effectively negotiate to convince
such strategic partners to ally with them in an overall competitive initiative?
How might a “win-win” be created for both companies. Also view the
TED Video on Open Source Economics to incorporate the notion of Open Source
Innovation as a form of strategic partnership.