Question: Jeff Bezos: The ultimate disrupter
                         Week 4
                Individual Case Study Assignment

A. General instructions

1. Use UMUC's Library (mainly) for research in this assignment. Look for worldwide data, and not North America data; remember; this is a global strategy course!!

2. Only use scholarly and reliable non-scholarly sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, Money, Forbes, and Fortune (no answer.com, QuickMBA, eHow, Wikipedia.......).

3. Assignment should be supported by at least three scholarly (peer-reviewed articles), and at least three reliable non-scholarly sources; in addition to the weekly readings and multimedia content listed in the classroom.

4. Assignment should be written in a paper format; not a question and answer format.

5. A half page Introduction should be included.Also, Lessons Learned and a Conclusion should be included at the end of the case study.

6. All questions are to be attempted. Relate your answers to the required reading. Do not restate the information from the case study; go beyond the included information; analyze!

7. Paper should be 6-8 pages long, with one inch margins, 12 point font, double-spacing, and should be posted as a PDF document. The cover page, reference list, and appendix are not part of the page count. All graphics should be placed in the appendix.

8. Use APA format for in-text citations and the reference list.

B. Questions:

1. What is your evaluation of Bezos' approach to leading change? Have Bezos' various initiatives added value? If so, how?

2. With a business model that focuses on low costs and even goes as far as a break-even mentality, how does this defy the traditional strategic business models?

3. What are some of the challenges that Amazon.com faces by setting a goal to be the company that "sells everything to everyone"? Is this sustainable?

4. Was Amazon.com continuously successful? Describe some successes and failures.

5. As Amazon.com continues to grow in size and in scope, what challenges do you think Jeff Bezos and his managers will confront as they attempt to increase the company's performance in the future? What recommendations do you have to overcome these challenges?

Reading: Andal-Ancion, A., Cartwright, P. A., & Yip, G. S. (2003). The digital transformation of traditional businesses. MIT Sloan Management Review, 44(4), 34-41. (UMUC Library)

Sultan, F., & Rohm, A.J. (2004). The evolving role of the internet in marketing strategy: An exploratory study. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 18(2), 6-19. Doi:10.1002/dir.20003 (UMUC Library)

Mahadevan, B. (2000). Business models for Internet-based E-commerce: An anatomy. California Management Review, 42(4), 55-69. (UMUC Library)

Sharma, S. K. & Gupta, J.N.D. (2004). E-strategy model for creating flexible organizations. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 5(2/3), 1-9. (UMUC Library)